Aaron Larson
Articles By

Aaron Larson

  • COAL POWER Direct—October 7, 2020

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   October 7, 2020 DOE Supports CCUS Retrofit for San Juan Coal Plant The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a report that says retrofitting the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) in New Mexico with carbon capture technology would bring more… […]

  • The POWER Interview: Cleaning Up a Radiologically Contaminated Site

    In the 1940s, the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant was built in unprecedented secrecy as part of the Manhattan Project. Its purpose was to provide enriched uranium for the world’s first atomic bomb, and it expanded operations during the Cold War, producing enriched uranium for defense and commercial purposes. Uranium enrichment operations were halted at […]

  • Upgrades and Interconnection Make Gas-Fired Plant a Winner

    The Termica Milazzo cogeneration combined cycle power plant completed an extensive upgrade and integration project with a nearby refinery in Sicily, Italy. The successful project, which spanned about three

  • Did You Know There Are 60,000 U.S. Citizens Who Lack Access to Electricity?

    I think most people know that there are a lot of people around the world who don’t have access to electricity. The International Energy Agency has said the number is about 860 million with the majority of

  • Power Plant Decommissioning Tips to Save Time, Money, and Hassle

    All power plants have a finite useful life. Thus, there will come a time at every facility when the unit must be retired and the decommissioning process undertaken. Decisions must be made on who will do the

  • How to Effectively Manage Power Plant Maintenance

    If you’ve worked in the maintenance department at a power plant, you know how important planning and scheduling are to success. There’s an old saying that goes, “plan the work, and work the plan.” Effective teams do that well, but it’s not easy. “Planning drives scheduling, not surprisingly, but planning is not scheduling,” Keith Berriman, […]

  • Cubicle Inspection and Repair Safety Device Is a Winner

    A team of innovators from Consolidated Edison (ConEd) took home the Real-World Safety Solutions award during the Experience POWER event on Sept. 28. The invention the group created is called a Cubical Inspection and Repair Safety (CIRS) device. The team that designed and developed the solution includes Eric Fell, senior safety specialist with ConEd; Joe […]

  • Team and Individual Award Winners Recognized at Experience POWER

    Winners of individual and team awards were revealed at Experience POWER as the virtual event kicked into full swing on Sept. 28. Among the recipients were a number of exceptional leaders and innovators drawn from the power industry. Top Young Professional. Meriem Bellizim, senior manager, Business Development, ACWA Power, was chosen as 2020’s Top Young […]

  • Best of POWER—September 28, 2020

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 28, 2020 Former SpaceX Engineers Tout New Microreactor A California company is gathering funding for development of a portable nuclear microreactor, designed for use in areas where other forms of power generation are not practical. Radiant, founded by… Entergy Moves Heavily […]

  • Leaders in the Smart City Movement

    What is a “Smart City”? According to one definition, it’s an urban area that uses different types of electronic methods and sensors to collect data, with insights gained from that data used to manage assets, resources, and services efficiently. Clint Vince, chair of Dentons’ U.S. Energy Practice and co-chair of Dentons’ Global Energy Sector, was […]

  • GE Throws in the Towel on Coal-Fired Power

    GE said it will exit the new-build coal power market, subject to applicable consultation requirements. “GE’s Steam Power business will work with customers on existing obligations as it pursues this exit, which may include divestitures, site closings, job impacts and appropriate considerations for publicly held subsidiaries,” the company said in a Sept. 21 announcement. It […]

  • Is Carbon Capture Technology a Viable Solution?

    Carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) is widely viewed as a necessary technology to facilitate the continued use of fossil fuels in light of climate change concerns around the world. One company that has been highly focused on CCUS research and development, as well as deployment of the technology, is Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). Tiffany […]

  • Best of POWER—September 14, 2020

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 14, 2020 Award-Winning Hydropower Project Helps Electrify Ethiopia The government of Ethiopia has set a goal of providing access to electricity to all its citizens by 2025. It still has a long way to go, but projects such as the Genale […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—September 9, 2020

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   September 9, 2020 DOE Issues Emergency Order to Alleviate California Power Crisis The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Sept. 6 took the rare but drastic action of issuing an emergency order under the Federal Power Act (FPA) to authorize the maximum… […]

  • New Fuel Cell Power Plants Deployed in South Korea and California

    Two new fuel cell-based electricity generation facilities have been “powered on” in the Gyeonggi province of South Korea. The new installations use Bloom Energy’s solid-oxide fuel cells. One of the power plants—a 19.8-MW installation—is located in Hwasung. It is the largest Bloom Energy project in South Korea, and the company’s second-largest in the world. The […]

  • What Is Siemens Energy? CEO Tells All

    Siemens announced the spinoff of its Power and Gas division on May 7, 2019. It was part of the company’s Vision 2020+ strategy. On Sept. 1, Siemens Energy laid out its post-spinoff plans during a virtual capital market presentation. Siemens Energy’s Portfolio Leading up to the event, Christian Bruch, who was appointed CEO of Siemens […]

  • Sustainable Building at Heart of Collaborative Project

    The South Landing project in Spokane, Washington, has been called “the five smartest city blocks in the world.” The development is said to feature “the most sustainable large building in North America.” Known as the Catalyst Building, it is intended to anchor a planned “innovation hub.” The five-story, 150,000-square-foot building features two wings around a […]

  • Floating Platforms Are an Offshore Wind Gamechanger

    WindFloat Atlantic consists of three 8.4-MW wind turbines installed about 20 kilometers off the coast of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. Although its size is modest compared to other operating offshore wind farms

  • Award-Winning Hydropower Project Helps Electrify Ethiopia

    The government of Ethiopia has set a goal of providing access to electricity to all its citizens by 2025. It still has a long way to go, but projects such as the Genale Dawa III hydropower station are helping

  • Benefits of Reciprocating Engines in Power Generation

    Many experts believe power plants constructed with reciprocating engines are the ideal complement to intermittent renewables. Recip plants are extremely flexible. Facilities can be sized for almost any use

  • Is LCOE the Best Metric for Choosing New Power Resources?

    Costs for wind and solar power systems have been declining for years thanks to technology improvements, economies of scale, and fierce competition in auctions. In the second half of 2019, the levelized cost of

  • Best of POWER—August 31, 2020

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 31, 2020 Construction Begins on New Gas Plant in Alberta Macquarie Capital and a handful of other development sponsors announced they have successfully closed financing for the C$1.5 billion ($1.2 billion U.S.) Cascade Power Project, a 900-MW combined cycle natural…   […]

  • Exelon Makes Plans to Retire Byron and Dresden Nuclear Plants in 2021

    In a stunning announcement, Exelon Generation, which operates the largest U.S. fleet of nuclear plants—21 reactors at 12 facilities in Illinois, Maryland, New York, and Pennsylvania—said it will retire the Byron and Dresden generating stations next fall for economic reasons. “Although we know in our heads that shutting down the uneconomic Illinois plants is necessary […]

  • Derecho Damage Results in Early Retirement of Duane Arnold Nuclear Power Plant

    The Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC, Figure 1)—a 615-MW nuclear power plant located in Palo, Iowa—will reportedly not restart after high winds caused extensive damage to the station’s cooling towers. The plant owner, NextEra Energy Resources, had planned to retire the unit on Oct. 30, but after assessing damage caused by an Aug. 10 derecho, […]

  • PI System Software-Maker OSIsoft Being Acquired by AVEVA

    In a $5 billion deal, engineering and industrial software company AVEVA has agreed to acquire OSIsoft, maker of the PI System, which is a market-leading operational data software solution. “Combining AVEVA and OSIsoft is yet another significant milestone in our journey to achieving the ambitious growth goals that we have set,” Craig Hayman, CEO of […]

  • China Will Get ‘Green’ Hydrogen from Siemens-Sourced System

    Siemens Energy will provide a hydrogen production system for a fueling station in Beijing, China. The company said it will be the “first megawatt green hydrogen production project in China.” “The decarbonization of the energy systems is a challenge that every country must face. Siemens Energy is the company that can provide its customers with […]

  • Best of POWER—August 17, 2020

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 17, 2020 Innovative Byproduct-Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant Completed The largest industrial hydrogen fuel cell power plant in the world and the first to use only hydrogen recycled from petrochemical manufacturing has been placed in service by Hanwha Energy…   South […]

  • Innovative Byproduct-Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Plant Completed

    The largest industrial hydrogen fuel cell power plant in the world and the first to use only hydrogen recycled from petrochemical manufacturing has been placed in service by Hanwha Energy at its Daesan Industrial Complex in Seosan, South Korea. The innovative plant uses “recycled hydrogen from petrochemical manufacturing” supplied by the Hanwha Total Petrochemical plant […]

  • How to Find the Lowest-Cost Option for Electricity in Competitive Markets

    How electricity is delivered to customers in the U.S. is complicated. Consumers in some states have no choice who supplies their power; state commissions regulate utilities as vertically integrated electricity providers. Other states utilize a competitive model in which power producers can openly access transmission infrastructure and participate in wholesale electricity markets. Yet, there isn’t […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—August 5, 2020

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   August 5, 2020 EPA Changes Closure Requirements in Coal Ash Rule The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 29 finalized several changes to the regulations for disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCRs), or coal ash, from electric utilities. The changes…   […]