Supply-side Options Case Studies

Solar Power - New York Rooftop Solar

To increase solar energy resources, New York State and the federal government offer financial incentives that help businesses, schools , and homeowners defray the upfront cost of installing on-grid solar energy facilities. In 2012, the NY-Sun Initiative was launched. The initiative invested $800 million through 2015 to encourage the adoption of solar technologies in the state. The initiative includes incentives aimed at expanding solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment incentive programs that are being administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and Long Island Power Authority (LIPA). The initiative will also encourage the NYSERDA and the New York Power Authority (NYPA) to focus on technology advancement and system cost-reduction programs to reduce the balance-of-system (BOS)

PV costs in New York, including installation and all non-module costs. Further, a holistic New York City Solar Map was developed that can be used by city dwellers and potential solar installers to learn more about the potential for solar on their buildings and across the city. It also provides practical information and steps for installing solar. Due to these efforts, as of Dec 2012, NYC had a Solar capacity of 14 MW and an annual energy generation of about 18.5 million kWh.

Wind Power - Develop a Windfarm 

Traditional large utility scale wind has implementation challenges that arise due to rising transmission interconnection costs and availability; saturation in available high resource wind sites; low efficiency of windmills due to physical design limitations, and finally limited application in a distributed generation setting due to significant environmental and community impacts.

As compared to traditional three-blade windmills, Ogin/flow design windmills boast of high-power output, competitive capital cost, reduced maintenance costs, and unique grid capability. These turbines demonstrate the following key competitive advantages to developers:

1. Lower levelized Cost of Energy.

2. Minimizing the Environmental and Community Footprint.

3. Easier to Transport, Install, and Permit.

This innovative technology has completed commercialization in the United States. The full-scale prototype was installed in California and successfully connected to the grid in 2011. 

Tidal Energy - Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE)

In 2002, Verdant Power initiated a Tidal Energy project on Roosevelt Island called Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy (RITE). This project is being operated in New York City’s East River. This project serves as an example to show how the Free Flow System can be scaled for placement directly within a population center.51 It is also the world's first grid-connected array of tidal turbines.

With 9,000 turbine hours of operation, the project delivers 70-megawatt hours of energy to two end users. Moreover, the project also collects operational and environmental data to inform the design of upcoming Free Flow Systems for future installations.

Distributed Energy - Beijing Crab Island area distributed energy projects

Beijing Crab Island Group, located in Chaoyang District is one of the case studies that showcase comprehensive energy utilization. The World Bank invested in building a distributed energy demonstration project that combined cooling, heating, and power systems. Caterpillar manufactures the major equipment of this combined cooling heating and power system that includes two 60 KW and two 1.35 MW gas generators.

Co-supply energy station provides electricity, air conditioning in both summer and winter, and the annual load of domestic hot water for greenhouses and independent garden houses, which cover approximately 92,000 square meters.  Four caterpillar gas generator groups are located on two buses with a power supply of 1710 Kw, power generation efficiency of approximately 40%, and integrated energy utilization rate above 80% for each bus.

Beijing South Railway Station Energy Station Project

Beijing South Railway Station is the initial station of the Beijing- Shanghai express railway with a capacity of 10,500 passengers. The Station has used two sets of Cummins Power Gas generator groups. The sustained power output of a single set could reach 1570 KW.

Two units were connected with a lithium bromide chiller and parallel connected with the grid providing the overall solution of building a combined cooling, heating, and power system for the train stations.