Posted on 20 June 2014. Tags: electricity, Nebraska, Wind power
NextEra Energy Resources LLC a unit of NextEra Energy Inc. announced the official dedication of the Steele Flats Wind Energy Center, located in Jefferson and Gage counties, Nebraska.
The new wind energy facility is capable of generating 74.8 MW of wind power, enough electricity to meet the energy needs of 19,000 Nebraska homes.
All of the power generated by the Steele Flats Wind Energy Center is being provided to Nebraska Public Power Districtunder a long-term contract. BD is purchasing a portion of the renewable energy credits generated from the Steele Flats Wind Energy Center for the next 20 years to offset 75 percent of the electricity use at its manufacturing facilities in Columbus and Holdrege, Neb.
The Steele Flats Wind Energy Center is located on about 10,500 acres of privately owned agricultural and ranch land. The wind facility is comprised of 44 General Electric turbines that each has the capacity to generate 1.7 MW of energy. The facility entered service in November 2013, two months ahead of schedule.
The project represents a $138 million capital investment and is expected to contribute millions in property taxes and land lease payments over the first 20 years of the plant’s life. The project is owned and operated by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources.
Since breaking ground in July 2013, the project employed about 200 construction workers and now supports five full-time jobs. In addition, many local Nebraska businesses contributed to the project through services ranging from materials, equipment, utilities, labor, housing, and food and beverage.
Posted in Renewable Energy, Wind Energy
Posted on 10 June 2014. Tags: electricity, Solar, UK, wind
The six energy storage systems were installed in substations in both urban and rural locations as part of the Customer-Led Network Revolution (CLNR), a three-year smart grid project in the UK. The largest of the six NEC energy storage systems — a 2.5MW, 5MWh GSS™ in Darlington — is located in an urban industrial area, while one of the smallest, a 50kW GSS™, is located in a residential area in Wooler.
“Part of the challenge of installing energy storage in these areas was the wide diversity in the various sites,” said Ian Lloyd, CLNR technology manager at Northern Powergrid. “We needed battery systems that could fit into a range of electricity distribution substations, so it was important to have a very flexible battery design to accommodate our very different locations.”
To fit the needs of the project at four of the six sites, NEC Energy Solutions supplied lithium-ion based grid battery systems packaged in a variety of enclosures, including standard 40-foot containers and smaller customized enclosures. The last two locations required energy storage systems installed directly into pre-existing buildings, and serve to demonstrate the flexibility of NEC Energy Solutions’ modular and scalable designs.
“This project enables distribution network operators in the UK to implement new technologies designed to increase energy efficiency and support the adoption of clean energy,” said Bud Collins, CEO of NEC Energy Solutions.
Energy storage is a key component of the CLNR smart grid project, and will be used to help integrate more solar and wind energy into the UK’s electricity network.
Posted in Solar Energy, Wind Energy
