Chemical Engineering February 2017 - 5

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The rising role of alternative energy
T
he news making recent headlines in my local area is the announcement
of the closing of the Indian Point nuclear power plant
in New York State. Whether to keep the plant running or not has
been a long-debated issue, with strong arguments on both sides.
In January, New York Governor Cuomo announced that the plant will close
by April 2021. Along with accolades from environmental groups and local
residents concerned about safety and security, are concerns about what
the plant closing means economically and how to replace the 2,000 MW of
electricity that the plant supplies to the area, which includes New York City.
The plan to replace power from the plant includes alternative energy
sources, such as hydroelectric power, as well as upgrades and efficiency
measures. In line with last year's approval of New York's Clean
Energy Standard - which sets a goal to have 50% of New York's electricity
come from renewable sources by 2030 - there is also a proposal
for an offshore wind project, 30 miles from the tip of Long Island.
Solar power shines
More and more, alternative energy options are making their mark as
emerging power sources. Solar power is becoming the cheapest form of
new electricity, according to a recent report by Bloomberg New Energy
Finance1. The report indicates that solar prices are competing with those
of coal and natural gas, and that solar prices are even falling below those
for wind power in some countries. A recent memo by the U.S. Dept. of
Energy (DOE)2 says that in the U.S., the cost of large scale (>100 MW)
solar photovoltaic has dropped by 64% since 2008, and that the number
of such plants has grown from 0 to 50 in the U.S. during that time.
Technological advances made by those working in the chemical process
industries (CPI) are undoubtedly contributing greatly to alternative
energy's progress. In addition to technological developments to solar
panels, which are familiar to many of us through their common usage
in consumer products, other areas are seeing increasing progress.
See the article in this issue on " Concentrating Solar Thermal Power:
The Future Looks Bright " on pp. 15-18 for more on solar power.
Energy efficiency and process intensification
In addition to developing technologies for energy resources, the CPI
play an important role in reducing energy needs by providing products
for energy efficiency. The CPI themselves consist of many energy-intensive
operations, and they are also working on improving efficiency
in their own processes.
Process intensification is an effort to improve energy efficiency, reduce
resource use and increase overall manufacturing productivity.
Recently, the DOE announced that the Rapid Advancement in Process
Intensification Deployment (RAPID) Manufacturing Institute was
selected to join the nation's network of Manufacturing USA Institutes
The institute was formed by the American Institute of Chemical Engineers
(AIChE) and will leverage federal funds, as well as funds from
the participating members, toward its goal of increasing
energy efficiency and productivity by 20%
in 5 years.
The ambitious goals for energy efficiency and alternative
sources offer great opportunities for chemical
engineers and others in the CPI to contribute. ■
Dorothy Lozowski, Editor in Chief
1. www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-15/world-energy-hits-a-turningpoint-solar-that-s-cheaper-than-wind
2.
energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Department%20of%20Energy%20
Cabinet%20Exit%20Memo.pdf
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM
FEBRUARY 2017
5

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-12-15/world-energy-hits-a-turning http://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2017/01/f34/Department%20of%20Energy%20 http://www.accessintel.com http://WWW.CHEMENGONLINE.COM

Chemical Engineering February 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Chemical Engineering February 2017