Darrell Proctor
Articles By

Darrell Proctor

  • China Tabs Siemens as Partner on Gas Turbines

    Siemens on July 9 said it has a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work with China’s State Power Investment Corporation (SPIC) on heavy-duty gas turbines. Siemens said it will support SPIC’s research and development of the turbines and provide training and technical consultation. “The signing today will expedite finalization of a technology cooperation agreement in […]

  • Duke Energy Renewables completes acquisition of Shoreham Solar Commons project from Invenergy

    CHARLOTTE, N.C. (July 9, 2018) – Duke Energy Renewables today announced it has completed the acquisition of the 24.9-megawatt Shoreham Solar Commons project on Long Island from Invenergy. Shoreham Solar Commons is located in Brookhaven, New York, about 60 miles east of Manhattan, on the site of the former Tallgrass Golf Course. It was placed […]

  • EPA Chief Pruitt Resigns; Former Coal Lobbyist Takes Helm

    Scott Pruitt, chosen by President Donald Trump to lead the Environmental Protection Agency despite repeated lawsuits against the agency when he served as Oklahoma’s attorney general, resigned as EPA director July 5. Pruitt had been under scrutiny throughout his EPA tenure for questionable ethical decisions involving his office. Pruitt, who repeatedly said he had done […]

  • First Commercial AP1000, EPR Reactors Connected to Grid

    Two nuclear energy milestones were reached in the past week, as the world’s first commercial AP1000 and EPR reactors were connected to China’s power grid. Westinghouse announced Sanmen 1, the first AP1000 unit, was connected to the grid June 30, one day after Électricité de France (EDF) connected the first EPR reactor—Taishan 1—to the system. […]

  • Siemens supplies SF6-free high-voltage switchgear for English wind farm

    Siemens will supply 102 SF6-free, gas-insulated 8VM1 high-voltage switchgear (GIS) to Siemens Gamesa by the middle of next year. The switchgear will protect each wind turbine individually against overloads and short-circuits and make it possible to supply electricity reliably and without interruption. Developed for wind farms, the 8VM1 from the blue GIS portfolio operates with […]

  • ABB Will Upgrade Historic New Zealand HVDC Link

    ABB has received an order from Transpower New Zealand Ltd to upgrade its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link which interconnects the transmission grids of the North and South islands. The link is a vital element of the country’s transmission system and is used as an energy-balancing system, between the two islands. ABB Ability™ MACH control system, […]

  • Japan’s New Energy Plan Commits to Renewables—And Nuclear and Coal, Too

    Japan’s government on July 3 approved a new Basic Energy Plan for the country, saying it is committed to increasing the role of renewable resources for power generation while also confirming it wants nuclear power to remain a vital part of the nation’s energy strategy. Japan issues a revised Basic Energy Plan, which outlines the […]

  • Oyster Creek Will Close Sept. 17; Fuel Could Remain at Site for 60 Years

    Officials with the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on July 2 said Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station, the country’s oldest operating nuclear power plant, will officially close on September 17. They also said radioactive material is likely to remain at the site in New Jersey until at least the late 2070s, and perhaps beyond. The […]

  • Solar Power Hits New Highs in Britain

    Solar power generation reached new highs in the United Kingdom recently, with a heat wave and stretch of sunny days across the country highlighting the potential for renewable energy in Britain. Solar produced a record 533 gigawatt hours (GWh) of power from June 21-28. Solar output topped 8 GW on each of the eight days, […]

  • ATLAS RENEWABLE ENERGY ANNOUNCES USD $114.4 MILLION FINANCING OF URUGUAYAN SOLAR ENERGY PLANTS

    Miami, FL (July 2, 2018) – Atlas Renewable Energy announced today the closing of long-term financing for its El Naranjal and Del Litoral solar PV projects in Salto, Uruguay. The financing was secured through a US Private Placement with several international investors, placed by DNB Markets, Inc.  and the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IDB-Invest). The deal was […]

  • Market for Dispatching Services: Be Power and ABB together for first projects of VPP and Demand Response

    Milan, Italy (July 2, 2018) — Be Power and ABB will cooperate in the Dispatching Service Market (MSD). Be Power is the Digital Green Utility of the Building Energy Group with a trailblazing business model based on the synergies between the markets of energy and mobility. This model aims at integrating the opportunities arising from the […]

  • Minesto initiates DG500 commissioning program

    Marine energy developer Minesto has initiated the commissioning program of its first tidal energy project in commercial scale in North West Wales, with initial sea trials of the company’s DG500 tidal energy converter taking place in Holyhead harbour and the Holyhead Deep site. “The activities in Holyhead are progressing well and we are pleased to […]

  • Fast-track delivery of Wärtsilä gas-fired power plant will help alleviate Myanmar’s electricity shortage in Kyaukse

    The technology group Wärtsilä has been selected to provide the generating equipment for a new gas-fired power plant needed to alleviate the shortage of electricity in Myanmar. The power plant will operate on eight Wärtsilä 50SG gas-fueled engines, and the electricity generated will be fed into the national grid. The 145-MW plant is being built […]

  • Russia Will Help Nigeria Develop Nuclear Plant

    Nigeria’s government joined with Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corp. (Rosatom) last year with a goal to develop the country’s first nuclear power plant, a plan that both sides confirmed and talked about

  • POWER Digest [July 2018]

    Renewable Projects Planned in Australia. CWP Renewables, a company based in Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, on May 28 said it received a $700 million investment from Partners Group, a

  • More Efficient with Fewer Emissions: Cement Factory Finds Sugar-Based Biomass a Sweet Solution

    Environmental regulations and a need to reduce its fuel consumption provide the incentive for an Egyptian plant to change its manufacturing process. Energy companies constantly grapple with controlling the

  • Sustainable from the Start: Tech Company a Model of Efficient Power Management

    OWC is known in the tech field for its computer hardware. It’s also known for its on-campus power generation, which sets it apart from others in the high-tech field, showcasing a commitment embraced by the

  • Advanced Microgrid a Natural Fit for Wisconsin Project

    Providing power for a nature preserve required not just progressive technology, but also the innovative approach needed to embrace the facility’s educational and environmental missions. Interest in ensuring

  • ABB, Ballard Power Systems Sign MOU on Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Power Plant

    ABB, the pioneering technology leader, and Ballard Power Systems, the leading global provider of innovative clean energy fuel cell solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on developing the next-generation fuel cell power system for sustainable marine e-mobility. The fuel cell power system, to be jointly designed, developed and validated by ABB and Ballard […]

  • Ice Energy announces long-term funding agreement with Argo Infrastructure Partners

    COSTA MESA, CA (June 26, 2018)— Ice Energy, the leading provider of distributed thermal energy storage solutions, announced that it has entered into a long-term funding agreement with private equity manager Argo Infrastructure Partners LLC (“Argo”). The investment establishes a strategic relationship that begins with $40 million in funding for Ice Energy and its current projects, […]

  • GE CEO: Company ‘Finished’ with Restructuring

    General Electric (GE) saw its stock price surge more than 7% on June 26 after the company said it would dissolve its stake in oil services company Baker Hughes and spin off its healthcare unit over the next few years. The announcement comes one day after GE said it would sell its Distributed Power business, […]

  • Rebranded ‘MAN Energy Solutions’ Replaces Former MAN Diesel & Turbo Name

    MAN Energy Solutions represents a new vision, as reflected by a new, corporate design. The new branding embodies a strategic and technological transformation, a process the company had already begun back in 2017 by implementing its new strategy for the future: to expand its business with sustainable technologies and solutions such that they become its […]

  • Wärtsilä, Hyundai Motor Group Announce Energy Storage Partnership

    Seoul, South Korea and Helsinki, Finland (June 26, 2018) — The technology group Wärtsilä and Hyundai Motor Group have signed a technology and commercial partnership designed to utilize second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries towards the growing energy storage market. The global partnership will combine Hyundai’s expansion in electric vehicles, with Wärtsilä’s growing energy business, which includes […]

  • Siemens Will Supply Three Large Gas Turbines to Dubai

    Siemens has received an order for three SGT5-4000F gas turbines from United Arab Emirates (UAE). The turbines will be used in Unit H Phase 4 of the Al Aweer power plant complex which is located approximately 35 kilometers from downtown Dubai. DEWA has awarded the project EPC contract to Siemens in a consortium led by […]

  • DNV GL launches GPM Horizon—World’s first data monitoring platform for integrated wind, solar and energy storage systems

    Munich, Germany (June 21, 2018) – DNV GL is launching GPM Horizon, the world’s first data monitoring platform with full integration of current and future renewable energy systems including solar PV, wind and energy storage assets. GPM Horizon enables future-proof fleet management by bringing digitalization technologies and integrated renewables systems together in one platform, which […]

  • FlexGen Awarded Contract for ESS at Upton 2 Solar Power Plant

    Vistra Energy, headquartered in Irving, Texas, has awarded a contract to FlexGen to design and integrate a 10-MW/42-MWh FlexGen energy storage system (ESS) at Upton 2 Solar Power Plant in Upton County, Texas. At 180 MW, Upton 2 is Texas’ largest operating solar facility. The Upton 2 plant consists of 718,000 photovoltaic solar panels. The lithium-ion energy storage project at […]

  • Restructuring on Horizon for Siemens and GE

    Siemens and General Electric, two rivals battling financial problems due to fewer orders for their flagship energy products and services, could each announce major restructuring moves in the coming weeks, according to media reports. Reuters on June 21, citing a person familiar with the matter, said Siemens plans to merge or trim some of its […]

  • Siemens’ CEO: Sale of Turbine Unit Just ‘Media Speculation’

    Siemens Chief Executive Joe Kaeser on June 19 said reports last week that the German engineering company was considering a sale of its gas turbines manufacturing unit are “media speculation.” Kaeser made the remarks during an event in Zurich, Switzerland. He told Reuters that his company wants to improve the performance of the turbine unit, […]

  • Analysts: Coal Generation Will Plummet More Than 70%

    About half the world’s power will be generated by wind and solar resources by 2050. Generation from coal will drop more than 70% from today’s levels. That’s according to research from energy analysts published June 19 in the “New Energy Outlook 2018” (NEO) from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The NEO report outlines information from […]

  • Memo: Siemens ‘Committed’ to Gas Turbines Unit

    Siemens still hasn’t commented on reports it could be looking to sell its gas turbine business. But the managing board member responsible for the company’s power and gas division reportedly issued a memo to staff in the wake of those reports, saying Siemens remains committed to its long-time flagship product. Bloomberg, which on June 13 […]