Engineering

  • Software and DLRs Key to Unlocking Power Grid’s Potential

    Imagine unlocking 30% more power from our existing grid overnight. That’s the potential we’re ignoring, and it’s costing us billions. The demand for energy is rising, and utilities are struggling to serve this growth. In the U.S., congestion costs have increased from $8 billion in 2021 to more than $11 billion in 2023 despite record […]

  • Leveraging VPPs to Prepare Utilities for Extreme Weather

    From the Midwest to the South, the U.S. has experienced dangerous cold snaps this winter that challenge grid operators to meet rising heating demands. These temperature extremes are driven in part by climate change, which is why the past decade has had the highest temperature extremes in recorded history, as well as why temperature extremes […]

  • Nuclear Power Renaissance Underway in West Texas

    When you think of innovative advancements in nuclear power technology, places like the Idaho National Laboratory and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology probably come to mind. But today, some very exciting nuclear power development work is being done in West Texas, specifically, at Abilene Christian University (ACU). That’s where Natura Resources is working to construct […]

  • LG&E, KU Propose $3.7B Power Buildout: 1.3 GW of New Gas Plants, $153M Coal Unit Upgrade

    PPL subsidiaries Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities Company (KU) have proposed to upgrade environmental controls at a 1974-built coal unit, build two new gas-fired power plants at a combined cost of $2.8 billion, and add 400 MW of battery storage. The measures seek to significantly boost the companies’ capacity to ready […]

  • GE Vernova, AWS Address Energy Demand With Collaboration Agreement

    GE Vernova and Amazon Web Services announced the companies have signed a strategic framework agreement aimed at supporting AWS’s data center scaling. The groups on March 4 said they would collaborate to address increasing global energy demand, advance grid security and reliability, and decarbonize electric power systems.

  • Kemmerer 1—TerraPower’s Pioneering Fourth-Generation Nuclear Project—Hits Key NRC Milestone Ahead of Schedule

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has completed its draft safety evaluation (SE) a month ahead of schedule—albeit with open items—for TerraPower’s Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1, a pioneering 345-MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) under development in Wyoming. Editor’s note: This article was substantially updated on Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. CST to provide deeper […]

  • Constellation Races to Revive Crane Nuclear Plant Amid Tight Timelines, Market Shifts

    Constellation Energy’s ambitious plan to restart the Three Mile Island Unit 1 as the Crane Clean Energy Center (CEC) is proceeding ahead of schedule, shooting for a 2028 start date, despite a new report that suggests Microsoft may be re-evaluating its data center strategy. Just five months after Constellation announced a landmark 20-year power purchase […]

  • Duke Researchers: Grid Flexibility Key to Accommodate Load Growth

    Researchers from Duke University have said that integrating more flexibility into U.S. power grids could help provide the energy needed to power future load growth, particularly the electricity needed to support artificial intelligence and data centers. The group in a Feb. 19 webinar discussed their findings, which are contained in their recent report titled “Rethinking […]

  • Plug Power Plans Major Hydrogen Production Plants in India

    A U.S.-headquartered manufacturer of green hydrogen fuel cells wants to build what the company’s president called “multi-gigawatt” electrolyzer projects in India. Sanjay Shrestha, president of New York-based Plug Power, in an interview with ETEnergy World said, “We will be excited to be doing multi-gigawatt electrolyzer projects in India before the end of 2030 depending on […]

  • Chinese Research Group Unveils New Lithium-Hydrogen Battery System

    A research team at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) has published a study that supports use of a new type of chemical battery system for energy storage and electric vehicles. The USTC team, in their report published in the Angewandte Chemie International Edition, said the system utilizes hydrogen gas as the […]

  • Eaton Increasing Transformer Manufacturing with South Carolina Investment

    Power management company Eaton said it is helping address the critical shortage of transformers, along with record demand for its solutions from utility, large commercial, industrial and data center customers, with a $340 million investment to increase U.S. production of its three-phase transformers essential to reliable electrical power. Production and hiring at Eaton’s new Jonesville, […]

  • Generate a Cleaner Future with Air Products

    Let Air Products be your decarbonization partner through the transition to sustainable energy. We can help you utilize oxygen to improve your natural gas efficiency, find a potential carbon capture and sequestration solution, or introduce hydrogen to your process to reduce emissions. Download to read our latest content to learn more and take the first […]

  • How Utilities Can Activate Data to Improve Asset Management

    Nearly every utility in the world has embarked on their own journey of digital transformation, using data to help make processes faster and more efficient. Traditionally, utility data has been collected in silos to support individual functions, and utilities have been hard at work to break down these silos so data can be shared among […]

  • TVA, Type One Energy Ink Deal to Develop Commercial Fusion Power Plant

    The pursuit of energy from fusion technology has taken another step forward, with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) entering into a cooperative agreement with Type One Energy to jointly develop a fusion power plant project in TVA’s territory. The companies announced plans to collaborate on a 350-MWe Infinity Two power plant that use Type One’s […]

  • The POWER Interview: Using Data, Device Models, and More to Support the Grid

    Amanda Neuenfeldt is the energy management system (EMS) modeling lead engineer at Actalent, a global company specializing in engineering and sciences services, along with talent solutions. Neuenfeldt works with emerging grid technologies related to artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cybersecurity. She has studied the application of a predictive machine learning algorithm, coupled with […]

  • The POWER Interview: Enhancing Reliability of the U.S. Power System

    Designing, building, and maintaining the network of power transmission lines and associated infrastructure that delivers electricity across the U.S. is a complex task. It involves disparate components, from thermal power plants using different fuel types, to renewable energy such as solar, wind, and geothermal installations. Substations are another component, and the use of battery energy […]

  • Software, Hardware, Innovation All Needed to Upgrade the Power Grid

    Enhancing the transmission and distribution of electricity is a priority to ensure a reliable and resilient power supply, as demand increases and grid challenges mount. Providing more electricity to meet

  • Building Better Ways to Keep the Lights On

    Utilities and power grid operators walk a fine line when it comes to providing reliable and resilient power while also protecting valuable assets in the electricity transmission and distribution system. Power

  • Building for Solar Growth—Selecting the Right Foundation for Any Site

    Solar builds are becoming more complex. “Perfect” sites with the ideal topography and terrain profile are less available, and sites that remain pose additional challenges for developers and EPCs alike. Selecting the right foundation is key to mitigating risks, overcoming hurdles, and constructing a project that delivers reliable solar power on budget and on time. […]

  • Texas A&M Launches SMR ‘Energy Proving Ground’ with Selection of Four Nuclear Firms

    Texas A&M University System has unveiled four nuclear developers with which it plans to explore building and operating small modular reactor plants (SMRs) at its Texas A&M-RELLIS campus near College Station. The project—dubbed “The Energy Proving Ground”—is part of a state-supported initiative to deploy operational advanced reactors in Texas within the next five to seven […]

  • Streamlining Outage Efficiency at a Pennsylvania Nuclear Power Plant

    Nuclear power plant outages demand efficiency, safety, and a high level of coordination to execute time-critical tasks and bring plants back online quickly. When a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant faced excessive critical path time due to outdated steam line plugs and a unique control rod blade transportation and storage requirement, the plant’s leadership engaged Preferred […]

  • CORE POWER Hires Engineering Firm to Support Floating Nuclear Power Plants

    Shipping nuclear propulsion start-up CORE POWER, which in November of last year announced a deal with Westinghouse for design and development of floating nuclear power plants (FNPPs), has hired an architectural and marine engineering firm to help design FNPPs that could provide energy for operations at U.S. shipping ports. Glosten, with offices in Seattle, Washington, […]

  • Mattiq Partners With Heraeus to Advance Electrocatalyst Innovation for Hydrogen Production

    Mattiq, a Chicago, Illinois-headquartered clean chemistry company, on Jan. 30 announced a strategic partnership with global metals company Heraeus Precious Metals to develop and commercialize advanced electrocatalyst materials for green hydrogen production. The companies will engineer low-iridium catalysts to significantly reduce the amount of this rare and critical raw material for proton exchange membrane (PEM) […]

  • STLE Partners with European Sustainability Expert Carbon Minds

    This partnership includes a four-part series on life cycle assessment Park Ridge, Illinois (January 28, 2025) ─ The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) — the technical society serving individuals, companies and organizations that comprise the tribology and lubrication engineering business sector — is pleased to announce a partnership with European sustainability expert Carbon […]

  • Building the Largest Clean Energy Microgrid in Puerto Rico

    Analysis of the levelized cost of energy shows how renewables have become more cost-efficient every year. Today, the least-expensive way to meet energy needs is with renewable resources. For industries at risk of power outages or those requiring always-on power, clean energy projects can offer a lifeline. Fundamentally, distributed energy resources (DERs) can give organizations […]

  • TVA Taps Bechtel, Sargent & Lundy, and GE Hitachi for Clinch River SMR Nuclear Project

    The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has selected Bechtel, Sargent & Lundy, and GE Hitachi to spearhead the initial planning and design phases for a potential BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at its Clinch River Nuclear site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The collaboration, announced on Jan. 23, will leverage an innovative contracting model designed to streamline […]

  • Santee Cooper Seeks Proposals to Complete AP1000 Units at V.C. Summer Nuclear Site

    South Carolina’s largest power provider Santee Cooper has issued a request for proposals (RFP) aimed at finding a buyer—or visionary—to take on what remains of the Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station expansion. The two partly constructed AP1000 projects, abandoned in 2017 after a cascade of delays and cost overruns, could now offer a second chance […]

  • GE Vernova Validates 100% Hydrogen-Fueled DLN Combustor Technology

    GE Vernova said it has completed a validation test series for its advanced Dry Low NOx (DLN) hydrogen combustion technology, designed for the company’s B- and E-class gas turbines. The group on Jan. 15 said the test campaign was conducted at GE Vernova’s Global Technology Center in Greenville, South Carolina. The testing phase “demonstrated successful […]

  • Sweden Begins Construction on World’s Second Deep Geological Repository for Spent Nuclear Fuel

    Sweden has broken ground on its final repository for spent nuclear fuel (SNF)—a milestone reached after 40 years of research and development—making it the world’s second deep geological repository (DGR) now under construction. Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB), a nuclear fuel and waste management company owned by Sweden’s nuclear operators, officially announced the start of construction […]

  • Central Theme for Energy’s Future: Decentralizing Power Generation

    The use of distributed energy resources (DERs) will continue to grow as utilities, businesses, and residential neighborhoods look for ways to balance the power grid and support more reliable and resilient