Energy Storage
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Energy Storage
Researchers Make Progress on Several Power Projects
Researchers at a few prominent universities have published findings on recent power-related projects. At Cranfield University in the UK, hydrogen production technology is advancing with an eye on cost and carbon reductions; researchers at the University of Michigan released best practices for extending lithium-ion battery life; and a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study found […]
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IIOT
Nuclear a Major Focus in Trump’s Latest Budget Request—and 8 Other Takeaways
Yucca Mountain, the 1987 Congressionally appointed deep geologic repository for spent nuclear fuel (SNF), may be officially dead; transmission assets held by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and three Power Marketing Administrations (PMAs) will be put up for sale; and hundreds of millions of dollars in unobligated balances for flagship programs like the Advanced Research […]
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News
Commercialization Boost for Cobalt-Eliminating Battery Technologies Developed at ORNL
Energy Storage startup SPARKZ Inc. has exclusively licensed five technologies from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) designed to eliminate cobalt in lithium-ion batteries. The development portends a significant new direction for battery storage technology, which has been hindered by costs and availability of the rare metal. ORNL, which announced the […]
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News
Energy Northwest Study Makes a Case for SMRs in Future Power Mix
Deep decarbonization of the U.S. Northwest can be achieved at “manageable” costs by 2045, but only if utility agency Energy Northwest secures zero-emitting firm capacity, such as by relicensing Columbia Generating Station—the sole nuclear plant in the region—and building small modular reactors (SMRs), a new study suggests. The study by San Francisco-based consulting group Energy […]
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News
California Official: Solar’s Future Bright, but Clouds Persist
The technology behind solar power is changing rapidly. Researchers at the University of California, Davis have said so-called “anti-solar” panels could even generate power at night. But even as solar deployments grow worldwide, more innovative solar products are launched, and more governments enact clean energy mandates, political headwinds threaten to slow the progress of the […]
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Solar
Community Solar: Ready for the New Decade
Community solar refers to local solar facilities shared by multiple subscribers who receive credit on their electricity bills for their share of the power produced. Community solar allows homeowners, renters
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Commentary
Energy Storage—Operational Versatility Causes a Regulatory Identity Crisis
The next decade could belong to energy storage. Project development costs are dropping. Enhanced state and corporate focus on climate-related issues is producing more opportunities for renewable generation and
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Fuel
Australia, Long a Uranium Champion, Mulls Nuclear Power
An Australian federal inquiry last December recommended partially lifting a nationwide ban on nuclear energy, urging that the government pursue a “goal-oriented” and community-focused strategy as it
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News
India’s Energy Market Overhaul—Infrastructure, Renewables, and Keeping Coal in the Mix
India wants to reform its power generation sector, including upgrades to energy infrastructure, and plans to introduce new technology to make its electricity supply more reliable and resilient. It’s part of
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News
Raiders Will Roll With Renewables at New Vegas Stadium
The Raiders, a franchise that has called both Oakland and Los Angeles, California, home since the team began play in 1960, is moving to Las Vegas for the 2020 National Football League season. And this “new” team will take advantage of renewable resources to power both its new stadium, as well as its administrative offices […]
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IIOT
The POWER Interview: Benefits of a Smarter Grid
The smart grid is transforming the way utilities communicate with their customers. Smart grid technology, including control systems and automation that help new technologies work together, supports a power grid that can respond digitally to quickly changing electricity demand. The smart grid enables electricity producers to enhance reliability, availability, and efficiency. It can provide cost […]
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Connected Plant
Wärtsilä GEMS energy storage technology to enhance Wärtsilä engine plant and integrate renewables in Honduras
January 29, 2020 — The technology group Wärtsilä has been contracted to add a 10 MW/26 MWh energy storage solution to a power plant owned by Roatan Electric Company (RECO) on the Caribbean island of Roatan in Honduras. Wärtsilä’s proprietary GEMS energy management software solution will control the utility’s energy system, including earlier delivered Wärtsilä engines, and solar PV. […]
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Solar
Future of Solar Energy Brighter Than Sun: Rapid Innovations Pave the Way
We live in the age of automation and artificial intelligence. We need smartphones with long-lasting battery backup. We demand computers with higher computing power. In short, we require more and more energy. And when it comes to energy, we often turn to the most sustainable power alternative: solar energy. Its abundance is not the only […]
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Press Releases
U.S. Department of Energy Launches Energy Storage Grand Challenge
WASHINGTON D.C. – Today, U.S. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette announced the launch of the Energy Storage Grand Challenge, a comprehensive program to accelerate the development, commercialization, and utilization of next-generation energy storage technologies and sustain American global leadership in energy storage. The Grand Challenge builds on the $158 million Advanced Energy Storage Initiative announced in […]
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Renewables
New York Is Fertile Ground for Clean Energy
When many people are asked which state is leading the U.S. toward a renewable energy future, California is the first that comes to mind. And while California is worthy of such distinction, it’s not the only state with a progressive clean-energy agenda. New York should also be part of the conversation. On Jan. 8, New […]
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Commentary
2020 – A New Energy Era Begins, and Storage is Key
This last year of the decade proved to be a pivotal year for energy storage technology, as major developments underscored why it is so vital for energy markets. Events such as widespread power outages and transmission issues on a global scale have led to the precipitous rise in energy storage deployments. The energy industry has […]
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Press Releases
Battery research group heralds 100th global member
Global battery research group, the Consortium for Battery Innovation, is celebrating its 100th member company, Surrette Battery Company, a north American battery manufacturer providing batteries for a range of applications, including renewable energy storage for remote wind and solar farms. Surrette, based in Springhill, Nova Scotia in Canada produces deep cycle lead batteries under the […]
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Hydrogen
Is Hydrogen the Power Industry’s Holy Grail?
Some power industry insiders believe hydrogen offers a solution to large-scale energy storage problems. The concept generally revolves around utilizing electricity generated by renewables when supply is high
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News
10 Power Sector Insights from the IEA’s World Energy Outlook 2019
The International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) November 2019–released World Energy Outlook 2019 (WEO2019) is studded with interesting findings about emerging trends in the power sector. Here are 10 from the
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Technology
Power Industry Disrupters: Gas, Renewables, and Storage
The power industry is experiencing significant changes. Natural gas, wind, solar, and battery storage seem to be the wave of the future. What’s compelling the transformation? Some people point to
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News
Evolution of the Smart Grid at Forefront of Transformative Change
The power industry is in the midst of a shake-up, a revolution in how electricity is generated and distributed. Smart grid technology is changing the way utilities and customers interact, and providing support
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History
Why the 2010s Were a Definitive Decade for Power
Every one of the 13 decades that POWER magazine has been in print has been definitive for electric generation technology, policy, and business in some significant way, but few have been as transformative as the 2010s. The decade opened just as the global economy began to crawl toward recovery from a historically unprecedented downturn that […]
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News
New Jersey Backs 45 Community Solar Projects
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) on Dec. 20 announced it has approved 45 applications in the first year of its Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. The NJBPU in a statement Friday said the projects, with total generation capacity of 77.61 MW, will be designed by local governments, community groups, and private developers. […]
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Fuel
NERC: Long-Term Reliability Uncertain Amid Rapid Changes to Bulk Power System
Significant and rapid changes that are reshaping North America’s power sector will likely leave Texas and Ontario, Canada, with supply shortfalls over the next decade, and energy deficiencies could also occur during off-peak conditions in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) area and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) region, the North American Electric Reliability […]
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Hydrogen
‘Breakthrough Technology’ Uses Sunlight to Produce Renewable Hydrogen
HyperSolar Inc. said it has demonstrated a working version of a “large-scale hydrogen unit device” that it expects will lead to the production of full-sized panels for a first-generation (GEN 1) pilot plant. The company said its “breakthrough technology” uses sunlight in a “low-cost photoelectrochemical process” to separate hydrogen from water, producing “clean and environmentally […]
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Press Releases
Highview Power and Encore Renewable Energy to Co-Develop the First Long Duration, Liquid Air Energy Storage System in the United States
Highview Power Storage, Inc., a global leader in long duration energy storage solutions, and Encore Renewable Energy, a developer of renewable energy generation and storage projects, today jointly announced plans to develop the United States’ first long duration, liquid air energy storage system. This facility will be a minimum of 50MW, provide in excess of […]
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Hydro
Hydropower Industry Launches Major International Project to Demonstrate Flexibility
In a new attempt to secure a concrete role for the international hydropower industry within the decarbonization movement, several utilities, equipment manufacturers, universities, research centers, and consultancies have scaffolded to demonstrate how modern hydropower plants can provide flexibility to markets that are increasingly inundated by variable generation like wind and solar. On Dec. 10, the […]
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News
Indiana Utility Will Close Coal-Fired Units Early
Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) on Dec. 9 announced it will close two of the four coal-fired units at its Petersburg Generating Station in southern Indiana, as the utility continues to move away from coal generation. IPL has been pressured by state political leaders and environmentalists to close the 1,700-MW Petersburg facility, the largest power […]
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Renewables
Energy Toolbase Implements SolarEdge’s Residential Energy Storage Solution onto the Platform
Users can quickly determine utility bill savings and project economics for residential applications DECEMBER 3, 2019 – Stuart, FL – Energy Toolbase has implemented SolarEdge’s StorEdge© inverter onto its platform to enable users to run residential storage dispatch simulations and savings analysis that are representative of how StorEdge, coupled with an LG RESU10H battery, would […]
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Press Releases
Wärtsilä to provide full energy storage solution for one of the largest power hybrid projects at an off-grid mine in Mali
Dec. 2, 2019 — The technology group Wärtsilä will optimise the energy system of the Fekola Mine, located in a remote region in southwest Mali. This is needed to improve the mine’s operations, reduce fuel consumption, and lessen the carbon emissions. Wärtsilä has been contracted to design and engineer a cutting-edge 17MW/15MWh energy storage system […]