Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist

Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Journalist @baltimoresun writer artist runner #amwriting Md Troopers Assoc #20 & Westminster Md Fire Dept Chaplain PIO #partylikeajournalist
Showing posts with label Energy Electricity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Energy Electricity. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 01, 2014

NetRight Daily» Clouds on the solar horizon

NetRight Daily» Clouds on the solar horizon: "By Marita Noon

Consumers considering installing solar panels on their rooftops have far more to think through than the initial decision to “go solar.”"

http://netrightdaily.com/2014/04/clouds-solar-horizon/?utm_source=WhatCounts+Publicaster+Edition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Can+Obama+give+away+the+Internet+without+Congress%3f&utm_content=Clouds+on+the+solar+horizon%0d+

{...}

Last month, it was reported that solar panels can be “dangerous in an emergency.” Firefighters have been forced to stop fighting a fire due to electrocution concerns. The report quotes Northampton, MA, Fire Chief Brian Duggan as saying electrocution is not their only concern: “cutting through the roof for ventilation would also take a lot longer.” Springfield fire commissioner Joe Conant says: “nothing will stop them if there’s a life to be saved, but if it’s simply to save the structure, solar panels may keep them from going on the roof.


A Fox News story on the risk solar panels pose to fire-fighters states: “Two recent fires involving structures decked with solar panels have triggered complaints from fire chiefs and calls for new codes and regulations that reflect the dangers posed by the clean-energy devices. A two-alarm fire last week at a home in Piedmont, Calif., prompted Piedmont Fire Chief Warren McLaren to say the technology ‘absolutely’ made it harder on firefighters. Weeks earlier, in Delanco, NJ, more than 7,000 solar panels on the roof of a massive 300,000-square foot warehouse factored into Delanco Fire Chief Ron Holt’s refusal to send his firefighters onto the roof of a Dietz & Watson facility.”

In part, due to the increased fire concerns, roof-top solar panels can increase the cost of homeowners insurance

Read more at NetRightDaily.com: http://netrightdaily.com/2014/04/clouds-solar-horizon/#ixzz2xfzOzmQt


'via Blog this'
*****

Thursday, January 31, 2008

20080130 Constellation Threatens To Halt Plans For Reactor In Md

20080130 Constellation Threatens To Halt Plans For Reactor In Md

Hat Tip: Delusional Duck Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Constellation Energy Threatens To Halt Plans For Reactor In Md.

http://delusionalduck.com/index.php/site/constellation_energy_threatens_to_halt_plans_for_reactor_in_md/

Constellation Energy Group has threatened to build a new nuclear reactor in New York instead of Maryland if the state’s political and regulatory environment doesn’t improve. [WRC-TV]

Hat Tip: nbc4.com

Constellation Energy Threatens To Halt Plans For Reactor In Md.

http://www.nbc4.com/news/15175143/detail.html

POSTED: 11:23 am EST January 30, 2008

UPDATED: 11:36 am EST January 30, 2008

BALTIMORE -- Constellation Energy Group has threatened to build a new nuclear reactor in New York instead of Maryland if the state's political and regulatory environment doesn't improve.

In a statement released on Tuesday, executive vice president Michael Wallace said the company hopes to break ground on a new reactor at Calvert Cliffs this year but would proceed instead with plans for a reactor at New York's Nine Mile Point if the company encounters delays in Maryland.

The statement appears to be Constellation's latest effort to challenge efforts by Maryland regulators and lawmakers to revisit deregulation.

Gov. Martin O'Malley said he's committed to the nuclear project in Maryland and will work to make sure it gets a timely review.

_____

NRC Action on UniStar's Partial Combined License Application Sets Stage for Detailed Review of Potential New Reactor in Southern Maryland

http://ir.constellation.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=112182&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1101485&highlight=

UniStar Also Preparing New York Site for First U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor

BALTIMORE, Jan. 29, 2008 -- UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture between Constellation Energy and the EDF Group, today announced that the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has docketed UniStar's partial Combined License Application (COLA) for an advanced design reactor adjacent to Constellation Energy's Calvert Cliffs site in southern Maryland.

Michael J. Wallace, chairman of UniStar and executive vice president of Constellation Energy, said the NRC action confirms that the environmental portion of the application, as well as other critical information in the partial application, are technically complete and ready for detailed NRC review.

"The NRC decision is a major milestone in UniStar's plans to potentially develop and construct a fleet of new nuclear plants in the United States," Wallace said. "This regulatory step forward also supports Constellation Energy's efforts to provide economic and environmentally sound electricity to meet anticipated demand in the Mid-Atlantic region, and in particular the state of Maryland."

Wallace said UniStar expects to make a final decision in the next 12-18 months on whether to proceed with a third reactor at the Calvert Cliffs site. He noted the company also is pursuing a new reactor in upstate New York as part of its strategy to build at least four U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactors (EPRs) in the United States. He said any decision to build a new nuclear plant will take into consideration a number of factors, including project economics, ability to finance and the political and regulatory climate in the state where the plant will be built.

"Ideally, we would like to break ground for a new reactor in southern Maryland in late 2008 so this carbon-free, base-load source of electricity can be in operation by 2015," Wallace said. "However, if we encounter delays in Maryland, we are prepared to proceed with the first EPR at our Nine Mile Point nuclear plant location in New York."

Wallace said the NRC decision to docket UniStar's partial Combined License Application begins a comprehensive, detailed review process that includes requests for additional information, site visits, public scoping meetings, the development of a draft environmental impact statement, and safety reviews.

UniStar plans to submit the remaining portion of its COLA -- which includes the Final Safety Analysis Report -- to the NRC in March. NRC regulations permit an applicant to submit one part of a COLA up to 18 months before submitting the remainder. Additional reviews and public meetings and hearings will occur following NRC review and acceptance of the remainder of the COLA.

The NRC decision, announced Jan. 25, continues to build momentum for UniStar, which is working with Constellation Energy, EDF, PPL, AmerenUE and emerging energy companies such as AEHI and Amarillo Power. U.S. EPRs have been proposed at existing nuclear sites in Pennsylvania and Missouri, as well as greenfield sites in Idaho and Texas. UniStar's full COLA will serve as the reference document for all additional UniStar COLAs.

In December 2007, UniStar's partner in the U.S. nuclear renaissance, reactor manufacturer AREVA, submitted its design certification application for the 1,600-megawatt U.S. EPR to the NRC. In November 2007, UniStar submitted a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity (CPCN) to the Maryland Public Service Commission for the potential plant at Calvert Cliffs and also announced an agreement with turbine-generator supplier Alstom for the turbine- generator systems for the first four U.S. EPRs.

UniStar Nuclear Energy, a strategic joint venture between Constellation Energy and EDF, is powering the nuclear renaissance in North America through industry leadership, disciplined business practices and effective risk-management. Based in Baltimore, Md., UniStar Nuclear Energy provides the licensing, construction and operating services needed to support the expansion of clean, safe and sustainable nuclear energy in the United States.

Constellation Energy (http://www.constellation.com), a FORTUNE 125 company with 2006 revenues of $19.3 billion, is the nation's largest competitive supplier of electricity to large commercial and industrial customers and the nation's largest wholesale power seller. Constellation Energy also manages fuels and energy services on behalf of energy intensive industries and utilities. It owns a diversified fleet of 78 generating units located throughout the United States, totaling approximately 8,700 megawatts of generating capacity. The company delivers electricity and natural gas through the Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE), its regulated utility in Central Maryland.

An energy market leader in Europe, the EDF Group is an integrated energy company operating in all branches of the industry: generation, transmission, distribution, and the trading and sale of energy. The top electricity producer in Europe, the Group has predominantly nuclear and hydroelectric power plants in France, supplying electricity that is 95 percent CO2-free. Its transmission and distribution subsidiaries operate 1,246,000 km of medium and low voltage overhead and underground electricity lines and around 100,000 km of high and very high voltage networks. The Group is involved in the supply of energy and services to more than 38 million customers worldwide with more than 28 million of them in France. The Group's consolidated sales stood at euro 58.9 Billion in 2006 of which 42 percent was in Europe excluding France. EDF, which is listed on the Paris Bourse, is a member of the CAC 40 index.


Friday, August 10, 2007

20070810 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SAVE $30 MILLION IN ENERGY COSTS


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Barbara Herron

410-732-9564

LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SAVE $30 MILLION IN ENERGY COSTS

BALTIMORE (August 10, 2007) – Between June 2006 and June 30, 2007, the innovative strategy of purchasing electricity directly from the regional grid and multiple wholesale suppliers resulted in savings of more than $30 million for local governments and participating agencies, compared with BGE’s standard offer service rates.

The $70.6 million spent on electricity purchases saved the region’s taxpayers approximately $12.1 million when compared with the retail cost of electricity. The total annualized cost was $.078 per kilowatt hour.

The Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee(BRCPC), a standing committee of the Baltimore Metropolitan Council, developed the wholesale portfolio approach to purchasing electricity, eliminating retail middleman costs, in conjunction with its independent energy advisor, South River Consulting. Pepco Energy Services, the portfolio licensed service provider, has also been instrumental in the strategy’s operational and performance success.

The portfolio includes 3,000 BGE commercial electric accounts. Participants include the Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard county governments; the Baltimore County Public Libraries and Revenue Authority; Baltimore City, Baltimore County and Harford County public schools; the cities of Aberdeen, Annapolis and Bowie; and the Baltimore Museum of Art and Walters Art Gallery.

Other local government organizations have since adopted the wholesale portfolio approach. The portfolio approach used by BRCPC for purchasing energy is currently one of the options being considered by the Maryland Public Service Commission, the Maryland Energy Administration and the Governor’s Office for Maryland’s electric utilities as a means of reducing energy costs for residential customers.

“It’s always good to find ways to save taxpayers’ money,” said Harford County Executive David Craig, the BMC Chair. “The money local governments can save on electricity means more money to provide services that directly benefit our residents.”

# # #

The Baltimore Metropolitan Council is an organization of the elected executives of Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties. The executives are committed to identifying regional interests and developing collaborative strategies, plans and programs which will improve the quality of life and economic vitality throughout the region.