Established 1882 • Vol. 154 • No. 4
April 2010
ON THE COVER
Greensburg, Kansas, was destroyed by an EF5 tornado on May 4, 2007. The town has
since rebounded and now faces a promising future as a model of sustainability. Citizens
are rebuilding the town, literally from the ground up, using modern energy efficiency techniques and renewable power sources, including wind, photovoltaic, and geothermal technologies. Photo source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
COVER STORY: RENEWABLES
24 Wind Destroyed and Now Powers Greensburg, Kansas
When a tornado flattened Greensburg in 2007, residents resolved to rebuild the town
and make it stronger than ever. Three years later, it is well on its way to becoming a
showcase for energy efficient buildings and 100% renewable energy power supplies.
The master plan not only puts Greensburg on the forefront of sustainable design
and energy practices but also ensures a livable community for future generations.
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SPECIAL REPORT
COFIRING BIOMASS
30 OPG Charts Move from Coal to Biomass
Ontario’s plan to phase out coal-fired generation by the end of 2014 has prompted
Ontario Power Generation to take the lead in evaluating its fuel-switching options. Its
testing program has identified a number of issues that require attention and investment to enable safe, commercial operation with 100% biofuels. Its experience also
points to possible physical equipment modifications and operational changes that
might be required of other plants considering this switch.
FEATURES
BENCHMARKING
42 Benchmarking Nuclear Plant Staffing
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Survey data provided exclusively to POWER by the EUCG Nuclear Committee provides valuable top-line results about how the industry continues to do more with
less. You’ll find trends for average number of workers per plant, generating cost per
worker, staffing levels per unit of installed capacity, worker productivity, and more.
SYSTEM PLANNING
46 A Primer on Optimizing Fleet Operations
Whether you are responsible for a fleet of two or 20 power generating units, the ability to operate and dispatch those resources in the most cost-effective way demands
that you engage in short- and mid-term optimization—first at the plant level and then
at the fleet level. Begin with a bottom-up approach that leverages one optimization
tool that every fleet already has at its disposal.
PLANT DESIGN
51 Enhanced Condenser Tube Designs Improve Plant Performance
If someone told you that replacing plain condenser tubes with advanced technology condenser tubes would cost more but would pay for itself in just weeks, would
you consider the option? The detailed economic analyses and demonstrations of
performance improvements provided in this article should give you good reason to
answer, Yes.
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