Darrell Proctor
Articles By

Darrell Proctor

  • POWER Digest [March 2018]

    ABB Receives Contract to Upgrade, Expand Combined Cycle Plant. A consortium including Doosan Heavy Industries and state-owned construction company PT Hutama Karya has awarded a $40 million contract to ABB to

  • Human Errors Contributed to Oroville Spillway Failure

    Damage to the main and emergency spillways of the Oroville Dam in California, triggered in February 2017 by heavy rain that was part of Northern California’s wettest winter in almost 100 years, has brought

  • Software Helps with Proactive Maintenance

    Utilities and power plant equipment providers know that maximizing the value of their assets includes keeping them maintained and online. Minimizing downtime is critical, certainly when it comes to keeping the

  • Future Looks Bright for Gas-Fired Generation

    Analysts who spoke with POWER differ slightly on the numbers, but they all agree that U.S. demand for natural gas for power generation will continue to rise. Supply should not be a problem—domestic

  • Autarsys Commissions Groundbreaking Energy Storage Project in Cyprus

    As part of an EU Research Programme in Cooperation with the University of Cyprus, Autarsys Makes the Final Connections to its Energy Storage System (ESS) for Initial Testing   BERLIN, GERMANY and NICOSIA, CYPRUS – Autarsys GmbH has delivered and commissioned the first community energy storage system (ESS) in Cyprus. It aims to be a […]

  • Radiflow and Wireless Data Systems Partner to Protect Critical Infrastructure

    MAHWAH, NJ and WILMINGTON, NC (February 27, 2018) – Radiflow, a provider of cybersecurity solutions for critical infrastructure, and Wireless Data Systems, a nationwide provider of turnkey wireless-based networks for multiple applications including broadband, surveillance, monitoring, private network extensions and more, today announced that the two companies have entered into a value added reseller agreement. Wireless […]

  • More Coal Units Being Mothballed in Indiana

    An Indiana utility has confirmed it will close three coal-fired power units, replacing that generation with a proposed natural gas-fired facility along with additional solar power. Evansville, Indiana-based Vectren Corp., a holding company whose assets include Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana-South, on February 20 released its Smart Energy Future strategic plan, designed to reduce Vectren’s […]

  • Ansaldo Energy Presents First GT36 Gas Turbine Produced in Genoa

    GENOA, Italy (February 23, 2018) — The first GT36-S5 model gas turbine produced at Ansaldo Energia’s Genoa production facility was presented to an audience including Italian Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti, Mayor of Genoa Marco Bucci, and Edoardo Rixi, Liguria Regional Administration Economic Development Councillor. Also in attendance was the Archbishop of Genoa, Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco. Ansaldo […]

  • Pattern Energy Pilots Uptake’s Software at Wind Site

    CHICAGO (February 22, 2018) —Uptake, the industrial data science and artificial intelligence (AI) software company, today announced that Pattern Energy Group Inc. (Nasdaq & TSX: PEGI) will pilot Uptake’s wind software. Pattern Energy, the seventh largest wind operator in the U.S., will pilot the predictive analytics software at its Logan’s Gap Wind farm in Comanche County, […]

  • Largest Solar Plant in Southeast Will Be Built in Georgia

    A 200-MW solar power plant is being planned at a 2,000-acre site near Warner Robins, Georgia, a project that at present would be the largest standalone solar facility in the U.S. Southeast. First Solar, a Tempe, Arizona-based global provider of photovoltaic (PV) systems, announced the project on February 21. The plant already has a power […]

  • Saft, European Partners Developing New Battery Technology

    PARIS (February 22, 2018) — Saft is building an alliance with other European partners to launch an ambitious program of research, development and industrialization for new generations of batteries focusing on advanced high-density Li-ion and Solid-State technology. The program addresses all market segments, such as electro-mobility (EV, e-Bus, Railway, Marine, Aviation), energy storage (ESS) and […]

  • NarrativeWave, Invenergy Announce Three-Year Energy IoT Deal to Maximize Productivity

    CHICAGO, IL AND IRVINE, CA (February 21, 2018) — Invenergy, North America’s largest independent, privately-held renewable energy company, and NarrativeWave, an Irvine-based Internet of Things software company, announced a three-year agreement. Invenergy will use NarrativeWave’s software to optimize its fleet of wind turbines and other renewable energy assets. The announcement follows a successful 60-day pilot, […]

  • Michigan Utility Will Phase Out Coal-Fired Generation

    Coal-fired power generation has taken another punch, as Consumers Energy—which along with DTE Energy supplies most of Michigan’s power—has announced it will phase out coal burning over the next two decades, with a plan to generate at least 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2040. Patti Poppe, Consumers’ president and CEO, made the […]

  • Indian Provincial Government Will Close Older Coal Plants

    The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh (UP) province in India has announced an agenda to reform the region’s energy sector, starting with the phase-out of older state-owned thermal power plants, as Indian provinces work toward a goal of providing reliable electricity on a consistent basis to more of the country’s population. Shrikant Sharma, the UP […]

  • Growth in Renewables Matching U.S. Nuclear Generation

    A business group geared toward sustainable energy says renewable sources of energy for the first time are generating nearly as much power as the entire fleet of U.S. nuclear reactors. The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), along with Bloomberg New Energy Finance, on February 15 released the sixth edition of its Sustainable Energy in […]

  • MHPS Announces First Brazilian Win for JAC Gas Turbine

    LAKE MARY, Florida (February 14, 2018) — Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) celebrated its first win in Brazil for the technical selection of its M501 JAC Gas Turbine for the Vale Azul II Project. The plant, which will have a contracted output of 466MW in combined cycle, was selected in the A-6 Brazilian Electricity Auction […]

  • DiSTI Delivers Siemens Energy’s First 3D Virtual Maintenance Trainer

    Siemens Energy Implements 3D Virtual Maintenance Trainers for Large-Scale Gas Turbine Power Plant Technology Orlando, FL (February 14, 2018) – The DiSTI Corporation, the world’s leading provider of 3D virtual training solutions, announces delivery of its first 3D Virtual Maintenance Training (VMT) solution for Siemens Energy, Inc. that was developed using DiSTI’s VE Studio Development […]

  • FreeVolt Announces Innovation in Solar Modules

    PALM DESERT, California (February 13, 2018) — The biggest ongoing challenges for manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) modules are the loss of efficiency, limited vitality, and a drop in the conversion from kilowatt peak (kWp) to actual kilowatt hours (kWh). Photovoltaic Graphene Matrix Technology or “PV Graf” shatters the mold of traditional BUS BAR PV technology […]

  • GE Hitachi, Holtec Announce Cooperation to Accelerate Commercialization of SMR-160 Small Modular Reactor

    February 14, 2018—GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), Global Nuclear Fuel (GNF), Holtec International and SMR Inventec, LLC (SMR, LLC), today announced a collaboration to advance the SMR‐160, a single loop, 160 MWe pressurized light water reactor based on existing light water technologies. In a Memorandum of Understanding, the companies have agreed to enter into a […]

  • Greensmith Energy Storage Technology Selected to Deliver Reliable Solar Power in Massachusetts

    HELSINKI, Finland (February 13, 2018) — Greensmith Energy, a part of the Wärtsilä technology group, was selected by Origis Energy USA to provide advanced energy storage integrated with solar photovoltaic (PV) in Sterling, Massachusetts. The resultant hybrid system will allow the PV installation to better handle peak loads and provide secure, reliable electricity supply to the […]

  • Trump Budget Backs Nuclear, Coal; Cuts Funding for Renewables

    The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2019 budget request released February 12 asks for more money to support fossil fuel-based power systems, but seeks funding below current levels for other energy initiatives, including renewable energy and energy efficiency. The energy funding is part of a $4.4 trillion budget that features large increases in military spending, along […]

  • Nuclear Power, Carbon Capture Winners in New Budget Deal

    The budget bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in the early hours of February 9 extends a host of tax credits for energy technologies, including provisions to help the Vogtle nuclear expansion in Georgia as well as U.S. carbon-capture projects. The legislation also provides support for renewable energy, including for small wind […]

  • Electric Cooperatives File for Approval of Community Solar Pilot Programs

    GLEN ALLEN, Virginia (February 7, 2018) — Four of Old Dominion Electric Cooperative’s (ODEC) member-owners filed applications with the State Corporation Commission (SCC) on January 30, 2018, to implement community solar pilot programs. A&N, Mecklenburg, Northern Neck, and Rappahannock Electric Cooperatives will establish three-year pilot programs to provide community solar subscriptions to their member-consumers, pending SCC […]

  • Regulators Back Settlement for Costs of Failed Kemper IGCC Project

    Shareholders of Mississippi Power will have to absorb the majority of outstanding costs resulting from the scuttled Kemper County coal gasification project, as the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) on February 6 approved a settlement for the remaining liabilities associated with the much-touted “clean coal” plant. Mississippi Power in a statement said it “is pleased […]

  • Virginia Considers New Utility Regulatory Rules

    Virginia lawmakers are weighing legislation that would give the state more control over utilities, with some of the measures developed in concert with power companies. State legislators are discussing the proposals, some of which are designed to lift a freeze on utility rates, which could bring refunds for ratepayers—although others warn it could cause rates […]

  • ACWA Power Wins First Utility-Scale Renewable Energy Project in Saudi Arabia

    RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (February 6, 2018) – ACWA Power, the Saudi, global leader in developing, constructing and operating power generation and desalination water plants in 11 countries, has won the Skaka IPP PV solar project, the first utility-scale renewable energy plant at the oil capital, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This plant is the first […]

  • Greensmith Energy’s Texas Waves Energy Storage Project Now Operational

    Greensmith Energy, a part of the technology group Wärtsilä, has successfully completed two grid-scale energy storage systems in partnership with E.ON Climate & Renewables in Texas. The system already responded to the recent cold snap in Texas, delivering short-term energy to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT). The two 9.9-megawatt, short-duration Texas Waves storage […]

  • Pipeline Project Prompts Plan for Nigeria Power Plants

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) in December 2017 announced a plan to build three natural gas-fired power plants in the country, thanks to a $2.8 billion pipeline project that would bring natural gas from the southern part of the African nation to its northern region. The plants, sited in Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano, would […]

  • Distributed Energy Resources Bring Benefits, Challenges and New Opportunities

    Distributed energy resources have changed the power generation sector, disrupting traditional markets and distribution models. Those working in the field tell POWER that research and development will continue

  • Voith Completes Modernization of Scottish Hydro Station

    Voith in December announced it has completed the modernization of the Mucomir hydropower station in Scotland, and the 20-MW facility is again producing electricity for the Scottish grid. Voith was responsible