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Technology
Self-Tuning Artificial Intelligence Improves Plant Efficiency and Flexibility
Flexible plant operations are highly desirable in today’s power generation industry. Every plant owner desires increased ramp rates and the ability to operate at lower loads so their plants will remain “in the money” longer in today’s competitive power markets. This goal, while laudable, remains elusive. The ADEX self-tuning artificial intelligence (AI) system allows plants […]
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Gas
How Natural Gas Utilities Play a Role in the Future of Our Energy System
With a global pandemic and unprecedented extreme weather, we have seen how essential our energy delivery system is to our way of life. Through collaboration and innovation, we will make the system more resilient and fulfill our commitment to reducing emissions. American Gas Association members are already leading in these areas—providing customers with reliable and […]
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Connected Plant
Two Keys for Better Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity
Two recent incidents have made the cost of not protecting our infrastructure and natural resources abundantly clear. First, there was the widely publicized SolarWinds attack that infected more than a dozen utility companies, and oil and gas manufacturing entities. Then, there was a dangerous incident in Florida, where a hacker gained access to a water […]
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News
Lessons For Keeping Smart Home Data Private
The utility industry has undergone a remarkable shift over the past 10 years. What was traditionally a one-way commodity electron-flow to customers has now become bidirectional traffic of both electrons and bytes. With the rise of distributed energy resources (DERs) and customer demands for improved energy efficiency, utilities are handling an increasing amount of useful […]
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Markets
Yes, Texas’ Deregulated Electricity Market Has Problems, but It Can (and Should) Be Fixed
The severe winter storm that knocked out Texas’ electricity grid in February, plunging millions of people into a cold, dark ordeal, has led to a number of takes about what went wrong. The state’s deregulated energy market has been frequently singled out as the root cause. But, while a contributing factor, it wasn’t the only […]
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Electric Vehicles
The Surge in Electrification of Transportation Requires a Sustainable and Resilient Electrical Infrastructure
As society contends with the impacts of climate change, we need to aggressively pursue strategies for reducing carbon emissions. Although states in the U.S. are taking a variety of approaches to greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction, and following an equally diverse set of timelines, most state-level GHG emission goals announced so far are fairly consistent—to reduce […]
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News
Troubleshooting Issues and Eliminating Headaches Related to Control Valves
An oscillating control valve may appear to be the source of control instability and repair efforts are usually focused only there. When this fails to solve the issue, further investigation often proves the
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Distributed Power
Using Distribution-Class STATCOMs to Resolve Distributed Generation Plant Voltage Issues
When distributed generation causes net reverse power flow on a distribution feeder, several voltage-related issues can occur. According to studies published by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
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Business
Why Resiliency in the Electrical Grid Should Be Measured from the Customer’s Perspective
Reliability performance is core to the utility industry. Utilities strategically design and invest in their system to maximize reliability performance—traditionally measured by System Average Interruption Frequency Index (SAIFI), System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI), and/or Consumer Average Interruption Duration Index (CAIDI). These quantitative metrics largely drive utility investment decisions, shape strategic priorities, dictate regulatory approvals, […]
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O&M
Key Pre-Demolition Considerations for Fossil Fuel Power Plants
As the existing electric generation infrastructure matures, electric generation system owners are looking to the future for newer and greener technologies to meet the demands of electric consumption. An important part of this future perspective may include the demolition and removal of older generation plants and facilities to free up land resources for new development. Prior […]