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.

  • UK’s new high temperature facility is open for collaboration

    A new high temperature mechanical testing facility, hosted and developed by Amec Foster Wheeler in the UK, was officially opened on September 19, 2016. This new laboratory, known as the High Temperature Facility (HTF), has been funded by the UK Government to support Generation IV reactor developments and assist with engagement in these programmes. Additionally, […]

  • Azima DLI today announced the coming release of ALERT 4.0

    Dubbed the “Analyst’s Release,” ALERT 4.0 offers more analytical power for vibration diagnostics Woburn, MA – September 20, 2016 – Azima DLI, the leader in scalable, hosted predictive condition monitoring services and innovative products and software, announced today the coming release of its ALERT™ 4.0 predictive maintenance automated vibration diagnostics software. Designed to meet the […]

  • Sentinel Solar Announces the Wave ESS: Complete Energy Storage System with Integrated Power Electronics for Plug and Play Solar + Storage Applications

    The System Features Industry Leading Inverter Technology and the Safest, Cleanest and Most Reliable Battery Chemistry Ever. CONCORD, ON, Sept. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ – Sentinel Solar, a leading Canadian owned and operated solar products manufacturing and distribution company, will unveil its new energy storage system (ESS)–the AHI™ Wave, at this year’s Solar Power International Conference […]

  • Witness tests confirm Cummins QSK60 Diesel Series’ market-leading compliance with ISO 8528-5 G3

    Customers at Cummins Power Generation’s Kent facility are highly impressed by a C2750 D5B generator set’s ability to perform and conform. Manston, Kent, England — Cummins Power Generation has demonstrated its new world-class C2750 D5B generator set to leading European engineering consultants and customers. Witness tests at Cummins’ Kent, UK factory have confirmed the product’s […]

  • Duke Energy Renewables Acquires Solar Projects in Georgia

    Duke Energy Renewables, part of Duke Energy’s Commercial Portfolio, announced on September 7 that it will add six Georgia solar projects to the 2.8-GW renewable energy portfolio the company owns and operates. The projects are relatively small in terms of capacity—averaging about 1 MW DC each (769 kW AC)—but they are the first Duke Energy […]

  • Western Region Power Grid: Coming Soon?

    Panelists debating the pros and cons of a regionalized western power grid seemed to agree that the development of such a system is inevitable, but they disagreed on how fast the evolution should occur. The panel discussion took place during the California Independent System Operator (ISO) Stakeholder Symposium held on September 7 in Sacramento. At […]

  • Powerphase Issued Patent for Transformational Gas Turbine Upgrade

    JUPITER, Fla., Sept. 7, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Powerphase, a developer of upgrades for gas turbines, has been issued a new patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO), US Patent No. 9,388,737 for a new type of technology that improves the output, fuel efficiency and responsiveness of gas turbines, including those used in electric […]

  • Valmet to supply biomass-fired power boiler, biofuel storage and conveyor systems to HOFOR power plant in Denmark

    Valmet Oyj’s press release on September 7, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. EET Valmet and HOFOR Energiproduktion A/S have signed a contract regarding delivery of a biomass-fired boiler plant and related biofuel storage and conveyor systems to HOFOR’s Amagerværket heat and power plant in Copenhagen. The new power plant will supply electricity and heat for the […]

  • COAL POWER Direct—Sept. 7, 2016

    Coal Power Direct   Current Issue | Find a Job | Post a Job Texas Coal Plant Wins Tax Appraisal Case, Property Value Cut 60% The Sandy Creek coal-fired power plant—a 900-MW facility in Riesel, Texas—won a major victory in court on August 19 when a McLennan County jury agreed that the plant was appraised […]

  • GSE Awarded Two International Projects to Modernize Nuclear Simulators, Increasing Company Backlog by More Than $6 Million

    SYKESVILLE, Md.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–GSE Systems, Inc. (“GSE” or “the Company”) (NYSE MKT: GVP), the world leader in real-time high-fidelity simulation systems and training solutions to the power and process industries, today announced that it has been awarded contracts to provide mission-critical updates to multi-unit nuclear site simulator platforms for customers in the UK and Japan. The […]

  • Southern Company subsidiary to acquire natural gas-fired power facility in Minnesota

    ATLANTA, Sept. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power today announced its agreement to acquire the Mankato Energy Center from Calpine Corporation, subject to customary closing conditions. Located in Mankato, Minnesota, the center will include two natural gas units – the existing 375-megawatt (MW) Mankato Energy Center I and the 345-MW Mankato Energy […]

  • Transformer Fire Will Delay Watts Bar Unit 2 Commercial Operation

    A main bank transformer fire has put a halt to power ascension testing at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) Watts Bar Unit 2 nuclear plant. The incident occurred at about 9:10 p.m., on August 30, when an electrical fault on the 2B main bank transformer caused the Unit 2 main turbine to trip. The reactor, […]

  • Fire at Coal Power Plant Blamed on Equipment Failure

    A fire at Muscatine (Iowa) Power and Water’s (MP&W’s) coal-fired power plant forced Unit 9 offline on August 30. The plant—located along the Mississippi River just south of town—includes three units with a combined capacity of about 276 MW. Units 7 and 8 were reportedly unaffected and continue to be available for power production. Customers […]

  • U.S. and Canada Follow Different Climate Policy Paths—Does One Offer a Competitive Advantage?

    Although the U.S. and Canada are both aiming for similar greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions, the two countries are embarking on decidedly different approaches to reaching their goals, according to a report released on August 23. IHS Markit—a company that provides information, analytics, and solutions to customers in business, finance, and government—developed the report, titled […]

  • Greensmith Energy Partners with E.ON Climate and Renewables and Tucson Electric Power for a 10 Megawatt Energy Storage Project in Arizona

    HERNDON, Va.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Greensmith Energy, the leader in energy storage software and integration services, announced it will partner with E.ON Climate and Renewables and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) to design and deliver a grid-scale energy storage system located at the University of Arizona Science and Technology Park southeast of Tucson. The 10 megawatt (MW) site will […]

  • 2 million-pound CA20 module safely lifted into Vogtle Unit 4 nuclear island

    Heaviest “lift” of 2016 placed at Georgia nuclear expansion ATLANTA, Aug. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Georgia Power announced today the completion of another major milestone in the construction of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 near Waynesboro, Ga. On Saturday, the project team successfully placed the CA20 module into the Unit 4 nuclear island. Weighing […]

  • Texas Coal Plant Wins Tax Appraisal Case, Property Value Cut 60%

    The Sandy Creek coal-fired power plant—a 900-MW facility in Riesel, Texas—won a major victory in court on August 19 when a McLennan County jury agreed that the plant was appraised at a much higher value than justified by market conditions. The appraisal district had suggested the plant be valued at $900 million in 2014 and […]

  • X-energy and Southern Nuclear Collaborate on Advanced Reactor Development

    GREENBELT, Md., Aug. 22, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — X Energy, LLC (X-energy) and a subsidiary of Southern Nuclear Operating Company (Southern Nuclear) have entered into a memorandum of understanding as a step toward commercializing and deploying X-energy’s High Temperature Gas-cooled Reactor (HTGR): the Xe-100. The Xe-100 reactor series will produce zero-emission energy around the clock to […]

  • California to Host Ultimate Geothermal Energy Event in October

    SACRAMENTO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–California will host the geothermal energy event of the year from October 23-26, just 9 weeks away. This event brings together key players in policy, technology, and industry at the Sacramento Convention Center — the GRC Annual Meeting & GEA GEOEXPO+. Last year, the event hosted more than 1,200 representatives from over 25 […]

  • POWERnews—Aug. 18, 2016-A/B test

    Power News Don't miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers' Guide Support Wanes for Coal Industry Lobbying Groups The downturn in the U.S. coal industry isn’t just hurting coal mining and coal-heavy power companies; it’s also having a devastating effect on the groups formed to help promote the industry—coal lobbyists. […]

  • Siemens supplies high-voltage switchgear for hydropower plant in Tajikistan

    Siemens is supplying two gas-insulated high-voltage switchgear (GIS) for the Rogun hydropower plant in Tajikistan, a country bordered by Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, China and Afghanistan. The power plant is part of the Rogun Dam project. At a height of 335 meters, the dam taking shape here will be the highest in the world. The 8DQ1 switchgear, […]

  • Support Wanes for Coal Industry Lobbying Groups

    The downturn in the U.S. coal industry isn’t just hurting coal mining and coal-heavy power companies; it’s also having a devastating effect on the groups formed to help promote the industry—coal lobbyists. Three of the most prominent coal lobbying groups have seen high-profile supporters drop off of their membership lists in recent years, and with […]

  • POWER Engineers Selected as Owner’s Engineer for the Masinloc Expansion Project in the Philippines

    HAILEY, Idaho (August, 2016) — POWER Engineers Incorporated (POWER) has been selected by Masinloc Power Partners Company Ltd. (MPPC) to provide Owner’s Engineering Services for a 300 MW super-critical, coal-fired expansion project at the existing Masinloc Generating Station. The current plant consists of two identical 315 MW coal-fired units located at Barangay Bani, Masinloc, Philippines, […]

  • Sungrow Wins 150MW Contract With Mytrah Energy (India) to Supply Solar Central Inverters

    Bangalore, India/ August 15, 2016– Sungrow, the world’s leading PV inverter manufacturer, has been awarded a contract to supply solar central inverters for around 150MW of solar projects by Mytrah Energy (India) Private Limited. Sungrow will help with the design, engineering, manufacture and assembly of central inverters for Mytrah’s Solar projects in the states of […]

  • GE to Provide Water Recycling Technology for Chinese Coal-Fired Power Plant

    GE’s Zero Discharge Technology Will Enable Hebei Zhuozhou Jingyuan Thermal Power Plant Co. Ltd. to Meet Chinese Emissions and Discharge Limitations for New Thermal Power Plants Application of GE’s Brine Concentration Technology for Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater Treatment Jingneng Zhuozhou Coal-Fired Power Plant to Reuse 99 Percent of Wastewater SHANGHAI—August 15, 2016—GE (NYSE: GE) today […]

  • Massive Fire Forces DTE Energy’s St. Clair Power Plant Offline

    A massive fire broke out at DTE Energy’s St. Clair Power Plant in the early evening on August 11. Firefighters reportedly received the call for assistance at around 6:30 p.m. and fought the blaze well into the following morning. Video taken during the incident shows flames in several spots on the north end of the […]

  • New Marley® NC Everest™ Cooling Tower Combines Industrial-Grade Materials and Construction with Unmatched Cooling Capacity to Meet Demands of Power and Heavy Industrial Applications

    Pre-assembled tower takes cooling to a higher level with faster delivery and installation coupled with up to 50% more cooling capacity per cell and 20% reduction in pump energy Overland Park, KS – SPX Cooling Technologies, Inc., a full-line, full-service industry leader in the design and manufacture of evaporative and air-cooled heat exchangers, announces the […]

  • First Solar Wins 160MW of Module Contracts in Turkey

    Turkish energy companies select First Solar modules to power projects TEMPE, Ariz./ISTANBUL, Turkey, August 11, 2016 – First Solar, Inc. (Nasdaq: FSLR) today announced that it has booked 160 Megawatts (MW)DC of photovoltaic (PV) module sales in Turkey in the first half of 2016. The orders were placed by Basariarge Enerji A.S. and Zorlu Enerji. […]

  • Explosion at Chinese Coal Power Plant Reportedly Kills 21

    News agencies are reporting that an explosion at a coal-fired power plant in Dangyang, a city in central China, has killed at least 21 people and injured five others, three seriously. The event is said to have occurred around 3:20 p.m. local time on August 11. The facility—designed to generate thermal power and sell slag, […]

  • Manager Suspended Following Drone Crash at Nuclear Plant

    A drone crash at the Koeberg nuclear power station in South Africa has led to the suspension of the site’s safety officer for breach of regulations. The Koeberg facility is a dual-unit 1,800-MW station located about 30 kilometers northwest of Cape Town. It is the only nuclear power plant in Africa. According to owner and […]