Connected Plant

Two recent incidents have made the cost of not protecting our infrastructure and natural resources abundantly clear. First, there was the widely publicized SolarWinds attack that infected more than a dozen utility companies, and oil and gas manufacturing entities. Then, there was a dangerous incident in Florida, where a hacker gained access to a water […]

While not a new occurrence, in recent years wildfires have wreaked havoc across the western U.S. We have also seen Mother Nature batter coastlines and landscapes around the globe, and the ever-mounting pace of

2020 was a lot of things, most of them sombre. However, there is one positive way I believe we in the distribution grid sector can describe the year, as an inflection point. In years to come, we may well look back on 2020 as the year when terms like “energy transition” and “digitalization” finally began […]

Company leaders around the globe are more focused than ever on sustainability. The trend has been driven not only by an innate human desire to “do the right thing,” but also because investors and environmentally conscious consumers are demanding that companies evaluate how their operations are affecting the world and make positive changes to reduce […]

In a pioneering effort to overcome pandemic challenges that have hampered its interaction with customers, partners, and other stakeholders, Hitachi ABB Power Grids on Feb. 9 inaugurated a “customer experience” center at the company’s North American headquarters in Raleigh, North Carolina.  The North America Customer Experience Center, which is located in a state-of-the-art facility on […]

GE Digital’s OpShield technology to be integrated into Bayshore Networks’ solutions DURHAM, N.C., Feb. 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Bayshore Networks and GE Digital today announced an expansion to their partnership to integrate their solutions to address the growing need to secure industrial and critical infrastructure networks. GE Digital’s OpShield technology will be integrated into Bayshore Networks’ advanced […]

The increased use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in the power generation sector has a goal of making electricity production both more efficient, and secure. Developing ways to more quickly analyze ever-larger amounts of data is driving innovation among those people responsible for the operation of power plants and generation equipment. Many […]

Power plant operators continually search for ways to make electricity production and transmission more efficient. With more generation sources coming online, the use of artificial intelligence and machine

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology is changing how power plants operate. One generating station incorporated new wireless vibration sensors with data from its existing historian system to better

Internet of Things (IoT)-based energy management systems centered around edge controllers provide the functionality required to match renewable energy output with power requirements. Traditional baseload power

Oil and lubricants play a critical role in the operation of natural gas and biogas power generation engines, for example, in combined cycle (CC) and combined heat and power (CHP) plants. The oil condition gives valuable insight in the running status of the engine and many critical failures can be flagged. Benefits of Real-time Monitoring […]

Even in a pandemic, energy innovators are developing blockchain technology to implement powerful changes. From automating crude oil trading to amplifying the impact of renewable energy sources, innovations harnessing blockchain technology are likely to change the energy industry in profound ways. Inventors, enterprises, and investors who act today to obtain patent protection for their early […]

The impact of COVID-19 has placed a sharp focus on the importance of not only keeping key personnel safe but also how to better manage risk with fewer resources on site. One unexpected result is the acceleration of interest in digitisation initiatives. Ten years of digital innovation has brought new ways of modelling and managing […]

MIL-STD-810H & IP53 certified semi-rugged laptop offers pre-configured task-specific solutions IRVINE, CA, January 26, 2021 –  Getac Technology Corporation, a leading producer of rugged computing hardware and integrated solutions today announced the release of its next-generation semi-rugged S410, an industry milestone that combines a host of unique-in-class advanced technologies with Getac’s legendary durability and the […]

-Renewable energy continues to play a significant role in the company’s sustainability efforts- Yokogawa Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6841) announces that its subsidiary, PT Yokogawa Indonesia, has received an order from PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), a government-owned utility in Indonesia, to replace the existing control systems for the steamfield above ground system (SAGS) at the […]

Over the last several years, cyber actors and online criminal gangs have used cyber warfare to disrupt business and infrastructure across the globe. Today, they are becoming even more aggressive and are using their resources to target Operations Technology (OT) and Industrial Control System (ICS) networks. According to the Canadian government’s Canadian Centre for Cyber […]

DARMSTADT, Germany (Jan. 22, 2021) – Brüel & Kjær Vibro (B&K Vibro), one of the leading worldwide independent suppliers of condition monitoring solutions for rotating machinery, has launched VIBROSTORE 100, a palm sized device that provides vibration level and bearing wear monitoring for balance-of-plant machines at the push of a button. The lightweight device can […]

Contract signed for digital solutions, including OnCare.Asset and OnCall.Video, as well as spare parts and training, in order to assist Ethiopian Electric Power to increase the availability further. Last year, comprehensive service and maintenance contracts for the Gilgel Gibe II hydropower plant were signed at the “G20 Investment Summit.” The hydropower plant makes a major […]

The case for advanced analytics and remote diagnostics During the last 25 years significant advancements have been made in remote monitoring capabilities for power plants. A number of operations and maintenance (O&M) functions can routinely be managed remotely, and it is also becoming more common for peaking and renewable energy plants to be remotely operated […]

BREA, CA – Curtiss-Wright’s Nuclear Division announced today the launch of their In-Processing and Access Authorization (IPAA) Mobile App for iPad OS. The app is designed to streamline the plant check-in process during outage season in a safe and socially distanced manner. Built on Curtiss-Wright’s In-Processing and Access Authorization (IPAA) Suite, which consists of the […]

Enterprise asset management (EAM) involves a combination of software, systems, and services that are used to maintain and control operational assets and equipment. The aim is to optimize the quality and utilization of assets throughout their lifecycle, increase uptime, and reduce costs. EAM involves work management; asset maintenance; planning and scheduling; supply chain management; and […]

The U.S. bulk electric system consists of more than 360,000 miles of transmission lines, including approximately 180,000 miles of high-voltage lines, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. That means power companies have a lot on their plates when it comes to inspecting and maintaining those assets. Furthermore, the stakes are high. As wildfires in […]

The shift from energy consumers to prosumers is fundamentally changing the relationship between utilities and their customers. Behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs) transform the ways households consume, generate, and store power. In the U.S., there are now about 15 million smart thermostats, 2 million solar installations, and 1.5 million electric vehicles (EVs) on the road. And […]

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the energy industry saw surplus supply and a change in usage patterns in 2020, to which it had to adapt painfully. Utility crews had to deal with a tedious hurricane season, with socially distant, limited staff. Artificial intelligence (AI) could have played a role in prioritizing essential tasks […]

We’re at the electric tipping point as electric stoves, vehicles, and construction equipment displace the fossil fuel guzzlers of the past. Yet, before a carbon-neutral future can truly take off, utilities and the electric grid need to innovate. For the world to hit net-zero emissions targets by 2050, grid investments need to almost triple to […]

Operational technology (OT) electronics and networks for manufacturing, energy production, and virtually every other industrial application, are targets for cyberattacks. For infrastructure-related companies, such as power producers, transportation, and water plants, the OT networks are not only the revenue producers, but also important targets for destabilizing national security. Successful attacks can be destructive and costly, […]

As long as products have had ethernet ports, people have been asking for remote access to them. They believed they could just plug the devices into the internet, and it would all work. At first, there wasn’t necessarily a clear path to making this dream a reality without assistance from the user’s IT department. IT […]