Peter Balash, Ph.D., a senior economist at NETL in Pittsburgh will be part of a day-long national event dedicated to power grid improvement topics that will also feature appearances by U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Rick Perry, U.S. Rep. David McKinley (WV 1st), and representatives of private industry and academia Friday, March 29 in the nation’s Capital.

The event, titled “Powering the Grid: Access, Affordability and Fuel Diversity” will address policy debates and changing technologies involved with improvements to the nation’s power grid. The discussion will occur at Charlie Palmer Steak, 101 Constitution Avenue NW in Washington. The event is free, but registration is required. Information on registration is available here.

Balash will be joined in a panel discussion by Charles McConnell, executive director, Carbon Management and Energy Sustainability of the University of Houston and Emily Medine, principal with Coal Energy Ventures Analysis (EVA). The program is presented by the National Mining Association and the American Collation for Clean Coal Electricity. It is being organized by Real Clear Politics, an independent, non-partisan media company.

McConnell previously served as assistant secretary for Fossil Energy at DOE, vice president of carbon management at Battelle Energy Technology, and as global vice president of Praxair Inc.

Medine advises numerous U.S. and foreign coal consumers on developing and implementing fuel procurement strategies and frequently serves as an advisor for sales and acquisitions of coal-related assets.

Secretary Perry, who will participate in a post-panel interview at the event, leads an agency tasked with maintaining a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent and reducing nuclear proliferation, overseeing the United States’ energy supply, carrying out the environmental clean-up from the Cold War nuclear mission, and managing 17 national laboratories that are home to the country’s best scientists and engineers. NETL is one of those laboratories.

Rep. McKinley, who will deliver a speech at the event, is a member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee with jurisdiction over the nation's telecommunications, consumer protection, food and drug safety, public health research, environmental quality, energy policy, and interstate and foreign commerce.

According to event sponsors, “the U.S. electric grid is undergoing a rapid transformation as it powers, cools and heats homes; supports operations at industrial plants and office buildings; and allows schools, hospitals and military bases to function. Baseload coal and nuclear power plants, the foundation of the nation’s electricity mix, are and being replaced by wind, solar and natural gas generation. The grid is shifting from a mix of always-on, fuel-secure sources of power, to greater reliance on intermittent sources of generation and a growing network of pipelines.”

The panel will address questions such as:

• What are the policies driving the power grid’s shift?
• How concerned should Americans be at how this transformation is being managed?
• Are we on the precipice of a self-imposed energy crisis?

Balash and NETL have a long history of addressing grid issues through its ongoing research initiatives. He explained that solar and wind power have become a greater part of the energy resource mix in the nation’s power grid. However, they are unpredictable and often force power companies operating coal and gas-power plants to start, stop, ramp up and ramp down to compensate for times when wind mills are still, and the sun shines less. That alternating process is known as cycling.

He said cycling often causes steam lines, turbines, boilers and other components to endure big thermal and pressure stresses. In addition, elevated temperatures accelerate creep-fatigue interactions.

“That’s why we are devoting research to a range of technologies that can provide lower cost answers to avoiding the damage to plants that the rapid start and stop can cause,” Balash said. “Keeping costs as low as possible while providing power when renewables are not available is critical.”

NETL is uniquely positioned to provide input on grid issues. Its ongoing research is focused on finding improvements that address cycling and other grid issues and incorporates:

• Energy Technology Systems and Market Analysis — Developing a useful database of information that can be used to guide research efforts and assist decision-makers.
• Optimizing Dynamics for Performance and Reliability — Improving the flexible operation of existing plants by developing and applying high-fidelity dynamic process models and controls to optimize plant performance and reliability.
• Sensors, Diagnostics and Control for Performance and Reliability — Building mathematical models of dynamic systems to provide information on stability, heat rates, and emissions during cycling and part load operations leading to effective, low-cost ways to optimize existing plant control systems and augment advanced condition-based monitoring systems.
• Materials for Performance and Reliability —Developing materials with unique thermal, chemical and mechanical capabilities with a focus on the severe operating environments typical of fossil energy production.
• Power Plant Component Improvement —Providing detailed computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling to make practical decisions about how to operate coal plants at part-load.