Tech Note August 1998
Technical Notes from Dr. Mel Giberson, P.E. – TRI President
$7,000 Per Megawatt-Hour ($7.00 per kwh)!!
Before deregulation, bulk electricity genearlly cost $12 -$55 per MWH (1.2¢ to 5.5¢ per kwh). The most inefficient gas turbine or diesel cost $100/MWH (10¢ per kwh). Those prices were considered “too high”. “Become competitive” was the call! Deregulation pressures brought severe cuts; eliminating spare parts, people, plants, marginal equipment. Very little new capacity was added.
The intent of deregulation was to reduce the price of electrical power to the customer. June 1998 was a wake-up call. Electric power can be vary valuable on the “free market”. In June the price peaked at over 100 times the regulated price, even though actual generation costs now are slight reduced. Electricity via utilities has been considered a necessity for all. Will it remain that way?
With these high prices to buy or sell power now a reality from time to time, it is important that Generating Stations first must be available and reliable, and second, generation costs should be as low as reasonably possible.
Contact TRI for more information about TRI’s Products and Services, to schedule a visit or seminar in your plant
Upgraded Bearings: TRI Align-A-Pad Bearings® or Elliptical Bearings to 24″ bore, that eliminate generation load restrictions.
Quality Spare Parts for Fluid Drives and Turbine or Generator Bearings
Variable Speed Fluid Drives (all new equipment) for Large Pumps, Fans, Compressors: to 40,000 hp or to 15,000 rpm.
Your Equipment Rebuilt Carefully and Completely
Synchronous Condensers, 30-1000 MVA, turnkey, includes starting equipment, for existing generators or new locations
Outage Maintenance Services
Please visit us at these Exhibitions this Fall:
ASME Int’l Joint Power Gen Conference & Exposition, Baltimore, MD Aug 24,25, 1998, Booth 310
27th Turbomachinery Symposium, Texas A&M, Brown Conv Ctr, Houston, TX Sept 22,23,24, Booth 360
Power Generation International Conference, Orlando, FL December 9,10,11,1998, Booth 1425
Please help us update our database: If the addressee has moved, should be deleted, or others should be added, please advice. Thank you.
Tel: 610-363-8570 or 800-363-8571 Fax: 610-524-6326