POWERnews

  • Last Energy Secures UK Nuclear Licensing Milestone for South Wales SMR Project

    Last Energy has formally launched the UK’s nuclear site licensing (NSL) process for plans to develop four 20-MWe microreactors in South Wales, becoming the first small modular reactor (SMR) developer to make the move. The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) on Feb. 17 confirmed the U.S.-based nuclear technology firm’s entry into the critical licensing […]

  • Duke Researchers: Grid Flexibility Key to Accommodate Load Growth

    Researchers from Duke University have said that integrating more flexibility into U.S. power grids could help provide the energy needed to power future load growth, particularly the electricity needed to support artificial intelligence and data centers. The group in a Feb. 19 webinar discussed their findings, which are contained in their recent report titled “Rethinking […]

  • Invenergy, Verizon Expand PPAs for Solar Power

    Energy major Invenergy and telecom company Verizon are moving forward with power purchase agreements (PPAs) involving 640 MW of solar energy from projects across four states. The deals announced Feb. 19 mean that Verizon now has procured more than 1 GW of power from Invenergy, the Chicago, Illinois-based renewable energy group considered the largest privately […]

  • Space-Based Solar Power: The Future of 24/7 Clean Energy Generation

    Imagine a field of solar panels floating silently in the endless day of Earth’s orbit. Unlike their terrestrial cousins, this space-based solar array never faces nighttime, clouds, or atmospheric interference. Instead, they bathe in constant, intense sunlight, converting this endless stream of energy into electricity with remarkable efficiency. But the true innovation lies in how […]

  • Plug Power Plans Major Hydrogen Production Plants in India

    A U.S.-headquartered manufacturer of green hydrogen fuel cells wants to build what the company’s president called “multi-gigawatt” electrolyzer projects in India. Sanjay Shrestha, president of New York-based Plug Power, in an interview with ETEnergy World said, “We will be excited to be doing multi-gigawatt electrolyzer projects in India before the end of 2030 depending on […]

  • Chinese Research Group Unveils New Lithium-Hydrogen Battery System

    A research team at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has published a study that supports use of a new type of chemical battery system for energy storage and electric vehicles. The USTC team, in their report published in the Angewandte Chemie International Edition, said the system utilizes hydrogen gas as the […]

  • U.S. Hydrogen Production Group Leads Major Japanese Project

    The Yamanashi Prefectural Government in Japan and Washington, D.C.-headquartered SGH2 Energy have formalized an agreement to promote green hydrogen-related initiatives in the Fuji Five Lakes region. The area near Mount Fuji is a world-renowned tourist destination celebrated for its natural beauty. The companies on Feb. 13 said the collaboration “marks a pivotal step in the […]

  • Eaton Increasing Transformer Manufacturing with South Carolina Investment

    Power management company Eaton said it is helping address the critical shortage of transformers, along with record demand for its solutions from utility, large commercial, industrial and data center customers, with a $340 million investment to increase U.S. production of its three-phase transformers essential to reliable electrical power. Production and hiring at Eaton’s new Jonesville, […]

  • Why Forecast Accuracy Makes or Breaks Power Suppliers in Today’s Market

    Between plummeting temperatures and surging demand, the record-breaking Arctic blast that swept across the Northeast in January put power suppliers to the test. Their success in managing the volatility traces back to decisions made days and weeks earlier. Those with accurate forecasting models navigated the cold spell successfully. Others faced stark choices between absorbing massive […]

  • Vantage, VoltaGrid Partner to Deliver 1 GW of Fast-Deploying Power for Data Centers

    Vantage Data Centers, a prominent developer and operator of data center campuses, is teaming with VoltaGrid, an innovative microgrid power generator, to deploy more than 1 GW of power capacity across Vantage’s expanding North American data center portfolio. The strategic partnership, unveiled on Feb. 11, will set a “new benchmark for speed, reliability and energy […]

  • POWERnews—Feb. 13, 2025

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   February 13, 2025 TVA, Type One Energy Ink Deal to Develop Commercial Fusion Power Plant The pursuit of energy from fusion technology has taken another step forward, with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) entering into a cooperative agreement with Type One Energy […]

  • Bloom Energy, Chart Industries Announce Partnership for Carbon Capture

    California-based Bloom Energy, known for its fuel cell technology, announced a partnership with industrial gas company Chart Industries that will see the companies collaborate on carbon capture technology. Chart, a global company with its U.S. headquarters in Georgia, and Bloom on Feb. 13 said the groups will use natural gas and fuel cells to generate […]

  • BESS Project Supports Australian Renewable Energy Park

    U.S.-based Energy Vault has announced an agreement with the State Electricity Commission (SEC) of Victoria in Australia for the delivery and integration of a 100-MW/200-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) at the SEC Renewable Energy Park-Horsham in Victoria. The groups on Feb. 13 said the hybrid solar and BESS project “represents a significant step forward […]

  • How Utilities Can Activate Data to Improve Asset Management

    Nearly every utility in the world has embarked on their own journey of digital transformation, using data to help make processes faster and more efficient. Traditionally, utility data has been collected in silos to support individual functions, and utilities have been hard at work to break down these silos so data can be shared among […]

  • Mitsubishi Will Supply Turbines for Major Gas-Fired Plant in Morocco

    Mitsubishi Power announced it secured an order to supply two of the company’s M701JAC gas turbines along with other equipment for gas-fired power plant project in Morocco. The company, the power division of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, on Feb. 12 said it is supporting the Al Wahda Open Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plant, which is owned […]

  • TVA, Type One Energy Ink Deal to Develop Commercial Fusion Power Plant

    The pursuit of energy from fusion technology has taken another step forward, with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) entering into a cooperative agreement with Type One Energy to jointly develop a fusion power plant project in TVA’s territory. The companies announced plans to collaborate on a 350-MWe Infinity Two power plant that use Type One’s […]

  • A New Paradigm for Power Grid Operation

    Power grids operate like an intricate ballet of energy generation and consumption that must remain perfectly balanced at all times. The grid maintains a steady frequency (60 Hz in North America and 50 Hz in many other regions) by matching power generation to demand in real-time. Traditional power plants with large rotating turbines and generators […]

  • The POWER Interview: Using Data, Device Models, and More to Support the Grid

    Amanda Neuenfeldt is the energy management system (EMS) modeling lead engineer at Actalent, a global company specializing in engineering and sciences services, along with talent solutions. Neuenfeldt works with emerging grid technologies related to artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cybersecurity. She has studied the application of a predictive machine learning algorithm, coupled with […]

  • Energy Transfer Will Provide Natural Gas to Texas Data Center Project

    Texas-based oil and gas major Energy Transfer said the company has entered into a long-term agreement with Colorado-based CloudBurst Data Centers for the energy supply to serve a data center development in Texas. The agreement announced Feb. 10 calls for Energy Transfer to provide as much as 450,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas to […]

  • Microsoft Buying Power from Three EDP Renewables’ Solar Projects

    Technology giant Microsoft is buying nearly 400 MW of power from three new utility-scale solar projects in Illinois and Texas. EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) on Feb. 10 said the installations have come online with long-term virtual power purchase agreements (PPAs), through which Microsoft will take 389 MW of electricity and renewable energy credits. […]

  • The POWER Interview: Enhancing Reliability of the U.S. Power System

    Designing, building, and maintaining the network of power transmission lines and associated infrastructure that delivers electricity across the U.S. is a complex task. It involves disparate components, from thermal power plants using different fuel types, to renewable energy such as solar, wind, and geothermal installations. Substations are another component, and the use of battery energy […]

  • Building for Solar Growth—Selecting the Right Foundation for Any Site

    Solar builds are becoming more complex. “Perfect” sites with the ideal topography and terrain profile are less available, and sites that remain pose additional challenges for developers and EPCs alike. Selecting the right foundation is key to mitigating risks, overcoming hurdles, and constructing a project that delivers reliable solar power on budget and on time. […]

  • Demonstrating Electricity Value: Customer Satisfaction as a Utility Business Strategy

    Like many other household goods, the average monthly residential electric bill in the U.S. continues to increase. In 2024, bills hit an average of $182, an 8% increase over the past two years. Though the causes of the increases are well documented—inflation, the hottest summer ever recorded and an increased need to harden infrastructure due […]

  • Rocky Mountain Power, Torus Will Deploy Grid-Scale Energy Storage Program

    Torus and Rocky Mountain Power, following the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), on Feb. 7 released additional technical details about the integration of Torus’s commercial energy storage technology into Rocky Mountain Power’s Wattsmart Battery program. The proposed 70-MW demand response initiative will leverage Torus’s Nova Spin and Nova Pulse technologies to enhance […]

  • It’s Time to Think Differently About Energy Storage and California’s Power Grid

    With nearly 60% of the state’s electricity generated from solar, wind, and geothermal energy, California is well past the halfway mark to its goal of 100% renewable power generation by 2045. But this comes with major challenges, both financial and environmental. Mainly, generating adequate electricity during the hours when the sun is not shining is […]

  • U.S. Coal Plants Get Reprieve as Market and Policies Change

    Several U.S. utilities in recent months have said they plan to keep coal-fired units in their generation fleets operating past their scheduled retirement dates, in most cases citing increased demand for electricity in their service areas. Some also note that the Trump administration is likely to eschew enforcement of current pollution standards, and attempt to […]

  • POWERnews—Feb. 6, 2025

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   February 6, 2025 Arizona Utilities Announce Effort to Add More In-State Nuclear Power Arizona's three major electric power utilities said they will collaborate to explore adding more nuclear power generation in the state, possibly placing small modular reactors (SMRs) or building large […]

  • A Renewed Vision for the Energy Grid: Turning Challenges into Opportunities

    As the world accelerates toward an electrified future driven by renewable energy, electric vehicles (EVs), and industrial electrification, energy distribution grids face unprecedented challenges. From grid overloads and delays in connecting distributed energy resources (DERs) to frequency instabilities and inadequate infrastructure upgrades, the need for transformative action is clear. These challenges, however, present a unique opportunity to rethink and […]

  • Arizona Utilities Announce Effort to Add More In-State Nuclear Power

    Arizona’s three major electric power utilities said they will collaborate to explore adding more nuclear power generation in the state, possibly placing small modular reactors (SMRs) or building large reactor projects at the locations of retiring coal-fired power plants. Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) on Feb. 5 […]

  • Enel, Meta Announce PPA for Oklahoma Wind Farm

    Enel North America announced it has a power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 115-MW portion of the Rockhaven wind farm in Murray and Carter counties, Oklahoma. “As power demand increases due to electrification, data centers and AI, with nearly 25 years of clean energy leadership, Enel is ready to meet this opportunity with a portfolio […]