Aaron Larson
Articles By

Aaron Larson

Aaron Larson is the Executive Editor of POWER, where he has covered the global power generation industry since joining the editorial team in 2013. He oversees editorial operations and budget, and serves as content director for the Experience POWER Conference, where he frequently moderates sessions.

Aaron is the host of The POWER Podcast, with more than 200 episodes featuring in-depth conversations with energy industry leaders, technologists, and policymakers. His work has earned regional and national editorial awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE) and the Specialized Information Publishers Association (SIPA), including recognition for best interview, best editorial, and best podcast.

Before entering trade journalism, Aaron spent 13 years in the U.S. Navy nuclear power program, rising to the rank of Chief Petty Officer. He has also worked at commercial nuclear, biomass, and coal-fired power plants in operations, maintenance, safety, financial, and management roles. He holds a Chief A Engineer boiler operator license in Minnesota, a bachelor's degree in nuclear engineering technology, and a master's degree with a specialization in finance.

  • NUCLEAR POWER Direct—July 26, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 26, 2023 France Chooses Site for Two New EPR Nuclear Units Officials in France have announced the existing Bugey nuclear power station near Lyon will be the site of two new EPR reactors. The government of President Emmanuel Macron last year… […]

  • POWERnews—July 20, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 20, 2023 Emissions Rules Could Target More Gas-Fired Power Plants Much of the discussion after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this year issued new emissions standards for power generation units focused on the impact for coal-fired power plants.…   […]

  • How to Achieve a Thriving Nuclear Power Industry in the U.S.

    There are many reasons to be excited about the U.S. nuclear power industry and its potential for growth. For activists focused on climate change, its carbon-free attribute makes it a viable long-term power resource. Additionally, its around-the-clock generating capability makes it a vital option in a world increasingly filled with intermittent renewables. Furthermore, new technology […]

  • Best of POWER—July 17, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 17, 2023 Estrella del Mar III, a Visionary Floating Power Plant, Is POWER's Plant of the Year Winning POWER’s highest honor is Estrella del Mar III, a first-of-its-kind floating combined cycle gas turbine power barge that fulfills a remarkable assortment of […]

  • POWERnews—July 13, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 13, 2023 Three More BWRX-300 SMRs Planned for Canada's Darlington Site GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) said it is working on deployment of three additional BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs) at the Darlington New Nuclear Project site in Ontario, Canada. GEH… […]

  • How Renewable Propane-Fueled EV Charging Solutions Can Significantly Cut Carbon Emissions

    Calculating and comparing air emissions from electric vehicles (EVs) and gasoline- or diesel-fueled vehicles is a complicated endeavor. While EVs, including hybrids, produce lower tailpipe emissions than conventional vehicles do—and zero tailpipe emissions when running only on electricity—tailpipe emissions are only one factor to consider in a vehicle’s lifecycle emissions. Gasoline and electricity fuel pathways […]

  • POWERnews—July 6, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 6, 2023 POWER’s 2023 Plant of the Year: Estrella del Mar III For more than four decades, POWER magazine has honored the top performers in the electricity-generating industry with annual power plant awards. This year, a plant in… Officials Give Green […]

  • POWER’s 2023 Plant of the Year: Estrella del Mar III

    For more than four decades, POWER magazine has honored the top performers in the electricity-generating industry with annual power plant awards. Award winners are selected by the editors of POWER based on nominations submitted by industry insiders, including suppliers, designers, constructors, and operators of power plants. Winning POWER’s Plant of the Year in 2023 is […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—July 5, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   July 5, 2023 UK Restarts Coal-Fired Units as Temperatures, Power Demand Rise Temperatures in the UK recently soared into the high 80s, increasing demand for cooling across Britain and prompting energy company National Grid to call for a restart of… UK Won't […]

  • Dania Beach Clean Energy Center: A Vital Power Resource for Southeast Florida

    Florida Power & Light’s Dania Beach site has been producing power for Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and surrounding communities for more than 95 years. With the latest modernization project, it’s destined to

  • Dominion Energy’s Reverse Osmosis Concentrate Recovery System Wins POWER’s Water Award

    Sustainability and corporate responsibility are hugely important to power companies and their stakeholders today. When employees take these initiatives to heart and implement innovative ideas, goals can be met

  • Clean Energy Transition Continues Despite Reliability, Supply Chain, and Financial Uncertainty

    Although there is a risk of energy shortfalls in parts of the U.S. if extreme summer temperatures materialize, there is no stopping the clean energy transition that is sweeping the nation. Energy storage

  • Interconnection Constraints Threaten Success of Clean Energy Projects

    Power projects are filled with risk. One of the biggest risks today for clean energy developers involves interconnection constraints. And according to Sarp Ozkan, vice president of Commercial Product at

  • NUCLEAR POWER Direct—June 28, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   June 28, 2023 Finnish Group Touts Nuclear Reactor for District Heating A Finnish group announced construction of a reactor-based heating plant that would provide residential and district heating, saying the project would advance the district energy model and support decarbonization and…   […]

  • Best of POWER—June 26, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   June 26, 2023 Another Delay for New Unit at Vogtle Nuclear Plant Georgia Power said commercial operation of the new Unit 3 at Plant Vogtle has been delayed for at least another month. The utility on June 16 said there's a problem… […]

  • New York City’s Largest Battery Energy Storage System Nears Completion

    Con Edison President Matthew Ketschke reported that his company will place the largest battery energy storage system (BESS) in New York City in service just in time to help meet summer electricity demand peaks. The installation is a 7.5-MW/30-MWh system located at a substation in the Fox Hills area of Staten Island, New York (Figure […]

  • Subsequent License Renewal: Extending Nuclear Power Reactors to 80 Years of Operation (and Maybe More)

    The Atomic Energy Act authorizes the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to issue licenses for commercial power reactors to operate for up to 40 years. These licenses can be renewed for an additional 20 years at a time. The period after the initial licensing term is known as the period of extended operation. The decision to […]

  • Best of POWER—June 12, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   June 12, 2023 NRG Energy to Sell Texas Nuclear Plant Stake to Constellation in $1.75B Power Move Constellation Energy, the largest nuclear generator in the U.S., will take over NRG Energy’s 44% ownership stake in the 2.6-GW South Texas Project Electric Generating […]

  • Hydrogen Blending Project Commissioned on New Jersey Gas Turbine Unit

    A unique hydrogen blending project has entered commercial operation at the Linden Cogeneration Facility (Linden Cogen) in Linden, New Jersey. The project allows Linden Cogen’s Unit 6 gas turbine to operate on a blend of natural gas and refinery off gas containing hydrogen produced by the Phillips 66 Bayway Refinery, which is located adjacent to […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—June 7, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   June 7, 2023 A Long Time Coming: Rawhide Unit 1 Is Coal Users' Group Plant of the Year After years of upgrade and retrofit projects, and a keen focus on safety and continuous improvement, the Coal Users’ Group board of directors selected […]

  • Fusion Energy Projects Get Boost from DOE Funding

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced the first round of awardees of the Milestone-Based Fusion Development Program. The program is the latest in a series of efforts designed to align public and private sectors toward fusion commercialization. “The Biden administration obviously sees enormous potential in fusion—harnessing the power of the sun and the stars […]

  • A Long Time Coming: Rawhide Unit 1 Is Coal Users’ Group Plant of the Year

    After years of upgrade and retrofit projects, and a keen focus on safety and continuous improvement, the Coal Users’ Group board of directors selected Platte River Power Authority’s Rawhide Unit 1 as the

  • Improving the U.S. Electric Power Grid: Mitigating Vulnerabilities and Enhancing Operation

    The U.S. power grid has many vulnerabilities, but power companies, with additional support from the government, are investing in the system and enhancing its operation through new innovative technology. The

  • Inertia and the Power Grid: Should We Be Worried About System Stability?

    One concern some observers raise about the growth of inverter-based resources, such as solar, wind, and battery storage, supplying the power grid is that they don’t provide inertia. Inertia has historically

  • Best of POWER—May 30, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   May 30, 2023 TVA Head Wants Nothing to Do with Building One Reactor Unless He Can Build 20 Building a nuclear power plant is a difficult job. It takes years of planning and sometimes more than a decade to complete. The risk […]

  • Clean Energy Spending Grows, but Big Investments Continue in Coal and Other Fossil Fuels

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects investment in clean energy technologies, including “renewable power, nuclear, grids, storage, low-emission fuels, efficiency improvements and end-use renewables and electrification,” to exceed $1.7 trillion in 2023, the most ever. Yet, even as clean energy investments grow, more than $1 trillion is expected to be invested in unabated fossil fuel […]

  • NUCLEAR POWER Direct—May 24, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   May 24, 2023 Global Commitments Bolster Romanian NuScale Nuclear Project A project to deploy the first NuScale 462-MWe VOYGR-6 nuclear power plant in Romania by 2029 has garnered a $275 million public-private funding commitment from the U.S., Japan, South Korea,… Oklo’s Next […]

  • HYDROGEN POWER Direct—May 22, 2023

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   May 22, 2023 500-MW Hydrogen Power Plant Planned in Arkansas An Arkansas city known for its use of renewable energy announced plans to break ground this year on a power plant that would be part of the state’s first so-called… Maryland Microgrid […]

  • New Steam Generators Help Extend Operation of Surry Nuclear Power Plant

    Dominion Energy will replace the steam generators at its Surry Nuclear Power Station in Virginia. The project further supports the company’s Subsequent License Renewal (SLR) program to extend the long-term operation of Surry Units 1 and 2 through 2052 and 2053, respectively, when the units’ current licenses expire. Westinghouse Electric Co. will design and manufacture […]

  • TVA Head Wants Nothing to Do with Building One Reactor Unless He Can Build 20

    Building a nuclear power plant is a difficult job. It takes years of planning and sometimes more than a decade to complete. The risk of schedule delays is great, especially on first-of-a-kind projects, and the financial implications of such setbacks can ruin a company. Yet, the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) president and CEO, Jeff Lyash, […]