Barnes quoted in POWER Magazine

This month, Commonwealth Vice President Sam Barnes appears in POWER Magazine discussing the status of the upcoming revised EPA clean air regulations.  You can read the article here.

Conferences, Speakers, and Expos -- Oh My!

This week, we're in sunny Orlando, Florida, for the IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference and Expo.  It's certainly warm and only getting hotter as our booth visitors can register to win a hot new Kindle Fire.  On top of that, we're spicing things up by giving away tasty spice blend packets again this year.  You can find great recipes on our website to put those spices to the test.

Next week, we'll be in Baltimore, Maryland, for Electric Power 2012 where Commonwealth's Vice President of Power & Energy, Sam Barnes, will be co-presenting "My Coal Ash Pond Will Be Closed - What Do I Do With the Wastewater?" in a session about power plant wastewater and environmental compliance.

Last week, Commonwealth's Ian Hutt co-presented "Using Locational Marginal Prices to Estimate Real-Time Emissions From Electricity Use" to the Michigan Association of Hazardous Materials Professionals with Michelle Rogers, a graduate student at Wayne State University.

So, as you can see, we're not letting any grass grow under our feet.  Check back often to learn more about what we're doing to share knowledge, actively participate in the industry, and have fun in the process.

Coal ash pond closing? What now? Find out in Baltimore!

ELECTRIC POWER 2012, which will be held this year from May 15-17, in Baltimore, Maryland, is the largest coal power conference in the U.S.  Commonwealth's own Sam Barnes,  Vice President of Power Generation & Energy, will be a featured speaker.  Don't miss it!  See details below....  EP12 Session 8B Water & Wastewater Issues Wednesday, May 16 8:00 - 9:30 AM Rm 328 This session explores current and anticipated solutions to environmental challenges associated with power plant wastewater, including case studies covering ash pond water and wet FGD blowdown treatment.   Session Sub-Topics: Wet FGD Blowdown Treatment Coal Ash Pond Water Treatment Wastewater Characterizations Chair: Dr. Jerry Pell, Environmental Scientist. Project Manager; Office of Electricity (OE), U.S. Department of Energy Co-Chair: Ira Brodsky, AQCS Specialist, URS Corporation Speaker(s): My Coal Ash Pond Will Be Closed - What Do I Do With the Wastewater? Sam Barnes, Vice President - Power Generation and Energy, Commonwealth Associates, Inc. Passive Treatment of Coal Ash Leachate Eric McCleary, Restoration Ecologist, Greenhorne & O'Mara Inc. The Current and Future Use of Deep Injection Well Technology in the Power Generation Industry Edward McCullers, GM Deep Well Operations, Layne Christensen Company Co-Author(s): David McNabb, CEO, McNabb Hydrogeologic Consulting, Inc. Mark McNeal, CEO, ASRus, LLC Chemistry Data Collection for Statistical Analysis Matthew Heermann, Sargent & Lundy LLC ----- Speaker Bio

Sam Barnes is Vice President - Power Generation and Energy, Commonwealth Associates, Inc. He has 21 years of experience in the power industry. As a mechanical engineer and a project manager Sam has been involved in design, consulting and development of coal and gas fired plants. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a BSME and is a trustee on the board of Jackson Community College. Best Practice Story:  Whether or not coal ash becomes classified as hazardous waste, coal plant owners may be looking at converting their ash systems from wet to dry for any number of reasons. But what does this do to the plant's water mass balance and where will the process wastewater go? There are some steps that should be followed so that all effects are taken into consideration. First, start by characterizing the plant's wastewater flows for both quantity and quality. Future considerations that could add or take away from wastewater generation must be documented. Once a clear picture of the amount and nature of wastewater is known, modifications can be reviewed that will minimize the amount of wastewater generated. Modifications may include both physical changes and operational changes. Once wastewater generation has been minimized, treatment before release to an outfall must be considered. The final step is evaluation of appropriate treatment options and choosing the one that balances compliance, project cost and operating and maintenance costs. This paper will also address upcoming regulatory issues that will likely decide the extent of treatment necessary. The most likely treatment scenarios will also be addressed. -----