Energy Consulting Services

Not a new technology by any stretch of the imagination, compressed air energy storage (CAES) is slowly gaining ground with a number of projects taking shape at various stages of the design and implementation process. Currently, only two utility-scale plants exist; one, in Germany, and the other in Alabama, in the United States. With the growth of renewable generation sources, energy storage is only set to grow. Why do we need Energy Storage? The nature of our electricity infrastructure and available technology dictates that the energy we consume must be simultaneously produced. I.e. supply from the generators must always be equal to or greater than the demand from consumers. Unfortunately, we don’t consume electricity at a consistent rate. For example, at night when the lights at the office are off, we consume far less energy than during the day when most people are working. Unfortunately, it’s at these times of low consumption that we often have a large supply of renewable ene...

By now, most of us are familiar with the concepts and technologies of the smart grid ; however, there is still a long way to go for full implementation and a realization of the potential that this technology can bring. In this article, we will discuss some of the barriers faced in the implementation of a smart grid. 1. Access to finance, especially in developing countries, considering market uncertainty, policy uncertainty and revenue uncertainty due to regulatory structures Though many electricity networks around the world are in a constant state of renewal and repair, implementing smart grid technology requires an additional investment not only in acquisition, but also training and implementation to be a technological success. The business case for the smart grid is there, but the willingness and ability to implement may be lacking. 2. Limited competition in the utility market, due to no or only partial deregulation of the market Not all energy markets are liberali...

The cost of electricity is a complex calculation. Using a number of assumptions it is possible to calculate the cost of producing electricity in a fixed situation but there are still external variables, especially in a lifetime cost calculation, which an owner has to evaluate with additional risk and sensitivity analysis. These include political factors such as the impact of the two oil crises on the 1970s which have had a permanent effect on many countries’ energy policies, climate considerations, financial trends and many others. There are many occasions when the cheapest or most convenient solution is not the best. However, we have to have some cost estimation as a basis for the decision. Two approaches are most commonly used, overnight cost and levelised cost. Overnight cost is the cost of a construction project if no interest was incurred during construction, as if the project was completed “overnight." An alternate definition is: the present value cost that would have to b...