EPRI

Electric Power Research Institute, Santee Cooper and Whooshh Innovations conduct field study of fish passage portal. PINEVILLE, S.C. – For more than 80 years, the Santee Spillway has helped control water flow between Lake Marion and the Santee River, but it has also blocked the migration of fish swimming upstream to spawn.  Now, a new […]

The new year is obviously a time when many people reflect on the past and make resolutions for the future. Surveys have shown that exercising more, improving one’s diet, losing weight, and saving money are

For more than three decades, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has led the power industry in developing, advancing, and demonstrating cost-effective heat rate improvements via new technologies, hardware, software, and best operating/programmatic practices for enhancing efficiency at minimal cost and maximum reliability. As the power industry moves toward net-zero carbon emission goals, heat rate […]

Proper water chemistry has always been important for dependable steam plant operation, but it may be even more critical today due to changes in operating routines and increased plant cycling. Failure not only

Insiders have long been talking about the energy transition taking place within the power industry. Most of the chatter has revolved around renewable energy, specifically wind and solar power, and the shift from coal- to gas-fired generation in the U.S. However, one expert from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) told POWER that carbon capture […]

Palo Verde Generating Station, a 4-GW nuclear power plant in Arizona, is gearing up to produce hydrogen from a low-temperature electrolysis (LTE) system, and that hydrogen will then be used to fuel a natural gas–fired power plant owned by Arizona Public Service (APS). The innovative power-to-power demonstration led by PNW Hydrogen is set to receive […]

A pervading theme at the ongoing 5th annual Connected Plant Conference has been to explore the human side of digital adoption. Attendees have so far heard from several experts who are deeply involved in the future of the power plant workforce. Steven Ford, Compliance and Support manager at Southern Co.’s Plant Barry, in his presentation […]

On any given day, the electric power industry’s operations are complex and its responsibilities vast. As the industry continues to play a critical role in supporting global climate goal challenges, it must simultaneously support demand increases, surges in smart appliance adoption, and decentralized operating system expansions. And that just scratches the surface. Behind the scenes, […]

As leaders around the world take steps to decarbonize energy supplies, many people have focused their attention specifically on wind and solar power. What they may fail to recognize is that nuclear power provides more electricity in the U.S. than all other carbon-free sources combined. This is true in some other countries, such as France, […]

Recent Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) research aims to better understand the potential of process control enhancements, such as load control, sliding pressure control, and steam temperature control

The mid-February blackouts in Texas have raised a lot of questions about power grid reliability. While investigations into the underlying causes of the outages could take a while to complete, and I don’t

PALO ALTO, Calif. (March 23, 2021) — The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) will receive a $2 million contract from the U.S. Energy Department (DOE) to explore how information about solar energy spreads among consumers. DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) selected EPRI to examine how residential and commercial utility customers make decisions related to the […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the agency has awarded $2 million to four research and development (R&D) projects aimed at advancing clean-hydrogen production technologies. The DOE’s awards on March 15 are part of a push by the Biden administration in its fight against climate change. Jennifer Granholm, the new Secretary of Energy and […]

When evaluating resource adequacy requirements, many power companies and grid operators have used a methodology that originated more than 70 years ago. This probabilistic reliability approach has generally performed adequately through the years. It has generally evaluated loss-of-load events occurring at frequencies of one-day-in-10-years (1-in-10) to be acceptable in terms of system reliability. However, it’s […]

The fallout from the severe weather that crippled the power grid in Texas and other states over the past week continues, as officials grapple with what went wrong and who should be held accountable for an energy emergency that left millions without electricity. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Feb. 19 said his office would […]

PALO ALTO, California (Feb. 4, 2021) — The Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI), a joint project led by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Gas Technology Institute (GTI), surpassed a major milestone of $100 million in funding, adding its 33rdsponsor, Xcel Energy. This global collaboration is gaining momentum in delivering scientific credibility and objectivity to […]

Welding Method 7 (WM7), which was supported by an extensive set of research experiments led by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), was approved in March 2020 by the National Board Inspection Code

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) was selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to lead three advanced energy storage projects. The projects will study innovative, non-battery-based bulk energy storage solutions integrated with fossil assets. “Investing in research and development to improve energy storage is critical at this moment in time,” Neva Espinoza, vice […]

A quest for reliability and flexibility is driving significant interest in hybrid and co-located resources, but their widespread integration could hinge on how they are defined and valued in wholesale

Palo Alto, Calif., and Zug, Switzerland — 28 October 2020 — Today the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) became the newest member of Energy Web (EW), opening the door for the organizations to work together on open blockchain platforms for integrating distributed resources. The strategic collaboration between the two organizations will include: Drawing upon EPRI’s research […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) will issue a notice of proposed rule-making (NOPR) to implement President Trump’s broad bulk power system (BPS) security executive order (EO) “later this fall,” a DOE official confirmed to POWER on Oct. 5. Though the NOPR is delayed beyond the 150-day timeframe set by the EO, various BPS stakeholders are […]

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) are teaming on a notable five-year-long initiative to accelerate development and demonstrate low-carbon technologies that they say are needed to help private companies and governments achieve increasingly ambitious decarbonization goals by 2050. The Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI), officially launched on Aug. 10, is […]

Des Plaines, IL (Aug. 10, 2020) – The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and Gas Technology Institute (GTI) are embarking on a five-year initiative to accelerate the development and demonstration of low-carbon energy technologies. With increasingly ambitious decarbonization goals from private companies and governments alike, existing technology is not enough to achieve those targets. The […]

Efforts to explore whether it is feasible to permanently dispose of high-level nuclear waste in deep horizontal boreholes under next-generation nuclear reactor sites got a boost in late April as nuclear waste

Nine projects will get $27 million in federal funding to develop digital twin technology for promising advanced nuclear reactor designs—including Kairos, Xe-100, BWRX-300, and the SSR-W—and help achieve a ten-fold reduction in their operations and maintenance (O&M) costs. The funding announced by the Department of Energy (DOE) on May 13 will be furnished under the […]

Propelled in part by the White House Nuclear Fuel Working Group’s (NFWG’s) recent roadmap to strengthen the U.S. nuclear fuel cycle, the nation’s nuclear industry this week blazed ahead on efforts to energize a U.S. commercial fuel supply that it says will be crucial for the widespread development and deployment of advanced nuclear reactors.  At […]

As part of POWER magazine’s in-depth coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, its editors are curating a list of resources that may provide actionable information helpful to anyone involved in the world’s vast bulk power systems. Please write to editor@powermag.com if you know of additional resources that should be added to this page.  POWER Magazine’s Live […]

The Turkey Point nuclear generating facility in Florida in December 2019 became the first U.S. nuclear plant to receive authorization from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to extend its operating life from 60

Electrification has been a much-touted driver for the global energy transition toward decarbonization. But though an all-electric future could have vast implications for the power and gas sectors, achieving it

A study published by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) shows peak demand and energy use decreased as much as 21% in some areas as a result of actions taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The report—COVID-19 Bulk System Impacts: Demand Impacts and Operational and Control Center Practices—was released on March 27. It reviews […]