Michael Morris, Chairman and CEO of American Electric Power, believes that the U.S. electrical grid is capable of supporting up to 60 million plug-in hybrid vehicles right now. In a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, the chief of the biggest electricity supplier in the United States said that up to 20 percent of the U.S. vehicle fleet could be switched over to plug-in capability and the grid would be fine. Like other proponents of plug-in vehicles, Morris feels that PHEVs would actually help improve load balancing on the grid if they are plugged in during off-peak hours. Of course, getting the maximum benefit from this would require large numbers of plug-ins, as well as implementation of smart meters that could optimize charging during those off-peak times while limiting the load during the day. Such meters could also potentially support vehicle-to-grid technology. Ford is currently testing a plug-in version of the Escape hybrid with Southern California Edison while GM plans to introduce a plug-in version of the Saturn Vue 2-Mode hybrid in late 2009, followed by the Volt in 2010. Toyota will also start fleet tests of a plug-in Prius in 2010.

[Source: Ward's Auto World]

American Electric Power and power plant supplier Alstom have agreed to work together to implement a commercial scale version of Alstom's carbon capture technology by 2011. The first phase of the project will involve the construction of a 30MW demonstration plant to validate the system. It will be constructed next to an existing AEP power plant in New Haven, West Virginia. It should be able to capture 100,000 tonnes of CO2 annually that will be stored in deep saline aquifers near the site. The demonstrator should start up around the end of 2008.

The second commercial scale phase would include a 200MW capture system on a plant in Oologah, Oklahoma, to capture up to 1.5 million tonnes of CO2 annually. Alstom's system uses chilled ammonia to capture the CO2 from the combustion exhaust stream. Lab testing of the system has shown it to be capable of capturing up to ninety percent of the CO2 in the exhaust stream at a lower cost than other capture technologies. The system is designed to be able to be retrofitted to existing plants or built in to new ones.

[Source: Alstom]

In the hustle of the Detroit Auto Show, I missed this sad bit of news that about the dangers of working in the energy industry, and might also tell us more about the potential dangers of hydrogen.

On Monday, January 8, an employee of General Hydrogen who was delivering hydrogen to American Electric Power's Muskingum River power plant in Ohio was killed in an explosion. The plant produces energy by burning coal and hydrogen is used to cool the generators. The 9:20 a.m. explosion happened outside of the plant walls, American Electric Power said. It is unknown exactly what exploded and caused the death and injuries. About a dozen people were taken to the hospital to have their non-life-threatening injuries attended to. Four of the plant's five energy producing units are still operational and one, Unit 5, is offline while officials investigate the explosion.

Related:

• One man dies in biodiesel plant explosion and fire
• Biodiesel plant explosion explained
• The Mythbusters look at whether hydrogen caused the Hindenburg disaster

[Source: American Electric Power]