Natural Gas in the Competitive Electricity Generation Market

Course Summary
Demand for electric power can fluctuate over very short time intervals yet cannot easily be stored. Transmission over long distances may result in appreciable losses. There is an ever increasing concern for the effect of power generation on the environment. And yet increasing standards of living have to be reconciled with the related increasing consumption and fluctuating demand of electric power. This course focuses on the use of natural gas and its role in a competitive market using various fuels, technologies and sizes of plant. It attempts to produce some ideas and considerations for reconciling at least some of these factors.
There are no pre-requisites for this course, nor is any advanced preparation required.
What you will learn

• Steps in the conversion process from primary fuel to secondary (electricity)
  
• Risks, economics and technical-commercial issues at each step
  
• Competing technologies and size/fuel/location considerations
  
• Use of LNG and pipeline gas and factors affecting their supply and utilization
  
• Contractual issues in power generation
  
• Financing power projects
  
• The role of regulation Pools and Markets
  
• Private or embedded sales eg Contract Energy Management and "alternative generation"
  
• An introduction to gas and power trading
  
  
  
  
  • The Energy Conversion Process
    
  • Electricity Generation using gas, solid and gaseous fuels
    
  • Use of LNG and Pipeline Gas
    
  • Gas Supply Considerations
    
  • Alternative and "Green" electricity generation
    
  • Combined Heat and Power (CHP) and Contract Energy Management (CEM)
    
  • Repowering and Co-firing
    
  • Gas Contracts for Electricity Generation
    
  • Challenges in Small Scale Generation
    
  • Financing Power Projects
    
  • Electricity Pools and Markets
    
  • Trading Gas and Electric Power
    
  • CO2 Trading