Sonal C. Patel
Articles By

Sonal C. 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.

  • 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’ […]

  • Dayton Power and Light Files Electric Security Plan

    The Dayton Power and Light Co. (DP&L), a subsidiary of The AES Corporation, filed its latest Electric Security Plan (ESP) with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) on February 22. DP&L’s plan is designed to protect customers from volatility in energy prices while promoting economic development by allowing its power plants to continue operations. The […]

  • Nieto: Mexico’s Energy Transition Will Persevere Despite Dismal Oil Prices

    Mexico’s ongoing energy reform is a “paradigm shift” in the way the country obtains, transforms, and exploits its energy resources, President Enrique Peña Nieto told attendees at IHS CERAWeek on February 22. The reform allows the state to maintain ownership of hydrocarbons underground, but it also encourages private participation in the entire hydrocarbon value chain […]

  • A Rollercoaster Week for the Clean Power Plan

    In the week since the highest court in the U.S. issued an unprecedented ruling to stay the Clean Power Plan—as at least two states suspended compliance efforts—the passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia may have boosted the odds that the Obama administration’s efforts to stem power plant carbon emissions will pass judicial review. The […]

  • POWERnews—Feb. 17, 2016

    Power News Don't miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers' Guide A Rollercoaster Week for the Clean Power Plan A week since the highest court in the U.S. issued an unprecedented ruling to stay the Clean Power Plan—as at least two states suspended compliance efforts—the passing of Supreme Court Justice […]

  • Wisconsin’s Senate Lifts Ban on New Nuclear Plant, Bill Heads to Governor

    Wisconsin’s Senate has voted to lift a longstanding ban on building new nuclear plants unless a federal site exists to store the waste and it can be shown to benefit ratepayers. The Senate voted 23–9 for Senate Bill 384, with several Democrats joining Republicans in voting for the measure. The bill now heads to the […]

  • NYISO Warns of Power Capacity Gap When Ginna, FitzPatrick Nuclear Plants Are Closed

    Closure of Exelon’s 614-MW R.E. Ginna and Entergy’s 882-MW James A. FitzPatrick nuclear plants will leave New York with a statewide power deficiency starting in 2019, the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has concluded. A generator deactivation assessment issued on February 11 that is focused on reliability impacts stemming from the deactivation of the FitzPatrick […]