Renewable Energy Roadmap Overview Curt Maxey with assistance from many
Renewable Energy Roadmap Overview Discussion of renewable resources Electric energy consumption and mandates Utility scale solar Green gas electricity generation Renewable energy credits 2 Managed by UT-Battelle
What is Renewable Energy? Renewable energy is energy produced from sources that are continually being replenished Renewable energy sources include Solar (photovoltaics and thermal) Wind Biofuels / biomass Geothermal Hydro (rain / tides) though large hydro isn t green 3 Managed by UT-Battelle
How Much Energy Does ORNL Use? FY 10 490,000 MWh FY 11 projected 738,000 MWh ~50% of ORNL s electric energy is for datacenters 675 MWh of green energy purchased from TVA 85 MWh of green (solar) produced on site ~0.15% of our FY10 electricity came from renewable resources 4 Managed by UT-Battelle
Getting Perspective on Our Energy Use Using FY11 Projected Usage For Perspective - 738,000 MWh Is equivalent to 12.3% of the annual Energy produced at Bull Run Steam plant Enough energy to power approximately 53,000 homes 5 Managed by UT-Battelle http://www.tva.com/sites/bullrun.htm
Getting Perspective on Our Energy Use 738,000 MWh Is 30 times the energy released in the first atomic bomb test, Trinity Equivalent to each of Earth s ~7 billion people burning a 100 W light bulb for an hour Enough to drive a Nissan Leaf around the circumference of the Earth 115,000 times 6 Managed by UT-Battelle
Getting Perspective on Our Energy Use: What would 738,000 MWh of solar require? Assumptions ~5 acres per MW DC solar PV ~80% efficiency connecting to grid ~4.7 sun-hours per day ~275 MWh AC per acre per year ~$5/W (DC peak) installed cost 738,000 MWh Would require ~2700 acres (4.2 square miles) of solar PV and cost ~$2.7B 7 Managed by UT-Battelle
Electric Energy Mandates By 2013 ORNL must supply 7.5% of its electricity from renewable resources (~55,300 MWh per FY11 projection) FY11-5%, FY12-5%, FY13 and beyond(?)-7.5% Presently we are around 0.1% Dual credit is received for energy produced on ORNL land (or other federal land) In principle this means that, for example, if the energy is produced via on-site solar, we only need to offset 3.75% of our energy budget [~100 acres of solar PV; 0.15 sq mi.; ~$100M] 8 Managed by UT-Battelle
What are our Viable Options for Renewable Electricity Credits? Solar PV Biofueled electricity generation Renewable Energy Credits 9 Managed by UT-Battelle
Solar Energy Option Fully meeting our mandates with solar, at $100M is not realistic Utility scale solar 1-2 MW DC could play a role Solar PV sends a strongly visible green message We have locations that would support several MW of ground-mounted PV 10 Managed by UT-Battelle
Solar site under consideration near EGCR road and Bethel Valley Rd Reference measurements show the nominal size of the area that could be developed for PV (about 45 acres) 1000 ft 2000 ft 11 Managed by UT-Battelle
Solar site under consideration near EGCR road and Bethel Valley Rd The yellow lines show the equivalent of 1 MW of PV constructed from highefficiency modules like our 51 kw array The red lines show that 1.5 to 2 MW of PV could easily fit in this area 12 Managed by UT-Battelle
Solar: Third-Party Development Options Third party installs the PV system Purchase Power Agreement (PPA) is established Installer reaps 30% tax credit and other benefits to offset costs of installation Power and REC are sold to ORNL on per/kw basis» or Equipment lease arrangement is negotiated Installer reaps 30% tax credit and other benefits to offset costs of installation ORNL owns (via lease) the power and RECs 13 Managed by UT-Battelle A 1MW DC Array would produce ~1,375 MWh AC annually and cost $200k - $300k per year (achieving ~0.1% of FY11 Projections)
Solar: Challenges and Opportunities Agreement with TVA necessary for third party options PPAs for federal facilities presently limited to 10 years Renewable Energy Credits (RECs) from solar can be traded in some cases Solar RECs (SRECs) at $200-$600 vs wind RECs at $1 - $6 Dual credit for RECs produced on federal land still applies If SRECs could be traded for a much larger share of wind RECs the option of having a Utility Scale PV system on the campus could be very attractive 14 Managed by UT-Battelle
Bio-fueled Electricity Option Ethanol and Bio-diesel have been considered for on-site electricity generation no good options for ethanol gensets availability of sufficient bio-diesel questionable both fuels involve handling and storage challenges Biogas from landfills or water treatment plants is a promising option possible installation of genset at an existing landfill purchase of biogas shipments for use in on-site gensets Purchase of fungible green gas 15 Managed by UT-Battelle
Green Gas Overview Purified biogas from landfills or sewage treatment plants Green gas is relatively new renewable resource Cleaned to natural gas pipeline quality A truly renewable resource Demand is driving more resource development Two types: Scheduled Delivery & Pipeline Credit (preferred) Arrange through broker (Atmos in Nashville) and local gas utility Fungible product put and take $6.00/mmBTU premium over NG @ $5.10/mmBTU Would be used to fuel engine-generator system to produce electricity Primary options for electricity generation with green gas Advanced natural gas reciprocating engine (1-2 MW) Industrial turbine (5 30 MW) 16 Managed by UT-Battelle
Green Gas: Natural Gas Reciprocating Engine, no CHP Estimated Installed Cost ~$1.5M Based on average cost for past 12 months Long-term Commitments Available Stop-start capability; could be used 12 hrs/day for peak load Reliability Overhaul at 20,000 Hours or ~ 2.5 Years Many ancillary research benefits with no interference to operation ~$1.5M Capital plus ~$850k annual to achieve ~1% of FY11 projections 17 Managed by UT-Battelle
Biofueled Electricity: Challenges and Opportunities Less familiar to DOE than other options (e.g. RECs) Need to ensure that mandates can be pursued this way Green Gas is in limited supply and carries long-term price uncertainty (true of all biofuels) Need to lock in green gas prices soon for long-term agreements Large generators with CHP could be co-located with datacenters to provide cooling, reducing datacenter electric load Significant research opportunities would exist with the installed facilities 18 Managed by UT-Battelle
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) Renewable Energy Certificates or Credits are the scorekeeping method for gauging compliance with energy portfolio requirements One REC = 1MWh of energy from renewable sources RECs are distinct from the actual power (i.e. it is possible to retain one and sell or trade the other) Y-12 has opted to meet their electricity mandates this way and recently purchased RECs to do so Value RECs varies but for near term they should be available in the $1-$6 range Meeting 7.5% of FY11 Projections would cost $55k - $300k 19 Managed by UT-Battelle
Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) Challenges and Opportunities RECs are not an emotionally appealing option As an Energy Laboratory, we would prefer to be generating renewable energy with associated research RECs will be subject to market volatility creating financial planning challenges RECs do tend to level the playing field, giving all players access to low-cost renewable energy to meet mandates, regardless of their geographical location RECs are available and relatively affordable 20 Managed by UT-Battelle
Renewable Resources Summary Comparison of Solar, Biogas and REC options is not apples to apples Each option has advantages Solar is a visible energy feature with some research potential GreenGas Electricity is rich with research options RECs are a financially viable option for meeting mandates Meeting mandates via a combination of options has significant merit 21 Managed by UT-Battelle