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News
Solving Renewable Transmission Constraints with Water Infrastructure
One of the largest hurdles to delivering substantial amounts of renewable energy is transmission constraints. Los Angeles’ current in-basin transmission infrastructure is based largely on delivering power
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News
Equipment Showcase: Diesel and Gas Generators
The market for mobile and smaller-scale power generation continues to grow. Commercial and industrial sites are using generators to produce their own power, often to ensure a constant flow of electricity in
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Wind
The Fallacy of Wind Power Generation
The source of energy for driving wind turbines is the wind, and in this context, it is important to remember the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only
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Commentary
Should a Power Company Be Held Responsible for Wildfires?
If you’ve been following the news, you know that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because it is facing tens of billions of dollars in liability for
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News
POWER Digest [March 2019]
The Distribution System Is Newest Energy Transition Frontier in Europe. The European power sector is urging member states and regulators within the European Union (EU) to speed up development of
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History
Russia Sets New Domestic Nuclear Generation Record
Rosenergoatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear plant owner and operator, said it set another nuclear power production record in 2018. The company generated 204 TWh from its 35 reactors—1.4 TWh more than in
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News
Germany’s Coal Exit Bound to Be Complicated
Eight years after Germany decided it would halt nuclear power production by 2022, the country that relied on lignite and hard coal for 38% of its generated power in 2018 will phase out coal by 2038 or earlier
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News
Improve Baghouse Performance with Custom Filtration Media
Dust collection plays a vital role for safe and efficient power plant operation. There are a number of dust collection options available to plant designers, and baghouses have gained wide acceptance. The
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Commentary
How Existing Technology and Market Updates Lead to More Affordable, Reliable, Clean Power
America’s energy mix is undergoing a period of rapid change. The way we generate electricity in this country looks dramatically different than it did just a decade ago, as wind and solar have matured and
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Infographics
THE BIG PICTURE: World’s Biggest Power Companies
In 2017, the 10 largest power companies, ranked by their installed generation capacity, owned 18% of total global installed capacity, while the next-largest 15 owned around 10%—meaning that the top 25 companies own nearly 30% of global installed power generation capacity, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Chinese companies account for more than one-eighth of global installed […]
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News
Energy Secretary Should Use Discretionary Authority to Support Clean Coal Technologies
The threat to power grid resilience and reliability due to the continued retirement of coal-fired power plants has generated calls for immediate action. A severe weather event such as the “bomb cyclone” or
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Connected Plant
Planning for the Future of Intelligent Power Generation
An Electric Power Research Institute-led collaborative utility project, called I4Gen (Insight through the Integration of Information for Intelligent Generation), is exploring new technologies for digitally
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Connected Plant
Digitization and Analytics in Power Plants
A key aspect of any digitization effort is providing easy access to data by engineersand other experts so they can perform advanced analytics to improve outcomes. In the March 2018 issue of POWER, an article
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Connected Plant
A Grim Gap: Cybersecurity of Level 1 Field Devices
Industrial control system cybersecurity is today largely focused on securing networks, and efforts largely ignore process control equipment that is crucial for plant safety and reliability, leaving it woefully
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History
Hydro: An Old Generating Dog Can Offer New Tricks
Hydroelectric power doesn’t get much attention in today’s discussions of how to generate electricity, particularly in a world looking to boost renewable technologies such as wind and solar. But the oldest
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Water
How to Alleviate Waterside Issues in Boilers and HRSGs
It is fairly common for power plant engineers and maintenance managers to focus on fireside issues rather than waterside issues during routine maintenance outages. However, that could be a mistake. Waterside
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O&M
Using Thermohydraulic Simulations to Assess HRSG Performance
Thermohydraulic simulations can provide detailed heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) data to help determine the root cause of failures, predict the degree of wear from various mechanisms, and assess the
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Connected Plant
Show Preview: Connected Plant Conference
The Connected Plant Conference is a forum designed for professionals in the power generation and chemical process industries who are leading digital adoption at all stages. Sessions are tailored to offer
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News
Powering the Dragon: How China’s Power Sector Is Evolving
China’s power sector reforms represent perhaps the world’s largest industrial reform program, with important consequences on both domestic and global levels. In 2015, Erdaoqiao, a settlement in southwest
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Environmental
Energy-Efficiency Programs Benefit Us All
Utility-sponsored energy-efficiency programs have always seemed like a contradiction to me. Obviously, power companies make money by selling electricity, so encouraging customers to install energy-efficient
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News
COP24’s Hefty Impact on the Power Sector
Two weeks of intense negotiations at the 24th meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP) in Katowice, Poland, last December culminated in
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News
Indian-Designed Nuclear Reactor Breaks Record for Continuous Operation
India’s 220-MW Kaiga 1 nuclear power plant, an indigenously designed pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR), on Dec. 31 became a world record holder for running 962 unbroken days. The previous record for
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News
Designing for Extremes: Battery Storage in the Mojave Desert
When Doosan GridTech installed a 25-MVA/10-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) for the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) at its Beacon Solar Plant site in Kern County, California, the
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O&M
Coal Plant Improves Combustion, Lowers Emissions, and Boosts Output
Coal power plants today must find ways to operate economically if they are to survive. Every area of cost reduction must be investigated. On the maintenance side, time savings must be sought—to reduce
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Technology
Case Study: How EthosEnergy Grew Their Asset Performance Management Service
Sponsored by:
The Optimization and Upgrades (OAU) Division of EthosEnergy is singularly focused on growth. As part of its portfolio of independent service offerings, EthosEnergy OAU offers third-party staffing and operations services for utility and commercial power plants. Among the challenges of meeting its aggressive growth goals, OAU needs to serve all its clients’ plants with equal effectiveness, regardless of generation capacity, infrastructure complexity, and staffing model.
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Renewables
Who says you can’t teach an old plant new tricks? Top six tips to help improve plant profitability.
Sponsored by:
The energy landscape is changing dramatically and today performance is measured in more than just megawatts. Finding the right balance between operations and maintenance will help keep costs low and help profits grow. Profitability is more than just operations and maintenance, it is about processes and concepts and finding a new way to do something. Join us to learn how you can teach your old plant new tricks for a more profitable future.
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Connected Plant
Demystifying LTE and Cellular IoT Technology for Utility Companies
Sponsored by:
Join our industry experts for this insightful 60-minute webinar as we discuss how LTE cellular networks can help improve grid intelligence and operations, data management, how the public cellular networking compares to other communication networks (such as radio mesh, fixed point-to-point, private cellular, etc.) including technical choices for investments and explore the future evolution of connected IoT for utilities.
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Technology
Condenser Tube Cleaning: Essential for Reliable Power Generation
Sponsored by:
In order for a plant to maintain peak generation capacity, measures to prevent fouling or remove deposits must be applied. Early identification of fouling characteristics and a fundamental knowledge of cleaning system capabilities are essential in determining the most effective cleaning technology. Unique circumstances may require innovative solutions. The common causes of condenser tube fouling and the practical application and innovation of cleaning technology are discussed. State-of-the-Art methods for off-line mechanical tube cleaning are presented, and their effects on tube condition examined.
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Safety
Who says you can’t teach an old plant new tricks?
Sponsored by:
Join us to learn how you can teach your old plant new tricks as we dive deeper into the industry drivers, the operational challenges that face us all, and how you can redefine performance for a more efficient, secure, and profitable future of your business.
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Safety
Maximizing Power Plant Safety: Preventing Costly Catastrophes via Proper Processes, Equipment, and Automated Generator De-Gassing
Sponsored by:
Hydrogen poses significant challenges to owners, operators, and maintenance personnel from the standpoint of safety, risk mitigation, and demands for increasing efficiency. As such, the Generator Hydrogen Auxiliary System demands close attention, requiring proper maintenance, monitoring, and upkeep to ensure safe plant operation. Recent catastrophic events have reinforced the critical importance of safety and risk mitigation strategies in power plants worldwide.