Resource World Magazine

58 www.resourceworld.com d e c e m b e r / j a n u a r y 2 0 1 6 alTErNaTIvE ENErGy rEvIEw developments in alternative energy by Jane Bratun intelligent energy Comes to o'AHu In a recent press release, stem, inc., and hawaiian electric [HE-NYSE] announced collaboration for a 1 megawatt (MW) and 2 MW energy storage system on the Hawaiian island of O'ahu. The project will help Hawaiian businesses reduce peak demand charges by allowing them to use stored electricity. It will also help stabilize the grid by filling in gaps created by the growth of renewable energy, like solar. Hawaiian Electric and Stem are bring- ing energy storage and intelligent software to businesses on O'ahu in a $2.1 mil- lion pilot program supported by Energy Excelerator, a program from the Pacific International Center for High Technology Research, Stem and Hawaiian Electric. Stem's data analytics software incorpo- rates weather pattern information, past use data, and rate information to predict when electric use will peak. The system rapidly responds to spikes in electricity use, drawing on stored power to reduce costs for customers. Customers also receive access to Stem's software system that pro- vides a real-time view of energy use. Hawaiian Electric and Stem are work- ing together on this first-of-a-kind project through Energy Excelerator. The Hawaii- based startup program provided $1 million of funding and a platform to partner with the utility. montAnA HArvests its energy resourCes The state of Montana is developing its wind and geothermal energy resources. Montana is one of 13 states able to produce commercial electricity from geothermal energy, according to an economic feasi- bility study by the US Geological Survey. The Northwest Power and Conservation Council estimates the regional develop- ment potential of conventional geothermal power totals 416 MW over the next two decades – enough to power more than 400,000 homes. Montana has 15 geothermal sites identi- fied, with additional potential sites across most of the Bitterroot Valley and the east- ern plains. In Lake County, the Flathead Electric Cooperative has received a fed- eral grant to drill a well 2,000 feet deep to test the energy potential of hot water at that level. If successful, this project could demonstrate the feasibility of generating energy from the hot water present at mod- erate depths in many areas of Montana. Potential negative effects, such as threats to local groundwater and increased seismicity from drilling activity prohibit geothermal development in lands next to Yellowstone National Park. Drilling geo- thermal wells may also involve hydraulic fracturing (fracking) of underground for- mations, similar to the process used in oil and gas production. Montana also ranks third among all states in commercial wind energy poten- tial, according to the American Wind Energy Association. A study from Harvard University finds Montana's wind potential is second only to Texas, with accessible wind resources 370 times greater than the state's electricity use. Developing a fraction of Montana's wind power potential would create enor- mous local economic benefits. According to results from a recent modeling analy- sis, a 150 MW wind project in Montana would produce 806 jobs and $81.2 mil- lion in local economic activity during its construction phase. Operating the plant would generate 42 full-time-equivalent local jobs, $2.2 million in property taxes, and $6.1 million in economic benefit to the local economy each year. fAst-CHArging system for eleCtriC buses unveiled Swiss engineering company aBB [ABB-NYSE] has unveiled its robotic, fast- charging system in collaboration with Swedish car maker volvo [VOLV-B.ST]. The system, which automatically finds and plugs into a vehicle's rooftop charge point while it is stopped at a depot or ter- minal, can recharge a bus in 4-6 minutes. Based on the pantograph, (a mechanical concept for linking power supplies to trains, trams, and buses) the technology estab- lishes wireless communication between bus and charger before a special inverted pan- tograph is automatically lowered to provide the bus with a fast, powerful recharge. The modular design – 150 kilowatts (kW), 300 kW, or 450 kW – provides any city bus with enough energy, in only a few minutes, to run its inner-city route continuously throughout the day. The ABB system also provides a suite of connectivity features, including remote diagnostics, remote management, and over-the-air software upgradeability. This cloud-based services platform, a collabo- ration between ABB and Microsoft, began alongside the automated charging system. It combines ABB's charging stations with Microsoft's Azure cloud-based services

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