Sonal Patel
Articles By

Sonal Patel

Sonal Patel is a national award-winning multimedia journalist and senior editor at POWER magazine with nearly two decades of experience delivering technically rigorous reporting across power generation, transmission, distribution, policy, and infrastructure worldwide.

  • Five Years after Fukushima in Five Infographics

    It’s been five years since the Great Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami prompted a crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan, but the world’s nuclear power sector is still lurching from its aftershocks. The Crisis at Daiichi Endures Five years ago, nearly a day after the 3-minute, 9.0-magnitude Great Tohoku Earthquake struck northeastern Japan—and unleashed […]

  • POWER news—March 10, 2016

    Power News Don't miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers' Guide Construction Begins on Project to Demonstrate Entirely New Natural Gas Power Cycle Construction of a 50-MWt plant that will demonstrate a novel oxyfuel natural gas power system using Allam Cycle technology with zero atmospheric emissions has kicked off in […]

  • Fuel Tech Awarded Air Pollution Control Orders Totaling $4.4 Million

    March 09, 2016 08:45 AM Eastern Standard Time WARRENVILLE, Ill.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fuel Tech, Inc. (NASDAQ:FTEK), a world leader in advanced engineering solutions for the optimization of combustion systems and emissions control in utility and industrial applications, today announced the receipt of multiple air pollution control (APC) contracts from customers in the US, Europe and China. These […]

  • Construction Begins on Project to Demonstrate Entirely New Natural Gas Power Cycle

    Construction of a 50-MWt plant that will demonstrate a novel oxyfuel natural gas power system using Allam Cycle technology with zero atmospheric emissions has kicked off in La Porte, Texas. The demonstration plant is being built by the technology’s developer, Durham, N.C.–based NET Power, along with Exelon Generation, CB&I, and 8 Rivers Capital. NET Power’s […]

  • Dominion, Questar File Merger Applications in Utah, Wyoming

    March 03, 2016 02:00 PM Eastern Time  RICHMOND, Va.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–Dominion Resources, Inc. (NYSE: D) and Questar Corporation (NYSE: STR) announced today that they have jointly filed merger applications with the Public Service Commission of Utah and the Wyoming Public Service Commission regarding the pending combination that was announced on Feb. 1, 2016. The companies […]

  • Sanmen 1 RCPs Installed Ahead of Schedule

    Westinghouse installed all four reactor coolant pumps at Sanmen Unit 1 ahead of the current milestone schedule. Sanmen 1 is one of two AP1000® nuclear power plants under construction at Sanmen NPP.

  • B&W Awarded $80 Million Contract to Supply Boiler to Philippines Power Plant

    B&W has been awarded a contract for more than $80 million to design and manufacture a supercritical boiler and components for the Masinloc Thermal Power Plant expansion project in the Philippines.

  • NRG and NRG Yield Unveil New 20 MW Solar Facility in Southern California

    NRG and NRG Yield Unveil New 20 MW Solar Facility in Southern California New Solar Installation Helps California Move Closer to Clean Energy Goal March 07, 2016 08:00 AM Eastern Time  PRINCETON, N.J.–(EON: Enhanced Online News)–NRG Energy, Inc. (NYSE:NRG), the country’s largest independent power producer, and its subsidiary NRG Yield, Inc. (NYSE:NYLD, NYLD.A), today announced that […]

  • EIA: 13.7 GW of Coal Capacity Was Retired in 2015

    Of nearly 18 GW of U.S. generating capacity permanently shuttered in 2015, 77% was conventional steam coal–fired. About 30% of that 13.7 GW in coal capacity was retired in April 2015, when the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) rule went into effect, said the Energy Information Administration (EIA) on March […]

  • Palo Verde Nuclear Plant Shatters Own Generation Record in 2015

    The 4-GW three-unit Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station has broken its own generation record, producing the highest electricity output of any nuclear plant in the world. APS, the Arizona utility that operates the plant, said Palo Verde generated 32.5 million MWh in 2015, making it still the only U.S. power plant to ever produce more […]

  • Vivint Halts Pending Merger with SunEdison Citing “Willful Breach” of Agreement 

    Distributed energy firm Vivint Solar has terminated an agreement under which it would have merged with renewables giant SunEdison in a $2.2 billion deal. The Lehi, Utah–based company told investors on March 8 that it had delivered a letter notifying SunEdison that the merger agreement had been terminated, owing to SunEdison’s “failure to meet obligations” […]

  • POWER news—March 3, 2016

    Power News Don't miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers' Guide U.S. Cybersecurity Super Team Reveals How Attackers Prompted Ukraine Blackouts External malicious actors deployed a "synchronized and coordinated" cyberattack to prompt the large-scale blackout in Ukraine last December, a U.S. interagency team has confirmed. The event on December 23, 2015— […]

  • Power Rental Market in Southeast Asia to Boom Following the Increased Demand from Utilities and Industrial Sectors Through 2020, says Technavio

    March 1—LONDON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Technavio analysts forecast the power rental market in Southeast Asia to post a CAGR of close to 11% by 2020, according to their latest report. Power rental market in Southeast Asia to post a CAGR of close to 11% by 2020, according to Technavio. Tweet this The research study covers the present scenario and growth prospects […]

  • Fluor Finalizes Acquisition of Netherlands-Based Stork

    March 01, 2016 04:17 PM Eastern Standard Time IRVING, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Fluor Corporation (NYSE: FLR) announced today that the company closed its acquisition of Stork Holding B.V. Fluor announced in early December 2015 that the company had agreed to purchase 100 percent of Stork’s shares from UK-based private equity firm Arle Capital Partners. .@FluorCorp finalizes acquisition of Netherlands-based Stork […]

  • Global Investment in Drones and Robotics Technologies for Transmission and Distribution is Expected to Total Nearly $16.2 Billion from 2015 to 2024, According to Navigant Research

    Drone technologies can assist utility infrastructure maintenance efforts by determining where ground crews should be deployed March 02, 2016 05:15 AM Eastern Standard Time BOULDER, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A recent report from Navigant Research examines the market for drone and robotics technologies for transmission and distribution (DRTD), providing an analysis of market issues and global forecasts for revenue, segmented […]

  • Sumitomo Corporation Invests in Biomass Fuel Manufacturing Business in Brazil

    NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Sumitomo Corporation today signed a contract to acquire up to 20 percent of Cosan Biomassa S.A. ( “Cosan Biomassa”), a subsidiary of the world’s largest sugar & ethanol company, Cosan S.A.Industria e Comercio ( “Cosan S.A.”) and producer of sugarcane pellets for power generation, subject to the prior approval […]

  • GE and American Electric Power Debut First-of-its-kind Integrated Distribution Operating Platform

      Innovative program fuels grid interoperability, enhances reliability and resiliency The IDOP platform lowers costs, reduces maintenance and optimizes productivity The first deployment of GE’s ADMS, PowerOn Advantage, in the U.S. ORLANDO – March 1, 2016 – GE (NYSE: GE) and American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP), one of the largest electric utilities in the U.S., successfully […]

  • Siemens H-class gas turbines exceed 200,000 operating hours

    The fleet of Siemens H-class high-efficiency gas turbines achieved more than 200,000 operating hours in January 2016. There are currently 19 turbines in the SGT-8000H series in commercial operation, and they are setting the standard for efficiency, reliability, and availability. Siemens has sold a total of 76 H-class gas turbines worldwide to date: This makes […]

  • A Brief History of U.S. Coal Ash Since the Kingston Spill

    The disposal of coal ash, a combustion byproduct from coal-fired power plants, was propelled into the national conversation on December 22, 2008, when the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston power plant suffered one of the largest coal ash spills in history. Calls for regulatory action shifted pitch again after the Duke Energy Dan River spill […]

  • Notable Coal Ash Spills [Slideshow]

    The coal ash spill in December 2008 at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s coal-fired Kingston power plant may have triggered regulatory action, but it wasn’t the first or the most devastating disaster in the coal industry’s history. Coal Ash Spills at Power Facilities [gss name=”example1″ link=”none” ids=”85886,85788,85786,85790,85778,85888,85794,85784,85776″] Other Notable Coal Ash Spills [gss name=”example2″ link=”none” ids=”85772,85780,85782″] —Sonal […]

  • U.S. Cybersecurity Super Team Reveals How Attackers Prompted Ukraine Blackouts

    External malicious actors deployed a “synchronized and coordinated” cyberattack to prompt the large-scale blackout in Ukraine last December, a U.S. interagency team has confirmed. The event on December 23, 2015— the world’s first power blackout prompted by a cyberattack—saw a swathe of unscheduled power outages afflict three regional power distribution companies (called the “Oblenergos”) and cut […]

  • China Rolls Out Proposal for Worldwide Grid

    A proposal put forth by China—and one that it says has received “positive responses” and substantial backing from international groups, including the United Nations—foresees a global smart ultra-high-voltage (UHV) grid that transmits only “clean energy.” The Global Energy Interconnection (GEI) outlined by State Grid Corp. Chairman Zhenya Liu on February 25 at the IHS CERAWeek […]

  • Twenty States Call on Supreme Court to Stay EPA Mercury Rule

    Rallied by the Supreme Court’s unprecedented stay of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan, a coalition of 20 states has asked the high court to stay another disputed agency rule: the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS). The states are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North […]

  • U.S. Power Sector Carbon Emissions See Fractional Increase

      Power generators consumed 34% of total U.S. energy uses from fossil fuels and accounted for 39% of the nation’s carbon emissions from fossil fuel combustion in 2014—a fraction of a percent more than in 2013—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said in its newly released Greenhouse Gas Inventory report. In 2014, 2,054.8 million metric tons […]

  • EPA Chief: Clean Power Plan to Win on Merits

    Despite the unprecedented stay by the Supreme Court, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Clean Power Plan will withstand legal challenges “based on its merits,” predicted the agency’s head, Gina McCarthy, at the IHS CERAWeek conference in Houston. McCarthy discussed the plan and other recent initiatives to stem greenhouse gas emissions—including recently announced rules to curb […]

  • POWERnews—Feb. 25, 2016

    Power News Don’t miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers’ Guide Twenty States Call on Supreme Court to Stay EPA Mercury Rule Rallied by the Supreme Court’s unprecedented stay of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan, a coalition of 20 states has asked the high court to stay […]

  • New Solid Hydrogen-on-Demand Fuel Cell from HES Energy Systems Flies ST Aerospace UAV for Record 6 Hours

    February 16, 2016, SINGAPORE—A consortium of Singaporean institutions and private sector companies including HES Energy Systems, ST Aerospace, DSO National Laboratories, and the Future Systems and Technology Directorate of Singapore’s Ministry of Defense, have worked jointly to achieve a record 6 hour endurance, 300km flight on the Skyblade 360 UAV built in Singapore by ST […]

  • Westinghouse Wins Outage Service Contract with Tennessee Valley Authority Nuclear Plants

    February 18, 2016, PITTSBURGH—Westinghouse Electric Company has been selected by Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide refueling outage and inspection services for the Westinghouse-designed pressurized water reactors at Watts Bar Units 1 and 2 and Sequoyah Units 1 and 2. The award is valued at approximately $75 million and covers the period 2016 through 2021. […]

  • Unconventional Gas is Structurally Changing Global Gas Markets According to a New World Energy Council Report

    Feb. 19, 2016, JOHANNESBURG—The growth of unconventional gas is spreading across the world with major implications over many years for markets and prices according to a new World Energy Council study ‘Unconventional gas, a global phenomenon’ which looks at where and how fast the revolution is taking place. The study, developed with project partner Accenture […]

  • Siemens and IBM team on next generation of cloud-based building energy management solutions

    Cloud-based building management platform leverages enterprise asset management and data analytics technologies to help meet sustainability goals Collaboration with IBM Watson Internet of Things Business Unit showcased at IBM InterConnect 2016 will transform real estate performance LAS VEGAS, Feb. 22, 2016—Today, the Siemens Building Technologies Division and IBM (NYSE:IBM) announced cloud-based solutions that will leverage Siemens’ […]