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O&M
Improve Power Plant Efficiency Using Design Documents and Five Basic Parameters
Power plants are designed to operate at their highest efficiency. Once a plant goes into operation, however, real life takes over and sometimes design outcomes are not regularly realized. Improving plant
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History
THE BIG PICTURE: The History of Power
During its 135-year history, POWER magazine’s pages have reflected the fast-changing evolution of the technologies and markets that characterize the world’s power sector today. —Copy and artwork by Sonal Patel, a POWER associate editor
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Legal & Regulatory
Gas and Electric: How Disparate Industries Are Working Together
Electric generation and natural gas, both important to each other, have differing cultures, vocabularies, and histories, so making them work together has been a challenge. Glut. That word describes the state
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Commentary
Why Recurrent Problems Persist: Getting to the Root Cause
If recurrent problems are occurring at your plant, it could be an organizational issue rather than an equipment design deficiency. There are a number of reasons that root causes are overlooked. Understanding
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Commentary
Natural Gas Infrastructure Is Much More Concerning Than a Solar Eclipse
Recently, many articles in a variety of publications speculated on how the August 21, 2017, solar eclipse would impact the electric grid. Most utility people expected no serious outages or disruptions, and
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Commentary
Keeping the Lights On: Power Professionals’ Noble Cause
Recently, two epic hurricanes—Harvey and Irma—struck North America with extremely destructive force. Harvey first made landfall in the U.S. near Rockport, Texas, about 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi
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Environmental
Reports: Electric Vehicles Are Poised to Reshape Global Power Consumption
The rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs)—both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)—is expected to transform global electricity consumption through 2040, three
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Nuclear
Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Experiment Underway in the Netherlands
Scientists at the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) in Petten, Netherlands, have commenced the world’s first thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR) experiment in more than 45 years (Figure 1). The
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Renewables
Green Climate Fund Makes Largest Investment Yet
In its largest investment to date, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is teaming up with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to contribute $1 billion to the Egyptian Government’s
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O&M
Novel Power Converter Integrating Multiple Power Sources Could Replace Diesel Generators
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed a unique large-scale power converter that can swiftly switch between multiple energy sources to help
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Gas
Tackling NERC CIP and Cybersecurity at America’s Largest Gas-fired Cogeneration Plant
The Midland Cogeneration Venture (MCV) in Midland, Michigan, is the largest natural gas-fired combined electrical energy and steam energy generating plant in the U.S. It is capable of continuously producing
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Legal & Regulatory
The ELG Rule: How Long Can Relief from EPA Last?
Under President Obama, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced a host of rules and compliance requirements targeting power plants and the oil and gas sector. One such rule, the Effluent Limitation
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Coal
A Breath of Cleaner Air on the Lake Michigan Shore
Working on a small patch of land bordered on one side by Lake Michigan and on the other three by the small city of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the team tasked with the installation of a state-of-the-art air quality
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Legal & Regulatory
Improved Emission Controls and State-of-the-Art Ash Handling Extend Gallatin’s Life
It may not be the newest plant in the Tennessee Valley Authority fleet, but the Gallatin Fossil Plant has been retrofitted with some of the latest technology available to the coal power industry. It’s got
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Coal
Major Engineering and Equipment Company Builds-to-Own Its First Coal Plant
Given the opportunity to help India’s bread basket alleviate a chronic power shortage, a major engineering, construction, and manufacturing firm built its first 1,400-MW coal-fired power plant in just 54
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Renewables
How Drones Are Helping the Energy Sector
The toy everyone had on their Christmas wish list has become a technological phenomenon being used across a range of industrial sectors. That toy is the unmanned aerial vehicle—more commonly known as a drone. As the drone’s number of uses grows, so does users’ knowledge thanks to the highly sensitive detection methods they employ. One […]
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Renewables
A Fascinating Early Wind Power Generation System
Sleek wind machines both on land and in the ocean intrigue many people. The units provide clean energy and contribute nothing to climate change. However, the early history of wind power in the U.S. included some interesting trials that bear no resemblance to the majority of today’s modern turbines. Many wind enthusiasts are aware of the […]
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Renewables
Wave and Tidal Power Technology Near Commercialization
Scotland, which is authorized to set its own energy policy separate from London’s Westminster government, has set a goal of generating 100% of the nation’s annual electricity needs through only renewable sources by 2020, and 100% of its entire power and transportation needs from non-carbon energy by 2030. This decision has created an all-of-the-above clean […]
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Commentary
Power Market Deregulation Transforms Mexico
Mexico’s energy reform, which began in 2013, has opened up key parts of the country’s electricity sector to new market participants, foreign investors, and innovative technology. Prior to the reform
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Nuclear
TVO Gets Good News in Ongoing Dispute with Areva
Finnish power company Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) in July celebrated another win in ongoing legal proceedings with French nuclear company Areva. The two companies have been at odds for years concerning cost
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O&M
Consider Automated Machine Learning for Wind Turbine Asset Maintenance
The potential financial benefits from Industry 4.0 are apparent to plant owners in almost all sectors. The wind power industry is no exception, and existing vendors such as GE (Predix/Digital Windfarm)
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Legal & Regulatory
New York Net Metering Is Not “Smart” Enough for the Grid of the Future
On March 9, 2017, the New York Public Service Commission (NYPSC) issued an order announcing a transition from a traditional net energy metering (NEM) compensation mechanism for certain energy resources to a
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Gas
The Highly Efficient Workhorse of Brunswick County
Dominion Energy’s massive new natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant in Freeman, Virginia, has been servicing customers since April 2016. In its first year online, the plant carried roughly 10% of
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Gas
World’s Most-Efficient Combined Cycle Plant: EDF Bouchain
When you bring two power giants together to develop a new breed of combined cycle gas turbine plant, you expect the results to be pretty good. When EDF and GE installed the first commercial 9HA gas turbine in
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Coal
Grand Resilience: How a State Agency Pioneered Gas Technology and Bolstered Critical Supply
Unit 3 at the Grand River Energy Center in Chouteau, Oklahoma, was the Grand River Dam Authority’s first construction project in 30 years. Yet, the team put this distinct project—one of the largest and
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Gas
Growing Community Seeks Attractive Power Plant
Nestled near the center of Shakopee, Minnesota, is the Minnesota Municipal Power Agency’s (MMPA’s) Shakopee Energy Park. The plant, a 46-MW natural gas-fueled reciprocating engine facility, powers the city
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Gas
Two SCE Gas-Battery Hybrid Projects Revolutionize Peaker Performance
For deploying a novel, groundbreaking gas-battery hybrid technology along with environmentally significant upgrades within a tight installment window, and despite logistical hurdles, Southern California
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International
What It Takes to Be a POWER-ful Woman
It’s no secret that women are underrepresented in the energy industry. According to the Department of Energy, less than a quarter of U.S. workers in the electric power generation field are women, compared to
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O&M
Upgraded Boiler Feedwater Pump Improves Efficiency and Adds Flexibility
Times have changed. Not long ago, baseload units came online and went straight to full load for days on end. Now, those same units are being asked to cycle operations to accommodate for variable renewable