India braces for 11,943 MW hit to solar power due to solar eclipse

By Aarushi Koundal ETEnergyWorld

Solar eclipse: India braces for 11,943 MW hit to solar power; POSOCO readies systems

Power System Operation Corporation (POSOCO) has started preparing power systems for the 21 June annular solar eclipse as it expects a reduction in solar power generation by 11,943 megawatt (MW) across India.

The solar eclipse will begin at 09:56 am IST at Dwarka, Gujarat and will end at 14:29 pm IST at Dibrugarh, Assam. This would be the fourth solar eclipse India would witness in the past decade. The last one occurred in December 2019.

“Eclipse would lead to reduction of all India solar generation by about 11,943 MW at maximum obscuration time and total estimated reduction in energy will be 20 million units compared to a normal day,” it said.

The state-run power operator is planning to manage the deviation of grid frequency from the nominal by flexing fast ramping sources such as hydro and gas-generating stations.

Don’t miss stories like this Click for EP Blog updates

“During the initial period, 8,900 MW of solar generation will reduce in a very short span of time i.e 1:48 hrs and after maximum eclipse, it would increase by 10,362 MW within 2:08 hrs,” POSOCO said in a fresh report.

As on 31 March 2020, with an installed capacity of 34.6 GW, solar PV constituted 9 per cent of the total installed generation capacity of Indian grid.

“Electricity grids with such a significant penetration of solar capacity will be adversely impacted by astronomical events such as solar eclipse, due to variation in solar generation reduction followed by rise in generation and associated large ramp rates,” POSOCO said.

It added that low generation from solar power parks results in high voltages at pooling substations, which needs to be maintained by timely switching of reactors or transmission lines.

Read the full story

India braces for 11,943 MW hit to solar power due to solar eclipse Read More »

Pennsylvania coronavirus update: cases reach 75,000 Saturday

Pennsylvania’s coronavirus case counts approached 75,000 on Saturday, as the state sees the numbers ebbing. With the flattening of the curve, Pennsylvania is gradually opening up, with half the counties, including Lehigh and Northampton, in the yellow phase of reopening, and the other half in the green.

Margie Liakakos, of Macungie, enjoys a latte at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley on Friday, as the Lehigh Valley moved into the yellow phase of coronavirus reopening.
Margie Liakakos, of Macungie, enjoys a latte at the Promenade Shops at Saucon Valley on Friday, as the Lehigh Valley moved into the yellow phase of coronavirus reopening. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)

By CHRISTINE SCHIAVO THE MORNING CALL 

With Pennsylvania reemerging from the coronavirus crisis after three months of lockdown, the tide of new cases has ebbed across the state, with an additional 701 on Saturday, bringing the total to 75,086.

Twenty-five new cases and five deaths were recorded in the Lehigh Valley — 17 cases in Lehigh County and eight in Northampton County. The case counts are now 3,846 in Lehigh County, with 248 deaths; and 3,144 in Northampton County, with 231 deaths.

Lehigh and Northampton counties were among the remaining 10 moving from the red shutdown phase to the yellow phase on Friday, with outdoor dining resuming and retail outlets opening. Gov. Tom Wolf announced Friday that a dozen counties, including Carbon, will move into the green, or final, reopening phase on Friday. In that phase, which 46 of the 67 counties will be in next week, people can gather in larger groups, albeit while wearing masks and social distancing.

In yellow phase, restrictions on work and social interaction ease, though schools, gyms and hair salons remain closed and large gatherings aren’t permitted.

“The purpose of this phase is to begin to power back up the economy while keeping a close eye on the public health data to ensure the spread of disease remains contained to the greatest extent possible,” Wolf’s office explained in a news release Friday.

The other counties moving into the green on Friday are: Adams, Beaver, Columbia, Cumberland, Juniata, Mifflin, Northumberland, Union, Wayne, Wyoming and York.

The Health Department unveiled an online dashboard Friday to show county progress as Pennsylvania moves through the COVID-19 phased reopening plan. The dashboard breaks down categories used to determine if a county can move into the next phase of reopening, including the average of cases over a two-week period.

Statewide, the average case count over a 14-day period was at nearly 58 per 100,000 people on Saturday, which is higher than Lehigh County’s 14-day average of 52 but much lower than Northampton County’s average of 76.

The Health Department reported that 45 more Pennsylvanians lost their lives to COVID-19, bringing the state’s deaths to 5,931.

It also reported what appeared to be a record one-day testing total of 11,622 coronavirus tests conducted in pubic and private labs across the state. Public health officials have said widespread testing and contract tracing are essential in tamping down the virus.

Senior content editor Christine Schiavo can be reached at 610-508-1551; cschiavo@mcall.com.

EnviroPolitics Blog is working to keep you informed about all aspects of the coronavirus — the status of confirmed cases, disease spread, death toll–and also how Americans are coping. Like this story, for instance. If you like what we are doing, Click to receive free EP Blog updates and please tell your friends about us.

Pennsylvania coronavirus update: cases reach 75,000 Saturday Read More »

Planning to drive into Center City Philly today for the George Floyd protest? Our advice: Take the train.

By Ryan Sharrow  – Editor in Chief, Philadelphia Business Journal

Center City will be closed to vehicles for most of Saturday as large planned demonstrations are scheduled throughout the day.

Starting at 11 a.m., vehicles will be prohibited from Callowhill Street to South Street from the Delaware River to Schuylkill River. Interstate 676 will be closed in both directions from I-95 to I-76 starting at 11 a.m.

The Benjamin Franklin Parkway will be closed to cars starting at 5 a.m. from 22nd Street to the Art Museum.

Residents and business owners in cars will need to show identification to police to get through the road closures.

Due to expected demonstration activity in the area of Center City and the Art Museum, SEPTA expects bus routes to be temporarily detoured as streets are closed. Riders are encouraged to check www.septa.org for affected bus routes. The Broad Street and Market Frankford rail lines will continue to run on their normal schedule, except for stations closed due to Covid-19.

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge connecting Philadelphia to South Jersey will remain open and PATCO will run a normal schedule. The bridge closed last Sunday after protests erupted into violence, widespread looting, fires and over 200 arrests the night before.

Philadelphia on Friday remains under a curfew for the seventh straight evening. The curfew runs from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Saturday. No curfew has been announced for Saturday.

Demonstrations have been underway across the U.S. after a video showed George Floyd, a black man, died after a Minneapolis Police Department officer kneeled on him during an arrest.

Don’t miss stories like this Click for EP Blog updates

Planning to drive into Center City Philly today for the George Floyd protest? Our advice: Take the train. Read More »

12 U.S. offshore wind R&D projects receive $10.3 million in funding

By WPED Staff | June 5, 2020

The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium announced selection of 12 projects for contract negotiation, completing its first solicitation for offshore wind research and development technology projects. The 12 awards totaling $10.3 million will support a variety of research areas, including comprehensive U.S. supply chain analyses, studying the impacts of offshore wind on the electric grid system, and innovations in anchoring structures.

“The Consortium is excited to advance offshore wind deployment in the U.S. by supporting these innovation and research projects,” said Carrie Cullen Hitt, Executive Director, National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium. “Today’s announcement builds on our collective commitment to drive down costs and make offshore wind more a competitive alternative in generating energy.”

Vincent Schellings, GM for Engineering & Product Development, Offshore Wind at GE Renewables, said, “The National Offshore Wind Research and Development Consortium is a model for how you bring public and private sector interests together to advance our clean energy future. Through the Consortium, we’re able to harness critical funding resources and focus them on the right initiatives to advance the offshore industry and ultimately expand the U.S. supply chain in ways that attract new jobs and private sector investments.”

The Consortium’s efforts were realized through a competitive solicitation which closed in December 2019. The awarded projects include:

  • Demonstration of Shallow-Water Mooring Components for FOWTs (ShallowFloat), Principle Power
  • Design and Certification of Taut-synthetic Moorings for Floating Wind Turbines, University of Maine
  • Dual-Functional Tuned Inerter Damper for Enhanced Semi-Sub Offshore Wind Turbine, Virginia Tech University
  • Innovative Anchoring System for Floating Offshore Wind, Triton Systems
  • Techno-Economic Mooring Configuration and Design for Floating Offshore Wind, University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Development of Advanced Methods for Evaluating Grid Stability Impacts, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
  • Development of a Metocean Reference Site near the Massachusetts and Rhode Island Wind Energy Areas, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute
  • Enabling Condition Based Maintenance for Offshore Wind, General Electric
  • Physics Based Digital Twins for Optimal Asset Management, Tufts University
  • Radar Based Wake Optimization of Offshore Wind Farms, General Electric
  • Survival Modeling for Offshore Wind Prognostics, Tagup
  • 20 GW by 2035: Supply Chain Roadmap for Offshore Wind in the U.S., National Renewable Energy Laboratory

In addition to these projects, eight projects previously received funding from the Consortium last year, bringing the total projects funded to over $17.3 million. The full listing of the projects that have been funded by the Consortium is available here.

Read the full story

Don’t miss stories like this Click for EP Blog updates

12 U.S. offshore wind R&D projects receive $10.3 million in funding Read More »

Good Morning, environmental news birds!

Image

Did you know that EnviroPolitics delivers the region’s earliest, energy, environmental, and political news?

At 6:30 a.m. daily, we’ll be waiting for you to throw off the covers or jump off the exercise bike to review: 

  • The day’s first environment, energy, and political news
  • From New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Delaware
  • In concise summaries that let you scan and download only what you need–at the original source
  • On weekends, we track all energy and environmental legislation in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Try EnviroPolitics free for 30-days
(Even if you enjoyed a prior trial subscription) 

Good Morning, environmental news birds! Read More »

Will Covid-19 cases spike as New Jersey reopens?

BRIANA VANNOZZI, NJTV NEWS | JUNE 5, 2020 | 

Three months after New Jersey’s first case of the disease, an epidemiologist discusses some of the still unanswered questions

So much about the coronavirus remains unanswered: What are the risks of catching it? Why do otherwise healthy people become gravely ill with COVID-19 while others don’t? What progress, if any, is being made on a vaccine? What are the chances of a so-called second surge?

As the state marks month three in the pandemic, Montclair State University professor of public health and epidemiologist Stephanie Silvera, discusses these and other issues with Briana Vannozzi of NJTV News.

EnviroPolitics Blog is working to keep you informed about all aspects of the coronavirus — the status of confirmed cases, disease spread, death toll–and also how Americans are coping. Like this story, for instance. If you like what we are doing, Click to receive free EP Blog updates and please tell your friends about us.

Will Covid-19 cases spike as New Jersey reopens? Read More »