Business

  • Siemens supplies SF6-free high-voltage switchgear for English wind farm

    Siemens will supply 102 SF6-free, gas-insulated 8VM1 high-voltage switchgear (GIS) to Siemens Gamesa by the middle of next year. The switchgear will protect each wind turbine individually against overloads and short-circuits and make it possible to supply electricity reliably and without interruption. Developed for wind farms, the 8VM1 from the blue GIS portfolio operates with […]

  • GE Commissions Hybrid Distributed Power Unit for Digo Village

    GE’s Hybrid Distributed Power combines PV solar panels, batteries, and a diesel generator to provide reliable, cost effective power to a mini-grid system. ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 4, 2018/ — The scalable micro grid system powered by a Hybrid Distributed Power unit will provide reliable, sustainable power to 1,500 inhabitants of Digo Village. GE’s Hybrid […]

  • ABB Will Upgrade Historic New Zealand HVDC Link

    ABB has received an order from Transpower New Zealand Ltd to upgrade its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link which interconnects the transmission grids of the North and South islands. The link is a vital element of the country’s transmission system and is used as an energy-balancing system, between the two islands. ABB Ability™ MACH control system, […]

  • Japan’s New Energy Plan Commits to Renewables—And Nuclear and Coal, Too

    Japan’s government on July 3 approved a new Basic Energy Plan for the country, saying it is committed to increasing the role of renewable resources for power generation while also confirming it wants nuclear power to remain a vital part of the nation’s energy strategy. Japan issues a revised Basic Energy Plan, which outlines the […]

  • ATLAS RENEWABLE ENERGY ANNOUNCES USD $114.4 MILLION FINANCING OF URUGUAYAN SOLAR ENERGY PLANTS

    Miami, FL (July 2, 2018) – Atlas Renewable Energy announced today the closing of long-term financing for its El Naranjal and Del Litoral solar PV projects in Salto, Uruguay. The financing was secured through a US Private Placement with several international investors, placed by DNB Markets, Inc.  and the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IDB-Invest). The deal was […]

  • Market for Dispatching Services: Be Power and ABB together for first projects of VPP and Demand Response

    Milan, Italy (July 2, 2018) — Be Power and ABB will cooperate in the Dispatching Service Market (MSD). Be Power is the Digital Green Utility of the Building Energy Group with a trailblazing business model based on the synergies between the markets of energy and mobility. This model aims at integrating the opportunities arising from the […]

  • Fast-track delivery of Wärtsilä gas-fired power plant will help alleviate Myanmar’s electricity shortage in Kyaukse

    The technology group Wärtsilä has been selected to provide the generating equipment for a new gas-fired power plant needed to alleviate the shortage of electricity in Myanmar. The power plant will operate on eight Wärtsilä 50SG gas-fueled engines, and the electricity generated will be fed into the national grid. The 145-MW plant is being built […]

  • Using Drones to Increase Net Safety in the Utility Sector

    Across the country, energy and utility companies are adopting and using drone technology to increase their business operations and improve overall safety of their workforces. Many companies are also discussing the risks and rewards of implementing new safety technology on job sites. With workplace fatalities in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities sectors comprising 17.3% of […]

  • Benefits of Single-Shaft Combined Cycle Power Plants

    In recent years, the use of single-shaft combined cycle power plants has steadily increased in the U.S. While multi-shaft configurations are advantageous in certain scenarios—for example, when layout flexibility or phased installation is needed—single-shaft designs have proven to be a highly efficient and cost-saving option for power plant owners and operators seeking to maximize the […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: The Electric Vehicle Push

    Because the widespread adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could ramp up demand for electricity and slash transportation-related emissions of carbon dioxide and other pollutants, a growing group of stakeholders, including power companies and trade groups, strongly advocate for an accelerated EV rollout. By mid-2018, several countries with potentially large EV markets had set EV deployment targets, as well […]

  • Trends and Obstacles in the Power Industry Workforce

    Baby boomers are retiring, unemployment is low, skilled craft workers are in short supply, and human resources in the workforce are a growing issue for power industry management. “Demography is destiny.”

  • Human Factors: How Do Stress and Fatigue Affect Safety?

    Ergonomics—human-factors engineering—should be considered in all workplace improvement efforts. Feeling safe and staying clear of injuries can immensely contribute toward increased productivity by reducing

  • Innovative Tool Monitors for Damaging Impacts and Vibration

    The safe transportation of transformers, gas turbines, generators, and other electrical production equipment is a vital component in suppliers’ current business models and future growth potential. Equipment

  • Equipment Showcase: Construction Equipment

    Successfully operating a power plant or other industrial complex depends on many things, including the vendors who supply equipment for construction of the facility, along with those who provide the materials

  • Electric Vehicles—Subsidies for an Environmental Pretender

    On May 22, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the American Public Power Association (APPA), and two groups representing U.S. and foreign automakers sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

  • Russia Will Help Nigeria Develop Nuclear Plant

    Nigeria’s government joined with Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corp. (Rosatom) last year with a goal to develop the country’s first nuclear power plant, a plan that both sides confirmed and talked about

  • Hydropower Grows but Industry Is Changing

    New hydropower capacity installed worldwide plunged 36% in 2017 compared to 2016, but the sector remains optimistic about its future despite a transitioning role for hydropower away from baseload power and

  • POWER Digest [July 2018]

    Renewable Projects Planned in Australia. CWP Renewables, a company based in Newcastle, New South Wales (NSW), Australia, on May 28 said it received a $700 million investment from Partners Group, a

  • Sustainable from the Start: Tech Company a Model of Efficient Power Management

    OWC is known in the tech field for its computer hardware. It’s also known for its on-campus power generation, which sets it apart from others in the high-tech field, showcasing a commitment embraced by the

  • ABB, Ballard Power Systems Sign MOU on Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Power Plant

    ABB, the pioneering technology leader, and Ballard Power Systems, the leading global provider of innovative clean energy fuel cell solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on developing the next-generation fuel cell power system for sustainable marine e-mobility. The fuel cell power system, to be jointly designed, developed and validated by ABB and Ballard […]

  • Gemma Power Systems and Balico Enter Into EPC Contract for 1,600 MW Chickahominy Power Project

    GLASTONBURY, CT, and HERNDON, VA, June 26, 2018 – Gemma Power Systems, LLC (GPS) and Chickahominy Power, LLC have entered into an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) services contract to construct the Chickahominy Power Station, a 1,600 MW state-of-the-art natural gas-fired power plant, in Charles City County, Virginia. The facility is being developed by Balico, […]

  • Ice Energy announces long-term funding agreement with Argo Infrastructure Partners

    COSTA MESA, CA (June 26, 2018)— Ice Energy, the leading provider of distributed thermal energy storage solutions, announced that it has entered into a long-term funding agreement with private equity manager Argo Infrastructure Partners LLC (“Argo”). The investment establishes a strategic relationship that begins with $40 million in funding for Ice Energy and its current projects, […]

  • GE CEO: Company ‘Finished’ with Restructuring

    General Electric (GE) saw its stock price surge more than 7% on June 26 after the company said it would dissolve its stake in oil services company Baker Hughes and spin off its healthcare unit over the next few years. The announcement comes one day after GE said it would sell its Distributed Power business, […]

  • Rebranded ‘MAN Energy Solutions’ Replaces Former MAN Diesel & Turbo Name

    MAN Energy Solutions represents a new vision, as reflected by a new, corporate design. The new branding embodies a strategic and technological transformation, a process the company had already begun back in 2017 by implementing its new strategy for the future: to expand its business with sustainable technologies and solutions such that they become its […]

  • Wärtsilä, Hyundai Motor Group Announce Energy Storage Partnership

    Seoul, South Korea and Helsinki, Finland (June 26, 2018) — The technology group Wärtsilä and Hyundai Motor Group have signed a technology and commercial partnership designed to utilize second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries towards the growing energy storage market. The global partnership will combine Hyundai’s expansion in electric vehicles, with Wärtsilä’s growing energy business, which includes […]

  • Siemens Will Supply Three Large Gas Turbines to Dubai

    Siemens has received an order for three SGT5-4000F gas turbines from United Arab Emirates (UAE). The turbines will be used in Unit H Phase 4 of the Al Aweer power plant complex which is located approximately 35 kilometers from downtown Dubai. DEWA has awarded the project EPC contract to Siemens in a consortium led by […]

  • GE to Sell Distributed Power Business to Private-Equity Firm

    GE will sell its Distributed Power business, which includes the company’s Jenbacher and Waukesha engines, to Advent International, a global private equity investment company, in a deal worth $3.25 billion. “In Advent, we have a partner that shares our team’s passion for delivering outstanding customer outcomes,” Carlos Lange, president of Distributed Power, said in a […]

  • FlexGen Awarded Contract for ESS at Upton 2 Solar Power Plant

    Vistra Energy, headquartered in Irving, Texas, has awarded a contract to FlexGen to design and integrate a 10-MW/42-MWh FlexGen energy storage system (ESS) at Upton 2 Solar Power Plant in Upton County, Texas. At 180 MW, Upton 2 is Texas’ largest operating solar facility. The Upton 2 plant consists of 718,000 photovoltaic solar panels. The lithium-ion energy storage project at […]

  • First AP1000 Nuclear Units Reach Key Milestones

    Two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants being constructed in China have successfully completed significant project milestones. Sanmen Unit 1—the world’s first AP1000 reactor—achieved initial criticality on June 21. Initial criticality is a nuclear industry term meaning the reactor’s neutron population has remained steady from one generation to the next and the nuclear fission chain reaction […]

  • Restructuring on Horizon for Siemens and GE

    Siemens and General Electric, two rivals battling financial problems due to fewer orders for their flagship energy products and services, could each announce major restructuring moves in the coming weeks, according to media reports. Reuters on June 21, citing a person familiar with the matter, said Siemens plans to merge or trim some of its […]