EnergyOnline
Services

RSS FEED

EnergyOnline.com rss

News

LCG Publishes 2024 Annual Outlook for Texas Electricity Market (ERCOT)

LCG, October 10, 2023 – LCG Consulting (LCG) has released its annual outlook of the ERCOT wholesale electricity market for 2024, based on the most likely weather, market, transmission, and generator conditions.

Read more

LCG Publishes 2024 Annual Outlook for Texas Electricity Market (ERCOT)

LCG, October 10, 2023 – LCG Consulting (LCG) has released its annual outlook of the ERCOT wholesale electricity market for 2024, based on the most likely weather, market, transmission, and generator conditions.

Read more

Industry News

LBL Scientists Complete Fuel Cell

LCG, November 21, 2002-Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley Labs (LBL) have developed a fuel cell that they say can operate as cheaply as gas turbines.

Steve Visco, Craig Jacobson, and Lutgard De Jonghe, of the Materials Science division of LBL, designed the fuel cell from ceramic materials with metal electrodes.

The Solid Oxide Fuel cells operate by reacting oxygen and hydrocarbons, such as methane, within the ceramic cell. The process differs from burning hydrocarbons in that energy is extracted from the movement of ions through an electrolytic membrane and supports several reactions. Oxygen ions react with hydrogen from the fuel gas, forming water. The water then reacts with the fuel to form carbon dioxide and hydrogen. The cell, operating at about 800 degrees Celsius, has an anodic-cathodic configuration, causing electrons produced by the reactions to flow from anode to cathode via an external load.

Fuel cells can be kept small while retaining an efficiency rating of 50 percent, making them a viable alternative to mass electricity production and transmission. They also produce much cleaner electricity than does the burning fuels. However, carbon dioxide is still produced, and the cells do require some type of fuel to operate.

Raw materials for the cells cost $37 per kilowatt. The researchers estimate that other costs, such as insulation and DC-AC converters, will limit the cost of the cell to $130 per kilowatt if they want to stay within the target cost set by the Department of Energy of $400 per kilowatt.

As yet unaccounted for costs apply to creating a stack of fuel cells, which researchers are confident can be made within their allowance. The stacked configuration will maximize voltage output and form a small generator.

Copyright © 2024 LCG Consulting. All rights reserved. Terms and Copyright
UPLAN-NPM
The Locational Marginal Price Model (LMP) Network Power Model
UPLAN-ACE
Day Ahead and Real Time Market Simulation
UPLAN-G
The Gas Procurement and Competitive Analysis System
PLATO
Database of Plants, Loads, Assets, Transmission...
CAISO CRR Auctions
Monthly Price and Congestion Forecasting Service