backup power

APR Energy is supplying modularised power to Guatemala, Indonesia and Senegal as part of a 101MW expansion for 2013 that sees the company investing US$150 million in rental power. This large investment is to make operational improvements and increase the use of its diesel power fleet.

The project in Guatemala is providing energy to a silver mine 40km outside of Guatemala City. The plant will be the sole power source for the mine, which is not connected to the local grid. This adds to APR’s contracts with mining companies, with projects in Mozambique and Botswana also underway.

Existing contracts with Senegal and Gabon have been extended, increasing APR’s energy supply in Western Africa by 70MW.

In Indonesia a 15MW diesel-fired power plant feeds back to the state grid system to balance the supply-demand load issues. Laurence Anderson, President and COO of APR said the project offered APR an entry to one of the largest temporary power markets in the world.

“I feel strongly that the new contracts in Indonesia and Guatemala, along with the current contract extensions, are further evidence of our continued customer satisfaction and the overall strength of the market,” said John Campion, APR Energy Chief Executive Officer. “The 101MW in January follow on the heels of the 200MW contract award and 100MW renewal in Uruguay in December and show an unmistakable momentum in our business.”

Emerson Network Power and SolarReserve are collaborating to produce and store solar energy in liquid molten salt at the Crescent Dunes Solar Energy Project in Nevada. It will be the first project of its kind to harness energy from the sun and store it in this way. The 110-MW project is due to be online by the end of 2013.

SolarReserve’s system of 10,500 mirrors focus the sun’s energy to heat molten salt that flows through a central receiver, which sits atop a 540-foot solar power tower. The molten salt then flows up the tower where it circulates through the receiver and is heated by the sun’s energy. It then flows to another storage tank where steam is produced, using thermal energy, which powers a turbine to generate electricity. Excess thermal energy will be stored in the molten salt.

Emerson’s Ovation technology will directly control the circuit and heating process of the molten salt system, the water/steam cycle and auxiliary processes. The control system will also provide supervisory control of the mirrors and interface with the turbine control system. ?

Enough energy is expected to be generated to power 75,000 homes regardless of whether or not the sun is shining.