Darrell Proctor
Articles By

Darrell Proctor

  • Siemens’ Renewable Arm Cutting 200 U.S. Jobs

    Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) plans to lay off 200 workers at two U.S. wind power equipment manufacturing facilities. The company on Feb. 9 said the job cuts are due to a reduction in orders for commercial wind turbines. An SGRE spokesperson said more jobs cuts at the plants—one in Hutchinson, Kansas, and the other […]

  • U.S. Details $5 Billion Plan for EV Charging Network

    The promise of a nationwide network of charging stations to serve drivers of electric vehicles (EVs) received a major boost on Feb. 10, with two federal agencies announcing nearly $5 billion has been earmarked to support such infrastructure. The U.S. Departments of Energy and Transportation said the money will be made available under the new […]

  • GAS POWER Direct—February 9, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   February 9, 2022 China Group Develops Plan to Turn Biomass Into Low-Carbon Natural Gas Researchers in China have published the results of a study that the group said provides an efficient catalytic approach to directly transfer solid biomass into natural gas, while […]

  • China Group Develops Plan to Turn Biomass Into Low-Carbon Natural Gas

    Researchers in China have published the results of a study that the group said provides an efficient catalytic approach to directly transfer solid biomass into natural gas, while enabling the gas to have a low-carbon footprint. The researchers said bio-natural gas produced from the hydrogen combined with lignocellulosic biomass could be used at power plants, […]

  • The POWER Interview: Protection Testing Paradigm—How Utilities Can Adapt to the Digital Era

    The digital transformation in the power generation industry touches several areas, encompassing engineering, monitoring and control, asset performance, and operations optimization, among others. Power plant operators know the digital era has been a perfect fit for their industry, enabling digitization to reduce risk, save costs, optimize performance, and speed crisis response. Doble Engineering is a […]

  • CAISO Plan Calls for $30.5 Billion for Transmission—and More Renewable Energy

    California’s power grid continues to evolve and will look much different by 2040, according to a 20-year draft transmission plan released by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). The plan calls for significant additional renewable energy resources, along with a $30.5-billion build-out of the transmission grid.  The outlook, developed by the grid operator along with […]

  • Georgia Power Plans to Retire All Coal Units by 2035

    Georgia Power plans to shutter most of its coal fleet by 2028 and completely exit coal-fired power by 2035, according to the utility’s latest integrated resource plan (IRP) filed with state regulators on Jan. 31. The Southern Co. subsidiary on Monday said it would make more investments in natural gas-fired generation, along with renewable energy, […]

  • Groups Grapple with Labor Logistics as Energy Evolves

    The continuing transition in the power generation sector means workers need new skills. The challenge for utilities and other power producers is finding the top talent at a time the labor pool is shallow

  • Italian Group Taps CO2 for Energy Storage

    New technologies for energy storage are being developed as the industry continues to mature. Energy Dome, an Italian energy storage technology company founded in 2019, recently announced it will use the

  • Oft-Delayed Vogtle Expansion on Track for 2022 Start

    The two-unit expansion at the Plant Vogtle nuclear power facility in Georgia remains a work in progress, a project that still holds the promise of emissions-free electricity even as construction delays and cost overruns continue to spark debate about its future. Proponents, including Georgia regulators and nuclear energy advocates, remain optimistic about the amount of […]

  • Vistra Adding More Storage to Moss Landing, World’s Largest BESS

    The Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility in California, already the largest utility-scale battery storage development in the world, is adding more capacity. Vistra, the Texas-based energy company that lists Luminant, TXU Energy, and Dynegy among its subsidiaries, on Jan. 24 said it would further expand Moss Landing, adding a new 350-MW/1,400-MWh battery energy storage system […]

  • Nevada Regulators Approve Solar+Storage to Replace Coal-Fired Plant

    Nevada utility NV Energy has received approval from state regulators to purchase two solar-plus-storage projects that will replace power generation from the group’s coal-fired North Valmy Generating Station. The 522-MW North Valmy plant is scheduled for closure in 2025. NV Energy in June of last year filed its triennial integrated resource plan with the Public […]

  • Iowa Utility Proposes $3.9 Billion Renewable Energy Project

    A subsidiary of billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy has announced it plans to invest another $3.9 billion into renewable energy in Iowa, with a project that would add more than 2 GW of wind power to the state. Des Moines-based MidAmerican Energy on Jan. 19 said the Wind PRIME project also includes solar power […]

  • New GE Digital Software Designed to Optimize Gas Turbine Performance

    A new product from GE Digital will improve the operation of gas turbines through artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), resulting in lower fuel consumption and reducing emissions, the company announced Jan. 20. GE Digital in its announcement said turbines “require seasonal adjustment of flame temperatures and fuel splits, which is generally a manual […]

  • TVA Power Plant Supplies Carbon from Flue Gas for Beneficial Use

    A power plant in Tennessee is the site of a project using carbon dioxide (CO2) to help manufacture carbon nanotubes (CNTs), which can be used in a variety of products from wind turbine blades to cellphone batteries to lightweight bicycle frames. SkyNano Technologies, a Knoxville, Tennessee-based developer of a manufacturing process to produce carbon-based nanomaterials […]

  • RENEWABLE POWER Direct—January 19, 2022

    POWER Magazine   Jobs   White Papers  Webinars   Events   Store   January 19, 2022 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… […]

  • 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 […]