Darrell Proctor
Articles By

Darrell Proctor

  • Renewables’ Share of U.S. Power Will Keep Upward Trajectory

    Renewable energy’s share of U.S. power generation continues to rise, and the percentage of electricity produced by burning natural gas and coal continues to fall, according to the latest “Short-Term Energy Outlook,” or STEO, from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA on Jan. 18 said it expects U.S. power generation from renewables—mostly solar […]

  • Largest Capacity Solar Farm in Indiana Begins Operation

    A Texas-based renewable energy company has completed a $180 million solar power project that it said is the largest array by generation capacity in the state of Indiana. EDP Renewables North America on Jan. 13 said the 200-MW Riverstart Solar Park in Randolph County, about 80 miles northeast of Indianapolis, is now fully operational, with […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—January 12, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   January 12, 2022 Nuclear and Natural Gas Taxonomy Battles Brewing in Europe and S. Korea A leaked draft of the European Commission’s proposal to label some natural gas and nuclear power plants as “transitional” or “green” investments has prompted pushback from some […]

  • NRC Dismisses Application for Oklo Advanced Nuclear Reactor

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said it has dismissed a license application for one of the first advanced nuclear reactor designs to be considered by the agency. The NRC on Jan. 6 said it could not make a judgment on the merits of the design of Oklo Inc.’s 1.5-MW advanced fission power system, known […]

  • Former Coal Mine Will House New Pumped-Hydro Storage Project

    A company active in the hydropower sector is working on a new project to build a pumped-hydro storage facility at the site of a former coal mine in Kentucky. Boston, Massachusetts-based Rye Development, which has a current in-design or operational portfolio of 25 projects in 10 states, on Jan. 4 announced it was developing the […]

  • Climate Ripe for Nuclear Advancements

    Improvements in nuclear power technology are being driven by research into safer reactor designs and new fuel types, including smaller reactors that offer flexible siting options with modular construction

  • Long-Awaited FSRU Project Nears Operation in El Salvador

    A years-long energy project in El Salvador recently reached a milestone, as technology company Wärtsilä in November announced the installation and successful operation of a floating storage and

  • POWER Digest [January 2022]

    Israeli Group Enters JV for Renewable Energy in Poland. Israeli renewables developer Nofar Energy in late November announced formation of a joint venture (JV) with Poland’s Electrum S.P. Z O.O to develop as

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—December 29, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   December 29, 2021 Solar+Storage Will Lead New U.S. Generation Capacity Solar power paired with energy storage is expected to lead capacity additions in the U.S. power generation sector over the next two years, according to the latest Electric Monthly Update… Netherlands Will […]

  • First 1-GW Unit of Major China Coal-Fired Plant Comes Online

    A Chinese power company said the first of four 1,000-MW units at a new coal-fired power plant in a northwestern region of Inner Mongolia has entered operation. The Guodian Power Shanghaimiao Corp., part of the state-owned China Energy Investment Corp., on Dec. 28 said Unit 1 of the Shanghaimiao plant is online after a 168-hour […]

  • Solar+Storage Will Lead New U.S. Generation Capacity

    Solar power paired with energy storage is expected to lead capacity additions in the U.S. power generation sector over the next two years, according to the latest Electric Monthly Update from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA in its December report, which includes data through October 2021, said it projects the U.S. will […]

  • Netherlands Will Install Country’s Largest Energy Storage System

    The Netherlands is set to install that country’s largest energy storage system in an effort to support power grid stability. Technology group Wärtsilä on Dec. 20 said it will supply a 25-MW/48-MWh storage system to GIGA Storage BV, a Netherlands-based energy storage company with multiple projects under development, including several hybrid renewable energy-plus-storage systems. The […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—December 15, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   December 15, 2021 More than 32 GW of New Gas-Fired Power Plants in U.S. Pipeline Recent reports from groups analyzing U.S. power generation note how states near the nation’s largest shale plays are expected to bring significant new natural gas-fired generation online […]

  • Honeywell, UT-Austin Join on New Carbon Capture Technology

    A leading company in the design of technology for a variety of industries is part of an effort to advance carbon capture from power plants, along with providing a solution to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial facilities. Honeywell, the Charlotte, N.C.-based conglomerate known for products from residential thermostats to advanced aerospace applications, on […]

  • More than 32 GW of New Gas-Fired Power Plants in U.S. Pipeline

    Recent reports from groups analyzing U.S. power generation note how states near the nation’s largest shale plays are expected to bring significant new natural gas-fired generation online over the next few years, despite concerns about recent market volatility that sent gas prices to their highest levels in more than a decade. With a long-term outlook […]

  • GE Digital Announces UK ‘Smart Substation’ Project

    GE Digital has announced a partnership with UK Power Networks (UKPN) for the launch of a smart substation project designed to support renewable energy power generation across the United Kingdom. The agreement announced Dec. 9 involves the installation of powerful computers in a series of substations. The project, known as Constellation, will leverage advances in […]

  • EIA: U.S. Coal Stockpiles Lowest Since 1978

    The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently said it expected coal-fired power generation in 2021 to be 22% higher than in 2020, producing the first year-over-year increase in U.S. electricity generation from coal since 2014. That higher generation, though, has reduced inventories of coal at the nation’s power plants, with EIA on Dec. 7 reporting […]

  • New Materials, Efficiency Upgrades Advancing Solar Technologies

    The growth curve for solar power continues its upward trajectory, thanks to technologies such as perovskites, heterojunction solar cells, and energy storage systems designed to complement rooftop solar. New

  • CCS Technology Supports Coal-to-Gas Switching and Carbon-Based Products

    A power plant in Western Canada is showcasing carbon capture technology that can first be deployed at a coal-fired facility, and then adjusted to accept flue gas from a natural gas-fired system without the

  • Businesses Using Microgrids to Ensure Power in Puerto Rico

    Puerto Rico continues to struggle with its power supply, with the island’s aging electricity infrastructure contributing to continued blackouts and reliability issues more than four years after hurricanes

  • BP Plans Another Major Hydrogen Production Project

    Energy major BP plans to build a large-scale green hydrogen production plant in northeast England, a facility that would use renewable energy resources to produce as much as 60 MWe of fuel by 2025. The group’s Nov. 29 announcement of its HyGreen Teesside project comes eight months after BP said it would build Britain’s largest […]

  • More Than 20 Coal-Fired Plants Will Close in Wake of Wastewater Rule

    A new wastewater rule authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this year is leading several coal-fired plants to announce closure plans, according to an analysis of state regulatory filings by the Sierra Club. The group said at least 26 plants in 14 states have said they will stop burning coal, with 21 […]

  • EY Research Highlights New Opportunities for Utilities

    Demand for electricity from the residential sector rose during the first several months of the global coronavirus pandemic, as workers stayed home and students studied remotely. Researchers, using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), said the second quarter of 2020 saw a 10% rise in residential electricity usage compared to the same months […]

  • Southern Joining Bill Gates-Backed Group on New Reactor Project

    Major U.S. utility Southern Co. said it has agreed to design and build an advanced demonstration nuclear reactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) using technology developed by TerraPower, the Bill Gates-backed company that earlier this week announced it would site a new Natrium nuclear reactor demonstration project in Wyoming. Southern in a Nov. 18 news […]

  • $2.6 Billion Committed to New Solar Projects in Texas, California

    A company that invests in clean energy projects to serve customers interested in low-carbon sources of electricity announced it has closed eight separate deals, representing a total of $2.6 billion in financing commitments for construction and operation of six late-stage solar energy projects with 2.2 GW of generation capacity in California and Texas. Intersect Power […]

  • New Solar Technology Promises Improved Performance, Cost Savings

    A new type of solar photovoltaic (PV) cell is closer to widespread commercialization after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Solar Inventions a patent for its Configurable Current Cells, or C3, technology. Solar Inventions on Nov. 17 announced that with the U.S. recognition in place, it will be moving toward finalizing pending patents for […]

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—November 17, 2021

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   November 17, 2021 Group Forecasts Massive Increase in Energy Storage by 2030 Global installations of energy storage systems will experience rapid growth this decade, resulting by the end of 2030 in gigawatt capacity more than 20 times larger than the amount online… […]

  • Group Forecasts Massive Increase in Energy Storage by 2030

    Global installations of energy storage systems will experience rapid growth this decade, resulting by the end of 2030 in gigawatt capacity more than 20 times larger than the amount online at the end of 2020. That’s according to a forecast from research company BloombergNEF (BNEF), which in a report released Nov. 15 said the huge […]

  • Major EV Charging Hub Set Near New York City

    A site touted as the largest electric vehicle (EV) charging hub in the U.S. is taking shape at an industrial park in New Jersey, just minutes from New York City. Power Edison, a New Jersey-based developer and provider of utility-scale mobile energy storage solutions, has partnered with Hugo Neu Realty Management and others to deploy […]

  • Veterans Support Construction of New Texas Solar Farm

    A new solar power project in Texas has entered commercial operation, with military veterans a major part of the facility’s construction workforce. The 163-MW Elm Branch solar farm, operating in part under a power contract between L3Harris Technologies and Lightsource bp, featured an apprenticeship program led by McCarthy Building Companies, the project’s EPC contractor, and […]