Uncertainty concerning a number of environmental rules is clouding planning measures, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) said on May 3. Citing its latest Capacity, Demand, and Reserves (CDR) report—a snapshot of existing and planned resources and load forecasts for the next 10 years—the grid entity that manages about 90% of Texas’ electric load […]

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) internally recognizes that a power grid failure resulting from an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or a solar storm can pose great risk to the security of the nation, but it hasn’t prepared adequately, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a newly released report. The GAO’s 68-page report, “Federal Agencies […]

Duke Energy’s request to increase the generating capacity of Unit 1 at its Catawba Nuclear Station by 1.7% by more precisely measuring feedwater flow has been approved by federal regulators. Staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) found on May 4 that Duke Energy could safely increase the reactor’s output “primarily through more accurate means […]

Tuesday, May 3, 2016 – 3:10pm PEORIA, Ill., May 3, 2016 /3BL Media/ – Caterpillar Inc. today announced the launch of Cat® Microgrid technology, an innovative suite of power systems that adds environmentally friendly solar panels, state-of-the-art energy storage, and advanced monitoring and control systems to Caterpillar’s traditional line of reliable power generation equipment, including Cat generator sets, switchgear, […]

PlantState Suite Mitigates Abnormal Situations to Improve Plant Safety, Reliability, and Productivity  HOUSTON, TX — May 3, 2016 – PAS, Inc., the leading solution provider of cybersecurity, process safety, and asset reliability in the energy, power, and process industries, today released the latest version of its PlantState Suite™ (PSS) software, featuring the industry’s first operational […]

Gasmet’s ‘CEMS II e’ is now certified for enhanced performance and an extended list of certified gases Gasmet Technologies is delighted to announce that its CEMS II e continuous emissions monitoring system has successfully completed EN 15267-3 testing using FTIR technology for the analysis of low range HF, low range NO, CH4 and Formaldehyde. “This means that it meets the […]

Power News Don't miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers' Guide FERC Blocks Ohio Power Plant Subsidy Deal Throwing yet another twist into a long-running saga, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on April 27 blocked a pair of power purchase agreements (PPAs) that would have supported continued operation of […]

Seven workers have reportedly died from an April 20 incident at Adani Power’s coal-fired 4.6-GW Mundra power plant in Gujarat, India, that involved a pipeline hot water release. The accident occurred at about 11:15 a.m. on April 20 as Unit 4, one of the ultra mega power plant’s nine 660-MW units, was being restarted after […]

High penetration of grid-connected utility solar increases market demand for accurate regional solar forecasting tools to manage energy scheduling and trading    VAISALA CORPORATION                         PRESS RELEASE                                  APRIL 28, 2016   Recent analysis from Vaisala, a global leader in environmental and industrial measurement, reveals that in 2015 energy from grid-connected, utility-scale solar plants surpassed wind for […]

Advanced transformer technology will enable UHVDC transmission links to transmit up to 10,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, setting a new world record in terms of capacity at the 800 kilovolt (kV) voltage level UHVDC transformer Zurich, Switzerland, April 18, 2016 – ABB has won orders worth more than $300 million to supply advanced converter transformers for […]

BARRE, Vt., April 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Northern Power Systems Corp. (TSX: NPS), a next generation renewable energy technology company, today announced the release of a new product that enables developers and end-users to acquire a fully integrated energy storage system tailored to their needs in terms of power and energy. The Northern Power ESS (Energy Storage […]

  • Advance and expansion of the “Digital Enterprise” for Industrie 4.0 • Solutions for companies of all sizes in every industry • Convergence of the virtual and real worlds to create a highly flexible, highly available and networked “eco system” Siemens is paving the way towards industrial digitalization. “To support our customers on their […]

  A recent motion filed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) asking a federal court to remand parts of its final coal combustion residuals (CCR) rule could have major new consequences for the power sector if upheld, an expert has said. In its 16-page motion filed on April 18, the agency asked the U.S. Court of Appeals […]

Wärtsilä is entering the solar energy business by offering utility-scale solar photo-voltaic (PV) solutions. The new solutions include solar PV power plants of 10 MW and above, and hybrid power plants comprising solar PV plants and internal combustion engines. Both solutions are offered with full engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) delivery. Wärtsilä’s first solar project […]

Power News Don't miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers' Guide Supreme Court Strikes Down Maryland Power Plant Subsidies In a unanimous ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision that a program Maryland initiated in 2012 to subsidize power plant construction impermissibly invaded the Federal Energy Regulatory […]

Executives from power companies operating in different markets revealed how their firms are being affected by low natural gas prices, pressures to achieve fuel diversity, distributed energy generation, and lax demand growth, among a number of topics. The annual executive roundtable panel at the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition on April 19 was moderated by […]

  Even if the Clean Power Plan (CPP) doesn’t overcome legal challenges, it is likely that many states will implement carbon-curbing measures set down by the rule, some panelists said at the Environmental Mega Session at the ELECTRIC POWER 2016 conference in New Orleans on April 19. The Rule’s Shaky Legal Standing The rule is […]

Public benefits offered by the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) far outweigh the costs, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said as it released a review of the 2012-finalized rule’s cost implications. The final cost consideration—released just days before power plants that received a one-year extension must come into compliance with the rule—was prompted by […]

Power News Don't miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers' Guide Puerto Rico Utility Moves to Restructure $9B in Debt A plan to restructure $9 billion in Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA) debt—an eighth of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico’s staggering $72 billion in debt—surfaced at the U.S. territory’s […]

Financially bruised Peabody Energy Corp.—the world’s largest privately owned coal mining firm—is seeking bankruptcy protection. The St. Louis–headquartered company filed for voluntary Chapter 11 protection in a desperate attempt to strengthen liquidity and reduce debt amid what it says has been an “unprecedented industry downturn.” It filed petitions for most of its U.S. entities in […]

BADEN, SWITZERLAND—April 11, 2016—Today, GE (NYSE: GE) announced a deal with China Machinery Engineering Corp (CMEC) to supply two 330-megawatt (MW) boilers to Engro Powergen Thar (Private) Limited, CMEC’s joint venture with Pakistan companies for the Thar Block II Power Plant. The deal will support Pakistan’s move to use its ample coal reserves in the […]

After 64 years as a landmark in Wilmington, N.C., one of three boiler units at Duke Energy’s retired coal-fired L.V. Sutton Plant crumpled in a dusty heap of contorted steel and splintered glass on April 10. The implosion is the first of three similar events to take place at the Sutton Plant. The next is […]

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., April 11, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) today formally commissioned its Port Everglades Next Generation Clean Energy Center – the third in a series of such facilities powered by American-produced natural gas. As was the case with the company’s Next Generation Clean Energy Centers at Riviera Beach and Cape Canaveral, the Port Everglades facility […]

Power News Don't miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers' Guide EEI Gets Pushback on Proposed Rebranding of Utility Solar The Edison Electric Institute has come under fire for a new communications plan that was intended to depict utilities as more community-minded.&hellips; Read More   State AGs Join Forces to […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif., March 29, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation (AECC) and Ouachita Electric Cooperative Corporation (OECC) will announce the full commissioning of the 100-acre East Camden, Arkansas solar field on March 31, 2016. The 12‑megawatt (AC) array is located in the Highland […]

RENO, Nev., March 30, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Ormat Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:ORA) announced today its subsidiary has signed an agreement with a subsidiary of Alevo Group SA, a leading provider of energy storage systems, to jointly build, own and operate the Rabbit Hill Energy Storage Project, located in Georgetown, Texas. Ormat will own and fund […]

March 24, 2016 12:30 PM Eastern Daylight Time SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) delivered record electric reliability in 2015 with the average customer experiencing less than one outage during the year. PG&E’s sizable investment in its electric infrastructure and its commitment to integrating innovative technology continues to pay dividends for its customers. […]

Contributing to the stable operation of critical facilities worldwide March 27, 2016 10:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO:6503) announced today that it produced its milestone 40,000th Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) unit in February 2016. UPS are used as back-up power supplies for essential facilities like data centers and financial institutions, where a […]

Two renewables giants with a hefty global reach are facing debilitating financial crises. SunEdison on the Verge of Bankruptcy California-headquartered solar project developer SunEdison, a company that has 1,000 operational sites worldwide and is staffed by 3,000 employees, is facing a liquidity crisis so dire, the company’s yieldco TerraForm Global warned in a March 29 […]

A handful of attorneys general want to join forces on ongoing and potential investigations into whether fossil fuel companies misled investors and the public about the impact of climate change on their businesses. New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman announced the joint effort on March 29, during a one-day climate change conference for attorneys […]