Aaron Larson
Articles By

Aaron Larson

  • COAL POWER Direct—June 13, 2018

    June 13, 2018 Tests Incorporating AI in Coal Plant Boiler Combustion Tuning Reap Big Results Tests of a boiler combustion tuning system employing artificial intelligence (AI) at a Taiwanese coal-fired power unit verify improvements to fuel economy that could ultimately reduce costs by up to… Read More Common Goals and Team Mentality a Winning Combination […]

  • Puerto Rico Power Restoration Effort a Focus of EEI Convention

    The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), an industry association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies, made a point during its annual convention of recognizing the mutual assistance workers who labored tirelessly to restore power to Puerto Rico following Hurricane Maria. Nearly 200 personnel, who had worked on the ground in Puerto Rico, gathered on stage […]

  • Exelon CEO Clarifies Headline-Grabbing No-Grid-Emergency Comment

    Chris Crane, CEO of Exelon Corp., seemed to take umbrage with the way comments he made on June 5 were reported by Utility Dive. The website published the headline “Exelon CEO: No grid emergency to justify DOE coal, nuke bailout,” but Crane went out of his way to clarify his position while on stage participating […]

  • Rethinking the Service Delivery Model for Guaranteed Outcomes

    Service delivery models are today undergoing unprecedented change to accommodate the needs of customers trying to navigate business and market uncertainties. Around the world, industrial manufacturers are facing new and familiar challenges ranging from economic and competitive pressures and the tightening availability of resources, to aging workforces, rising technology and operating costs, and heightened focus […]

  • Bill Supporting Xcel Energy Nuclear Plants Dies in Minnesota

    A bill that would have provided more cost-recovery certainty for Xcel Energy’s two Minnesota nuclear plants didn’t get through the state House of Representatives prior to the legislative session ending on May 20, effectively killing the measure. The bill would have allowed Xcel to submit proposals to the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (MPUC) designating each […]

  • New Jersey Nuclear and Renewable Energy Bills Signed by Governor

    New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a few important energy bills on May 23 including one (S-2313) that establishes a zero emissions certificate (ZEC) program, which reportedly will provide the state’s nuclear power plants with $300 million a year in ratepayer subsidies. To qualify, the plants must demonstrate that they make a significant contribution to […]

  • From the Pages of POWER Magazine: #TBT #ThrowbackThursdays

    In early 1882, U.S. industry was still heavily dependent on the water wheel, and many housewives cooked on wood-burning stoves. Power was made where it was used because there was no effective means of transmitting energy long distances. But 1882 was a year of dramatic changes. The world was just beginning to grasp the implications of a new, incredibly versatile […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—May 16, 2018

    May 16, 2018 The Best Place to Sample HRSG Tubes Finding the best place to sample heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) tubes isn’t as hard as finding a needle in a haystack (but it’s like that). Ask most HRSG users… Read More GE Sets Sights on MHPS and Siemens Customers Drawing on decades of gas […]

  • GE Sets Sights on MHPS and Siemens Customers

    Drawing on decades of gas turbine experience, GE’s Power Services business announced on May 16 that it is expanding its cross-fleet service offerings to a broader portion of the F-class market, including Siemens’ SGT6-5000F and SGT-800 models, and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems’ (MHPS’s) 501F technology. “GE is proven as one of the technology leaders and […]

  • POWERnews—May 10, 2018

    May 10, 2018 Siemens Plans Temporary Shutdown of Power & Gas Division Siemens, one of the world’s largest turbine manufacturers, said it plans to temporarily shut its Power & Gas (PG) division operations worldwide in an effort to cut costs. The Germany-based… Read More MHPS Tops GE, Siemens in Gas Turbine Market A report from […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—May 9, 2018

    May 9, 2018 Siemens Plans Temporary Shutdown of Power & Gas Division Siemens, one of the world’s largest turbine manufacturers, said it plans to temporarily shut its Power & Gas (PG) division operations worldwide in an effort to cut costs. The Germany-based… Read More MHPS Tops GE, Siemens in Gas Turbine Market A report from […]

  • Commitment to Cutting-Edge Renewable Energy Solutions on Display in Scotland

    All-Energy 2018 Glasgow, the UK’s largest renewable and low-carbon energy exhibition and conference, began on May 2 having broken a record even before the doors opened. For the first time in the show’s history, four government ministers were scheduled to speak with Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon MSP, delivering the keynote in the opening plenary […]

  • Renewable Energy Storage Takes Off in Europe

    Just weeks after the 12th International Renewable Energy Storage Conference (IRES2018) concluded in Düsseldorf, Germany, newly announced figures from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) confirmed that battery storage technologies coupled with rapidly expanding renewables are blunting new fossil fuel investments. BNEF’s 2017 figures show that over $330 billion was invested in renewables with comparative costs […]

  • Net Metering and Time-Variant Rates Drive Solar Power and Energy Storage Growth [PODCAST]

    Nevada law has included net metering provisions for more than 20 years. Net metering is an arrangement that allows energy generated by a customer’s leased or purchased solar system to offset monthly power bills. It also permits excess energy supplied to the grid to earn credits, which are then automatically applied to future billing periods […]

  • Helicopter Market Encouraged by Growth in Offshore Wind Farms

    Waypoint Leasing, a global firm that claims to be the world’s largest independent helicopter leasing company, has identified offshore wind farms as a growth opportunity for the helicopter market. Although still a small market, offshore wind power is expected to grow in coming years. According to WindEurope, a Brussels, Belgium-based wind industry advocacy group, a […]

  • Costs and Emissions Will Increase If Nuclear Plants Close

    A report released this week by The Brattle Group says that if four nuclear power plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania are allowed to retire early it will cause “substantially higher emissions of CO2 and other pollutants” and that there will be “a significant increase in electricity prices” not only in the two states, but also […]

  • Distributed Energy Systems Are Reliable Solutions [PODCAST]

    More and more people are finding distributed energy solutions are the answer for their power resource challenges. Distributed energy comes in many forms. Renewables such as solar and wind are top-of-mind when most people think of distributed resources, but natural gas-fired generation is often a good fit too, because it adds reliability to the system […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—April 18, 2018

    April 18, 2018 Proposed Power Plant Sparks Debate in New Jersey Debate continues over a proposed $1.5 billion power plant that would be built in North Bergen, New Jersey, and would send electricity to New York City. The project includes a… Read More Sponsored Content Industrial Gas Turbine Repair – What does it take? The […]

  • Insiders Doubted SCANA’s Ability to Manage Nuclear Project

    Santee Cooper executives doubted SCANA Corp.’s ability to properly manage the V.C. Summer nuclear expansion project for years before the project was ultimately abandoned in July 2017, according to an article published by The Post and Courier, a Charleston, S.C., newspaper. Santee Cooper—a state-run utility—partnered with SCANA as owners of the project; SCANA holds a […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—April 11, 2018

    April 11, 2018 [Updated] Troubled FirstEnergy Companies Seek Bankruptcy Protection FirstEnergy Corp.’s competitive arm FirstEnergy Solutions (FES) and several key subsidiaries, including FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co. (FENOC), on March 31 sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. FirstEnergy said the move would… Read More Advanced Boiler and HRSG Designs Offer Improved Performance Innovative boiler and heat recovery […]

  • Eskom’s Kusile wet flue gas desulphurization plant achieves 93% removal efficiency rate upon completion and performance test evaluation

    Kusile is the first power plant in Africa to implement clean fuel technology such as flue-gas desulphurization – a state-of-the-art technology used to remove oxides of Sulphur Kusile’s Wet Flue Gas Desulphurization technology is first of its kind in Africa, WFGD guarantees cleanest and most environmental friendly coal power processing with a SO2 removal efficiency […]

  • Voith modernizes high-performance machine in pumped storage power plant in Vianden, Luxembourg

    More efficient electricity production: New motor-generator from Voith increases potential output of complete generating set by more than seven percent Faster response to changes in load requirements from the grid Special design for energy transfer saves rebuild costs Heidenheim, Germany. Voith has won the order to modernize a motor-generator in the Vianden pumped storage plant […]

  • Tribal and Union Delegation Calls on Central Arizona Project Board of Directors to Take Long-Term Power from the Navajo Generating Station

    PHOENIX, April 5, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A group representing tribal leaders and the United Mine Workers of America today asked the Central Arizona Project (CAP) Board of Directors to take an active role supporting a smooth transition to new ownership for the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) and set aside proposals for power purchase agreements that […]

  • Power Industry Continues to Face Uncertainty and Change [PODCAST]

    Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) CEO Bill Johnson in an exclusive interview with POWER suggested that the power industry continues to face an uncertain future.  Johnson said that during his 40-year career, he has seen more change in the last five years than in the previous 35 combined. Several indicators imply that will continue going forward. […]

  • Test Your Knowledge: Steam Turbine Rotor Vibration

    Steam turbine rotors are susceptible to bending during some operational evolutions, which can lead to excessive vibration and ultimately failure. Rotor bending that results in premature failure of steam turbine blades and other internal components is one of the most serious problems experienced in power plants. The problems often reduce plant availability by limiting generation […]

  • BOILER TUBE REPLACEMENT SYSTEM CUTS AND PREPS FOR HIGH INTEGRITY WELDING

    A water wall boiler tube repair system for biomass boilers that precisely cuts tube panels without a HAZ (heat affect zone) and bevels for superior welding end preps has been introduced by Esco Tool of Holliston, MA. The MILLHOG® Water Wall Boiler Tube Replacement System consists of an APS-438 Air-Powered Saw and Track System that […]

  • 306-ton Unit 4 Reactor Vessel placed at Vogtle nuclear expansion

    Latest VCM Report illustrates continued progress, improved productivity and lower projected rate impact for customers ATLANTA, March 29, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Georgia Power announced today the placement of the nuclear reactor vessel inside Unit 4 containment at the Vogtle nuclear expansion project near Waynesboro, Georgia. Standing 35 feet tall, the reactor vessel functions as a heat […]

  • MHPS AMERICAS LAUNCHES NEW POWER & ENERGY SOLUTIONS BUSINESS

    Industry Leader Tom Cornell Promoted to Lead the New Power & Energy Solutions Business LAKE MARY, FLORIDA – (March 29, 2018) Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas (MHPS) today announced the creation of a Power & Energy Solutions business focused on delivering customer solutions in the areas of digital power, energy storage, and low carbon power […]

  • Duke Energy using North Carolina-based renewable natural gas in first-of-its-kind project

    Innovative effort producing pipeline-quality biogas from North Carolina hog farms OptimaBio’s project in Duplin County to spur more renewable energy CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A Duke Energy power plant is using renewable natural gas from North Carolina-based hog farms to produce electricity – the first application of the technology from in-state farms. “This is a major […]

  • Minnesota May Be Next to Support Nuclear Plants

    Following the lead of Illinois and New York, which have enacted policies supporting nuclear power plants, the Minnesota Legislature is weighing a bill that could help the owner of two nuclear facilities within its borders. Minnesota is home to the single-unit 671-MW Monticello nuclear plant and the dual-unit 1,100-MW Prairie Island plant (Figure 1). Xcel […]