The U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA) surveyed members of its industry and found that almost two-third of respondents say they already are experiencing coronavirus-related delays, due to disruptions in the global supply chain, travel restrictions, and the downturn in equity markets that is cutting investment in projects. The ESA said more than one-third of those […]

The agency that regulates nuclear power in the U.S. is preparing to allow reactor operators to work longer shifts, and could also issue new rules that would let facilities put off some maintenance and plant inspections. The actions are in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Comments during a Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) conference call on […]

Power industry analysts who’ve spoken with POWER agree there will be an impact to power load due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the loss of much of the U.S. commercial and industrial demand for power, and certainly an uptick in the amount of demand from the residential sector as more people work from home, away […]

Pacific Gas & Electric has agreed to plead guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter and one count of unlawfully causing a fire after it was blamed for the 2018 Camp Fire in Northern California, the deadliest wildfire in state history. The utility reached the agreement with the Butte County District Attorney’s office on March […]

U.S. electric utilities and other energy companies are preparing to have key personnel remain at power plants and operations centers to ensure the facilities remain online during the coronavirus pandemic. The federal government considers power plants part of the nation’s critical infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is responsible for working with power […]

Energy groups continue to assess the industry disruption caused by the coronavirus, with the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) on March 19 saying the global pandemic is putting  $43 billion of wind industry investments and payments at risk. Utilities, grid operators, and other have been altering their routines as state and local governments call for […]

Utilities and power generators worldwide are altering their business practices and developing strategies for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s particularly critical for the power industry, as a reliable supply of electricity is essential to prevent even more economic disruption. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lists utilities among the 16 industries that the […]

March 18, 2020 Pandemic Creating ‘Crisis’ for Solar Industry The president of the Solar Energy Industries Association on March 17 said the solar industry is seeing “a pretty significant crisis” along with the overall economy due to the global… Read More Solar Drives Down Price for ISO-NE Power Silicon Valley-based SunPower on March 16 said […]

A new report from a half-dozen environmental groups says global banks financed $2.7 trillion of fossil fuel projects from December 2015, when the Paris Agreement on climate was reached, through year-end 2019. The report said funding for such projects has increased in each of the past four years. “Banking on Climate Change 2020,” published March […]

The president of the Solar Energy Industries Association on March 17 said the solar industry is seeing “a pretty significant crisis” along with the overall economy due to the global coronavirus pandemic, as the situation likely will limit growth in the solar sector this year. Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the SEIA, told […]

Silicon Valley-based SunPower on March 16 said it has secured grid capacity for about 11 MW of power after a winning bid in ISO New England’s 14th Forward Capacity Auction (FCA), in which companies predict the cost of making power in 2023. The auction, which closed in February, saw a record low price of $2 […]

Energy Harbor Corp., the new name for the former FirstEnergy Solutions (FES) after FES’s bankruptcy, on March 13 said its Beaver Valley nuclear plant in Shippingport, Pennsylvania, will remain open. FES in March 2018 had told state regulators it would close the plant in 2021 because it was no longer economic to operate. Energy Harbor […]

The Edison Electric Institute (EEI), whose membership includes all investor-owned U.S. power companies, has told its members to prepare contingency plans for their operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several U.S. grid operators already have announced measures designed to keep employees as safe as possible, while maintaining the reliability of the nation’s power supply. The […]

March 11, 2020 MHPS Secures First Order for Hydrogen-Capable J-Series Gas Turbines Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) has bagged an order for the first advanced-class gas turbines designed to transition to renewable hydrogen fuel from Utah's state-owned Intermountain Power Agency (IPA). MHPS’s… Read More GE Achieves Battery-Enabled Blackstart of Heavy Duty Gas Turbine General Electric […]

Businesses are putting more emphasis on sustainability, coordinating their operations to ensure financial success while also being mindful of environmental concerns. Investors in many cases are demanding companies embrace sustainability, which often includes being more efficient in their use of energy. That’s one reason behind the growth in distributed power generation, as companies develop their […]

Georgia Power on March 5 announced it has ordered the first nuclear fuel load for Vogtle Unit 4, as work continues on the first new-design reactors in the U.S. in more than 30 years. Fuel for Unit 3 of the two-unit expansion at Vogtle was ordered last summer. The completion of the fuel order for […]

GE Power’s CEO on March 4 said his company sees the global gas turbine market stabilizing, in part due to better accessibility to natural gas worldwide. Scott Strazik made the comment during GE’s Investor Outlook on Wednesday. The event is an annual overview of the company’s operations that GE gives to investment professionals. The outlook […]

Florida Power & Light (FPL) on March 3 received approval from state regulators to launch the nation’s largest community solar program. FPL’s $1.8 billion SolarTogether project will more than double the amount of available community solar power nationwide. The program, unanimously approved Tuesday by the Florida Public Service Commission (FPSC), adds almost 1.5 GW of […]

A UK-based hedge fund billionaire is urging large central banks to end their funding of coal-fired power plant projects. Chris Hohn, founder of TCI Fund Management and a champion of causes to combat climate change, expressed his concerns in letters published March 1 to the Bank of England, the European Central Bank, Barclays, HSBC, and […]

Jack Welch, the chief executive of General Electric (GE) during a period of great prosperity for the company, and considered one of America’s most influential CEOs, died March 1 at his home in Salem, Massachusetts. He was 84. His wife, Suzy Welch, on Monday said the cause of death was renal failure. In a statement […]

Puerto Rico has been battered by natural disasters in recent years, with hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, and a series of earthquakes in late December 2019 and early January 2020, causing widespread damage

Albania, a country of about 2.9 million people, is a net importer of electricity, and power supply security is a major challenge for the country, which is situated north of Greece and borders the Adriatic and

More states are setting targets for renewable energy. Cities and counties are joining in. Utilities are formalizing commitments. And economics, as always, play a major role. The transition to clean energy

Utilities and other power generators need to prepare now for increased loads as the electrification of transportation grows. As with any challenge, opportunities exist for those willing to invest in electric

There’s widespread debate over whether nuclear power should be a player in the path toward addressing climate change. Industry analysts say nuclear is key to zero-emission power generation; even some environmentalists agree, though others point to the issue of disposal of nuclear waste, and concerns about the safety of reactors. Those concerns have led some […]

A new report from a global research, data, and analytics firm says the total market for energy storage will reach $546 billion in annual revenue over the next 15 years, led by the continued electrification of the transportation sector. Lux Research, a Boston, Massachusetts-headquartered group, in its “Global Energy Storage Market 2019” report, estimates the […]

The rise of distributed, or decentralized, power generation has been supported by district energy, the generation from facilities and associated distribution networks supplying steam or hot water, chilled water, and electricity for heating and cooling to millions of square feet of building space across the U.S. and around the globe. District energy is among several […]

Tampa Electric Co. (TECO) on Feb. 19 said it plans to invest about $800 million to add another 600 MW of solar power generation capacity by year-end 2023. TECO on Wednesday said the expansion will increase its solar portfolio to more than 1.25 GW of solar generation, or about 14% of its total generation mix. […]

France, which has long relied on reactors to supply the bulk of the country’s electricity, on Feb. 19 announced the imminent closure of the Fessenheim nuclear plant, located on the country’s border with Germany. One of the plant’s two 920-MW pressurized water reactors will shut down within days, with the second taken offline by the […]

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is set to begin commercial operation of the Middle East’s first nuclear power plant, after the country’s regulatory agency on Feb. 17 gave its approval for the start-up of the first reactor at the Barakah site. The plant can now begin loading fuel, and Unit 1 is expected to come […]