A silent hero during these difficult times: Flexibility of our electricity infrastructure

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COVID-19 continues to impact many aspects of our lives; most notably making flexibility the cornerstone of our lives. Flexibility comes in many forms in our daily routines. Sometimes, flexibility is working from home instead of going to the office every day. Other times, flexibility is our kids participating in on-demand or online education lessons, instead of being physically at a school for certain hours.

Whether it is school, work or family life, we are learning how to be more flexible to power through this pandemic. But flexibility also goes beyond these aspects and manifests itself in another aspect of our lives: Electricity.

A flexible electricity infrastructure prevents large-scale black-outs 

The energy sector is also adjusting to a world with COVID-19, and this is where the flexible electricity infrastructure becomes our silent hero. Flexibility of the electricity infrastructure accommodates changes in electricity demand and supply. Our electricity has remained mainly uninterrupted, thanks to this flexibility, despite necessary changes in staffing and a significantly different demand for electricity.

This flexibility is accomplished through different components of the electricity infrastructure. Let’s cover a few of these components making our electricity infrastructure more flexible.

  • Distributed energy resources: Distributed energy resources (DERs) are electricity-producing resources connected to the local electric distribution system. Many decentralized technologies ranging from solar rooftop panels to backup power generators are considered DERs. They introduce our electricity infrastructure an interconnected ecosystem of smaller power generation systems at or close to the point of consumption. As the demand or supply of electricity fluctuates, these decentralized technologies work in collaboration with central generation components to ensure access to electricity stays uninterrupted. 
Energy Storage - Sources of power systems globally
Energy storage to play a key role in addressing flexibility challenge renewable technologies bring in.
  • Energy storage systems: Energy storage technologies, one of the many DERs, can store and release energy in the form of electricity when needed. Their role in delivering flexibility is expected to rise. In fact, the International Energy Agency forecasts a 40-fold increase in stationary energy storage capacity by 2040 1. These energy storage systems become even more valuable in areas where renewable sources are commonly used, as they dispatch the needed energy when the wind isn’t blowing, and the sun isn’t shining.
  • Demand side management: This proactive management enables customers to manage their electricity demand and reduce their bills, while making the electricity eco-system more flexible. For residential customers, use of a smart thermostat and collaboration with the utility company or thermostat vendor is one way to accomplish this. For industrial and commercial customers, the bills include both energy consumed (kWh) and power used, or demand charge (kW); meaning these customers could minimize demand charge costs by producing, storing and using some of their electricity need on-site. 

Moreover, grid interconnections and utilization changes within central power plants also help the electricity infrastructure remain flexible during these challenging times. 

Many industries critical to overcoming this pandemic have uninterrupted access to electricity, thanks to the flexibility within the infrastructure

Flexibility of our electricity infrastructure is critical during this pandemic more than ever before. Many critical facilities and services such as healthcare, water plants, data centers, greenhouses, food manufacturing and textile facilities, producing personal protective equipment (PPE), play a key role in overcoming this pandemic.

Sign up below for Energy IQ to periodically receive relevant insights and trends about energy markets. To learn more about the distributed generation solutions Cummins Inc. offers, visit our webpage.

References: 
1 International Energy Agency. (Nov 2019). World Energy Outlook 2019 [PDF file]. Retrieved from https://www.iea.org

 

Aytek Yuksel - Cummins Inc

Aytek Yuksel

Aytek Yuksel is the Content Marketing Leader for Cummins Inc., with a focus on Power Systems markets. Aytek joined the Company in 2008. Since then, he has worked in several marketing roles and now brings you the learnings from our key markets ranging from industrial to residential markets. Aytek lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his wife and two kids.

Cummins Custompaks are being used for water management as Thailand struggles with its water crisis

CustomPak on site

Water crisis

Sixty Cummins Inc. CustomPaks are in service in Thailand as part of a critical water management plan aimed at easing the country’s water crisis – a crisis that has caused enormous economic and social damage and stirred conflict among communities.

Over the past several decades, Thailand has continually faced water problems caused by severe drought. Water reserves in dams and reservoirs are insufficient while water resources are often contaminated with toxins caused by urban communities and the industrial and agricultural sectors.

Severe flooding is a threat, too, at a time when the realities of climate change are hanging over the country.

As a result, the allocation of precious water resources, which must be shared among various stakeholders including new and existing industry, large and small agriculture, and cities and villages has become a flashpoint.

Kittithanapat Engineering Co. (KTP), has been involved in the water management system since 1996, working closely with authorities such as the Royal Irrigation Department, Department of Water Resources, Bangkok Metropolitan Authority and others.

CustomPaks on site

600 hp CustomPaks

To help KTP meet its often urgent requirements, Cummins DKSH (Thailand) has recently supplied 60 Australian-built CustomPaks – 45 powered by Cummins’ X15 engine rated at 600 hp, and 15 powered by the QSL9 rated at 325 hp. These fully self-contained powerpacks are emissions certified to Tier 3.

The CustomPaks are coupled to hydraulically-driven, large-volume submersible water pumps sourced by KTP from US company Moving Water Industries (MWI); KTP is the exclusive distributor in Thailand for these MWI Hydroflo pumps.

Prior to Cummins’ involvement, KTP was using another diesel engine brand but service support wasn’t up to the standard required.

Long-serving KTP engineer Kittisak Thanasoot says Cummins DKSH’s reputation for technical and aftersales support along with the reliability of the Cummins product were a key reason behind KTP’s decision to specify the CustomPaks for the Royal Irrigation Department.

The ability of Cummins DKSH to respond to short delivery times was also important.

“Supplying large quantities of high horsepower diesel engines for emergency situations such as flash flooding can be a challenge for KTP,” says Kittisak Thanasoot.

“Responding to the needs of the government agencies to manage such problems in a timely manner and with least impact on communities, KTP has found the answer in our partnership with Cummins DKSH.”

Power, pride and passion

Parked semi truck

The switch back to Cummins power has been beneficial for iconic New Zealand company Uhlenberg Haulage. It's all about whole-of-life costs.

Uhlenberg Haulage is closing in on 60 years in business, having been founded in 1966 by Mike and Carol Uhlenberg.

Based in Eltham, Taranaki, in New Zealand’s North Island, the operation is today owned and operated by their sons Chris, Daryl and Tony Uhlenberg.

Describing the Uhlenbergs as “old school family truckies”, Daryl talks about the company’s time-honored journey with a definite tone of pride, especially the work of his parents in laying the foundations for what is today an iconic fleet in its own right.

Cummins Inc. made its debut in the Uhlenberg fleet in 1971 with an NH250 powering a second-hand Kenworth K923 used in logging. A second Kenworth, a new W924 with a Cummins NTC335, followed soon after hauling an LPG tanker.

The Uhlenberg operation today comprises 40 prime movers and a variety of trailing gear to cater for the myriad of a jobs the fleet is involved in.

A number of Peterbilts feature in the fleet although Kenworth is now the brand of choice with six new units to be delivered over the next 12 months to cater for business growth.

Cummins’ X15 Euro 5 engine rated at 550 or 600 hp is the preferred power specification, with 18 red engines currently in the fleet.

Uhlenberg family in front of truck

Whole-of-life support

“The switch to Cummins has been a very good experience for us. We have nothing but praise for the Cummins organization,” says Daryl.

“The whole-of-life picture is the key thing for us and we’ve got that nailed with the support we get from Cummins – parts availability, scheduled maintenance, life expectancy and in-frame rebuilds.

“So the red engines turn up, we run them to life, which is 900,000 to 1.2 million kilometers, and then Cummins does an in-frame overhaul in a timely manner. If there’s an issue, parts and support are close by.

“The support we get from Cummins Palmerston North is fantastic, second to none.”

Daryl recently looked under a Kenworth that was in the workshop for a service and was surprised to see no oil leaking from the one-million-kilometer X15. “I remember when I was a fitter we had to wear a raincoat when working under a truck,” he jokes.

Fuel agnostic

Acknowledging that the push to decarbonize is now “very real”, Daryl likes the idea of Cummins’ fuel agnostic concept where one base internal combustion engine, optimized to run on diesel, can also be customized to run on ultra-low and zero-carbon fuels like renewable natural gas and hydrogen.

“My father was a pioneer of linehaul trucking in New Zealand and he always embraced new technology. He was never scared of it,” he says.

“I tend to be a little more cautious but I can see where a 500 hp natural gas or hydrogen engine would work for us in short haul applications,” he admits. “We’re certainly willing to look closely at these alternative fuel technologies when suitable infrastructure is in place.”

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