Power-strapped South Africa on Aug. 30 celebrated the inauguration of its first new power plant in 20 years, putting online Unit 6 of Eskom’s long-delayed 4.8-GW Medupi facility. Construction of the $7.89 billion power plant near Lephalale in Limpopo province was begun in 2007, but completion has been paralyzed by a number of mishaps, including […]

Though newer distributed generation options like microturbines, solar, and batteries have grabbed the headlines, diesel remains the go-to option because of its established technology and reliability. But growing competition and new regulations are threatening its traditional role. Here’s what diesel is doing to stay relevant. If you pay attention to nothing but the headlines in […]

One of the world’s largest facilities that harvests energy from ocean temperature gradients began operation this August in Hawaii. The 100-kW ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) facility’s inauguration at the Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA) marks a significant milestone for the technology (Figure 1). One key aspect being tested at the facility is […]

Utility-scale energy storage in the form of pumped water storage has a long history. One of the oldest U.S. plants found itself in need of an upgrade after 40 years of service. Having the right equipment for the job is proving to be essential. With the current power market challenges and increasing amounts of variable […]

In the UK this August, two massive offshore wind developments were thrown into tumult. A consortium that secured the UK government’s approval in early August to build an array of offshore wind farms in the Dogger Bank development off the east coast of Yorkshire said it would proceed with only four projects instead of the […]

Hydropower is booming, but unless you live in China, Latin America, or Africa, you may have missed it. Global installed capacity of hydroelectric generation has grown by more than 25% over the past decade

ABB in August commissioned the world’s first high- and medium-voltage gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) bays that use a new “eco-efficient” gas mixture instead of sulfur hexafluoride, the greenhouse gas that is typically used. The 170/24-kV switchgear bays were supplied to Swiss utility ewz for a new 3 x 50-megavolt-ampere substation (Figure 5) in Zurich, Switzerland, which […]

Russia and Vietnam Ink Deal for First Ninh Thuan Nuclear Unit. Russia’s nuclear group Rosatom and Vietnam’s state-owned power company Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) on July 30 signed a general framework

Replacing blades on a wind turbine is not a simple task. Blades range from 40 to 60 meters in length and can weigh 16 tons or more. Combined with hub heights that can exceed 100 meters and locations that are, by definition, subject to prevailing winds, replacing blades becomes challenging. Add in the cost of […]

Shaft collars are used as stops or locators on shafts in a wide variety of applications. There are two basic types. One uses a setscrew to lock the collar in place, while the other utilizes a clamp-type collar. Shaft Collar Designs Setscrew collars are the oldest type of shaft collar. These units function by gouging […]