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O&M
Using Sensor Technologies to Optimize Maintenance of Power Plant Water Systems
When we undertook an initiative at Granite Ridge Energy (GRE) to identify, prioritize, and assess components that were due for their 10-year assessments, we didn’t know quite what we were taking on or how to
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Commentary
And Now, a Word from (and to) Our Sponsors
You’ve heard that Nothing in life is free , yet this magazine is free for the vast majority of readers—both in print and online. That’s only because of the continued support of our advertisers. No media
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Renewables
Power Technology Innovations from the Developing World
In its recently released Energy Technology Perspectives 2015, the International Energy Agency (IEA) noted that innovation in the energy sector differs from progress in other sectors in that it tends to move
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Renewables
POWER Digest (February 2016)
RWE Abandons Hard Coal Construction Project. RWE scrapped plans to complete the 800-MW Block D of the Hamm hard coal plant in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia on December 18, citing damage and delays
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Commentary
Fusion Power Illusions, Delusions, and Hope
Fusion provides the energy of the sun and all stars, but harnessing fusion for civilian electric power has proven exceptionally difficult. For over 50 years the U.S. government has pursued
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Renewables
Wind Funnel Generator Is Channeling Interest
A unique wind funnel–based power generating system that is quickly garnering interest from investors could see first construction kickoff in the first quarter of 2016. The INVELOX (short for “increased
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Nuclear
Nuclear Relicensing: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
There is perhaps no industry in the U.S. experiencing a greater range of fortunes than nuclear power. Across much of the country, nuclear plants that must compete in deregulated markets are often economically
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Nuclear
Russian Fast Reactor Connected to the Grid
In a leap for fast neutron power technology, Russia’s Rosatom has connected Unit 4 of its Beloyarsk nuclear plant in the Urals region to the grid. The 880-MW BN-800 unit–the latest generation of fast reactors
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Renewables
Chile’s Newest Hydro Plant Takes Shape in the Desert
Plans to build a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant in the world’s driest region won the approval of environmental regulators in Chile this December. The unique 300-MW project proposed by Valhalla Energia
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Renewables
Statkraft Ends Investments in Offshore Wind Projects
Europe’s largest generator of renewable power will no longer invest in new offshore wind projects and may postpone some international hydro plants. Norwegian state-owned power company Statkraft will stop
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First U.S. Manufactured M501J Gas Turbine Ships from Savannah Machinery Works in GA
Once installed in 2017, it will be the 28th J-Series Turbine to go into Commercial Operation (Savannah, GA January 26, 2016) Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas, Inc. (MHPSA) shipped the first U.S. manufactured M501J gas turbine from its Savanah Machinery Works (SMW) facility. The M501J, the most efficient and reliable gas turbine in commercial operation […]
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Brawler Industries Announces Another Expansion
Brawler Industries, a leading provider of specialty-engineered liners for containment and fluid management applications announces plans to invest in a 7-layer blown film line for high performance barrier film applications in the agricultural, construction and environmental sectors. “Brawler has long been known for its innovation and high-quality products,” says CEO John Keating. “Leveraging Brawler’s decades […]
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IIOT Power
Wireless Sensor Technology Measures Torsional Shaft Vibration in Turbine Generators
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), in conjunction with Suprock Technologies, has conducted a research project to develop and demonstrate an advanced wireless sensor technology for monitoring torque
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HR
Risk Management: Using Resilience Engineering to Develop a More Reliable Workforce
All power generating companies and plant operators value reliability, but they may be paying too little attention to a critical variable: people. One million. That’s the approximate number of people in the sky over the U.S. as you read this article. Remarkably, all will land safely. Aviation achieves among the highest reliability of any industry. […]
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Renewables
The Energy Industry in Xinjiang, China: Potential, Problems, and Solutions [PRINT VERSION]
The autonomous region of Xinjiang has a strategic position in China’s economy, yet several conditions limit the most effective use of its fuels. This article provides an overview of the situation. A more detailed version, with maps and tables, appears here under the same title. Since ancient times, the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (Xinjiang) has held […]
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Nuclear
Oil- and Gas-Rich UAE Banks on Nuclear Power
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is a country flush with fossil fuels, so why does its government want nuclear power to form the backbone of its electricity supply? POWER interviewed Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp. CEO Mohamed Al Hammadi to find the answer and to learn more about the world’s largest in-progress nuclear construction project. Located […]
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Commentary
The Journey Ahead
January has traditionally been POWER’ s forecast issue, and there’s one overriding prediction I feel confident making: The speed of changes will continue to exceed the power industry’s ability to fully
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Commentary
Clean Power Plan Means Opportunities for Power Plants
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published the final version of the Obama administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) on Oct. 23, 2015, and within hours more than two dozen challenges were filed
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Commentary
Engage the Next Generation of Energy Leaders
Millennials have landed in the workforce. This is the generation that marketing and lifestyle gurus have been attempting to dissect, and now senior executives are starting to internalize what all the fuss was about—Millennials are a little different. At Student Energy, we’re working with university students to create the next generation of energy leaders. We […]
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O&M
Grid Resiliency: A Strategy for Keeping Transformers Safe
Grid resiliency has become a widely discussed topic recently. Experts have been called before congressional hearings to testify on the topic, and close calls—including a massive solar storm that missed Earth
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Legal & Regulatory
The Generating Company Challenge: Manage Change While Maintaining Reliability
In mid-November, current members of POWER’ s Generating Company Advisory Team responded by email to a set of questions about their concerns, challenges, and new initiatives as they plan for the year ahead
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Legal & Regulatory
IEA: World’s Power Mix Is Seeing Unprecedented Transformation
A significant transformation of the global power mix is under way, noted the International Energy Agency (IEA) in its newly released World Energy Outlook (WEO-2015). Renewables are getting subsidized boosts
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IIOT Power
Big Data and the Industrial Internet Meet the Power Plant
Another megatrend has hit the power generation industry: the Internet of Things (IoT)—countless devices with embedded electronics, sensors, and connectivity to digitally communicate with one another and
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Cybersecurity
New College Program Focuses on Cybersecurity for the Utility Industry
Thomas Edison State College, located in Trenton, N.J., has created an online program through which students can obtain a graduate certificate in cybersecurity with a focus on utility environments. The
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Coal
POWER Digest
China Makes Nuclear Export Gains in Argentina, Romania. As it boosts its domestic nuclear power capacity, China is also snapping up lucrative contracts to build new reactors abroad. This November, China
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Renewables
Statoil to Build World’s First Floating Offshore Wind Farm
Nearly five years after the world’s first large-scale floating deepwater wind turbine was erected 11 kilometers (km) offshore Karmøy, southeast Norway, Norwegian energy firm Statoil has made a final
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Renewables
Record Changes and Uncertainty Reshape the U.S. Utility Industry
Wind production in the U.S. hit record highs in October 2015, natural gas prices hit record lows, and solar photovoltaic (PV) adoption is continuing to grow to unprecedented levels. Energy storage prices are
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IIOT Power
I4GEN: EPRI’s Power Plant of Tomorrow Concept
The power industry is challenged by many changes in generating portfolio, operating mission profiles, grid interconnections, customer engagement, and a workforce that is losing knowledge and experience to
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Gas
Natural Gas Prices, Regulation to Reshape U.S. Generation
The near-simultaneous surge in U.S. natural gas production and recent enactment of environmental regulations will usher U.S. power supply from reliance on coal to increased usage of natural gas and renewables
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Nuclear
Transforming Information Technology at the South Texas Project Nuclear Plant
In today’s world, it’s hard to operate a power plant without the benefit of information technology (IT) systems. Staff tasked with managing these systems can take a beating when the tools don’t work as advertised. Here’s how one IT department focused on building and sustaining cross-functional relationships, culminating in a win-win for the department and […]