Alstom was awarded the $1.2 million Microgrid Research Development and System Design (RD&D) project by the US Energy Department (DoE). Alstom is one of seven organizations to receive microgrid funding ($8 million total) from the DOE. The objective of this funding is to perform research, development and testing of advanced microgrid controllers capable of managing and controlling microgrid systems to improve viability, reliability and resiliency of the electric distribution grid.

Calpine completed the acquisition of Fore River Energy Center, a natural gas-fired, combined-cycle power plant located in North Weymouth, Massachusetts. Calpine purchased the 809-MW plant from Exelon for $530 million plus adjustments, or approximately $655 per kW. Built in 2003, the Fore River Energy Center features two combustion turbines, two heat recovery steam generators and one steam turbine.

juwi solar (JSI) sold the ownership interests in a 50-MW solar energy facility to Dominion. The project was fully developed by JSI and has a 20-year PPA with PacifiCorp. Currently named “Pavant Solar,” the project will be located in Millard County, Utah on approximately 419 acres of private ranchlands that have been leased to the project. JSI is the EPC contractor for the project and will operate the project for Dominion upon completion.

S&C Electric Company established an agreement with Florida Power & Light (FPL) for S&C’s TripSaver II cutout-mounted reclosers to be installed throughout the utility’s system to reduce momentary outages for its 4.7 million customers. The TripSaver II is an electronically controlled single-phase recloser that can self-clear transient faults on lateral lines, avoiding the need to “blink” or disturb the main feeder and other lateral lines.

Pattern Energy Group (Pattern Development) entered into a joint venture partnership with Henvey Inlet First Nation to jointly develop, own and operate the 300-MW Henvey Inlet Wind project to be built in Parry Sound District, Ontario. Pattern Development will own a 50% joint venture interest in the 300-MW project, which has a 20-year PPA with the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) for 100% of its expected production.

ABB commissioned a power solution that will control the flow of power and enhance grid stability in the State of Michigan. ABB’s low-loss and eco-efficient HVDC Light technology controls the power flow between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. The HVDC Light station was commissioned on schedule and handed over to the customer, American Transmission Co. (ATC). ABB designed, supplied and installed the 200-MW back-to-back HVDC Light station in upper Michigan.

AES Southland was awarded a 20-year PPA by Southern California Edison (SCE), to provide 100 MW of interconnected battery-based energy storage, a 200-MW flexible power resource. This new capacity can deliver 400 MWh of energy and will be built south of Los Angeles at the Alamitos Power Center in Long Beach, California. This selection is an outcome of SCE’s 2013 Local Capacity Requirements Request for Offer (RFO), a competitive solicitation for new power capacity in the Western Los Angeles Basin.

Pepco will deploy Itron and ClipperCreek’s electric vehicle smart charging pilot solution. The technology, which combines ClipperCreek’s charging station with Itron embedded sensing technology, provides the foundation for Pepco’s Demand Management Pilot Program for plug-in vehicle charging. The pilot program is to validate electric vehicle smart charging stations to support consumer engagement, demand response, time-of-use rates and embedded revenue-grade metering.

Siemens Energy Management partnered with Microsoft and FuelCell Energy to design, engineer and install equipment and software, including a power monitoring solution, for the nation's first zero-carbon, waste-to-energy data center in Cheyenne, WY. The project uses biogas methane produced by common waste byproducts at the nearby Dry Creek wastewater facility to power the fuel cell system. The fuel cell system then converts the biogas into electricity to power the Microsoft datacenter.