Methodology for Calculation of the Marginal Emission Rates from a ComplexCogeneration Facility compared with that of the co-located NY ISO Bus

Cogeneration facilities at commercial and institutional locations are significant emitters carbon dioxide. Many large universities, hospitals and large commercial complexes maintain combined heat and power facilities that are interfaced with wholesale power markets. These facilities both buy and sell electricity in the organized markets while maintaining what is their principle function of provision of thermal energy for heating and cooling. In this paper we provide the theoretical background to calculation of Marginal Emission Rates (MERs), provide an overview of the optimal operation of those facilities, and present the results of a detailed case analysis of the results of a comparison of the MER of an operating cogeneration facility at Cornell University compared with the MER for consumption of electricity at the closest wholesale bus of the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO)

A Wake-Up Call for the Utility Industry: Extreme Weather and Fundamental Lessons from 2021

We have examined the critical extreme weather events of 2021 that resulted in disruptions of normal power system operations, the loss of life, and multibillion dollar losses to the US economy. These impacts occurred due to extreme cold, extreme heat, drought, slower post-landfall dissipation of hurricanes, and more intense large-scale thunderstorm systems. We point to the causes but also argue for the changes in planning and operations required to be prepared for and have responses to these events. Specifically, we focus on recognizing the reality of extreme events and planning for their increasing frequency, intensity, duration, and geographic scope; modifying resource planning and adequacy metrics to incorporate common mode events; enabling the power system to depend on reliable natural gas fuel supplies; redesigning power markets to better compensate resources and flexible demand for reducing the probability of outages; and developing resilient systems

Application of sector and location specific models of the "worth" of renewable energy technologies

Renewable energy sources such as solar and wind hold the potential for providing a significant portion of the U.S. energy requirements in the decades ahead. Unlike other energy sources their availability is determined by nonrandom events beyond the control of the consumer. In addition, macro-, meso-, and microclimatic conditions play a major role in determining the worth of such renewable energy sources to their owners. The worth of these new technologies will be a function of owner, location, and application as well as the traditional capital and operating cost, i.e., their worth to an owner in the southwest will be different form that to an owner in the northeast or the southeast. Dealing with energy sources, with geographic and sectorally specific energy values and with energy technologies with which we have little or no experience in the marketplace has created a set of challenges in analysis and modeling of these new technologies in competition with traditional energy technologies and with other emerging technologies. This paper will look at one simulation methodology for estimating the worth of renewable energy systems providing electricity, such as wind or solar photovoltaic power systems, and will discuss the interaction between such systems and traditional electric utilities with which they may or may not be integrated, be owned or be co-located. The paper concludes with a discussion of the issues associated with the incorporation of econometric techniques into such a simulation modeling structure

The economics of water lifting for small scale irrigation in the third world: |b traditional and photovoltaic technologies

Previously issued as MIT Energy Laboratory Working paper # MIT-EL-78-015wp, August 1978.Much of the non-traditional, irrigated, agricultural land in developing nations utilizes pumping technologies which have been adapted from the developed nations. These technologies are adaptable to the medium and large scale farms (individual farms in excess of 2 hectares) but are not adaptable to smaller farms. It has been these larger third world farmers who have been able to take the fullest advantage of the benefits of new seed varieties in wheat and rice combined with fertilizer and water, the ingredients of the "green revolution." This short paper summarizes the experience to date of developing water pumping systems for small farms in selected deltaic areas of the 'third world,' those areas in which irrigation water is available at depths between 1.5 and 4.5 meters (m). These areas include the Nile, Euphrates, Indus, Ganges, Irrawaddy, and Mekong River Basins which combined encompass 50 million hectares of the earth's surface (less than one percent of the earth's land area) and contain roughly 250 million people (nearly 7 percent of the world's population). The analyses evaluate water supplied by traditional means--human and animal--by conventional systems--diesel, gasoline and electric--and by renewable resource systems, in particular photovoltaic powered systems. A review of previous studies indicate that the value of water for irrigation is in the range of two to three cents (U.S.) per cubic meter (m3). The methods of lifting water, available to farmers on land areas of one hectare or less, provide water at costs in excess of this two to three cents (U.S.) per m3. Investigations of the Shadoof systems of North Africa and Asia show costs of water as high as seven cents (U.S.) per cubic meter. An evaluation of animal power used to operate a Persian wheel resulted with water costs that varied with the amount of feed required by the animal from 1 to 4/m3. Four pumping systems were investigated using conventional power systems: two diesel, one gasoline, and one electric. Since pumping systems have relatively fixed sizes and prices, the costs generally exceed the benefits for the small farmer. The cost per cubic meter for irrigating one hectare averaged: 3.5¢ (U.S.) for diesel in Chad; 4.0¢ (U.S.) for gasoline in Chad; 3.5Q (U.S.) for diesel in India; and 3.0t (U.S.) for electricity in India. In each of these instances, the cost of supplying small scale farmers with water using conventional systems was greater than the economic value of the water supplied. A fifth pumping system investigated herein utilized a high technology power system, photovoltaic cells combined with efficient electric motor and pump devices. The cost of providing water utilizing the photovoltaic power system resulted in costs of 2.8t/m3 (U.S.) to lift the water 1.5m and 5.44/m3 (U.S.) for lifting heads of 4.5m, at today's cell prices ($10/Wp). If photovoltaic power system costs are reduced to$4.00 per peak watt (Wp), the cost of irrigation water for a lift of 1.5m would be 1.2¢/m3, and for a lift of 4.5m would be 2.3*/m3

The Impact of Distributed Energy Resources on the Bulk Power System: A Deeper Dive

solar photovoltaics (PV), electric storage and electric \ vehicles, demand response, combined heat and \ power, wind, fuel cells, and micro-turbines are \ typically installed on the low or medium voltage \ distribution network. Changes on the distribution \ network can have rippling effects throughout the rest \ of the power system. In this paper, we have \ calculated both traditional locational marginal \ prices (LMPs) and distributed locational marginal \ prices (DLMPs) using an optimal power flow (DC \ OPF). This paper provides an analysis of the energy \ price impacts resulting from significant additions of \ Distributed Energy Resources (DER), namely solar \ PV, electric batteries and demand response, in a \ distribution feeder. The impact is measured in terms \ of nodal approximations to DLMPs, realistic \ calculation of LMPs in the transmission system and \ overall price suppression effects that trickle down to \ consumers on the feeder. Policy implications are \ drawn concerning the potential impacts of \ penetration of DER on future planning, and \ operation of the power system as well as on energy \ markets and the environment

Planning for future uncertainties in electric power generation : an analysis of transitional strategies for reduction of carbon and sulfur emissions

The object of this paper is to identify strategies for the U.S. electric utility industry for reduction of both acid rain producing and global warming gases. The research used the EPRI Electric Generation Expansion Analysis System (EGEAS) utility optimization/simulation modeling structure and the EPRI developed regional utilities. It focuses on the North East and East Central region of the U.S. Strategies identified were fuel switching -- predominantly between coal and natural gas, mandated emission limits, and a carbon tax. The overall conclusions of the study are that using less (conservation) will always benefit Carbon Emissions but may or may not benefit Acid Rain emissions by the offsetting forces of improved performance of new plant as opposed to reduced overall consumption of final product. Results of the study are highly utility and regional demand specific. The study showed, however, that significant reductions in both acid rain and global warming gas production could be achieved with relatively small increases in the overall cost of production of electricity and that the current dispatch logics available to the utility control rooms were adequate to reschedule dispatch to meet these objectives.Supported by teh MIT Center for Energy Policy Research

A uniform economic valuation methodology for solar photovoltaic applications competing in a utility environment

The question of how the economic benefits of weather-dependent electric generation technologies should be measured is addressed, with specific reference to dispersed, user-owned photovoltaic systems. The approach to photovoltaic R&D investment that has historically been practiced by the Federal Government is described in order to demonstrate the need for an economic value measure. Two methods presently in common use, busbar energy costs and total systems costs, are presented and their strengths and weaknesses highlighted. A methodology is then presented which measures the "worth" of a system to a user and the implications of this analysis for R&D investment are discussed. Finally, a simple simulation model of a photovoltaic residence is designed which demonstrates the use of the suggested methodology