Business

  • Will New Business Models Topple VPP Roadblocks?

    My job has made me a frequent flyer, but I can’t imagine stepping onto a plane without confidence in the air traffic control system and its complex interplay of regulation, technology, communications, scheduling, and human expertise. Many obstacles were overcome to achieve modern aviation—and the same is true where I work: today’s electric grid. Virtual […]

  • Norwegian Group Promotes 20 Areas for Offshore Wind Development

    A Norwegian energy regulator has told officials it has identified at least 20 areas suitable for offshore wind farm development, as the government seeks to meet a target of installing at least 30 GW of offshore wind power capacity by 2040. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, known as NVE, an agency under the […]

  • Framatome achieves critical NRC approval in development of advanced nuclear fuel technology

    April 25, 2023 – Framatome received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to apply the company’s suite of Advanced Codes and Methods to operating conditions with uranium-235 enrichments above the industry standard of 5 weight percent (wt%). This approval is a critical step toward the company’s goal of reload readiness by 2027 for nuclear […]

  • Camus Energy Announces Partnership with Vermont Electric Cooperative

    SAN FRANCISCO, CA (April 24, 2023) — Camus Energy, a leading grid orchestration software platform, announced today a partnership with Vermont Electric Cooperative (VEC), its first with a utility in the Northeast. The collaboration directly benefits 33,000 VEC members across 75 communities, ensuring reliability, low costs, and efficiency as the grid evolves. “VEC and Camus share […]

  • Challenges with Optimizing Generation Assets in New World with Large Renewable Mix

    New rules, regulations, and legislation are changing the way U.S. utilities generate electricity. First, there was the Clean Power Plan (CPP), which was passed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2015. This was replaced in 2019 by the EPA’s Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. Both policies aim to reduce and limit carbon dioxide emissions […]

  • Fluor to Bolster Commercialization of Laser Fusion Power

    Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) giant Fluor Corp. will serve as an engineering and construction partner to design and plan laser fusion power plants developed by Longview Fusion Energy Systems—a company leveraging the recent fusion breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Fluor on April 18 announced it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with […]

  • The world’s first dynamic, green Power-to-Ammonia plant takes shape

    The green transition demands efficient storage of renewable energy, to which end a number of Power-to-X plants are under construction in Denmark. They are designed to convert green electricity to another form of energy, such as green fuels. And in the vanguard of this new technology is Lemvig, where the construction of the world’s first […]

  • GE Announces New Options to Further Reduce Emissions on LM2500XPRESS* Aeroderivative Gas Turbines

    Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Catalytic Oxidation Reduction (COR) systems are now available on GE LM2500XPRESS* aeroderivative gas turbines COR emissions control technologies were installed for the first time on GE’s LM2500XPRESS* units in Colorado to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) up to 50%. ATLANTA, GA — April 20, 2023 —GE (NYSE: GE) today […]

  • DOE Offers $3B Conditional Loan Guarantee to Virtual Power Plant Initiative

    Sunnova Energy Corp., an energy-as-a-service (EaaS) provider, has snagged a first-of-its-kind conditional federal loan guarantee commitment of up to $3 billion for a project that could further future virtual power plant (VPP) deployment. The Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) on April 20 said it would provide a partial loan guarantee for up […]

  • Texas Combined Cycle Plant Changing Hands

    Rayburn Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Rockwall, Texas, announced on April 19 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ownership of the Panda Sherman Power Plant. The Sherman facility is a 758-MW natural gas–fueled combined cycle unit located in Grayson County, about an hour north of Dallas. The plant will be renamed Rayburn […]

  • How Propane Can Help Decarbonize the Power Grid

    It’s no secret that leaders around the world are searching for ways to decarbonize their electric power grids. While solar panels and wind turbines have been the main options utilized in this effort in recent years, both are intermittent resources. Therefore, backup generation is required to keep power grids reliable. In many situations, that means […]

  • Why the U.S. Needs New Battery Technologies and Supply Chains

    The future of transportation and energy storage will be powered by a range of carbon-neutral technologies, and batteries will play a major role. As part of the effort to reduce manmade carbon emissions and mitigate climate change, governments worldwide have passed measures in recent years to spur the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) as well […]

  • The POWER Interview: A More Sustainable Future Through Electrification

    Several energy industry experts recently spoke with POWER for a feature article on electrification that appeared in the April 2023 issue. There are many aspects to electrification, and its adoption is having a variety of impacts on different sectors across power generation and the overall energy landscape. From energy efficiency to sustainability practices, electrification is a key […]

  • How Low-E Valves Can Reduce Costly Fugitive Emissions

    Though discussions of fugitive emissions are not new in power and processing facilities, they remain a focal point of most plants’ operational plans because they can harm profitability if they are not addressed. As governmental agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aim to curb fugitive emissions, it becomes ever more important to make […]

  • A Tipping Point for America’s Grid

    COMMENTARY The American grid is reaching a tipping point. With electric vehicles (EVs) making up 5% of all new vehicle sales last year, there is an urgent need to prepare for the unprecedented strain that will be placed on the U.S. power grid as adoption continues to ramp up—and this is to say nothing of […]

  • How an EMP or GMD Could Destroy the Power Grid and Create Chaos

    Perhaps the most devastating thing that could happen in any developed country would be widespread catastrophic damage to its electric power grid. Nearly everything in an industrialized nation relies on electricity to function. Without it, normal water supplies, sewer systems, and communication services are cut off. Furthermore, things like food and transportation are quickly affected […]

  • GE H-Class Turbines Powering Two New Gas Plants in Brazil

    General Electric (GE) said it will supply its H-Class turbine technology for the expansion of a natural gas-fired power plant in Brazil, part of that country’s strategy to add baseload generation to the nation’s power grid to support the integration of renewable energy. It is GE’s second order for turbine technology at the site in […]

  • Financing the Energy Transition: Forging Ahead in the Wake of Silicon Valley Bank

    Considering the unfathomable costs of unabated climate change, it stands to reason that even the most elementary investment thesis for the energy transition merits sincere consideration. And with the enormous sums of public and private capital committed these last few years toward the companies, technologies, and projects that promise to drive climate change mitigation and adaptation, it would appear […]

  • EPA Moves to Significantly Tighten Mercury and Air Toxics Standards

    A proposed rule unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 5 could considerably tighten the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants, with specific repercussions for coal- and oil-fired generation. The proposed rule seeks to significantly update the 2012–finalized National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Coal- and Oil-Fired […]

  • Western Energy Imbalance Market Gains Three Participants, Including First Generation-Only Entity

    The Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM), a real-time energy market operated by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), has gained three new participants, including its first generation-only entity. CAISO on April 5 announced the Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) Desert Southwest region, El Paso Electric (EPE), and AVANGRID have formally begun participation in the WEIM. […]

  • Aetheros Introduces Essential IoT Service Layer for Utilities to Supercharge $100B Edge Intelligence Market

    SAN FRANCISCO, April 5, 2023: Aetheros, with its leading IoT operating system for massive machine type computing and communications, today entered the U.S. market to power the next wave of smart meter deployments with distributed intelligence. Commercially deployed and proven across Australia and New Zealand, and processing over one billion meter reads daily, the Aether […]

  • EGS, AGS, and Supercritical Geothermal Systems: What’s the Difference?

    The spectrum of geothermal technologies is quickly evolving. This supplement to POWER’s April 2023 feature, “Startups Are Shaking Up Geothermal Power’s Potential,” briefly explains the differences between some engineered geothermal systems. Conventional geothermal energy is largely produced by hydrothermal systems, which consist of hot water circulated in deep-seated permeable rocks. Resource temperature ranges from high (greater […]

  • India Eyes Major Expansion of Nuclear Power

    India’s government is pushing for construction of more nuclear power plants as the country looks to increase its supply of cleaner energy. Officials have made some ambitious pronouncements, calling for as

  • Successful Test of Hydrogen in Gas Turbine Driving a Natural Gas Compressor in Germany

    A project led by two major European gas transmission system operators (TSOs) has successfully tested blending rates of up to 25% hydrogen on a Titan 130 SoLoNOx Solar Turbines gas turbine, which serves as a

  • The Future Looks Bright for Nuclear Power—Dare We Use the ‘R’ Word Again?

    The term “nuclear renaissance” was very popular in the early 2000s. Nuclear power plant operators had substantially improved existing plant performance, and many new plants were being considered around the

  • Driving on Electric Avenue—Innovation Pushes Energy Transformation

    A seismic shift is ongoing in the energy space, as transportation, industry, and other sectors turn toward electricity and away from fossil fuels to supply their power. The push for decarbonization of the

  • Startups Are Shaking Up Geothermal Power’s Prospects

    Driven by ripe market conditions, technology startups are injecting investment and innovation into geothermal power to unlock novel applications that could substantially scale up the niche renewable power

  • Gas Power Outlook: Gas Turbines Will Play a Vital Role in Decarbonization

    Natural gas–fired power generation has seen its ups and downs over the past couple of decades. In some cases, highly efficient combined cycle units were taken offline because they just weren’t needed. But

  • India Commissions First Supercritical Coal Plant Equipped with Air-Cooled Condenser

    NTPC, India’s largest energy conglomerate and its largest coal generator, in March commissioned the country’s first supercritical coal-fired plant equipped with an air-cooled condenser (ACC). The effort

  • Optimizing Combined Cycle Power Plant Operations

    Cogentrix Energy and Siemens Energy have partnered to optimize 8000H-class gas turbine reliability and outage planning. Under Cogentrix’s management, the Patriot site successfully upgraded one of its