A newly established U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) office dedicated to cybersecurity, energy security, and emergency response may be a signal that it is elevating its focus on emerging grid threats. The Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) will use $96 million in funding included in President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget […]

February 8, 2018 AEP, American Power Giant, Sets Goal to Slash Carbon Emissions 80% by 2050 American Electric Power (AEP), one of the nation’s largest power generators, will pursue a strategy to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 60% from 2000 levels by 2030, and… Read More NRG Sells Renewables Assets, 3.6 GW of […]

Microgrid deployment is rapidly taking hold worldwide, a new report from Navigant Research suggests. As of the fourth quarter of 2017, the research group’s Microgrid Deployment Tracker had identified 1,869 projects—representing a total capacity of 20.7 GW—operating, under development, or proposed across 123 countries worldwide. That compares to 18 GW of microgrid capacity identified in […]

After decades of lethargic power demand—and negative growth in 2017—U.S. electricity use is expected to grow steadily through 2050, driven by a healthy economy and increasing efficiency, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects in its Annual Electricity Outlook 2018 (AEO2018). However, during that period, direct-use generation will outpace growth in retail sales as more […]

NRG Energy, in a bid to shed $7 billion in consolidated debt, is selling the bulk of its renewable assets and development platforms along with several coal and natural gas power plants worth 3.6 GW tied to its South Central Generating business. The independent power producer, which recently relinquished bankrupt wholesale generator GenOn Energy to […]

American Electric Power (AEP), one of the nation’s largest power generators, will pursue a strategy to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 60% from 2000 levels by 2030, and 80% from 2000 levels by 2050. AEP expects to achieve carbon reductions through a variety of actions, including investments in renewable generation and advanced technologies […]

Exelon Generation will shutter its Oyster Creek Generating Station in October 2018—more than a year before it is required to close the single-unit reactor as part of an agreement with the state of New Jersey. Exelon agreed in 2010 to close the unit by December 2019—10 years before its license to operate expires—after it decided […]

Two more U.S. nuclear power plants are facing early retirement, joining a string of generators whose fate was determined by market conditions, political pressure, or financial stresses assailing the sector. Several others may be poised to join them. The 647-MW Duane Arnold nuclear plant in Palo, Iowa, will likely close in 2025 after a current […]

February 1, 2018 Report: Trump Wants Deep Cuts in Clean Energy Programs Documents obtained by The Washington Post show the Trump administration is prepared to ask Congress to cut the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) renewable energy and energy efficiency programs by as… Read More What is the future of energy in the digital age? The […]

This month’s THE BIG PICTURE infographic is accompanied by an interactive map. For more, visit: https://www.powermag.com/interactive-map-abandoned-nuclear-power-projects/

Increasing uncertainties concerning low forecasted load; construction financing constraints and reversals; state certification hurdles; and challenges to nuclear profitability posed by the growing share of coal plants beset the nuclear industry in the early 1970s. The nuclear suffered a renewed economic meltdown and fierce public pushback in the aftermath of the Three Mile Island accident […]

BP Ventures to invest $5 million in FreeWire, manufacturer of mobile rapid charging systems for electric vehicles BP to trial technology at selected retail sites in the UK and Europe during 2018 Mobile system will allow flexible deployment of charging facilities while building understanding of fast-evolving market BP today announced that its venturing business has […]

KYOTO, JAPAN — January 31, 2018 —SolarEdge Technologies, Inc. (“SolarEdge”) (NASDAQ: SEDG) and OMRON Corporation (“OMRON”) (HQ: Shimogyo-Ku, Kyoto. President and CEO: Yoshihito Yamada) are launching a new DC optimized inverter solution for Japan’s high-voltage PV market. OMRON will offer SolarEdge’s three-phase DC optimized inverter solution, consisting of inverters, power optimizers, and module-level monitoring, for […]

100% of survey respondents say their cybersecurity function is not fit for purpose Utilities struggle to monitor their digital ecosystem more than all other sectors 85% of respondents say they don’t have a robust incident response program  LONDON, 31 JANUARY 2018. All utilities organizations surveyed in the latest EY Power and Utilities Global Information Security […]

  Latest edition of Navigant Research’s Microgrid Deployment Tracker now includes microgrid projects that are on hold January 31, 2018 – Boulder, CO – A new report from Navigant Research presents data on known grid-tied and remote microgrid projects in the proposal, planning, and deployed stages across six geographies and seven microgrid segments. Since 2Q […]

Overwhelmed by low wholesale power prices and changing customer needs in the Pacific Northwest, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) on January 30 unveiled a lifeline it hopes will allow it to remain commercially afloat. While the nonprofit federal power marketer headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is part of the Department of Energy, it is self-funding and […]

The future of advanced reactors in the U.S. will remain murky unless the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) takes four key steps to support innovation and commercialization of new technology, three key industry groups have warned. U.S. leadership of nuclear technology is “at risk,” and if changes aren’t made it will lose its standing as a […]

Public Service Enterprise Group (PSEG) President and CEO Ralph Izzo gave NRG Energy a tongue-lashing for its pointed opposition of subsidies for PSEG’s two New Jersey nuclear power plants. The tense moment at a January 25 legislative hearing that sought to revive the measure is illustrative of a growing chasm within the power sector about the […]

The rapid growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) is spawning new financing models that could send growth for the fledgling sector soaring, upending the power sector at an even more breakneck pace. Industry executives at Distributech 2018 in San Antonio, Texas, this week noted that several trends are driving the growth of DERs, which are […]

A lawsuit challenging subsidies for New York’s nuclear plants will head to trial after the state’s  Supreme Court rejected motions to dismiss it. The measure deals a small setback for Exelon Corp., whose subsidiaries own the R.E Ginna and Nine Mile Point nuclear plants in upstate New York. Defendants in the lawsuit also include Entergy […]

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously reversed and remanded a rule the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rolled out in 2015 that asserts federal authority over small bodies of water with a broader definition of the statutory term, “waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS). In a ruling for National Association of […]

January 18, 2018 Don’t Let EPA Stall on Clean Power Plan, 17 States Tell Federal Court The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recent request that the D.C. Circuit hold a case challenging the Clean Power Plan in additional abeyance until it concludes rulemaking has been strongly opposed… Read More Tampa Electric Will Convert Big Bend Coal […]

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recent request that the D.C. Circuit hold a case challenging the Clean Power Plan in additional abeyance until it concludes rulemaking has been strongly opposed by 17 states and several cities. The EPA, in its latest 30-day court-required status report filed on January 10, asked the federal court for continued […]

New York and Connecticut on January 17 filed suit to force the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to curb ground-level ozone blowing in from Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia with federal implementation plans (FIPs) issued under the “Good Neighbor Provision” of the 2008 National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The two states allege in their […]

 A draft law backed by the European Parliament on January 17 proposes to raise the European Union’s (EU’s) renewable targets to 35% by 2030—substantially higher than a 27% target proposed by the European Commission and EU Council. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted 492–88 (with 107 abstentions) to increase the share of renewable sources […]

EGEC Reaction to the European Parliament plenary vote on the first half of the Clean Energy Package Brussels, 17th January 2018 – The European Parliament proved ambitious and consistent with the objectives of the Paris agreement while voting on the Renewable Energy Directive, the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Governance Regulation this Wednesday. The vote sets […]

 Energy storage is redefining how smart energy solutions can support the ongoing urban energy transformation January 17, 2018 – Boulder, CO – A new report from Navigant Research examines the relationship between energy storage and smart cities, providing an overview of relevant applications as well as drivers and barriers. Smart energy technologies are increasingly expected […]

The company will install 24 of its G114-2.0 MW turbines at the Yangshugou wind farm, in north-eastern China, and 24 G97-2.0 MW turbines at the Wohushan wind farm, located in eastern China Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) continues to grow in China – the world’s biggest wind market – having signed two new agreements for […]

A control system that smooths out inter-area oscillations—a problem affecting power systems connected by relatively weak tie lines—has been successfully demonstrated by researchers from Sandia National Laboratories and Montana Tech University. The system that uses smart grid technology could allow utilities to push more power through transmission lines, possibly nixing the need for new transmission […]

January 11, 2018 Several Milestones Reached at Nuclear Power Projects Around the World The world’s nuclear power industry has been busy in the new year, with several construction projects reaching key milestones as 2018 began. EPR Units Making Progress Four EPR nuclear units… Read More AES and Siemens, Two Power Giants, Join Forces on Energy […]