POWER

Some amount of NIMBYism should be expected when developing any new project. Good planning and actively engaging community leaders early and often will increase your success quotient.

This third and final installment addresses three more areas where an investment in good maintenance practices pays operating availability dividends.

Flowserve Corp. has added 24- to 48-volt DC-input power for all sizes of Flowserve Limitorque QX electronic valve actuators. The QX offers reliability for remote applications that require an uninterrupted power supply but cannot use single- or three-phase AC volts. The electronic controls in the Limitorque QX actuators with DC volt capability are 100% digital […]

The regulatory process functions well when citizens and regulators are fully engaged and knowledgeable about important issues. The regulator must also grapple with the ever-changing roles of consumers and utilities to optimize the value of the commodity to society.

There is no doubt that the year-plus since passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) has borne witness to a great deal of activity among the diverse groups of smart grid stakeholders.

The Fluid Components International ST51 flow meter is designed to measure the flow of biogases, methane, and other greenhouse gas mixtures. The flow meter comes in an explosion-proof instrument and features a no-moving-parts design that’s nonclogging and operates over a wide flow range with low-flow sensitivity. A big plus is that the meter calibration is […]

Employee communications is one of the hardest management jobs. It puts the burden of truthfulness on both management and its employees.

At least 10 workers have died from natural gas piping explosions in the past 12 months. The most recent disaster, which occurred during gas system purging at the Kleen Energy Systems plant, claimed five lives and injured 27 workers. It’s time the industry understood the unique design and safety requirements for working with and purging natural gas piping.

Lenox Instrument Co. announced its new FireSight Thermal Imaging Camera System designed specifically to provide clear, real-time monitoring and accurate, noncontact temperature measurement through combustion flames. Temperature data are transmitted from 110,000 individual temperature points via a high-speed digital connection. Designed to be installed through a small opening in the combustion chamber wall, the high-resolution […]

Do your employees really know what’s going on with your company? Don’t be worried that they can’t handle the truth. Here’s why it works to create a culture of corporate transparency—starting now.

Much like the crime scene investigators on the CSI TV shows, power plant investigation teams are increasingly employing forensic engineering methods to gather evidence and determine the causes of malfunctions of equipment, materials, or products that result in personal injuries or property damage. Case studies show how different investigation teams used their forensic engineering expertise to examine a dust collector explosion, a coal terminal fire, and the failure of a forced draft fan.

Henkel Corp. has introduced two new Loctite threadlockers formulated to withstand consistent operating temperatures up to 360F. Curing consistently and thoroughly without cleaning, these new products tolerate the oils and lubricants typically found on "as received" threaded fasteners. These products will also cure on plated, aluminum, stainless, and chromated fasteners without primers. Loctite 243 and […]

Kazakhstan is a leading supplier of uranium fuel to the former Soviet Union and has global ambitions. A transparent uranium market and honest leaders must come first.

If not properly controlled, coal and coal dust can cause fires, explosions, and implosions at power plants. Strategies for promoting safer management of these combustibles include actions such as training personnel exposed to the hazards of coal and coal dust about safe handling methods.

Should utilities take a new look at their approaches to maximizing profit margins?

Mexico, one of the few countries in Latin America that has resisted the tide of liberalization, retains a monopolistic state player in the electricity market. In treading its own path by maintaining the government’s predominance in the sector, Mexico has an important question to answer: Is this path sustainable?

The cost of poor company knowledge management is high and getting higher. Managing knowledge in an era of compartmentalization and specialization is more difficult when organizations face layoffs, looming retirements, and the scarcity of trained, qualified workers.

Mexico enjoys considerable fuel diversity for powering its generating plants, and its goal is to become even more diversified.

Mexico has already developed substantial large hydro and geothermal resources. However, without policy changes and government-sponsored financial incentives, unconventional renewable sources are taking the equivalent of baby steps.

By Kennedy Maize Washington, D.C., April 28, 2001 — Having spent decades as a Washington reporter, I’ve read more government reports that I can count. Paper is policy currency in D.C. But this week’s interagency report – A Human Health Perspective on Climate Change – is the loopiest I can recall. This report, honchoed by […]

Last week brought news of several more proposed coal-fired plant closures from Canada, Georgia, Colorado, and Washington State.

The Department of Energy on Earth Day last week announced it would invest more than $200 million over five years to accelerate the development and commercialization of solar and water power technologies. Investments include initiatives to spur photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing, to develop the PV supply chain, and to accelerate marine and hydrokinetic technologies.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) today gave its approval to the first U.S. offshore wind farm, a long-disputed and much-delayed project on federal submerged lands in Nantucket Sound. The approval comes with conditions, however, including requiring the developer of the $1 billion wind farm to agree to additional binding measures to minimize the potential adverse impact of construction and operation of the facility.

The long-awaited Kerry-Graham-Lieberman bill saw more delays this week as Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) abandoned efforts to work with Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) on the legislation, citing frustration with reports that indicated congressional leadership and the administration were prioritizing immigration over climate and energy legislation.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last week sent its final so-called “Tailoring Rule” to the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. The move signals that the rule, which could require power plants and other entities to obtain operating permits to emit greenhouse gases, is close to finalization.

Utah is the latest state to announce that it will not participate in the Western Climate Initiative (WCI) when the regional cap-and-trade program begins in January 2012. Republican governor Gary Herbert’s office told reporters that the state would not entirely quit the initiative, even though the governor disagreed with some principles favored by it.

The Australian government has reportedly shelved controversial plans for a national carbon trading program until at least 2013, citing political and public opposition to the proposal. The world’s biggest coal exporter was proposing to reduce greenhouse gases by 5% to 15% of 2000 levels via a carbon trading system similar to Europe’s within the next decade.

By Kennedy Maize Washington, D.C., April 25, 2010 — The Senate has again failed to kick off debate on energy/climate legislation.  A bipartisan group — Sens. John Kerry of Massachusetts (D), Joe Lieberman of Connecticut (I-D), and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina (R) — have been laboring for a year to create a bill that […]

Last week, as news emerged that the Kerry, Graham, and Lieberman draft bill is expected to be released on April 26—and it could hit Senate floor before July 4—the Institute for Policy Integrity hailed the Cantwell-Collins CLEAR Act. Meanwhile, the EPA received a two-week extension to a legally imposed deadline for proposing boiler standards.

Tenaska on Monday signed an agreement with the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) to limit water use and capture at least 85% of carbon dioxide produced by a proposed advanced coal plant under development near Sweetwater, Texas, if the environmental group drops legal opposition to the plant.