Sonal Patel
Articles By

Sonal Patel

  • Sen. King Introduces Bill to Promote Distributed Energy Interconnection Neutrality

    A new bill unveiled on May 6 by Sen. Angus King (I-Maine) champions a general right to neutrality of the interconnection of distributed energy resources (DER) and seeks to establish a set of national parameters for how DERs are governed. The day 30 on clomid no period Free Market Energy Act of 2015 would amend […]

  • POWERnews–April 29, 2015

    Power News Don’t miss these POWER magazine resources: Post Jobs | View Jobs | Buyers’ Guide Plan to Store Spent Nuclear Fuel in New Mexico Takes Major Step With plans for a “permanent” solution for storing waste from nuclear power generating plants permanently stalled, some are hoping that an “interim” site can be developed that […]
  • GDF Suez Changes Name to Engie

    Multinational energy giant GDF Suez will henceforth be called “Engie,” a name that reflects the global transition to a decarbonized, renewables-rich, energy-efficient, and digital economy, the company said on April 24.  “As the world changes, all energies change with it,” the largest independent power producer in the world said in a statement announcing the rebranding […]

  • Expert: OSHA’s Arc Flash Final Rule Will Save Lives

    For Samy Faried, an ABB expert who has spent 15 years analyzing arc flash hazards, a new rule recently finalized by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will save lives. In April 2014, OSHA published its Final Rule for Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution Standards (29 CFR 1910.269 and 1926 Subpart V), which […]

  • POWERnews–April 23, 2015

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  • Executive Roundtable Discusses Looming Power Sector Changes

    If there was one thing that the panelists at Wednesday’s Executive Roundtable at the ELECTRIC POWER 2015 Convention and Exhibition in Rosemont, Ill., agreed on, it was that change—spurred by new regulations, cheap gas, and the spread of distributed generation—is coming to the power sector. Beyond that, the executives of five highly influential power companies—Dynegy, […]

  • Japanese Court Clears Sendai Nuclear Reactors for Restart

    A Japanese court has rejected a petition to halt the restart of two reactors at the Sendai nuclear power plant, putting the country on course again to revive its long-stalled nuclear power sector.  The Kagoshima district court in southwest Japan rejected claims by residents that nearby volcanoes pose risks to the Sendai plant, and that […]

  • DOE Highlights Carbon Capture Milestone

    Carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects backed by the Department of Energy (DOE) have captured 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide, the agency said in an announcement highlighting the milestone.  The projects contributing to the 10 million tons captured milestone are part of DOE’s Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (RCSP) Initiative and the Industrial Carbon […]

  • FERC Issues Final Gas-Electric Coordination Rule

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has approved a final rule to improve coordination of wholesale natural gas and electricity market scheduling in light of the nation’s increased reliance on natural gas generation.  FERC’s March 2014 Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Order No. 809 proposed changes to nationwide gas scheduling practices, but it gave the […]

  • NERC: EPA’s Clean Power Rule Could Transform Coal Power Use

    Implementation of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed Clean Power Plan (CPP) could change the use of the U.S. coal-fired generating fleet from baseload to seasonal peaking—and pose grave implications for plant economics and operating feasibility, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) suggests in new special assessment.   The new report is the second […]

  • Report: Utilities Are Making Significant Investments in Transmission Infrastructure

    Investor-owned electric utilities in the U.S. spent $16.9 billion in 2013 to build transmission infrastructure, a report recently released by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) shows. The ninth annual publication of the EEI’s Transmission Projects: At a Glance  highlights a cross-section of more than 170 major transmission projects completed in 2014 or planned over the […]

  • NPPD to Convert Coal Boiler to Use Hydrogen Fuel

    In what could be an industry first, Nebraska’s largest electric utility plans to replace an existing coal-fired boiler with one that uses hydrogen fuel. The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) said on April 17 that it plans to fuel its Sheldon Station plant in Hallam, Neb., with hydrogen produced by Monolith Materials as a co-product […]

  • Dominion to Close Virginia Coal Ash Ponds

    Dominion Virginia Power will close all its coal ash ponds at power plants in Virginia to comply with standards established by state and federal regulations. The company announced on April 17 that it would close ponds at four locations: Bremo Power Station in Fluvanna County, Chesapeake Energy Center in Chesapeake, Chesterfield Power Station in Chesterfield […]

  • Texas, Okla. Consider Eliminating Wind Incentives

    Bills to eliminate incentives that have accelerated the expansion of wind power found momentum in Texas and Oklahoma last week.  Texas Moves to Nix RPS, CREZ The Texas Senate on April 14 approved, by a 21–10 vote, legislation that would end the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) and its Competitive Renewable Energy Zone (CREZ) program. […]

  • DOE Highlights Challenges to Energy Infrastructure in Quadrennial Energy Review

    The U.S. energy infrastructure needs not just substantial investment for the future but also considerable rethinking about its role and functions in order to be positioned to deal with a rapidly changing energy landscape and evolving threats from cyber attack and climate change. That was the message from William F. Hederman, Jr., Department of Energy […]

  • Four Ontario Electric Utilities Pursue Merger

    Ontario’s four largest local electricity distribution companies are working to form a large new utility Enersource Corp., Horizon Utilities Corp., Hydro One Brampton Inc., and PowerStream Inc. have made a commitment to merge and create a new utility. The companies said in a joint statement on April 16 that the proposed merger would allow a […]

  • Maryland to Mandate Emergency NOx Reductions at Coal Plants

    An emergency action proposed by Maryland regulators on Friday will require 14 coal-fired units in the state to minimize nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions every day during the 2015 summer ozone season, starting as soon as May 1.  The rule submitted on April 17 by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) to the Joint Committee […]

  • POWERnews–April 15, 2015

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  • Japanese Court Blocks Nuclear Plant Restarts

    A Japanese court has blocked plans to reopen two reactors that had been previously cleared to resume operations by the Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA).  Local residents in western Japan’s Fukui Prefecture, where Kansai Electric Power Co.’s Takahama nuclear plant is located, successfully petitioned a court to issue an injunction halting plans to restart Units 3 […]

  • Short- and Long-Term Economic Impact of the Clean Power Plan on Texas Debated

     While fuel switching may be the easiest option for hitting the 2020 and 2030 goals set by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed Clean Power Plan, it may impede reaching longer-term climate targets said experts at an April 8 symposium hosted by the Central Texas Association for Energy Economics and the Energy Institute at the […]

  • POWERnews–April 9, 2015

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  • DONG Energy to Develop 1 GW of Offshore Wind Power in Massachusetts

    Danish firm DONG Energy will take over RES Americas’ rights to develop more than 1 GW of new offshore wind capacity off the coast of Massachusetts.  RES secured the rights to develop one of two leases that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) awarded at its Jan. 29 offshore wind auction. Following approval from […]

  • NRC To Begin Expedited Cybersecurity Rulemaking for Nuclear Fuel-Cycle Facilities

    Staff at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) should expeditiously complete and implement cybersecurity rulemaking for nuclear fuel-cycle facilities, the regulatory agency’s commissioners have ordered.  In a March 24 agency memorandum to Mark Satorius, NRC executive director for operations, the commission disapproved the one option, which was the staff’s recommendation, to issue a security order to […]

  • Ohio Nixes Duke Energy Proposal to Guarantee Income from Coal Plants

    As it decided in a February case involving American Electric Power (AEP), the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) has denied Duke Energy Ohio’s request to charge ratepayers for power from two aging coal plants owned by the Ohio Valley Electric Corp. (OVEC).  In an April 2 order, the state regulator approved the Duke Energy […]

  • Power Cuts Affect Wide Swath of D.C., Including the White House, Capitol

    A dip in voltage prompted temporary power cuts to the White House, Capitol Hill, the State Department, and other parts of Washington, D.C., on Tuesday afternoon.  D.C. utility PEPCO said in a statement that the disturbance that affected about 8,000 customers and left a wide swath  of the nation’s capital in the dark was caused […]

  • POWERnews–April 2, 2015

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  • White House Formally Submits Climate Pledge to Slash GHGs

    The U.S. will seek to cut its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 26% to 28% from 2005 levels by 2025, the White House said on March 31 in a target submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).  The submission—otherwise referred to as an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC)—is a formal statement […]

  • A Smoke-Ring Blowing Power Plant. April Fools? You Tell Us.

    Copenhagen could inaugurate, as early as 2017, a new combined heat and power plant that features a roof-wide artificial ski slope open to the public and blasts smoke rings through a 124-meter chimney.  The $611 million Amager Bakke plant is owned by five Danish municipalities and is being built by the Copenhagen-based waste management company Amager […]

  • POWERnews–March 25, 2015

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  • UPDATED: DOE and Senators Separately Outline Steps to Manage U.S. Nuclear Waste

    Adds Moniz’s March 25 comments on the future of the nation’s nuclear waste beyond Yucca Mountain. As four bipartisan U.S. senators unveiled a bill that tasks a new independent agency with permanent disposal of the nation’s spent nuclear fuel, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Ernest Moniz on Tuesday outlined steps the agency would take to […]