A variety of approaches have been used to capture new benefits from combined heat and power (CHP) facilities. Some owners have transitioned to new fuels or added renewables to the mix, while others have implemented unique business models to spur development. As district heating systems are brought into the 21st century, the CHP sector seems […]

A superconducting tokamak at the National Fusion Research Institute (NFRI) in South Korea has achieved a world record of more than 70 seconds in high-performance plasma operation. Researchers hailed the achievement as a “huge step forward for the realization of fusion power.” According to NFRI, researchers used a fully non-inductive operation mode—a “high poloidal beta […]

The United States has just joined the offshore wind community with the commissioning of the Block Island Wind Farm in Rhode Island. As this community continues to grow, any decision of a common law court that provides guidance on the interpretation of contractual terms, or of the application of established common law to this new […]

A wastewater treatment plant in the Danish city of Aarhus is reportedly producing enough power to cover all of the energy used for the whole water cycle in its catchment area—from water production and water

Canada Inches Closer to Nationwide Carbon Price. Canada’s government in early December struck a deal with eight of the country’s 10 provinces to introduce its first national carbon price. The government has proposed that carbon would cost C$10 per metric ton in 2018, rising by C$10 a year until it reaches C$50 in 2022. Only […]

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global power production from combined-heat-and-power (CHP) technologies has stagnated since 2000, lagging far behind growth in conventional power technologies and commercial heat generation. Despite having an average efficiency of 59%, CHP’s share of global generation in 2013 stood at just 9% (Figure 1), the bulk of it at […]

Solar roadways—roads that incorporate embedded photovoltaic cells—have piqued interest for several years. A few examples are finally being rolled out, though their practical applications are still being evaluated. On December 20, global transport infrastructure group Colas completed installing a solar panel paving system it calls “Wattway” (Figure 5) over 50 square meters (m2) at the […]

A draft national electricity plan published in December by India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA)—a statutory organization that is overseen by the Ministry of Power—looks to add 101,645 MW of new conventional capacity during the current 12th Five-Year Plan (2012–2017), nearly 85% of which will be coal-fired. But after that, through 2022, the country will refrain […]

Pipes, valves, turbines, pumps, condensers, and other mechanical components in the radiologically controlled area (RCA, or hot side) of a nuclear power generation facility require routine inspection, testing, maintenance, and, eventually, replacement or repair. When technicians need to work at height, erecting a scaffold often provides the safest and most effective method of access. This […]

When it comes to running a power plant, it’s easy to take the little things for granted. Yet it’s the little things that often have the greatest impact on plant managers’ ability to deliver reliable service for their customers. Take power, for instance. Plant managers are focused on bringing power to their customers. But are […]