Connected Plant

As the world continues to face climate uncertainties, industrial companies are looking for ways to ensure they are as sustainable as possible while maintaining profitability. POWER’s recent Distributed Energy Conference included a session on sustainability from the viewpoint of utilities and others in the power generation industry. Many companies are working toward the goal of […]

Twenty-three projects chosen by the Department of Energy (DOE) in response to its 2019 Grid Modernization Lab Call provide a broad look at the critical issues that are roiling the nation’s power sector, as well as the tools and technologies that it has determined will best bolster the grid of the future in the near […]

Paris, France, November 12, 2019 – Schneider Electric, global specialist in energy management and automation, announces the release of EcoStruxure™ DERMS – Distributed Energy Resource Management System. The new energy landscape is becoming more decarbonized, more decentralized and more digitalized. Electricity consumers are seeking more control over their energy future and are driving the growing […]

WALLDORF, Germany, and NEW YORK — Nov. 11, 2019 — SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) and Accenture (NYSE: ACN) announced they are co-innovating and co-developing the new SAP® Cloud for Utilities solution to help companies more effectively manage business processes and customer experiences. The initiative aims to elevate energy transition and customer experiences, helping companies quickly […]

Many networks across a variety of verticals including government, military, financial services, power plants, and industrial manufacturing have been so-called “air-gapped.” This means they are physically and logically isolated from other networks where communication between these networks is not physically or logically possible. This can be a good thing or bad thing depending on your […]

The pace at which new digitalization technologies are being adopted in the power sector is dizzying, but news from major players in the sector—among them, AES, Invenergy, Google, and IBM—this week suggests it will only accelerate.  For more insight into power plant digitalization, including the latest in digital monitoring, diagnostic, analytics, Industrial Internet of Things […]

GE will retain its lucrative digital business—not spin it off, as had been planned—but it will sharpen the division’s focus on four key markets, including electric utilities and power generation, GE Digital CEO Pat Byrne told customers in an Oct. 31 letter. “I want to affirm that GE Digital is staying in GE,” Byrne wrote. […]

Of the many challenges power and industrial plant maintenance teams face, stretching the capabilities of their ultra-lean staff is one of the most critical. Assets can range from industrial generators, to

Completion of the first ACPR1000 reactor at Yangjiang 5 within a mere 58 months marks a major achievement for China’s lengthy efforts to commercialize the first-of-its-kind 1,000-MW evolutionary

Fuel- and emission-free generators convert low-grade waste heat from diesel generators into power. In 2014, three organic Rankine cycle (ORC) generators were installed to turn the waste heat from three diesel

Malware detected at the Kundankulam nuclear power plant in India’s state of Tamil Nadu has not affected plant systems, an investigation by Nuclear Power Corp. of India (NPCIL), the nation’s nuclear plant operator, confirms.  The entity said in a press release on Oct. 30 that it discovered the malware on Sept. 4 on the personal […]

What does it mean to have “extreme visibility” in an operational technology (OT) environment? According to Claroty, a New York-based company that offers cybersecurity products for industrial control systems, it’s having the ability to see all assets on a network, knowing what they are, and understanding what functions they perform. The company says the more […]

Oct. 28, 2019 – Framatome opened the new SPEC 200 manufacturing facility at its Operational Center of Excellence in Lynchburg, Virginia, completing the move of the factory from China to the U.S. The ribbon-cutting took place in September, marking the full integration of the SPEC 200 product line into Framatome’s solutions portfolio. Framatome acquired the […]

In order to fulfill the need for economical displacement transmitters with simplified installation, Brüel & Kjær Vibro (B&K Vibro) announces the release of the DT-12x series of transmitters. These fully integrated, loop-powered displacement transmitters offer a unique streamlined solution for shaft displacement and vibration monitoring capability for a wide range of industrial machines. The DT-12x […]

Spain’s largest electric utility Endesa has successfully tested a new remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that it says will make inspection and maintenance in fully or partially submerged environments at its thermal power plants less costly and more efficient. The underwater robot, which was custom manufactured by Spanish startup NIDO Robotics for Endesa’s applications, is about […]

CONCERN TITAN-2 JSC, contractor for building and supply of equipment for Hanhikivi-1 NPP construction, has signed today a contract with Framatome-Siemens, the French-German consortium, to supply Main Instrumentation and Control (I&C). The signature followed a competitive procedure with the participation of international companies that are market leaders in the field of integrated I&C solutions at […]

Delivering energy has centered on the fundamental tenant of being reliably available. As energy providers strive to maintain that availability, they all too often push security to the backburner. Many unsafe practices have fallen into place for the sake of speed and efficiency, including the use of default and shared passwords, open access, and little […]

The energy industry is currently moving from a traditional, highly regulated production model dominated by electricity utilities to a decentralized, deregulated model featuring a higher proportion of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. With subsidies in decline, renewables are reaching grid parity—with costs equal to or less than traditional sources. Not surprisingly, […]

The power industry is witnessing rapid changes thanks to technology. Networks are evolving, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has taken root, with autonomous systems contributing to the rise of

ENGIE, the world’s largest independent power producer, has signed an innovative volume firming agreement (VFA) with Microsoft that will allow the technology giant to buy “firm” power from wind and solar projects in Texas under a specially structured power purchase agreement (PPA).  The companies on Sept. 24 said the long-term PPA will allow Microsoft to […]

Power plants have an abundance of data. Temperatures, pressures, flows, and various other parameters are all monitored constantly to ensure plants are operating properly. However, a lot of data is not used to its fullest extent. With the right tools, data can be more-thoroughly analyzed and findings can be acted upon to improve efficiency and […]

BREA, CA – Curtiss-Wright Corporation has announced the expansion of its digital control systems portfolio with the addition of the Curtiss-Wright Digital Safety System. Built on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-approved RadICS platform, the Digital Safety System is fully-qualified for nuclear safety-related applications. Curtiss-Wright’s Digital Safety System is an internally diverse, fully-qualified field programmable gate […]

Two companies who recently announced they are creating what they consider North America’s largest behind-the-meter (BTM) deployment of energy storage technology have said they plan to expand the service, providing a long-term solution for controlling costs and promoting energy sustainability for businesses. Executives of the two companies—Honeywell and NRStor C&I—told POWER in a Sept. 23 interview […]

Cost. The dirtiest word in clean energy—especially with operations and maintenance (O&M) costs set to rise globally to $17 billion in 2020 in the wind industry. Part of saving on O&M costs means taking a look at the inefficient processes that skilled workers are doing as part of O&M procedures to optimize their time. A […]

Lock in safe, reliable operations by opening the door to third-party expertise There’s still a big takeaway from a 2008 Florida blackout, and it’s not the size of the fine that followed. Although it was the largest penalty levied under the new reliability standards at that time, here’s the bigger elephant in the room: Florida […]

Today, drones equipped with sensors and cameras are proving their worth in gathering real-time footage that can be stored for later analysis. Uncrewed aerial systems can detect failing structures and equipment

Power plant operators are always looking for ways to boost performance. A combustion optimizer designed to improve efficiency and lower emissions could help. It supports more flexible operation of boilers by

The power grid is changing across the U.S. More distributed energy resources are being added every day. That brings challenges for power utilities, but also opportunities. John Di Stasio, president of the Large Public Power Council (LPPC), which represents 27 of the largest locally governed and operated not-for-profit electric systems in the U.S., was a […]

The names of bulk power system entities that violate federal critical infrastructure cybersecurity reliability standards—along with identification of standards violated and penalties assessed—may soon be routinely disclosed under changes proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Reliability Corp. (NERC).  The proposed changes, which FERC and NERC outlined in an Aug. […]

Knoxville, Tennessee — Analysis and Measurement Services Corporation (AMS), a leading nuclear technology consulting firm headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, has partnered with Rolls-Royce nuclear division to provide advanced nuclear Instrumentation and Control (I&C) system testing services to the global nuclear energy market. Rolls-Royce designs, manufactures, and ensures the long-term support of safety I&C solutions for […]