6.1.a. ERMUSR 12-16-2014 Elk River
Municipal Utilities UTILITIES COMMISSION MEETING
TO: FROM:
Elk River Municipal Utilities Commission Troy Adams, P.E. —General Manager
John Dietz—Chair
Al Nadeau—Vice Chair
Daryl Thompson—Trustee
MEETING DATE: AGENDA ITEM NUMBER:
December 16, 2014 6.1a
SUBJECT:
Staff Updates—General Manager
DISCUSSION:
• On December 9-11, I attending the MMUA Technical and Operations Conference and
Tradeshow in St. Cloud with Mark Fuchs and Wade Lovelette. I also was a speaker
giving a presentation on pay equity in a competitive environment. My presentation was
in conjunction with two other speakers as part of a panel discussion. During the
conference, MMUA also held a board meeting which I participated in. Some of the
conference topics were: updates on applicable OSHA changes; cross-functional (multi-
department) collaboration; leadership; and APPA Lineworker Rodeo update. The
conference also included a very heavy topic; a lineworker who had lost both of his hands
from an electrical contact gave a presentation on his accident and how it was 100%
preventable. MMUA once again put on a great conference.
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I POWER
Established 1882•Vol.158•No.12 December 2014
www.powermag.com
It may not look like the power plants you are familiar with but the Hometown BioEnergy 1
plant in rural Minnesota is in the right place at the right time with the right operating pro-
file. Courtesy:Avant Energy Inc.
COVER STORY. RENEWABLE TOP PLANTS A E
22 Agua Caliente Solar Project,Yuma County,Arizona
This desert solar photovoltaic(PV) plant is noteworthy not just because it holds the
current title for largest PV plant in the world but also for its impressive capacity fac- '
tor and advanced control system.
24 Ashta Hydropower Plant,Shkoder,Albania
.„,
Although new large-scale hydropower projects are becoming rarer and often face 28
considerable opposition on environmental grounds, carefully sited small-scale
hydro projects like this one,which uses a modular turbine technology,can result in
net environmental benefits.
28 Hometown BioEnergy,Le Sueur,Minnesota
This plant starts by turning waste products into fuel and then takes every oppor-
tunity to recover otherwise wasted heat to maximize the efficiency of other plant
systems.In addition to selling power,the plant sells solid byproducts to other types -
of renewable generators.
30 London Array Offshore Wind Farm,Outer Thames Estuary,UK
Despite rough seas and tough economic conditions, the world's largest offshore
wind farm is online and supplying renewable power to an island nation that leads
the world in offshore capacity and has plans for even more.
32 Solana Generating Station,Maricopa County,Arizona
Currently the world's largest parabolic trough technology solar generating plant with Ii -
thermal energy storage, Solana offers dispatchable power to a state famous for its = - - - -
sun. Now,when summer sun prompts Arizonans to turn on their air conditioning, ,C ..rte . - -
the sun can also cool their buildings. ' r
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SPECIAL REPORTS __ _
WIND POWER
34 Wind Turbine Generator Maintenance:What to Expect and Why
Whether their fleet is large or small, increasing numbers of generators are learning
how wind turbines are different from the machines they are familiar with. Under-
standing the unique maintenance requirements is the key to minimizing mainte- -g
nance headaches. "`i
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BUYERS' GUIDE
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December 2014 I POWER www.powermag.com
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,. _. Courtesy Avant Energy Inc
Using agricultural and food-processing waste products, Hometown BioEnergy is
helping the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency meet state-mandated renewable
energy standards while also providing a valuable fertilizer for area farmers and sol-
id biomass as a fuel for other facilities.
Aaron Larson
e've all heard the phrase "one cess also produces a liquid fertilizer—rich in allows the company to accept wastes that
man's trash is another man's trea- nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and become available on a sporadic basis with
sure." Hometown BioEnergy potassium—that is then sold back to local fewer operational challenges.
(HTBE)offers a case in point.The plant uses farmers to spread on their land. In addition, The process begins with feedstock deliv-
vegetable-processing waste and livestock undigested biomass is dried to create a solid ery. The mixture of local agricultural and
manure in an anaerobic digestion process to fuel,which can be sold to other biomass and food processing waste includes sweet corn
produce biogas for use in engine generator coal-fired facilities to fuel their boilers. silage, food waste, livestock waste, and
sets.The agricultural trash is a real treasure waste oils(all sourced from within a 60-mile
for the company. A Flexible Design radius).The material is transported to HTBE
Avant Energy Inc.—the energy manage- Variety may be the "spice of life," but it via truck and delivered to the plant's receiv-
ment company that developed,oversaw con- doesn't always make for the best "season- ing hall.The biomass is weighed,mixed,and
struction,and continues to manage operation ing" at biomass plants. When dealing with heated in feeding modules to prepare it for
of the plant for Minnesota Municipal Power agricultural waste products, though, variety the anaerobic digestion process.
Agency (MMPA)—sees tremendous op- is also a fact of life.Materials are frequently "The percentages of each type of material
portunities to redefine the term "waste." It exposed to weather, which means rain, sun, varies; however, on average, the plant sees
believes bioenergy can help utilities, large and wind will all significantly affect moisture approximately 50% higher solid wastes and
waste producers, food processors, and com- content.If waste is stockpiled for any length 50%liquid wastes,"said Kelsey Dillon,vice
munities create value from waste streams and of time prior to delivery,quality can degrade. president BioPower for Avant Energy.
reduce overall energy costs.Its development Farm management practices—such as clean- Inside the digesters,bacteria work togeth-
team supports clients in the planning,design, ing schedules, herd size, square footage per er in the absence of oxygen to decompose
and construction of both conventional and re- animal,and base bedding material—can also organic material and produce biogas.Biogas
newable power generation facilities. affect waste quality. typically contains about 55% to 70% meth-
While some people may think that the One of Avant's key objectives when de- ane, 30% to 45% carbon dioxide, and trace
plant is utilizing vital resources that could signing the HTBE facility was maintaining amounts of other gases, including sulfur in
otherwise be used to fertilize area farmland, flexibility in the allowable feedstocks. Tol- the form of hydrogen sulfide(H2S).As H2S
it actually increases options for the agricul- erating variety enables the plant to manage is corrosive,it must be removed before com-
tural industry. Not only does it help manage large seasonal changes in waste volumes bustion.At HTBE,the H2S is removed from
disposal of the waste,but its biological pro- from suppliers in the region. In addition, it the biogas through microbial processes in gas
28 www.powermag.com POWER I December 2014
4';
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I
TOP PLANTS
A/S—a Denmark-based company that designs
1. Green energy. Four Cummins Power Generation engine gensets utilize the biogas to and builds biogas plants—delivered the an
generate electricity for the local distribution system. Courtesy:Avant Energy Inc.
s 1l.. aerobic digestion technology,and Barr Engi-
. �.�I neering Co.provided engineering support for
'� -�'
the project.Biomass loading began in October
2013 and operations commenced on schedule
' iii ; two months later.
.� :, 4�i "As is the case with all power plants in a
-- i °�•. 4► northern climate, especially an extreme cli-
7 ' _ °i, ; +' mate like Minnesota,freeze protection is al-
1 ••111.... , ,k 1.
i ( 'y ,,, ways a key priority.We started operation last
r } ' 1�" # I 1h"' ""1 winter during one of the coldest on record,
a /' t ' Y but worked to successfully solve what can be
114 I it m ' .f fir very pesky freeze problems,"said Benjamin
r 2 -- ! Simmons,asset manager for HTBE.
' ' , 1'�.�
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Enthusiasm for Renewables
�
ry - . /�, �� }
1; � Minnesota was a logical location for design-
- ; e; 1 ing and.building HTBE. The state has one
- of the nation's most aggressive renewable
energy standards, requiring all utilities to
• 1 I g enerate at least 25%of their electricity from
renewable energy sources by 2025.
cleaners as the product leaves the anaerobic with challenges. For HTBE, the technology Wind is the clear leader in the state's
digesters. is not particularly familiar to most people in renewable portfolio. It produced 15.7%
Three large,white,dome-shaped gashold- the U.S.,so its first challenge was educating of the in-state generation in 2013, plac-
ers—each with a 9,000-cubic-meter capac- the community about the project. ing Minnesota fifth nationally based on
ity—store the biogas for future use in one Avant wanted local residents to understand production percentages. Given the state's
of four 2-MW Cummins Power Generation that a facility of this kind is a long-term asset. latitude, many people may be surprised to
C2000 N6C engine gensets (Figure 1). The HTBE provides important benefits to the lo- learn that Minnesota has annual solar radi-
onsite gas storage allows dispatch flexibility cal community by collecting and processing ation similar to parts of Florida and Texas,
to provide on-peak electricity, maximizing local wastes,and creating a renewable source but that potential remains largely untapped.
1 revenue potential. The electricity produced of electricity that flows directly into the host In 2013, however, the Minnesota Legisla-
i is supplied directly to the local distribution community's power system. The company ture passed an omnibus energy bill requir-
system serving the City of Le Sueur. shared project information with the public ing public utilities to generate 1.5%of their
I Heat recovery is another important part of early on in the development phase.It hosted energy from the sun, so solar is likely to
the process. Cooling water from the engine meetings with community leaders,held open gain some ground in the future.
i water jackets is the main source of reclaimed houses for local residents,and offered regular But agriculture remains one of the state's
1 energy.The heated water is fed into an insu- construction updates. largest industries,so a plant that utilizes farm
lated storage tank and then used in the gas In addition,Avant placed an emphasis on waste is a natural fit.HTBE filled that niche,
cleaner,feeding module,electric generation, hiring locally. Although the plant only has and its success could lead to development of
I and in-floor heating systems. seven permanent employees,local contractors, similar plants elsewhere. For utilities man-
HTBE also recovers energy from the businesses, farmers, and other area residents dated to meet renewable energy standards,
engine exhaust, which is used by the post- all contributed to construction and startup in biogas's dispatch flexibility offers clear ad-
digestion system.By utilizing the heat recov- various ways,and continue to support opera- vantages over wind and solar resources.
ery system,HTBE believes it extracts every tional activities.The plant also uses some sea- "We see strong potential for more BioPower
ounce of value possible from its process. sonal employees. plants and are pursuing project opportunities
The heat is supplied to the plant's belt dryer, throughout the country.BioPower is an espe-
thereby reducing the moisture content of the A Rapid Timeline cially attractive renewable option due to its re-
solid by-product. This makes it more valu- Minnesota winters offer a multitude of liable and dispatchable nature,but BioPower
able as a renewable solid fuel for combustion challenges, especially for construction is also more complex than wind or solar and
, offsite in biomass and coal-fired burners. It companies. Nonetheless, the project broke requires more logistical coordination during
, is also safe to reuse the separated solids as ground in December 2012 with a one-year development and operations.Areas with large
,! a bedding material for livestock in place of goal for completion. amounts of food or agricultural waste and a
more expensive sawdust and wood shavings. "The aggressive construction schedule for local utility with a renewable appetite make
Although the plant's 8-MW capacity may the plant was a significant challenge,but we good candidates for BioPower,"said Dillon.
seem small compared to the average utility worked weekends and long hours. We also As a unique waste solution for rural areas
power plant,it is one of the largest facilities had good management and strategies in place and a reliable renewable energy resource,
of its kind.The plant is permitted to process to complete the project in the one year time- HTBE is the worthy recipient of a POWER
Iup to 45,000 dry tons of waste per year. frame,"Dillon said. Top Plant award.•
Avant managed the construction, hiring a —Aaron Larson is a POWER associate
A Community Asset variety of firms to perform mechanical,elec- editor(UPOWERmagazine,
Developing a power plant of any type comes trical, structural, and building work. Xergi @AaronL_Power).
December 2014 I POWER www.powermag.com 29