Note : Les descriptions sont présentées dans la langue officielle dans laquelle elles ont été soumises.
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1.0 INTRODUCTION
The Greater Toronto Area (GTA) Power Transmission Corridor offers a unique and
strategic
opportunity to realize the potential of using the high tension power
transmission cables for the
development of innovative thermal energy generation technology as well as
creating one of the
most extensive sustainable urban developments ever contemplated. Current
practices in urban
development and subsequently the pattern of urban growth have given rise to
increase concerns
over sprawl, traffic congestion, lost of bio-diversity, farmlands and the
quality of air across major
urban centres in North America and around the world. Urban planners and others
are calling for a
sustainable approach to urban development in which opportunities for
incorporating sustainable
development features and practices such as increasing affordable housing,
access to public
transportation creating more compact and energy independent communities are
the key
considerations.
These challenges will require new and innovative partnerships and approaches,
especially in dealing
with the issues of providing the necessary infrastructure to promote growth
and economic
development on one hand, while protecting our social fabric and the
environment on the other.
Releasing the potential for energy and sustainable urban development within
the GTA power
transmission corridors will ensure the triple bottom line approach to urban
investment strategies.
2.0 OVERVIEW
The corridor comprises some 9,000 acres stretching well over 200 (km) across
the GTA; traversing
through diverse urban communities and other land use patterns. The corridor
offers ease of access
to all major modes of transportation, as well as institutional, commercial and
industrial and
community facilities. This undertaking would see the replacement of some 176
(km) of overhead
power transmission lines within power transmission right-of-way (ROW) with a
230-500 kV double
circuit underground cable system integrated with an underground state-of-the
arts Smart Grid
system, designed to withstand extreme environmental hazards, including floods,
snow storms and
earthquakes. The Smart Grid system will employ cutting-edge technologies to
integrate and
optimize the functions of an electrical network as it relates to the behaviors
of consumers and
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suppliers in order to create a safe, efficient, reliable and economical energy
generation, delivery
and user system. Utilities worldwide are embracing a 'Smart Grid' vision of
transformational
change. This vision includes full modernization and automation of electric
power networks (KIMA).
The proposed development would include a built-out population of between
220,000 to 400,000
people over a twenty (20) year planning cycle, and an innovative renewable
energy technology
which is expected to generate over 5,000 mega-watts (MW) of electricity to
supply approximately
3.1 million homes and produced some 113 million tons of steam for space
heating and hot water
for industrial processing. The preliminary planning data is included in
appendix B.
CITA P MIER TRANSMISSION CORRIDOR LANDS
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3.0 SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
The GTA Power Transmission Corridor Lands Project is estimated to cost
approximately $25.0 billion
of which $5.7 billion could be financed with public-private equity investments
and the remaining
long term debt of approximately $19.3 billion secured in part against annual
certified emission
credits (CER) of roughly $670 million over the life cycle of the project. The
first year gross income
from the sale of approximately 225 acres or 5.0% of the total residential land
use distribution and
roughly 105 acres, 4.4% of the total industrial, commercial and institutional
land use is estimated at
$290 million. The gross income from the sale of electricity and steam is
estimated at $4.7 billion
and when projected over a twenty (20) year investment horizon, resulted in a
before tax net
present value (NPV) of approximately $7.4 billion and an internal rate of
return (IRR) of over 22%
when operating expenses and debt servicing is accounted for (see appendix A).
It is possible that the environmental impact benefits will make this project
the largest sustainable
urban development undertaken in North America, as the renewable energy
component based on
the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) estimates, results in off-setting
approximately 26.8
million tons of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) annually; with annual greenhouse gas
emission reduction
equivalence of 4.4 million passage vehicles, 127,386 railcar loads of coal and
2.8 billion gallons of
gasoline. The social and economic benefits in terms of job creation and
providing a secure and
sustainable source of funding for affordable housing development as well as
funding the Province's
infrastructure and strategic transportation plans are significant and
supported by the project's
financial analysis.
Overall planning and development of these lands will be carried out within a
land use pattern or
distribution having approximately 46% residential uses, 27% industrial,
commercial, Institutional,
and 25% Infrastructure and open spaces. The goal is to preserve much of the
existing active open
space but more significantly to create GHG emission reduction equivalency in
the form of carbon
sequestration by some 6.0 million acres of pine and fir forest within the GTA
(see appendix C).
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4.0 POLICY IMPLICATIONS
In 2004, the Ontario government introduced a comprehensive policy framework to
make it easier
for the province, municipalities and other public-sector partners to plan for,
finance and procure
public infrastructure assets to support sustainable urban development as well
as to enhance the
efficient delivery of public services. The GTA Power Corridor represents a
significant public asset of
the province and therefore gives it this tremendous opportunity to play a
critical role within the
context of public-private partnership. This would involve the province
transferring development
rights to a consortium, who in-turn assumes all responsibility for the
planning, financing, and
development of a number of mixed-use and urban communities on these lands.
This project clearly underscores the need for integrated planning and would
greatly influence the
policy debate over rising population growth trends, infrastructure deficits,
and the environmental
impact of unabated urban sprawl. The Golden Horse Growth Plan for the Greater
Toronto Area
(GTA) seeks to address these questions, particularly, how to accommodate some
8.6 million people
by 2030 and at the same time ensuring the best quality of life for those who
will be making the GTA
a place to live, work and play. The power transmission corridor lands project
provides the answer,
and more importantly, helps to accomplish key policy goals of the Ontario
Government relating to
growth and infrastructure management initiatives; starting with the Capital
Investment Plan Act
(1993) and the announcement in 2004 of a new infrastructure, financing and
procurement policy
framework, "Building a Better Tomorrow."
The social, economic and environmental benefits accruing from the GTA Power
Transmission
Corridor Lands Project will be significant and should signal a monumental
achievement in public-
private partnership in realizing the Provincial Government's Policy Interest
in transforming the
Greater Toronto Area (GTA) into the most sustainable and liveable urban
enclave in North America.
As governments around the globe are actively debating measures and developing
policies to
combat climate change, this concept of using major power transmission
corridors to facilitate
sustainable urban developments could serve also as a model for the
implementation of integrated
planning policies for urban growth management.
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5.0 INNOVATIVE THERMAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY
This thermal energy technology uses the heat generated from underground power
transmission
cables to drive steam turbines or other similar technologies to produce
electricity and steam.
Solvent/fluid is pumped under pressure with a temperature differential between
the exit point
from the "heat exchange station" to the entry point of the proceeding station
where the
temperature is near or at the critical point. At this point, heat is extracted
form the solvent to
produce steam to drive a steam turbine which in turn drives a generator to
produce electricity.
Exhaust steam is used to provide space heating and hot water for industrial
plant processing. Also,
the hot solvent is cooled and mixed with the condensate (steam) in a cooling
tower or combined
with cold water (30 C) to be pumped into the encasement around the cables to
create the low
temperature zone and the process is repeated at specific intervals along the
entire length of the
transmission cable system. Depending on the required energy load, the location
of the heat
exchange station is a function of distance travelled, flow rate and pressure
of the solvent flowing
over the power cables within the encasement acting as insulation. Not
withstanding, the claims
implied in this technology includes the generation of electricity or steam
from an underground
transmission power cable at any voltage or temperature.
The lattice or cross-over configure of the encased cable is designed to
optimized temperature and
pressure by converging the cross flow at the points of heat extraction within
the closed loop. Spent
steam will travel from a condenser to a cooling tower and back into the flow
direction away from
intersection for both arms in the loop (see section 6.0 Drawing).
6.0 ELECTRICITY GENERATION
Generating thermal energy from buried high-voltage power cables is indeed a
form of Enhanced
Geothermal System (EGS) which should work well with Flash Steam and Binary
Cycle geothermal
technologies. As the heat source from underground power transmission cables is
considered
medium to low temperature, conventional Dry Steam turbine may not offer the
optimal efficiency
to make the project viable, since they rely mainly on superheated steam at
very high temperatures
in order to produce electricity unless a secondary fuel sources such as
natural gas is introduced.
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Engineering thermal energy generation from underground high voltage cables
(XLPE) allows for a
control environment in which critical temperature ranges can be monitored and
regulated within
limits to facilitate the safe and efficient operation of the cable system.
Extremely high temperatures
above the maximum short circuit range will seriously affects the transmission
of high voltage
current, and needs to be regulated in an enclosed loop casing around the
cables to permit the
cogeneration of electric power and steam from the power loss (dielectric)
within the system.
According to Yiimaz, et al, 2006, a distributed optical fiber sensor for
temperature detection in
power cables can optimize power transfer capacity of underground power cable
systems which are
often affected by high-temperature regions that occur along the cable "hot-
spots".
Networked into a modern SCADA system, temperature fluctuations outside of the
accepted
operating range can be predicted and easily regulated by triggering variable
cycle pumps to
increase the circulation of cooled water along affected segments of the
underground cable system.
By maintaining a continuous flow rate as well as heat extraction and cooled
water recharge at
specific points over the entire cable system, the conductor temperature can be
stabilized within a
safe range. The technical parameters for steam and electric cogeneration
within this report assume
an average water temperature of 194 C (Celsius) at pressures of 200 psi
(pound per square inch)
with a flow rate of 60 kg/s (kilogram per second). XLPE insulated conductors
are designed around
an operating temperature of 90 C (Celsius) with a maximum short circuit
temperature of 250 C
(Celsius) for durations of one second, as stated in ABB user's guide.
In assessing the feasibility of a 500 (kV), alternating current underground
cable system for Alberta
Electric System Operator (AESO), Cable Consulting International Limited (CCI)
asserts in their
February, 2010 study that, "forced cooling in which water pumped under
pressure in circulating
pipes alongside each cable (integral sheath cooling) can absorbed up to 100%
of the power loss
(dielectric) by an increase in the water temperature". The power loss used in
this report is based on
the formula below with a dissipation factor of 0.25%:
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XLPE Underground Power Cable Cross-section
Formula for dielectric losses
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In their press release on January 17, 2012, the ABB Group announced the
completion, delivery and
energization of the world's first cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated
345 kV AC submarine
cable system. ABB claimed that the cables were extruded in a single continuous
length without
factory joints, the new cable system brings 512 megawatts of power generation
capacity to the
critical wholesale power market in New York City. This improved technology
will significantly
reduced the cost of installing XLPE underground power cables by reducing the
access manholes at
splice or joints and enable the complete encasement of the trefoil cable
formation for thermal
energy generation. The installed specific cost ($/kW) for the thermal energy
generation from high
voltage underground power cable project within the GTA power transmission
corridor, is inversely
dependent on the fluid temperature and mass flow rate.
6.1 GEOTHERMAL POWER PLANT TECHNOLOGIES
The conventional geothermal power plants use steam produced from geothermal
reservoirs to
generate electricity. In this report an enhanced or engineered form of
geothermal system is
proposed to generate electricity and steam from a geothermal source created by
encasing high
voltage underground power transmission cables to capture power loss in the
form of thermal
energy. The choice of technologies applicable to thermal energy generation is
dependent on the
state and nature of the brine or steam from the source. The three geothermal
power plant
technologies being used to convert hydrothermal fluids to electricity are; dry
steam, flash steam
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and binary cycle. The US Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Renewable
Energy
Laboratory (NREL) are the main promoters of policy and research in the
development and financing
of geothermal energy projects using the following technologies:
6.1.1 Dry Steam Power Plant
Dry steam plants use superheated fluids in the form of steam under pressure to
run a turbine,
which drives a generator that produces electricity. These were the original
form of thermal power
plants and emit only excess steam and very minor amounts of gases.
6.1.2 Flash Steam Power Plant
Flash steam plants are the most common type of geothermal power generation
plants in operation
today. Fluid at temperatures greater than 360 F (182 C) is pumped under high
pressure into a tank
at the surface held at a much lower pressure, causing some of the fluid to
rapidly vaporize, or
"flash." The vapor then drives a turbine, which drives a generator. If any
liquid remains in the tank,
it can be flashed again in a second tank to extract even more energy.
6.1.3 Binary Cycle Power Plant
Binary cycle geothermal power generation plants differ from Dry Steam and
Flash Steam systems in
that the water or steam from the geothermal reservoir never comes in contact
with the
turbine/generator units. Low to moderately heated (below 400 F) geothermal
fluid and a secondary
(hence, "binary") fluid with a much lower boiling point that water pass
through a heat exchanger.
Heat from the geothermal fluid causes the secondary fluid to flash to vapor,
which then drives the
turbines and subsequently, the generators. Binary cycle power plants are
closed-loop systems and
virtually nothing (except water vapor) is emitted to the atmosphere. Resources
below 400 F are the
most common geothermal resource, suggesting binary-cycle power plants in the
future will be
binary-cycle plants.
6.1.4 Cooling
Cooling spent steam and water vapour in the form of condensate from steam
turbines plays a
critical role in the generation of thermal energy. Ensuring and maintaining
the right recharge
temperature is crucial to the viability and operation of this form of enhanced
geothermal energy
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system in which water is pumped under pressure and flows over the underground
power cables in
an enclosed loop. Like the heating and cooling system in a car to prevent the
car engine from
overheating a constant temperature must be maintained in the circulating fluid
by continuous
absorption and extraction of heat dissipated into the circulating fluids from
the combustion of the
engine.
To maintain an average water temperature of 194 C below the maximum short
circuit limit of
250 C, the system design must take into consideration the recharge
temperature, the flow rate,
pressure and the distance between the point of injection and heat extraction.
The only variable in
this equation is the recharge temperature, which is largely dependent on the
ambient atmospheric
temperature during the winter and summer seasons, but more so in the later.
The Advanced Direct-Contact Condenser (ADCC) Technology
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An efficient and reliable cooling system is required like the advanced direct-
contact condenser
(ADCC) developed by the national Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). According
to NREL, the
direct-contact condensers mix cooling water with spent steam in an open
chamber, typically relying
on a series of perforated plates to provide surface area for condensation. The
water and
condensate mixture is pumped out to cooling towers to be recycled as
circulating water, and
noncondensible gases (including potential pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide)
are removed.
Traditional direct-contact condenser technology had proven to be inefficient,
consuming too much
steam during the removal of noncondensible gases and creating high back
pressures that decreased
turbine performance.
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The ADCC technology when combined with a flash steam power plant as the
primary thermal
energy generator and a binary cycle plant using the Kalina working fluid, as a
secondary power
plant may offer the most effective cooling system in the summer to regulate
and maintain the
system temperature design parameters.
7.0 CONCLUSION
The rapid growth in population over the next 20 years, particular in the GTA
will have tremendous
impact on our ability to provide affordable housing as well as building and
maintaining a modern
and efficient transportation infrastructure without having a source of
sustained long-term funding.
What is at stake is the region's long-term economic development and
prosperity, if we fail to
develop new approaches and investment strategies to ensure that we can
accommodate a
significant number of people who will be drawn to the region for work as well
as to live and raise a
family.
Developing the power transmission corridors as sustainable urban communities
with investments in
the thermal energy potential and revenues from the sale of lands for
development as well as
special tax levies can provide the necessary long-term funding source if done
properly, to ensure
that we will have in place a regional growth strategy to provide sustainable
infrastructure to meet
the social, economic and environmental needs of a future population and
transforming the GTA as
a liveable region. Achieving the goals will depend in part on the choice of
renewable energy
technology or combination there of, but more importantly the vision and
political will of decision
makers and how they formulate the policy debates around the issues of climate
change against the
public perceptions.
