RETS Revisited : Connecting renewables to the grid - a report by the Transmission Working Group of the Department of Trade & Industry

The aim of RETS Revisited is to review the progress that has occurred since the original RETS Report in June 2003. Given the large amount of wind generation planned, and the fact that much of it does not yet have planning consent or firm grid connection offers, it was felt that it would be helpful to take a further strategic look forward, rather than simply relying on the existing system to react to individual connection applications as and when required. RETS Revisited therefore: K considers the current likely volumes of new renewable generation, the timescales for this generation to be ready for connection to the transmission system and transmission issues impacting on the delivery of projects. K considers the effects on costs to the consumer of the rate of development of the transmission system in accommodating renewable energy to meet Government targets. K makes recommendations for action in order to connect sufficient renewables to meet the 2010 target and the aspirations beyond to 2020. Government policy is clear on the requirement for more renewable energy, and there is a market instrument, the Renewables Obligation, in place until 2027 which is driving the development of renewable projects. The Energy White Paper in 2003 recognised the need for the remodelling of the transmission grid to accept generation in new locations. Wind will be the technology capable of delivering significant capacity by 2010 and beyond. By its very nature the technology has limited ability to respond to locational price signals. In order for new generation projects to be connected, there needs to be a parallel development of transmission infrastructure. Transmission upgrades of over £560m were approved by Ofgem in December 20041. These will assist the flows of electricity from Scotland. There is a need to ensure that these projects are not unduly delayed in construction. A review of the need for the linkage between upgrades to the Scotland-England interconnectors and Beauly-Denny line should be carried out now

Active local distribution network management for embedded generation

Traditionally, distribution networks have been operated as passive networks with uni-directional power flows. With the connection of increasing amounts of distributed generation, these networks are becoming active with power flowing in two directions, hence requiring more intelligent forms of management. The report into issues for access to electricity networks published by the Ofgem/DTI Embedded Generation Working Group in January 2001 called for new work in the area of active distribution network management. The report suggested an evolution from the present passive network control philosophy to fully active network control methods. In line with these recommendations Econnect is developing a new type of distribution network controller, called GenAVC. GenAVC is a controller for electricity distribution networks that aims to increase the amount of energy that can be exported onto the distribution networks by generating plants. The UK is leading the world in electricity de-regulation and one aspect of this is the increasing demand for the connection of distributed generation. Active distribution network management is seen to be essential for networks to accommodate the levels of distributed generation that are predicted for 2010. The work being undertaken as part of this project is therefore at the forefront of international network management technology

Review of existing electricity quality label systems in the European Union

Green electricity quality labels have been utilised in the European Union since 1990. Of the seventeen European countries analysed here1, at the time of writing nine had no countryspecific quality label, although all electricity tariffs within Europe were able to apply for accreditation under the EUGENE labelling scheme. Germany had several quality labels, each with slightly different criteria. All of the eighteen labels identified in the report applied to electricity from renewable sources. Of these, seven also allowed co-generation to be a part of the fuel mix and one had a requirement for eligible companies to fulfil some demand side management activities. No existing labelling scheme set an overall requirement for CO2 emissions, although some did set emissions limits for co-generation components. Seven labels required some contribution from new renewable energy plant2. Only three of the labels did not allow publicly funded plant to contribute to a labelled green tariff. A review of labels clearly indicates that: · there are several schemes with varying levels of “greenness”, operating in some countries, which may be confusing for customers; · very few labels are clearly requiring some additionality for the products. It is therefore recommended that the European Union and member states continue to use other support mechanisms to increase the generation of electricity from renewable sources

State estimation applied to active distribution networks with minimal measurements

Traditionally, state estimation is applied to transmission networks to improve security and redundancy of the measurement system. This paper describes the application of state estimation to distribution networks in order to extend the observability of the network. Key features of this application are that the network is active, minimal real measurements are available and that there is minimal communications infrastructure. this paper presents results ffrom a field trial whihc manages voltages in an 11kV distribution network with distributed generation. The paper highlights the problems associated with this application and presents some solutions

Ecosystem Shock: The Devastating Impacts of Invasive Species on the Great Lakes Food Web

Gives an account of the changes to the Great Lakes ecosystem brought about by non-native aquatic species. Assesses the current and future impacts on fish communities and commercial fisheries. Provides policy and research recommendations

Social Work Faculty Offers Insights on Domestic Violence Awareness

Understanding warning signs and ways to help are critical to helping combat proble

School of Applied Sciences Honors Students of the Month

Evi Addoh and Alan Cuff recognized for academic excellenc

Pope Paul VI and the Pill

The Roman Catholic Church has strong moral rules opposing the use of oral contraceptives. The Church still holds the view that a “sexual union must always allow for the possibility of procreation” (Sullivan, 2006, p.1). Pope Paul VI, in his encyclical Humanae Vitae in 1968, stated that that the use of contraceptives was a sin against God. In this paper, I will present the views of Pope Paul VI from this encyclical, then present arguments against his claim that using them violates God’s law

School of Applied Sciences Enrolls First Student in Gerontology Program

New interdisciplinary degree provides academic preparation, practical experienc