the green empire state report

THE GREEN EMPIRE STATE

N Y I T

M . S . E N E R G Y M A N A G E M E N T

A L T E R N A T I V E E N E R G Y S Y S T E M S

1 0 5 7 0 4 7

S P R I N G 2 0 1 5

K. C. PATOLIA

The aim of this feasibility study report is to reinvent the

electric energy sector of the Empire State, New York. Three

possible renewable technologies, Solar, biomass and wind,

are analyzed to offset fossil fuel burning plants in next 25

years with ultimate goal of establishing energy security and

pollution free sky.


1057047, K. C. PATOLIA

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

Every project big or small is successful largely due to the efforts of a number of wonderful

people who have always given their valuable advice or lent a helping hand. First and foremost, I

would like to express my special thanks to our respected professor Elijan ‘AL’ Avdic, who gave

his active guidance, help, cooperation & encouragement to accomplish this research paper.

I also place a deep sense of gratitude to my family members and my friends who have been

constant source of inspiration during the preparation of this project work.

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING & COMPUTING SCIENCE

M. S. ENERGY MANAGEMENT (SPRING 2015)

ENGY-775 – ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SYSTEM

KINJAL C. PATOLIA (1057047)



TABLE OF CONTENT

1. INTRODUCTION 4

2. ELECTRIC LOAD ANALYSIS OF NY 2.1 NY power demand & forecast 2.2 NY power generation by fuel type

5 5 6

3. GO SOLAR!!! 3.1 Introduction 3.2 Solar PV for homes 3.3 Solar PV farms 3.4 Advantages & Disadvantages

6 6 7 8 10

4. WIND FARMS TO AVAIL MOTION OF WIND 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Onshore & Offshore wind farms 4.3 Advantages & Disadvantages

11 11 12 13

5. USE GREEN TO PRESERVE GREEN 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Wood pellet heating system 5.3 Biomass power plant 5.4 Advantages & Disadvantages

14 14 15 16 18

6. NY ELECTRICITY SCENARIO AFTER 25 & 50 YEARS 19 7. CONCLUSION 20 8. REFERENCES 20



1. INTRODUCTION

‘’Power the economic growth and competitiveness of New York State by providing customers

with low-cost, clean, reliable power and the innovative energy infrastructure and services they

value.’’ - MISSION OF NEW YORK POWER AUTHORITY

The total electricity consumption of NY State is the highest in the nation. But New Yorkers are

among the lowest electricity users in the nation. 20 million New Yorker’s are paying forth

highest electricity prices in the nation. To transform this high cost and fossil fuel scenarios,

many efforts have done to avail renewable energy sources. Today, New Yorkers are the

America’s 5th largest users of clean and renewable energy sources.

As New York is the Northeastern & Mid-Atlantic region of the USA, encompassed with high

technology & entrepreneurship ecosystem, it has potential to make ideal combination for using

(1) Solar power, (2) Wind power and (3) Biomass. In this paper, two design strategies are

analyzed to achieve the milestone of energy independence and clean energy. The first strategy

is small scale designs. In small scale designs, the purpose is to energize each house, each

building and each structure of the New York State. Different technologies like, solar water

heater, solar PV for homes and wood pellet boilers have potential to provide a significant

fraction of annual electricity demand of home owners and lower their electricity bills. The next

strategy is large scale designs to balance the remaining fraction. In next 25 years, these

strategies will explore clean, affordable and advanced energy solutions to empower New

Yorker’s everyday lives.



2. ELECTRIC LOAD ANALYSIS OF THE EMPIRE STATE

2.1 NY POWER DEMAND AND FORECAST

CHART 1[NY POWER DEMAND AND FORECAST]

CHART 2[ELECTRICITY BY END USE SECTOR]

0

10,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

70,000

80,000

90,000

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024

18,662 18,625 18,352 18,430 18,396 18,693 18,756 18,390 18,816 18,832 18,848 18,917

24,610 24,737 24,795 24,856 24,906 24,966 25,104 25,177 25,252 25,334 25,427 25,537

33,497 33,666 34,066 34,412 34,766 35,111 35,454 35,454 35,890 36,127 36,369 36,580

AVERAGE DEMAND (MW) WINTER PEAK DEMAND(MW) SUMMER PEAK DEMAND (MW)

34%

55%

2% 9%

ELECTRICITY FOR DIFFERENT END USE SECTORS

RESIDENTIAL(34%)

COMMERCIAL(55%)

TRANSPORTATION(2%)

INDUSTRIAL(9%)



DEMAND OF LOAD 2014 2039(AFTER 25

YEARS)

2064(AFTER 50

YEARS)

ANNUAL AVERAGE

GROWTH

0.16% 1.4% 8%

SUMMER PEAK DEMAND 0.83% 20.75% 41.5%

WINTER PEAK DEMAND 0.32% 8% 16% TABLE 1[FORECAST OF DEMAND]

2.2 NY POWER GENERATION BY FUEL TYPE

CHART 3[NY SUMMER CAPABILITY BY FUEL TYPE]

3. GO SOLAR!!!

3.1 INTRODUCTION

Though solar insolation in the northeastern United States is variable, solar energy can play

significant role to transform rewnewable energy profile of the Empire State. NY is making

strides to turn itself into a solar power house. To harness power from solar energy, we can use

9% 7%

46% 4%

14%

4% 11% 4%

0%

NY SUMMER 2014 CABABILITY BY FUEL TYPE

GAS(3,226MW(9%))

OIL(2,564MW(7%))

GAS & OIL(17,627MW(46%))

COAL(1,495MW(4%))

NUCLEAR(5,418MW(14%))

PUMPEDSTORAGE(1,406MW(4%))

HYDRO(4,272MW(11%))

WIND(1,463MW(4%))

SOLAR(32MW(0%))

OTHER(METHANE,REFUSE &WOOD)(476MW(1%))



small scale implementation (solar water heating, solar PV for homes) and lagre scale PV farms.

FIGURE 1 [SOLAR INSOLATION IN U.S.A.]

3.2 SOLAR PV FOR HOMES

FIGURE 2 [SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF SOLAR PV HOUSE]



New york state is already a solar leader in USA with powering more than 10,000 homes.

Rooftop PV systems on residential buildings typically feature a capacity of about 5 to 20

kilowatts (kw), while those mounted on commercial building often reach 100 kilowatts or more.

The various components of such a system include photovoltaic modules, mounting system,

cables, solar inverters and other electrical accessories. New York has adopted “net metering,”

which allows excess electricity generated on sunny days to flow back into the electrical grid,

with credit or payment from the utility company for the power generated. New York state law

allows net metering for solar photovoltaic systems up to 25 kW in residential buildings, and up

to 2 MW in commercial and industrial settings, including serving nonprofit organizations,

schools, government and agricultural operations. The final production of electricity depends on

solar insolation and it is impacted by various factors like time of the year, weather conditions,

shading from adjustment buildings, shading from overhanging vegetation, roof slope, roof

aspect, shading from adjacent buildings and trees. It will be worth like planting 92 trees by each

family each year.

COST ANALYSIS OF SOLAR PV FOR HOME(1,832 ft2 , 5KW) COST OF INSTALLATION $25,000

State solar rebate ($0.50/Watt) $2,500

New price $22,500

Federal solar tax credit (30%) $6,750

New price $15,750

PAYBACK TIME 7 years

TABLE 3 [COST ANALYSIS OF SOLAR PV HOME]

3.3 SOLAR PV FARMS

Solar panels produce direct current (DC) electricity, so solar parks need conversion equipment

to convert this to alternating current (AC), which is the form transmitted by the electricity grid.



The conversion is done by inverters. The system inverters typically provide power output at

voltages of the order of 480 VAC. Electricity grids operate at much higher voltages of the order

of tens or hundreds of thousands of volts, so transformers are incorporated to deliver the

required output to the grid. The most important plant SCADA system is used to monitor the

overall configuration.

FIGURE 3 [SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF SOLAR PV FARM]

TABLE 4 [GENERATION COST & PAYBACK TIME OF SOLAR PV FARM]

GENERATION COST & PAYBACK TIME

Plant capacity 150MW

Construction cost $580.95 × 106

Gov. Tax credit on plant cost (40%) $232.38 × 106

New cost $348.57 × 106

Depreciation(payback time 5 years) $ 69.714 × 106 /year

Interest (bond interest=4%) $13.94 × 106 /year

Operation & Maintenance(O & M=$25/kw) $3.75 × 106 /year

Fuel cost $0.00

Ash 0

Taxes 0

Carbon tax 0

Total cost $87.4 × 106 /year

Availability of source 20%

Total annual out put 262.8 × 106 kwhr/year

GENERATION COST 33 ¢ / kwhr

PAYBACK TIME 7.7 years



3.4ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

With federal government’s 30% tax credit for solar and NY’s robust framework, solar power is a

sweet deal in the state. Homeowner’s can make great solar investment with little or no up-

front cost. According to study by the Berkley National Laboratory, solar panels will add more

value to New Yorker’s properties. It will boost the economic strength while opening many

employment opportunities. It can lessen the amount of greenhouse gas emissions without

disturbing eco-system and livelihoods. Since the invention of electricity, it has been major

political and volatile issue. But solar power is isolated from such obstructions and can establish

stable renewable energy sector. The most important advantage is that the best is yet to come.

Many researches and study programs are going on throughout the world to lower the panels of

cost and to design sustainable frame in which solar farms and storage batteries will be able to

set up together. This will be the greatest mile stone in the renewable energy industry.

DISADVANTAGES

Solar does not work at night. The biggest disadvantage of solar energy is that it is not constant.

To produce solar electricity there must be sunlight. So energy must be stored or sourced

elsewhere at night. Beyond daily fluctuations, solar production decreases over winter months

when there are less sunlight hours and sun radiation is less intense. A very common criticism is

that solar energy production is relatively inefficient. Currently, widespread solar panel

efficiency- how much of the sun’s energy a solar panel can convert into electrical energy is at

around 22%. Solar electricity storage technology has not reached its potential yet. While there



are many solar power storage batteries available, these are currently costly and bulky. Solar

panels are bulky. This is particularly true of higher-efficiency, traditional silicon crystalline wafer

solar modules. These are the large solar panels that are covered in glass. New technology thin-

film solar modules are much less bulky, and have recently been developed as applications such

as solar roof tiles and “amorphous” flexible solar modules. The downfall is that thin-film is

currently less efficient than crystalline wafer solar. The main hindrance to solar energy going

widespread is the cost of installing solar panels.

4. WIND FARMS TO AVAIL MOTION OF WIND

4.1 INTRODUCTION

According to National Renewable Energy Laboratory, 15TH windiest state of the U.S.A, New York

has the potential to supply more than half of electricity demands. With 20 wind energy projects

operating with rated capacity of a little more than 1,812MW, NY is ranked 11th in the nation for

installed wind generation capacity. The current wind energy sector of the state is powering

more than 500,000 homes.

FIGURE 4 [WIND ENERGY PROFILE OF NY STATE]



4.2 ONSHORE AND OFFSHORE WIND FARMS

To achieve maximum output wind turbines can be installed in on-shore manner (on windy

hilltops and open plains) or off-shore manner. Presently all the wind generation is land-based

and located in upstate. There is no offshore wind plant in NY, but many projects are announced

along the east coast of the United States. The most common and reliable mechanism for any

commercial wind plant is horizontal axis wind turbine (HAWT). It consists of three main

components: the rotor, the generator and structural support. Rotor component consists of

three blades to convert wind energy into low speed rotational energy. The generator

component consists of electrical generator, the control electronics, and most likely a gearbox.

The structural support component includes the tower and rotor yaw mechanism. They have

advantages of high tip speeds of over 200 mph, high efficiency, and low torque ripple. The

height of the tower is approximately 80-85 meters.

FIGURE 5 [MECHANISM TO CONVERT WIND ENERGY INTO ELECTRIC ENERGY]



TABLE 5 [GENERATION COST & PAYBACK TIME OF WIND FARMS]

4.3 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

The New York City and Long Island has enormous wind power potential to supply significant

amount of clean energy to customers. Wind energy is clean energy which does not cause

atmospheric emissions like fossil fuel burning plants. It is the sustainable form of energy as it is

generated by the heating of the atmosphere by the sun, the rotation of the earth and the

earth’s irregularities. Wind energy is the most economical form of renewable energy. Wind

turbines use a fraction of the land so it can be built on existing farms. Moreover, it can open

new income sources for farmers.


ONSHORE WIND FARM OFFSHORE WIND FARM

Plant capacity 100 MW 400MW

Plant cost $2200/kw $6230/kw

Construction cost $220 × 106 $2492 × 106 /year

Depreciation(payback time 5 years)

$44 × 106 /year $498.4 × 106 /year

Interest (bond interest=4%) $8.8 × 106 /year $99.68 × 106 /year

Operation & Maintenance(O & M=$40/kw)

$4 × 106 /year $29.6× 106 /year

Fuel cost $0.00 $0.00

Ash 0 0

Taxes 0 0

Carbon tax 0 0

Total cost $56.8 × 106 /year $627.68 × 106 /year

Availability of source 30% 45%

Total annual out put 262.8 × 106 kwhr/year 1576.8 × 106 kwhr/year

Generation cost 21.6 ¢ / kwhr 39.8 ¢ / kwhr

Production tax credit 2.2 ¢/kwhr 2.2 ¢/kwhr

NEW GENERATION COST 19.44 ¢/kwhr 37.6 ¢/kwhr

PAYBACK TIME 5.53 years 5.34 years



DISADVANTAGES

The cost of wind power generation is still higher than that of fossil fueled generated.

Technologies are developed, but it is totally dependent on the availability of wind. The

availability of wind is usually higher in remote areas. So higher amount of electricity can be

produced, but it has to deal with the cost of transmission. Although it is clean and abundant

source of energy, many wind projects are opposed by people due to noise and visual impact

(Not in My Backyard). It does not cause any environment emissions, but it has still bad impact

on wild life. Till this date around 100,000 – 440,000 bird strikes are reported by The American

Bird Conservancy. Sometimes it also causes electromagnetic interference to television

reception and aviation.

5. USE GREEN TO PRESERVE GREEN

5.1 INTRODUCTION

FIGURE 6[BIOMASS RESERVES OF NY]



Biomass has always been an important energy source for the country considering the benefits it

offers. It is renewable, widely available, carbon-neutral and the potential to provide significant

employment in rural areas. The agricultural residues can generate a significant amount of

electrical energy. Another considerable source of energy is the municipal solid waste or garbage

of the city. This type of conversion of energy will help not only for energy production, but it will

also support waste management activity of the state.

5.2 WOOD PELLET HEATING SYSTEM

FIGURE 7[WOOD PELLET HEATING BOILER]

NY is bestowed with enormous forest reserves. This biomass can be used as a domestic source

of energy. High-efficiency, low-emission wood pellets are capable of changing heating profile of

the state. Home heating oil has continued to increase by 30% over 2010 prices and is now

almost triple the price in 2000. Wood pellets will lower the demand of imported and costly oil.

In this way, it will help to stabilize economy and to open new employment resources. It can also



preserve the heritage of the region. Wood pellets contain very low amount of moisture (only 5-

7%) and less ash as the bark is removed. If pellets are bought in bulk, then home owners can

save approximately 40% of fuel costs compared to oil. These projects are quick to be moved

and can be completed in the summer or early fall for the upcoming season. It gives more or

equal comfort level compared to traditional fossil fueled heat sources. A wood heating boiler

consists of firebox surrounded by a water jacket. Highly efficient and low emission wood pellets

are burned inside to generate heat. This heat is then circulated by pipes to the heat distribution

system of the house. Thermal storage tank is also used to avoid frequent cycling of boiler. Other

energy measures like, insulation; weatherization and improved energy management can be

used to improve efficiency of the system. The whole system configuration can be installed in

the basement or in the garages of the homes.

INSTALLATION COST & PAYBACK TIME

System capacity 40,000 BTU/LB

INSTALLATION COST $22,000

NYSERDA incentive $5,500

New cost $16,500

Thermal efficiency 85%

PAYBACK TIME 6-9 years

TABLE 6[INSTALLATION COST & PAYBACK TIME OF WOOD PELLET HEATING SYSTEM]

5.3 BIOMASS POWER PLANT

The basic technology is combustion, where direct combustion of biomass takes place through a

multi-fuel fired boiler to generate high-pressure and high-temperature steam, which in turn

drives a turbine coupled to generate the electric energy of rated. The major items of plant and

machinery consist of a travelling grate boiler with economizer, air pre-heater with electro static



precipitator, a steam turbine with synchronous generator, power evacuation system and fuel

handling system.

FIGURE 8[SCHEMATIC DIAGRAM OF BIOMASS POWER PLANT]


Plant capacity 50 MW

Plant cost $8300/kw

Construction cost $415 × 106

Depreciation(straight line depreciation-30years)

$13.8× 106 /year

Interest (bond interest-4%) $16.6 × 106 /year

Operation & Maintenance(O&M=$400/kw) $20 × 106 /year

Efficiency 28%

Fuel cost($-75/ton) $ -35.47 × 106 /year

Ash(24 % @ $5/ton) $0.56 × 106 /year

Fuel tax $0.00

CO2/MWH 4160 lb. CO2 /MWH

Carbon tax $9.11 × 106 /year

Total cost $25.07 × 106 /year

Total annual output 249.6 × 106 kwhr

GENERATION COST 5.7¢/kwh

PAYBACK TIME 1.7 years

TABLE 7[GENERATION COST & PAYBACK TIME OF BIOMASS PLANT]



5.4 ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES

ADVANTAGES

Biomass is abundant source of energy as it comes from living sources and life is cyclical. There

are plenty of forests and agricultural residues in the NY state to be used in the production of

biomass energy. It has developed alternative source of fuel for many home owners. It can

reduce hazardous effects of landfills. There is no limit on different types of biomass as there are

so many living things on the planet. Moreover energy can be generated while reducing the

volume of waste by up to 90 percent, an environmental benefit. The overall climate change

impact of these emissions is lessened because a major component of biomass fuel is wood,

paper and food wastes that would decompose if not burned. If left to decompose in a solid

waste landfill, the material produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas.

DISADVANTAGES

Biomass plant is overall costly and inefficient investment as compared to fossil fuels. It may

create topological changes and destroy homes of countless animals. For mass production,

companies have to clear considerable forest area. It needs large area of land for both,

cultivation of biomass and installation of biomass power plant. Hunger is still major issue in

most countries of the world. In such situations, it will be difficult to prioritize producing biomass

fuel instead of feeding the nation. The incineration process may have detrimental effects on

environment as it releases carbon dioxide. MSW contains diverse mix of waste materials, some

benign and some very toxic. Such toxics pose an environmental problem if they are released

into air with plant emissions or if they are dispersed in the soil and allowed to migrate into

ground water supplies and work their way into the food chain.



6. NY ELECTRICITY SCENARIO AFTER 25 YEARS AND 50 YEARS

SUMMER PEAK DEMAND 2014 33,666MW

2039 + 20% RESERVE CAPACITY 40,399.2 + 8079.8 = 48,478.8MW

2064 + 20% RESERVE CAPACITY 47,805.7 + 9,561 = 57,366.864 MW

DESIGN FOR CHANGE

BY 2039 BY 2064

OFFSET POWER PLANT TYPE CAPACITY CAPACITY

GAS 3,226MW 0MW

OIL 2,564MW 0MW

COAL 1,495 MW 0MW

GAS & OIL 5,171MW 12,456MW

TOTAL 12,456MW 12,456MW

BY RENEWABLES

RENEWABLE POWER PLANT BY 2039 BY 2064

SOLAR POWER 10,000MW 10,000MW

WIND POWER 9,000MW 6344MW

BIOMASS POWER 3,955MW 5,000MW

TOTAL 22,955MW 21,344MW

25.70%

74.30%

NEXT 25 YEARS

FOSSIL FUEL(25.7%)

RENEWABLE ENERGY(74.3%)

0%

100%

WELCOME TO WHOLE GREEN! IN 2064

FOSSIL FUEL(0%)

CLEAN FUELS(100%)



7.CONCLUSION

This robust and economic frame work will be able to establish green carpet in the Empire State.

Though NY has many milestones to cross because of its changing weather and volatile energy

market, it will get enormous success in the field of clean and abundant sources of energy. The

ultimate fact about nature is that, each geographical section of the world is bestowed with one

or another types of resource, but success depends on our skills of harnessing it.

8.REFERENCES

http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/all-programs

http://www.eia.gov/state/print.cfm?sid=ny

http://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/43231.html

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/wind-turbine

http://www.newyorkbiomass.org/

http://www.ecoheatsolutions.com/heatingsolutions/woodpelletboiler.html

http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/all-programs

http://www.eia.gov/STATE/PRINT.CFM?SID=NY

http://www.dec.ny.gov/ENERGY/43231.HTML

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/wind-turbine

http://www.newyorkbiomass.org/

http://www.ecoheatsolutions.com/heatingsolutions/woodpelletboiler.html

the green empire state report

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