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Press Releases
First turbines for expansion of Bolivian power plants start their journey
The first Siemens gas turbines for the expansion of three power plants in Bolivia have started their way to South America. In May 2016, Siemens has signed the corresponding agreement to increase the power generating capacity of the country by more than one gigawatt. The two machines, manufactured at Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery in Finspang, were […]
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Press Releases
ESCO acquires Renewable NRG Systems
ST. LOUIS, May 8, 2017 – ESCO Technologies Inc. (NYSE: ESE) today announced that it has acquired NRG Systems, Inc. (NRG), doing business as Renewable NRG Systems, located in Hinesburg, Vermont. NRG, founded in 1982, is the global market leader in the design and manufacture of decision support tools for the renewable energy industry, primarily […]
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Press Releases
Wärtsilä introduces new hybrid and energy storage solutions
The technology group Wärtsilä today announced new hybrid power plants, engines+storage and energy storage solutions to power markets globally. These new and innovative solutions provide Wärtsilä’s existing and future customers added value by utilizing energy storage technology together with traditional engine based power generation. Wärtsilä also announced it would be offering stand-alone energy storage solutions. […]
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Press Releases
GE’s Powering Efficiency COE Solutions Help Aluminium Company Hindalco Reduce Power Generation Costs
BADEN, SWITZERLAND—May 9, 2017—Following on the heels of its Powering Efficiency Center of Excellence (COE) launch in March, GE (NYSE: GE) has announced an agreement with the world’s largest aluminium rolling company Hindalco Industries Ltd. (Hindalco) to upgrade generation equipment at its Renusagar Captive Power Plant located in Uttar Pradesh, India. The steam turbine modernizations […]
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New Ansaldo Energia GT36: validation accomplished
The first GT36 Unit, Ansaldo Energia’s H-Class gas turbine model, has successfully completed the first phase of the comprehensive validation program at the Birr Test Power Plant in Switzerland. The test power plant is a full scale simple cycle power station, built in 2015/2016, that can be used for the operation and validation of the […]
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Renewables
After Blackout, South Australia Wrests Control of Its Power Security
Freshly reeling from a statewide blackout, South Australia’s government in March released an energy plan that seeks to cut its reliance on an electricity interconnector with eastern Australia that feeds the
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O&M
Inlet Air Cooling Systems Improve Gas Turbine Performance
An inlet air cooling (IAC) system offers one of the most cost-effective ways to improve gas turbine (GT) performance—especially during the peak hours of hot summer months. After all, GT output depends on
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O&M
Newly Designed Deluge Valve Improves Functionality
Stanwell Power Station, a 1,460-MW coal-fired power plant located in Queensland, Australia, faced a dilemma. The reliability of its fire protection system was questionable. Many of the plant’s multiple jet
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Distributed Energy
Whatever Happened to Fuel Cells?
Hydrogen-powered fuel cells were supposed to be the “Next Big Thing” a decade ago, but the hype ran well ahead of the market and technology. Yet some quiet advances and steady work have the sector on the
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Renewables
Battery Storage Goes Mainstream
Grid-connected batteries have long been touted as a tantalizing prospect that could help balance electricity supply and demand as the amount of installed variable renewable generation ramps up. New
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Legal & Regulatory
Should Investor-Owned Utilities Be Worried About Community Choice Aggregation?
Community choice aggregation (CCA) is only allowed in seven states currently, but recent developments in California have investor-owned utilities there worried. They fear losing up to 80% of their retail load
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Connected Plant
Malware in Modern ICS: Understanding Impact While Avoiding Hype
Understanding the threat posed to industrial control systems (ICSs) by malware is difficult. It requires knowledge of proper ICS functionality in order to identify illegitimate software. One industrial
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Legal & Regulatory
New York’s Ambitious Transitions: Who Wins? Who Loses? Who Knows?
New York’s electricity system and markets face a blizzard of changes, driven by policy, politics, and economic forces. The New York Independent System Operator and the New York State Energy Research and
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O&M
3-D Printing: The Future of Manufacturing and Maintenance
Power plants are complex systems with countless moving parts, and in turn, countless opportunities for things to go wrong. With the advent of 3-D printing technology, repairing or replacing those moving parts
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Renewables
Europe Rebuilds Grid to Accommodate Green Energy Swell
A flood of renewable capacity in the European Union is forcing member countries to consider grid upgrades that offer a more substantial power supply management role to distribution system operators. Lee
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Legal & Regulatory
Technology Risk Insurance Broadens Power Project Financing Options
Power project financing demands are constantly changing. The current model for structuring project finance transactions began with the emergence of independent power producers (IPPs). Many IPPs only wanted to
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Commentary
Can the U.S. Nuclear Power Industry Survive?
The recent announcement by Westinghouse Electric Co. that it had filed for bankruptcy sent a shockwave through the nuclear power industry. It wasn’t a secret that the company was struggling financially as a
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Legal & Regulatory
As Community Choice Aggregation Expands, the Battle Over “Exit Fees” Intensifies
Community choice aggregation (CCA) continues to emerge as a favorite tool for towns, cities, and counties interested in pursuing local control over their energy supply, increased renewable electricity
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Hydro
Trends Suggest New Directions for Global Hydropower
While hydropower installations worldwide fell slightly in 2016 to 31.5 GW compared to 33 GW in 2015, the sector marked a colossal jump in pumped storage installations last year, the International Hydropower
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Nuclear
Indonesia Considers Thorium Molten Salt Reactors
Power-short Indonesia has been mulling building a nuclear power plant for nearly 15 years, and it is exploring a number of novel options, including high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGRs) and a thorium
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Gas
POWER Digest
UK Gives First Consent for Hinkley Point C EPRs. The UK’s Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) on March 27 gave its approval to allow a consortium to begin placing structural concrete for a series of
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Geothermal
One of World’s Largest Geothermal Units Begins Operations in Indonesia
The first of three 110-MW units at the $1 billion Sarulla geothermal power plant in Indonesia’s North Sumatra province commenced commercial operation this March. When the next two units come online as
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Connected Plant
The Future Is Now: Connected Power Plants Are Here
New technology is being used throughout the power industry to improve plant efficiency, predict trouble with degrading equipment, forecast weather trends, and train workers. A recent conference hosted by POWER
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O&M
Reducing Cycling Damage to Combined Cycle Steam Turbines
Cycling a combined cycle plant places additional stresses on all equipment, but the impacts extend beyond the gas turbine and heat recovery steam generator. Plant owners and managers are beginning to see
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Connected Plant
Facilitating Predictive Maintenance of Electrical Assets with Pervasive Sensing Strategies
Continuous condition-based monitoring of electrical conductors and insulation is an effective way to reduce required plant maintenance activities, cut operating costs, and prevent unplanned shutdowns
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O&M
Enhanced Boiler Defense Strategies for an Aging Coal Fleet
Cyclic operating conditions can be problematic for many coal-fired power plants that were designed to run as baseload units. Implementing a combustion and boiler performance management program can help ensure
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O&M
Strategies for Small Hydro Upgrades
Small hydro is becoming big business as ongoing technological advances make more small sites economic to exploit. Older plants can also see substantial output and efficiency gains by upgrading from decades-old
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O&M
Simplify Outage Planning to Increase Collaboration
Many elaborate planning tools are available to help managers prepare for power plant outages. However, there is something to be said for keeping things simple. One modest tool that some NRG Energy facilities
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O&M
The Oft-Neglected Isolated Phase Bus Deserves Your Attention
A power plant’s isolated phase bus is generally reliable, and therefore, maintenance is frequently overlooked. However, the system is too important to neglect. Assessing its condition during minor outages
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Environmental
Whether Man-Made or Not, Global Warming Is a Problem
I recently bought a house in southwestern Florida, but not without some reservations. Don’t get me wrong, I love the palm trees and sandy beaches, but what worries me is the area’s sea-level trend, as