Aaron Larson
Articles By

Aaron Larson

  • Test Your Knowledge: Scaffold Safety

    It is safe to say that every power plant in the world uses scaffolding in some way, shape, or form. It is a critical component for many maintenance activities where permanently installed access is not possible or practical. Therefore, the dangers associated with scaffolding should not be overlooked by the industry. Often, plant maintenance personnel […]

  • Benefits of High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission Systems

    High-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology offers several advantages compared to alternating current transmission systems. For example, it allows more efficient bulk power transfer over long distances

  • Siemens builds turnkey combined cycle power plant in Herne

    Heat and power for the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region Fuel efficiency exceeding 85 percent Long-term service agreement Siemens and STEAG GuD Herne GmbH signed an agreement today on the turnkey construction of a combined cycle power plant with district heat extraction. They also entered into a long-term service agreement. The Herne 6 plant will have an […]

  • Ansaldo Energia and SPIC sign Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding

    In Beijing, China, on July 20, at a ceremony attended by the Ambassador of Italy to the People’s Republic of China Ettore Francesco Sequi, and the President of Shanghai Electric Group Huang Ou, SPIC (State Power Investment Corporation Limited) Chairman and Party Secretary Qian Zhimin and Ansaldo Energia CEO Giuseppe Zampini signed a Cooperation Memorandum […]

  • NYPA Tests Sensors at Niagara Plant to Alert Plants to Potential Problems, Improve Performance

    LEWISTON–The New York Power Authority has moved a step closer toward becoming the nation’s first all-digital electric utility by testing an array of sensors at its Robert Moses-Niagara Power Plant that will help determine the life expectancy of key equipment and head off potential problems before they can affect operations. Data from about 100 sensors […]

  • US-based SNC-Lavalin JV affiliate signs multi-year contract with Holtec to decommission US nuclear power plant

    MONTREAL: July 31, 2018 – Comprehensive Decommissioning International, LLC (CDI), a joint venture company of SNC-Lavalin (TSX: SNC) and Holtec International, has been awarded a nuclear decommissioning contract, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, by Holtec Decommissioning International. Earlier today, Exelon Generation and Holtec International announced the conditional sale of the Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating […]

  • SUEZ’s New TrueSense* Analyze Reduces Water, Energy and Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Digitally Monitoring Boiler Water Chemistry

    Industries use a significant amount of water and energy in day-to-day processes, and monitoring boiler water systems can be the key to cutting costs and optimizing resources. SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions today introduced TrueSense* Analyze to digitally monitor and analyze boiler water chemistry, which can reduce water and energy usage, as well as greenhouse […]

  • Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant Will Close in 2020

    NextEra Energy Resources, the wholesale power generating subsidiary of Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc., announced it has struck a deal to shorten its power purchase agreement (PPA) with Alliant Energy and will retire the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC)—a 615-MW nuclear power plant located in Palo, Iowa—before the end of 2020. DAEC’s reactor is licensed with […]

  • Six-axis robot turns 3D printing into an art form

    A project at the Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR) based at the University of the West of England, (UWE) Bristol UK is looking at 3D printing from a totally different angle – where the emphasis is placed on meaningful expression, rather than the accurate reproduction of digital data. A flexible Mitsubishi Electric MELFA RV-Series […]

  • NYISO Announces Distributed Energy Resource Pilot Projects

    Demonstration of DER aggregations seek to expand market competition and improve New York’s energy infrastructure Rensselaer, NY | The New York Independent System Operator, Inc. (NYISO) today announced the selection of three pilot projects to demonstrate the capabilities of Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) and options for their integration into its wholesale markets. These pilot projects […]

  • Dual-Fuel Engines at Core of Bermudian Power Plant Upgrade

    Successful bid employs flexible MAN 51/60DF units MAN Energy Solutions in consortium with Danish power-plant specialist, Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor A/S (BWSC), has won the 100m USD contract to build a 56 MW power plant in Bermuda for Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO). BELCO is Bermuda’s sole supplier of electricity and operates a […]

  • MHPS Hosts Natural Gas Power Generation Technical Conference in Lima Peru and Signs 515 MW JAC Power Deal with Gaz Energie

    Lima, Peru- (July 19, 2018) There is a Change in Power happening around the world as a combination of natural gas and renewables dominate new installation activity in the power generation sector. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Latin America. In the past 25 years, natural gas power generation saw an almost three-fold increase […]

  • TAE Technologies Welcomes Secretary of Energy Rick Perry on Tour of World’s Leading Private Fusion Energy Facility

    TAE Technologies’ plasma performance is rapidly ramping up in Norman using advanced active feedback controls, further validating the company’s unique approach to fusion energy. FOOTHILL RANCH, CA, July 19, 2018 — Secretary Rick Perry today joined executives of TAE Technologies, Inc., the world’s largest and most advanced private fusion energy company, at its headquarters in […]

  • Records Analysis Complete at Le Creusot Forge, Nuclear Parts Production Ramped Up

    Framatome reached a major milestone in its review of Le Creusot Forge’s manufacturing records, finishing the task of identifying and characterizing deviations in all of the records for forgings installed on nuclear reactors in France. A total of 1,925 records were analyzed. At this stage of the process, no serviceability issues have been identified in […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—July 18, 2018

    July 18, 2018 NRG Ends Effort to Repower Dunkirk Plant NRG Energy will not restart its Dunkirk power plant in western New York, with the company on July 11 saying the cost to reconnect the facility to the state’s electric… Read More Benefits of Single-Shaft Combined Cycle Power Plants In recent years, the use of […]

  • GE Hitachi Selected by U.S. Department of Energy to Lead Advanced Nuclear Technology Development Project for BWRX-300 with Exelon, Bechtel, HGNE and MIT

    WILMINGTON, North Carolina—July 16, 2018—GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to lead a team of industry experts for an advanced nuclear technology development project. The project will bring together a team consisting of Exelon Generation, Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy (HGNE), Bechtel and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) […]

  • GE’s First 7HA Gas Turbine in Korea Achieves Commercial Operation Eight Weeks Ahead of Schedule at Anyang Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Plant Unit 2-1

    The Anyang plant uses GE’s 7HA.02 gas turbine, D652 steam turbine, heat recovery steam generators and plant control system The new equipment increases the plant’s efficiency by more than 13% points for electricity generation and 8% points for district heating Commercial operation achieved 2 months earlier than scheduled thanks to the 7HA gas turbine’s innovative […]

  • POWERnews—July 12, 2018

    July 12, 2018 EPA Sends Replacement for Clean Power Plan to Trump The Trump administration is moving forward with its effort to replace the Clean Power Plan, with the president set to review a document sent to the White House on July… Read More GE Part of $5.8 Billion Investment in Bangladesh GE Power and […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—July 11, 2018

    July 11, 2018 EPA Chief Pruitt Resigns; Former Coal Lobbyist Takes Helm Scott Pruitt, chosen by President Donald Trump to lead the Environmental Protection Agency despite repeated lawsuits against the agency when he served as Oklahoma’s attorney general, resigned as EPA director… Read More Sponsored Content Level Matters to the Power Industry. That’s Why Level […]

  • Surplus Equipment and Machinery to be Sold from the Former Brayton Point Power Station

    CDC has announced a 3-day open house event (July 24–26, 2018) to liquidate surplus equipment and machinery from the former 1600-MW Brayton Point Power Station in Somerset, MA. Largest fossil-fueled power plant in New England Will liquidate onsite equipment systems in a negotiated sale Will develop on-the-spot deals Certified riggers on site for removal Interested […]

  • BRUCE POWER AND ROLLS-ROYCE EXPAND DIGITAL PARTNERING

    In a move that supports Bruce Power’s vision of providing reliable electricity to Ontario until 2064, Rolls-Royce has signed a memorandum of understanding to be Bruce Power’s digital partner. This new agreement expands the two companies’ current T-104 program, which has exceeded its value delivery targets since starting in 2017. Rolls-Royce and Bruce Power will […]

  • SNAP-ON ADDS PRECISION ELECTRICAL TERMINATION CERTIFICATION TO ITS TOOLS FOR LIFE TECHNICAL EDUCATION PROGRAM

    Kenosha, WI – The Daniels Manufacturing Corporation’s Precision Electrical Termination is the newest certification course now being offered through Snap-on’s Tools for Life Technical Education Program. The course curriculum focuses on various facets of precision electrical connections, including crimping. When properly performed, crimping results in a reliable connection between a contact and conductor that incorporates […]

  • Framatome completes major refurbishment of 31 reactor coolant pump motors

    Framatome recently completed the refurbishment of 31 reactor coolant pump motors for three southeastern nuclear energy facilities. From 2002 to May 2018, the company modified and upgraded these components, which resulted in a 100 percent reliability and zero-failure performance record since being re-installed. The motors in reactor coolant pumps help move coolant around the primary […]

  • New ASCE Manual 135 Offers Guidance to Monitor Dam Performance

    Reston, Virginia — July 10, 2018 — Dam performance monitoring is a balance of visual surveillance and instrumental measurements that when combined accurately show how well a dam is performing. Visual surveillance is augmented by measuring geotechnical, structural, hydraulic and geohydraulic indicators.  ASCE’s new manual of practice, Monitoring Dam Performance: Instrumentation and Measurement, presents these […]

  • GE Commissions Hybrid Distributed Power Unit for Digo Village

    GE’s Hybrid Distributed Power combines PV solar panels, batteries, and a diesel generator to provide reliable, cost effective power to a mini-grid system. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 4, 2018/ — The scalable micro grid system powered by a Hybrid Distributed Power unit will provide reliable, sustainable power to 1,500 inhabitants of Digo Village. GE’s Hybrid […]

  • Using Drones to Increase Net Safety in the Utility Sector

    Across the country, energy and utility companies are adopting and using drone technology to increase their business operations and improve overall safety of their workforces. Many companies are also discussing the risks and rewards of implementing new safety technology on job sites. With workplace fatalities in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities sectors comprising 17.3% of […]

  • Benefits of Single-Shaft Combined Cycle Power Plants

    In recent years, the use of single-shaft combined cycle power plants has steadily increased in the U.S. While multi-shaft configurations are advantageous in certain scenarios—for example, when layout flexibility or phased installation is needed—single-shaft designs have proven to be a highly efficient and cost-saving option for power plant owners and operators seeking to maximize the […]

  • Maxwell Technologies Launches Advanced Energy Storage Power Delivery Solutions for Utility Grids and Microgrids

    First-of-their-kind ultracapacitor subsystems address the power gap caused by increasing renewable energy generation SAN DIEGO, June 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Maxwell Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: MXWL), a leading developer and manufacturer of energy storage and power delivery solutions, today announced the launch of two new highly scalable products to deliver reliable, fast responding, long lifetime storage […]

  • Gemma Power Systems and Balico Enter Into EPC Contract for 1,600 MW Chickahominy Power Project

    GLASTONBURY, CT, and HERNDON, VA, June 26, 2018 – Gemma Power Systems, LLC (GPS) and Chickahominy Power, LLC have entered into an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services contract to construct the Chickahominy Power Station, a 1,600 MW state-of-the-art natural gas-fired power plant, in Charles City County, Virginia. The facility is being developed by Balico, […]

  • Dulas Advises On Planning Changes To Power Welsh Hydro Sector In New Government Report

    Leading renewable energy consultancy assesses the likely impact of permitted development rights on Welsh hydro-electric sector Machynlleth, 27 June 2018 – Dulas, a leading renewable energy consultancy, has completed research on behalf of the Welsh Government into the impact of potential changes to permitted development rights for small-scale hydro-electric projects in Wales. The research, recently […]