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  • DOE Loan Programs Office Publishes Community Benefits Plans for Energy Projects

    The U.S. Dept. of Energy’s (DOE’s) Loan Programs Office (LPO) has published Community Benefits Plans (CBPs) for several projects that recently finalized financing from the agency. The projects include the restart of the Palisades nuclear power station in Michigan, which is expected next year. The DOE on Oct. 29 said the CBPs are part of […]

  • Questions Arise About Private Equity Involvement in Purchase of Gavin Coal-Fired Plant

    Dennis Wamsted and Seth Feaster at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis recently wrote a commentary looking at Energy Capital Partners’ (ECP) deal to take over ownership of the General James M. Gavin coal-fired power plant in Ohio. The 2,709-MW Gavin plant is ranked as the fifth-largest carbon dioxide-emitting power plant in the […]

  • How the Presidential Election Could Impact Renewable Energy Tax Credits

    President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law in 2022. The IRA is the largest public investments in renewable energy in American history and created more than 20 different tax incentives for renewable energy and related manufacturing. Certain Republic politicians have directed vitriol at the IRA. However, even if Republicans win the White […]

  • Hydrogen Attracts Significant Investments to Support a Decarbonized Energy Economy

    In late 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $7 billion initiative to establish seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, aiming to scale the use of cost-effective clean hydrogen. This initiative comes as utilities face growing pressures from data centers and other industries that are demanding increasingly large amounts of reliable power. Hydrogen’s role […]

  • Advanced Diamond Chips Are the Key to Alleviating AI Data Center Power Demand Concerns 

    The rapid acceleration of digital technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models, is significantly increasing the computational demands on data centers. This growth is not only stressing the infrastructure but also exacerbating environmental impacts due to high power consumption. 

  • Offshore Wind Growth and HVDC Developments in the North Sea: Key Trends and Future Outlook

    Europe is pursuing an ambitious energy transition to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. To reach this goal, the region has set stringent targets to decrease reliance on Russian fossil fuels and increase the adoption of renewable energy across the power and transportation sectors. Significant strides are being made in developing solar and […]

  • The Renewables Revolution: Overcoming New Roadblocks

    Singapore stands at a pivotal juncture in its journey toward sustainability, with renewable energy (RE) emerging as a beacon of hope in the fight against climate change. Post-COP 28, many countries, including

  • How Local Opposition Can Thwart Renewable Energy Projects

    Two-thirds of Americans say that they support the development of alternative energy sources such as wind, solar, and hydrogen power. At least that’s what the Pew Research Center found in a nationwide survey

  • Next-Gen O&M Solutions: Transforming the Landscape of Power Plant Productivity

    The power generation industry has undergone a remarkable transformation over the past several years, with the shift from regulated monopolies to a competitive landscape introducing new complexities and

  • Data Centers Might Be Catalyst for Modernizing U.S. Power Grid

    Rapid growth in the U.S. data center market is ushering in a new era of power demand and testing the ability of electric utilities to keep pace with this surging growth. Data center energy use has doubled over the past three years and is expected to continue climbing as more hyperscale data centers leveraging power-hungry […]

  • Evolution of Decommissioning Requirements in Renewable Energy

    With legislative momentum around clean power generation and net-zero emissions policies rapidly building, the U.S. is seeing rapid increases in installed wind and solar capacity each year. At the same time, older generations of renewables are facing a new challenge: obsolescence. The first utility-scale wind and solar projects in the U.S. were developed in the […]

  • New AI Partnership to Invest in Data Centers and Supporting Power Infrastructure

    $100 billion investment potential will enhance American competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI) while meeting the growing need for energy infrastructure to power economic growth The drive to develop more powerful AI capabilities will require significant infrastructure investment to support it. BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Microsoft, and MGX announced on Sept. 17 the Global AI […]

  • U.S. Solar Manufacturing Generates More Than Electricity

    As government incentives continue to accelerate investment, new manufacturing facilities are driving community resurgence, economic development, and job growth. That was the message from panelists during a session at the recent RE+ event, the largest renewable energy trade show in North America, held Sept. 9-12 in Anaheim, California. In order for U.S. economic policy to […]

  • California Confirms Strategy for Centralized Offshore Wind Procurement

    Following more than three years of planning and analysis, California has established an offshore wind goal of 7,600 MW, with procurements starting as early as 2027. Through its central procurement efforts, California intends to bring about a “market transformation” to help reduce the costs of particular technologies, like offshore wind, allowing them to be developed […]

  • Greenlane Receives $15 Million Grant for Western U.S. EV Charging Corridor

    An electric vehicle charging infrastructure group has received a $15 million grant from a Southern California air quality agency to support development of a commercial charging corridor along Interstate 15. Greenlane Infrastructure, a joint venture among Daimler Truck North America, NextEra Energy Resources, and BlackRock (through a fund managed by its Climate Infrastructure business), was […]

  • Regulations Impact Developments in Clean Hydrogen Production

    The recent release of proposed regulations to the Clean Hydrogen Production Credit by the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has stirred significant interest in the energy sector. These changes mark a pivotal moment in advancing toward a cleaner, more sustainable energy economy. Ongoing review and analysis will be crucial as […]

  • Enhancing the Potential of Condition Monitoring Using Vibration Information

    Condition monitoring can transform how power plants operate and maintain their assets. This article argues that to exploit the full potential of condition monitoring, it’s necessary to use data to acquire

  • Risk Management, Skilled Counsel Key in Renewable Energy

    Renewable energy project developers and contractors must be prepared to negotiate novel risks in a quickly changing global market. Technological innovations in renewable energy equipment and decreasing

  • How Energy Services Businesses Can Adapt and Win in a Changing Market

    Energy services businesses are poised to benefit from an unprecedented amount of government support for energy infrastructure. However, choppy waters lie ahead as business models and market conditions evolve

  • BlueWave Announces Agrivoltaic Projects in Massachusetts

    BlueWave, a solar power developer and owner in the U.S. Northeast, announced five projects across Massachusetts that incorporate the company’s innovative dual-use solar design and operate under the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target (SMART) Program. BlueWave said the installations announced August 22 are located in Palmer, Haverhill, Dighton, and Douglas. The sites have 19.8 MW of […]

  • Investment Firm Buys Major U.S. Community Solar Provider

    A New York-based infrastructure investment fund said it has completed its purchase of a community solar and battery energy storage business in a deal to expand the U.S. community solar market. NOVA Infrastructure on August 16 said its acquisition of UGE International will forge a partnership “with UGE’s veteran management team with the goal of […]

  • RWE Signs PPAs With Meta for Power from Solar Farms

    U.S. renewable energy major RWE announced the signing of two long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) that will supply electricity to social media company Meta. The deal is for clean energy from two solar farms with combined generation capacity of 374 MW. The solar facilities are RWE’s 274-MW County Run Solar project in Illinois, and the […]

  • Composite Pole Manufacturer Grows Through Acquisition, Boosting Grid Hardening Capabilities for Utilities

    Creative Composites Group (CCG), a leading manufacturer of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites, announced that the group has acquired the assets of Schaumburg, Illinois-based Trident Industries (Trident), a manufacturer of ultra-resilient single- and multi-layer composite poles (Figure 1). This marks CCG’s third acquisition in less than two years. Power demand and storm frequencies are increasing, severely […]

  • NYISO Announces Interconnection Enhancements and Improvements

    The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has launched a new interconnection process with significant improvements and enhancements, crucial for integrating a high volume of new generation facilities onto the grid. NYISO’s “Cluster Study” process and other improvements were developed in collaboration with stakeholders through the NYISO’s governance process in recent years. Collectively, these enhancements […]

  • Forced Outage Parametric Insurance Solutions for CCGTs

    Combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plants started appearing on a larger scale in the late 1990s and have since then been a very efficient supplier of baseload and lately peaking capacity to the power grids. The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently reported that natural gas–fired capacity additions are increasing in the U.S. again […]

  • The Role of FRP Structures in Mitigating Workplace Hazards

    Power companies understand the importance of safety and incorporate many safeguards into plant designs. Yet, the materials used in these defenses also matter, and fiberglass-reinforced polymer (FRP) is an

  • Achieving Operational Flexibility with Voltage Control

    Using voltage data down to the consumer level is essential for grid optimisation and operational flexibility in the new era of intermittent generation and fast-changing user demand. Power grids were designed

  • Unseen Heroes: Cutting-Edge Sensors Combatting Air Pollution

    There is an urgent need for accurate and efficient emissions monitoring technologies to ensure air pollution is adequately controlled. Infrared spectroscopy and precision infrared filters play a critical role

  • Fighting Scale and Corrosion on Balance of Geothermal Plant Equipment

    There are three main types of geothermal power plants: dry steam plants that send geothermal steam directly from the ground into the turbine, flash steam power plants that convert hot groundwater to steam

  • Ireland’s Energy Strategy Embraces Offshore Wind

    The global wind industry is entering a new phase of accelerated growth as both companies and countries adopt ambitious sustainable energy goals. 2023 was a record year for wind installations, with a 50%