Engineering

  • Wind Repowering—A Second Wind for the Industry

    It’s a known fact that wind power sites across the U.S. eventually will reach the end of their lifecycles. So now what? The industry is coming upon an age where owners and operators must repower these sites by leveraging existing infrastructure to help meet the growing national demand for power. With more than 75,000 turbines […]

  • Fives ProSim Launches ProSimPlus Python API, a New Generation of Python Driven Process Simulation

    Fives ProSim, a subsidiary of the Fives Group and an expert in industrial process simulation and optimization, announces the release of ProSimPlus Python API. This new solution enables users to run the engine of ProSimPlus, a leading software dedicated to the design, simulation, and optimization of continuous industrial processes, directly from the Python environment. A […]

  • MD&A Positions Itself as Alternative Source for 7FA and 7EA Gas Turbine Rotor Life Extensions

    With hundreds of 7FA and 7EA gas turbines approaching end-of-life thresholds and industry-wide constraints on forgings and shop capacity, MD&A has invested a decade in reverse engineering, supply chain development, and production of rotor components to offer utilities an independent path forward. The gas turbine bubble of 2000 to 2004 saw between 600 and 700 […]

  • How Solar PV Yield Risk Shapes Project Design, Investment, and Bankability

    Expected annual energy yield (PVout) is a fundamental number for every utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) project. It informs the design, shapes the budget, feeds the financial model, and influences what investors and lenders are willing to accept. Behind every expected yield estimate, however, is a range of uncertainty. Part of it comes from the solar resource […]

  • Star Catcher Raises $65 Million to Build First Power Grid in Space

    Florida-headquartered Star Catcher Industries said it has raised $65 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round, as the company continues its effort toward building the first space-based power grid. Star Catcher, based in Jacksonville, said the new investment—led by B Capital and co-led by Shield Capital and Cerberus Ventures, the venture arm of Cerberus […]

  • Fast Power for a Constrained Grid: Wet Compression Applications in Gas Turbines

    There has never been a time when so much power was needed so fast. Driven by the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, more data center capacity is in development or under construction now than has been built in all of history. According to analyst firm Industrial Info Resources (IIR), each month of 2025 saw at least […]

  • The Many Shapes of Nuclear Power’s Revival

    After decades of stagnation, nuclear power is firmly back in the energy discussion. Surging electricity demand, hyperscale data centers hunting for firm round-the-clock power, and growing pressure to decarbonize industrial heat have converged to revive interest in both new reactor construction and lifetime extensions of the existing fleet. The resurgence is broader than a single […]

  • Policy Problems Aside, Solar Continues to Shine

    Industry analysts say faster construction timelines, along with lower energy costs, are fueling consistent growth in a solar power sector increasingly constrained by regulators.

  • ZettaJoule Pursues a Second Act for Japan’s High-Temperature Nuclear Reactor

    A Houston-based nuclear technology startup is advancing a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) design that targets outlet temperatures of 950C (1,742F)—well beyond the range of most advanced reactor

  • Don’t Replace the Turbine, Re-Engineer It

    As the first generation of wind turbines ages out of manufacturer service agreements, operators are discovering that the smarter path forward isn’t wholesale replacement—it’s re-engineering components to

  • Strengthening Grid Reliability in a More Dynamic Energy Landscape

    Utilities now operate in a far more dynamic environment shaped by distributed energy resources, an increasing number of distributed generation sites, and the emergence of large, high-demand loads and a growing number of connected devices across the grid.

  • Maximizing Plant Operations in a Time of Surging Demand

    Across the power sector, plant owners are confronting a fundamental question: how long can existing assets continue to operate safely and economically? What was once a long-range planning exercise has become an immediate strategic priority, driven by a convergence of market, operational, and policy pressures. Load demand is rising at a pace many utilities and […]

  • How American-Made Steel Supports Oil & Gas, Nuclear and Renewable Energy Growth

    Sponsored by:
    Nucor

    Global energy demand is outpacing supply, driving the need for expanded and more reliable infrastructure across oil and gas, nuclear, and renewable energy systems. Steel is essential to building and connecting this infrastructure, delivering the strength, durability, and performance required to operate in extreme environments and at scale. American-made steel provides consistent quality, material traceability, […]

  • Modernizing the Grid: Building with Domestic EAF Steel

    Sponsored by:
    Nucor

    The U.S. electrical grid is aging and under increasing strain from rising energy demand driven by technologies like data centers and electrification, making modernization urgent. Much of the current infrastructure is outdated, with many transmission lines nearing the end of their lifespan and relying on less durable materials like wood. Modernizing this infrastructure requires stronger, […]

  • NRC Unveils Part 57: A Streamlined Path for High-Volume Microreactor Licensing

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed a sweeping new licensing framework designed to push microreactors out of the lab and onto the grid at unprecedented speed. The proposed rule, called Part 57, is paired with a broader agency overhaul that earlier this year created the Office of Advanced Reactors (OAR), headed by longtime […]

  • Rethinking Utility Incentives and Business Models in the Age of Distributed Energy

    Many utilities have been slow to embrace distributed energy resources (DERs) and, in some cases, have reshaped rate structures and compensation mechanisms to limit their growth. This is not simply resistance to change. It is a rational response to incentive structures that favor building infrastructure over technology advancement and energy optimization and efficiency.

  • Japanese Group Proposes $2-Billion Gas-Fired Power Plant for Hawaii

    Japan’s largest power generation company has made a proposal to invest $2 billion for construction of a 500-MW combined-cycle and simple-cycle natural gas-fired power plant on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

  • Electron Beam Welding: Unlocking a New Era for Heavy Section Nuclear Components

    For more than a decade, EPRI has been collaborating across the global supply chain to mature a technology that has the potential to fundamentally change how large nuclear components are manufactured. With the release of EPRI’s Quick Insights: Electron Beam Welding for Heavy Section Components, we now have a clear picture of how far electron […]

  • The Genesis Mission: How AI Supercomputing Is About to Reshape American Science and Energy

    Dr. Dario Gil, the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Under Secretary for Science, lays out a bold vision to double the productivity of U.S. research and development (R&D) within a decade—and explains why energy and artificial intelligence (AI) are two sides of the same coin. After 22 years at IBM, where he rose to senior vice […]

  • A Powerful Change Supporting Cleaner Energy

    Electric utilities and energy consumers have discovered the benefits of electrification as a way to decarbonize operations and take advantage of more intelligent power systems. The push for decarbonization

  • Geothermal’s Rise a Hot Topic Worldwide

    The global surge in energy demand is spurring investment in several sectors, and is bringing renewed interest in areas such as geothermal. The world’s literal hot spots—places such as Iceland, Indonesia, Kenya, and part of the U.S.—are seeing new projects, often as part of testing of advanced technologies such as enhanced geothermal systems (EGS).

  • Every Fifth Pole: Ameren’s Staggered Strategy for Grid Hardening

    Ameren Illinois and Ameren Missouri found a “creative” way to strengthen their utility service territory by strategically installing fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composite utility poles by Creative

  • The Critical Role of Coatings in SMR Design

    Electricity demand for data centers worldwide is projected to double by 2030. As a result, developers are looking at small modular reactors (SMRs) to add low‑carbon power generation capacity.

  • Battery Storage Is Reshaping the Grid; Integration Strategy Will Shape the Outcome

    The electric sector is standing at a pivotal moment. Utilities are no longer observers in the renewable transformation but instead are becoming direct owners and operators of technologies that were once primarily developed, financed, and managed by third-party developers. Among these technologies, battery energy storage systems (BESS) are moving to the center of long-term generation […]

  • AI Groups Utilidata, NexGen Cloud Partner to Unlock Stranded Energy

    Utilidata, a group specializing in embedded artificial intelligence (AI) for power infrastructure, and NexGen Cloud, a European AI cloud provider, have announced the deployment of the Karman AI power control platform across NexGen Cloud’s data centers. The companies on March 12 said the collaboration is designed to increase available AI compute capacity within existing grid […]

  • New York Solar Project Addresses Energy, Housing Affordability

    The Catholic Charities of Brooklyn and Queens decided to install 17 solar energy projects, totaling 1.3 MW, on its housing stock, which is 100% regulated affordable housing, with rents that are accessible to low-income households including seniors on fixed incomes. Acting as the owner’s representative, Crauderueff Solar guided the group through each stage of this development process, including design.

  • GEL Brings UK’s First Deep Geothermal Plant Online

    A UK-based geothermal and battery production group has brought the country’s first deep geothermal power plant online. Geothermal Engineering Limited (GEL) on February 26 said its United Downs power station in Cornwall is generating 3 MW of electricity, alongside the country’s first commercial-scale, zero-carbon lithium carbonate production facility.

  • How Combined Cycle Power Plants Can Avoid Outages, Failures, and Losses

    Sponsored by:
    Yokogawa Systems Group

    When poor data & controls create too much room for plant outages and loss of productivity and profits.   Combined Cycle Power Plants (CCPPs) play a strategic role in enabling renewables and the hydrogen transition, but their reliability hinges on quality data — accurate, timely, consistent, complete, secure – to reflect true system conditions in […]

  • FlexGen Announces HybridOS Energy Management System

    Battery energy storage group FlexGen Power Systems said it has launched the latest version of FlexGen HybridOS, its hardware-agnostic energy management system (EMS), designed to unify and simplify the experience for battery storage and solar owners and operators with new capabilities that maximize site performance through real-time data and visibility.

  • INL Enlists NVIDIA on ‘PROMETHEUS’ AI Effort to Halve Nuclear Deployment Timelines Under DOE Genesis Mission

    Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has teamed up with artificial intelligence (AI) computing giant NVIDIA to advance “PROMETHEUS,” INL’s first-of-its-kind demonstration of an autonomous nuclear reactor driven by AI, to execute a key challenge under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Genesis Mission. The move adds momentum to DOE’s push to apply AI across the full reactor […]