Power Engineering articles from November 2004

Power Engineering archives from November 2004

China's new open door policy.(OPINION)
November 1, 2004... The collapse of the U.S. market for power generation equipment sent a host of U.S. and multinational companies scurrying for greener sales pastures overseas several years ago. Many felt China--home to a flourishing economy, a building middle...

Laser spectroscopy makes total combustion mapping possible.(UPDATE)
November 1, 2004... The most cost-effective way to increase efficiency and reduce emissions in a coal plant is to optimize combustion. One way to greatly enhance combustion is through highly accurate, real-time combustion efficiency measurements. Unfortunately,...

Poor buffer gas fluid main cause of gas compressor seal failure.(UPDATE)
November 1, 2004... Most failures of refurbished compressor gas seals result from lack of clean and dry buffer gas supplied to the compressor, according to a recent analysis conducted by a leading supplier of engineered sealing systems and associated products....

Canada Power gets successful launch.(UPDATE)
November 1, 2004... Factors associated with geography, climate, political structure, economics and natural resources contribute to differences between the electric power industries in the U.S. and Canada. Yet the two nations' electric grids interconnect and power...

DOE outlines initiative on power plant freshwater impact.(UPDATE)(Department of Energy)
November 1, 2004... Freshwater resources and reliable and secure coal-based central power systems are inextricably linked. Thermoelectric generation requires a sustainable, abundant and predictable source of freshwater--a resource that is in short supply in many...

Dispelling power industry maintenance myths.(UPDATE)
November 1, 2004... Tor Idhammer, partner and vice president of Raleigh, N.C.-based IDCON Inc., a reliability and maintenance management-consulting firm, is often asked to identify the most common opportunities to improve production through maintenance management....

New EPRI lab targets coal flow measurement and control systems.(UPDATE)(Electric Power Research Institute)
November 1, 2004... Uneven distribution of coal flow to burners can lead to higher N[O.sub.x] emissions and increased operating costs. A new laboratory is studying measurement instruments and control approaches to help power plant operators improve flow...

Beta test set for emission-fighting algae bioreactor.(UPDATE)
November 1, 2004... Algae are single-cell plants that thrive in moist or wet environments, and through photosynthesis, consume N[O.sub.x] and C[O.sub.2], and release clean air. For many years, there has been a theory that noxious flue gases produced by power...

Honing communication skills important to issue management.(UPDATE)(Interview)
November 1, 2004... Recently, Power Engineering interviewed Jeff Braun, vice president and general manager of The Ammerman Experience, a Houston-based firm specializing in preparing company personnel--including those in the power generation industry--to...

Retraction.(UPDATE)(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2004... In a story titled "Where Will You Be When the Lights Go Out?" in the August issue of Power Engineering (page 46), EGSA--the Electrical Generating Systems Association--incorrectly stated that ComEd blackouts in Chicago in 1995 "left hundreds...

Bechtel Power.(Hitachi America Ltd. contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Bechtel Power has awarded Hitachi America a $200 million contract to supply two 677 MW supercritical boiler and steam-turbine generator units at the Oak Creek Power Plant expansion project, Elm Road Generating Station, Units 1 & 2 located in...

Stanley Consultants.(East Kentucky Power Cooperative Inc. contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Stanley Consultants has been selected by East Kentucky Power Cooperative to design and provide resident engineering services for a new 278 MW coal-fired unit at the Spurlock Station in Maysville, Ken. It will be identical to the E.A. Gilbert...

North American Energy Services Co.(Boston Generating, Mach Gen LLC.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... North American Energy Services Co. is providing operations and maintenance services at Boston Generating's Fore River and Mystic 7, 8 and 9. NAES is also providing those services at merchant plants owned by Mach Gen, LLC--the Millennium,...

Westinghouse.(Westinghouse Electric Corp., FPL Energy contracts)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Westinghouse has been contracted by FPL Energy to provide outage services at the 1,155 MW Seabrook Nuclear Power Plant in New Hampshire. The six-year, four-outage contract covers steam generator and reactor coolant pump services, a reactor...

Emerson Process Management.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Emerson Process Management has received an $8 million contract to upgrade the control system at Sunflower Electric Power Corp.'s Holcomb Generating Station in Kansas. Emerson will install its Ovation control system at the 360 MW coal-fired...

GE Energy.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Doosan Heavy Industries and Construction Company Ltd.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... GE Energy has arranged with Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co., Ltd. of Changwon, Korea, to supply six steam turbine-generators for the expansions of coal-fired power plants in Korea. When completed, the projects will add more than...

Rolls-Royce.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Rolls-Royce has received orders from Petrobras to supply seven power generation packages valued at $80 million for Brazilian offshore service. Rolls-Royce has received orders for a total of 19 gas turbine generator sets for Petrobras offshore...

Wood Group Power Operations.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Equus Power)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Wood Group Power Operations has received a 10-year, $15.7 million power plant services contract with Equus Power I, LP at the customer's simple-cycle peaking power station on Long Island, N.Y. Wood Group will provide mobilization, start-up...

FedEx Corp.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... FedEx Corp. will construct California's largest corporate solar electric system atop its hub at Oakland International Airport. The 904 kW solar array will provide approximately 80% of the peak demand for the company's Oakland facility, which...

Progress Energy.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Progress Energy Inc.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Progress Energy has selected SmartSignal's early warning Equipment Condition Monitoring software to monitor a fleet of 130 turbines located at 30 sites throughout the Southeast U.S.

The PIC Companies.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The O & M division of The PIC Companies has received a contract to operate and maintain a 510 MW combined-cycle peaking facility in Arkansas that has been in operation since 2002. The facility is comprised of six GE LM6000s and one GE Frame...

Active Power.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Active Power has received an order for two multi-MW systems in a parallel configuration for a government facility in Europe. Active has now sold 11 multi-MW systems, eight of them in the past five months.

Enercon GmbH.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Enercon GmbH has selected Maxwell Technologies' BOOSTCAP ultracapacitors for backup energy storage and power delivery in its new E48 800 kW wind turbines. Each of the three-blade E48 turbines will have 200 ultracapacitors to provide braking,...

MTL Open System Technologies and Advanced Boiler Control Services.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... MTL Open System Technologies and Advanced Boiler Control Services have won a contract to automate and replace the existing DCS control system for boiler controls at the Crawfordsville Electric Light & Power facility in Crawfordsville, Ind.

Public Service Company of New Mexico.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Public Service Company of New Mexico has selected Invensys Process Systems to implement a Foxboro I/A Series automation system at the utility's San Juan Generating Station Unit 4, in addition to advanced SimSci-Esscor operator training...

VA TECH HYDRO.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... VA TECH HYDRO has been selected by Public Utility District of Cowlitz County, Wash. to refurbish the Swift No. 2 hydro facility. The project will include updating two 35 MW Francis turbines, including the replacement of the runners, as well as...

Wartsila.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Wartsila will install a CHP system at Cartones Ponderosa in San Juan del Rio Queretara, Mexico, consisting of three Wartsila 18V32 engines with a total electrical output of almost 20 MW. Total combined capacity installed by Wartsila in Mexico...

Marsulex.(CONSTRUCTION AND CONTRACTS)(Hunan Huadian Shimen Power Co.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Marsulex has received a contract to supply technology, engineering and selected equipment for Hunan Huadian Shimen Power Co. at the Shimen Power Plant in the People's Republic of China.

Emerson Process Management.(PERSONNEL AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Emerson Process Management has named Melissa B. Herkt president of its Process Systems and Solutions business.

Plug Power Inc.(PERSONNEL AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Glenn Eisman, former chief technology officer at Plug Power Inc., has been named director of the newly created Center of Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Research at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

Flint Energies.(PERSONNEL AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Joe B. Cade will retire next year as president and CEO of Georgia power cooperative Flint Energies.

Peabody COALTRADE Inc.(PERSONNEL AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Raphael B. Pierce has been promoted to vice president of trading for Peabody COALTRADE Inc., a subsidiary of Peabody Energy. He will be responsible for oversight of U.S. domestic coal and emission allowance trading and assumes an expanded role...

MIRATECH.(PERSONNEL AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Tulsa, Okla.-based emission control system manufacturer MIRATECH has named Don Lambert director of production, responsible for quality, shipment, inventory, cost reduction, purchasing and fabrication activities.

Parsons E & C's Reading.(PERSONNEL AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Daniel L. Martin has been named senior vice president and manager of operations for Parsons E & C's Reading (Pa.) operations unit. He will be responsible for profit-and-loss of the power generation business unit, with domestic offices in...

HDR.(PERSONNEL AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... David J. Pleskac has been named national power program manager for architecture-engineering-consulting firm HDR, where he will be responsible for management of the firm's national power program within its environmental and resource management...

FirstEnergy.(PERSONNEL AND PROMOTIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Wes M. Taylor has been elected to the board of directors of Akron, Oh.-based FirstEnergy, replacing John M. Pietruski who has retired. Taylor retired in April 2004 as president of Dallas-based TXU Generation, a position he held since 1991.

GE Energy and Bechtel.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... GE Energy and Bechtel will form an alliance to develop a standard commercial offering for optimized integrated combined-cycle gasification projects in North America. The alliance will integrate the development, marketing, commercialization and...

ALSTOM and Harbin Power Equipment Co.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)
November 1, 2004... ALSTOM and Harbin Power Equipment Co. have signed a license agreement under which Harbin will market, sell and supply wet flue gas desulfurization systems in the People's Republic of China.

CMS Energy.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... CMS Energy will seek a 20-year license renewal for Consumers Energy's Palisades nuclear power plant. The current license expires in 2011.

Marubeni Corp.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(partners with FuelCell Energy to sell plant)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... FuelCell Energy and its partner Marubeni Corp. have finalized their agreement with Kawasaki Heavy Industries to become a packager of Direct FuelCell power plants in Japan. As part of the agreement, Kawasaki will purchase a DFC300A power plant...

Pegasus Technologies.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Pegasus Technologies has completed installation of its Pegasus-OS2005 Total Plant Optimization advanced control and optimization solution to reduce N[O.sub.x] emissions on Texas Municipal Power Agency's PRB-fueled 480 MW Gibbons Creek power...

Wartsila.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Wartsila has sold product rights of its high-speed 200 and 220 product family to Dresser's Waukesha business unit. Wartsila will continue to provide service for the engine base as before.

NRC.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Nuclear Regulatory Commission)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The NRC has cleared the way for Westinghouse Electric's AP1000 advanced nuclear reactor to be sold in the U.S. and abroad. It is the first advanced reactor design approved by the federal government in several years and could help advance the...

PSEG Power and the PJM Interconnection.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... PSEG Power and the PJM Interconnection are considering retirement of seven generating units in New Jersey--Sewaren 1, 2, 3 and 4 in Woodbridge Township; Keamy 7 and 8 in Kearny; and Hudson 1 in Jersey City. The units have a combined capacity of...

The Elliott Co. and Wood Group Heavy Industrial Turbines.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... The Elliott Co. and Wood Group Heavy Industrial Turbines have agreed to combine both companies' rotating equipment repair facility networks to provide enhanced customer service throughout the U.S.

New York State Energy Research and Development Authority.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Two major energy storage projects and seven smaller analysis and development projects to demonstrate advanced electric energy storage devices in New York State have been selected as part three-year, $7 million joint initiative between DOE's...

MGE UPS SYSTEMS.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... MGE UPS SYSTEMS has chosen Binary Marketing as its computer channel representative to help grow its Canadian reseller business.

FuelCell Energy.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... FuelCell Energy has announced its first 1 MW Direct FuelCell power plant sale in California to Alameda County for the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin, Calif. It is FCE's first fuel cell project with its North American distribution partner, Chevron...

Turbine Air Systems.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Turbine Air Systems has announced completion and startup of its 3,500-ton packaged turbine inlet cooling system at the Telfer gold mine in Western Australia. The single TAS F-32C packaged chilling plant is providing power augmentation for three...

ARC Advisory Group.(BUSINESS BRIEFS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A study by ARC Advisory Group says China is the only country currently providing double digit growth for control valve suppliers. The study foresees the Chinese control valve market growing 11% annually for the next five years, surpassing $350...

Reader comments.(UPDATE)
November 1, 2004... Re: Coal Stays On The Front Burner (PE, September 2004, p.7) Ron Wood, President of Black & Veatch Energy Engineering and Construction Division, believes government should prohibit the use of natural gas for uses such as electricity...

Study puts nuclear power costs competitive with coal and gas.(UPDATE)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... A study examining the economic competitiveness of nuclear power completed by the University of Chicago shows that the future cost associated with nuclear power production is comparable with gas and coal-based energy generation. The principal...

Texas to get another wind farm.(UPDATE)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Already a close Number 2 in the U.S. in terms of renewable energy (after California), Texas will take another jump toward becoming Number 1 with the announcement of still another wind farm to be built on the Lone Star State's western plains....

Southern, Peabody, Excelsior/ConocoPhillips garner clean coal grants.(UPDATE)
November 1, 2004... As part of its Clean Coal Power Initiative, the U.S. Department of Energy has announced grants to Southern Company, Peabody Energy, Excelsior Energy and ConocoPhillips to build clean coal technology plants in Florida, New Mexico and Minnesota....

LS Power Associates.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... NRG Energy has reached an agreement for the sale of its 1,160 MW plant in Minooka, Ill., to an affiliate of LS Power Associates. NRG has the right to reacquire a 40% interest in the project with 10 years for a nominal amount.

Nevada Power Co.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Duke Energy has completed the sale of the partially constructed 1,200 MW gas-fired Moapa combined-cycle facility to Nevada Power Co. The plant, located 20 miles northeast of Las Vegas, should be fully operational by summer 2006.

El Paso Corp.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS)(MW ACE)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... El Paso Corp. has closed the sale of a 35% interest in the 102 MW ACE coal-fired facility in Trona, Calif., to an affiliate of GE Commercial Finance's Energy Financial Services for $50.4 million, along with a 13% interest in the plant, to...

KGen LLC.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Cinergy Solutions has taken over operation and maintenance functions at seven power plants in the Southeast. The plants, acquired by KGen LLC from Duke, total 4,085 MW and are located in Georgia, Mississippi, Kentucky and Arkansas.

North American Energy Services Co.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS)(American Boiler & Chimney Co.)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... North American Energy Services Co. has acquired American Boiler & Chimney Co.

Cockerill Maintenance & Ingenierie.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS)(Erie Power Technologies)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Cockerill Maintenance & Ingenierie of Belgium has acquired the assets of Erie Power Technologies of Erie, Penn., and established a new company, CMI EPTI, LLC, whose primary business will be the design, supply and after-market service of heat...

MSI Equipment Centers.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS)(Chattanooga)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... MSI Equipment Centers, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Metal Systems, has acquired Cleveland Manufacturing in Houston. Both companies design and manufacture high-quality equipment and provide services to industries...

Puget Sound Energy.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS; to buy the Wild Horse Wind Power Project from Zilkha Renewable Energy)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Puget Sound Energy has announced plans to buy the Wild Horse Wind Power Project located near Ellensburg, Wash., owned by Houston-based wind project developer Zilkha Renewable Energy.

Honeywell.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Honeywell has agreed to acquire the intellectual property of HYSYS modeling software along with the operator training simulation business from Aspen Technology.

Von Roll Inova Holding Ltd.(MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS)(Austrian Energy & Environment AG)(AE & E--Von Roll Inc)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Von Roll Inova Holding Ltd. has been acquired by Austrian Energy & Environment AG, and as a result of the acquisition, Von Roll Inc., provider of engineering and manufacturing for waste-to-energy plants and Copeland fluidized bed biosolids...

Waste issue dominates nuclear scene.(NUCLEAR REACTIONS)
November 1, 2004... National Laboratories and private industry continue to develop new and improved nuclear technologies; politicians continue to argue over support for new commercial nuclear plants; and industry groups discuss how to get the next nuclear project...

What's cooking at POWER-GEN International? The world's largest gathering of electric power professionals will converge on Orlando in late November to see what's cooking.
November 1, 2004... Something will be cooking at the world's largest power industry event. The question is, "What?" The recipe has been simmering over low heat for about four years, starting at the end of the last boom cycle. The ingredients include several...

Surprises not acceptable: successful power plant outages require excellence in project management and project controls. The proper tools help the project team avoid surprises and stay on top of outage costs and progress.(OUTAGE MANAGEMENT)
November 1, 2004... Strip out the unknowns, structure user-friendly contracts and then manage using the latest techniques. This should be the formula for a successful outage, but is it? Typically, outage planning and preparation start many months before the outage...

Material improvement: Design improvements and a material change can address life-limiting concerns associated with second stage buckets on F-class gas turbines.(GAS TURBINES)
November 1, 2004... The power industry has brought hundreds of F-class gas turbines online in recent years. While these machines have delivered millions of hours of efficient, low-emission service, they have not been entirely trouble-free. Aftermarket components...

Performance by design: by adopting a design philosophy that focuses on system optimization, not just generator performance, GE Energy can now manufacture generators that meet efficiency and reliability goals while remaining simple to maintain.(GENERATORS)
November 1, 2004... Growing global requirements for higher power plant performance are shaping the design and manufacture of today's generators. Industry demands for higher reliability, efficiency and cost-effective designs are driving continuous product...

Simple improvements, significant results: TVA Kingston reduces N[O.sub.x] emissions and maintenance costs by replacing pneumatic actuators.(BOILER CONTROL)
November 1, 2004... Digital control systems and advanced technologies like selective catalytic reduction (SCR) and low-N[O.sub.x] burners are commonly used in the power industry. Yet poor or inconsistent damper actuation remains a limiting factor in boiler...

Lean-burn gas gensets for clean, efficient power.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Rely on Cummins lean-burn gas gensets (from 315 kW to 2 MW) for power that's energy efficient and extremely clean. Ideal for prime power, peak shaving, DG or CHP, these gensets offer N[O.sub.x] emissions as low as 0.7 grams/BHP-hr. To download...

Diesel generators for lowest installed cost per kW.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Today's diesel technology delivers clean power for DG, standby and peak shaving at the low installed cost per kW you expect from diesel. Cummins PowerCommand[R] systems combine microprocessor-based gensets with power transfer and control...

Efficient, multi-fuel turbines can meet air quality standards.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... Turbine generators from Cummins can provide overall CHP efficiency up to 80% and nominal emissions without aftertreatment of less than 3.0 ppm N[O.sub.x], 10 ppm CO. With power outputs from 1 to 18 MW, Cummins turbines, powered by Kawasaki, are...

Services and support from one source.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... From project management to operating and maintenance agreements, Cummins delivers all the services you need. Whether you require a 2 MW emergency system or a 200 MW prime power plant, a Cummins distributor is your local partner. Read how we've...

Rent power generation when and where you need it.(Brief Article)
November 1, 2004... For temporary power needs, Cummins can provide turnkey power stations up to 200 MW or trailerized power systems from 35 kW to 2MW. Your local Cummins distributor can help determine your power needs and provide 24/7 maintenance and support....

Outage planning off-the-shelf: Web-based outage planning and knowledge management systems built around an off-the-shelf software product have yielded impressive results for three power generators.(OUTAGE PLANNING SOFTWARE)
November 1, 2004... Since the East Coast blackout of August 2003, every aspect of a utility's power generation business is under internal scrutiny and plant personnel are being pressured to increase reliability. With limited capital and operation and maintenance...

The ABCs of pH: close attention to pH measurement in boiler water systems is cheap insurance against costly corrosion damage or boiler tube failure.(PLANT INSTRUMENTATION)
November 1, 2004... Accurate boiler water pH measurement can be invaluable in scheduling and conducting preventive maintenance tasks at power plants. Proper pH evaluation can indicate harmful acidity levels that lead to damaging metal corrosion in the boiler...

Textbook project keeps campus coal moving: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Cogeneration Facility completed a major rebuild of the coal storage and handling system in three stages to keep the plant supplied with coal throughout the project.(COAL HANDLING)
November 1, 2004... Built in 1991, the Joshua Gore Cogeneration Facility at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) replaced aging boilers and generation equipment originally installed in 1938. The facility consists of two coal-fired circulating...

Reburn revival? Despite successful demonstrations in the early to mid-1990s, reburning technology for N[O.sub.x] control has achieved relatively little commercial penetration. The question now is whether reburning will make a comeback or if it has been permanently relegated to niche status.(N[O.sub.x] CONTROL)
November 1, 2004... In the early 1990s, reburning appeared ready to become a major player in the realm of N[O.sub.x] control for coal-fired utility boilers. Successful demonstrations on wall-fired, tangentially fired and cyclone boilers as part of the U.S....

Seals from aerospace: aerospace technology has provided an improvement to one of the most underrated elements of generator performance--the hydrogen seal.(HYDROGEN GENERATOR SEALS)
November 1, 2004... The influence of the hydrogen seal on the generator and its performance has been underestimated in the past, given the fact that seal-related problems contribute to a significant number of all generator issues. Conventional hydrogen seal...

Fuel cells will be viable as adoption curve emerges.(NEWS & VIEWS ON DISTRIBUTED GENERATION)
November 1, 2004... The following report could have been ripped from a news-paper 30 years ago: The technology may one day transform the industry, but so far hype has outpaced reality. Costs must decrease and product life increase to achieve market adoption...

Study shows big untapped DE residential market.(NEWS & VIEWS ON DISTRIBUTED GENERATION)(distributed energy)
November 1, 2004... Distributed energy (DE) is making inroads into residential markets in North America and beyond. This may come as a surprise to many, as the market for on-site power generation has long been focused on the commercial and industrial sectors....

Consider motor efficiency and usage before buying.(NEWS & VIEWS ON DISTRIBUTED GENERATION)
November 1, 2004... With oil prices recently exceeding $50 per barrel, energy efficiency has again become an important issue. In the HVAC industry, motor efficiency is receiving greatly increased attention. Saving energy by purchasing a more efficient motor should...

Valuable lessons can be learned in the hospital.(NEWS & VIEWS ON DISTRIBUTED GENERATION)
November 1, 2004... Valuable lessons can be learned in the design, interconnection, operation and maintenance of a hospital backup power system. And although "lessons learned" is commonly heard in today's world, it only applies if people actually learn from their...