Environmental
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Distributed Energy
EVs Offer Significant Growth Opportunity for Power Utilities
Do you drive an electric vehicle (EV)? If you answered yes and live in the U.S., you’re among the roughly 1% of drivers doing so in this country. If not, how soon do you think it will be before you become
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Legal & Regulatory
Water Use Down Drastically at U.S. Power Plants
Water withdrawn by U.S. steam-driven power generators fell 18% in 2015 compared to 2010, owing largely to plant closures, coal-to-gas fuel switching, and the use of more water-efficient cooling system
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Finalizes First Set of Coal Ash Rule Revisions
The Trump administration has finalized a significantly weakened rule governing the disposal of coal ash in landfills and surface impoundments by coal generators nationwide. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revealed on July 18 that it signed the first rule of its two-part rulemaking set that overhauls the Obama administration’s final 2015 rules for the disposal […]
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Coal
Navajo Nation Negotiating Sale of West’s Largest Coal Plant
The Navajo Nation on July 12 said it has identified a potential buyer for the 2,250-MW Navajo Generating Station (NGS) in Arizona, the largest coal-fired power plant in the western U.S. The Navajo Nation Council, in a joint news release with the Navajo Nation’s Office of the President and Vice President, said the Hopi Tribe […]
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Press Releases
IPL Opens One of Cleanest, Most-Efficient Natural Gas Power Plants
INDIANAPOLIS (July 10, 2018) — Indianapolis Power & Light Company (IPL), a subsidiary of The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES), celebrated the commercial operation of its Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) natural gas power plant located at the Eagle Valley Generating Station today in Martinsville, Indiana. This state-of-the-art power plant provides cleaner, more reliable, and efficient energy […]
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Environmental
Top Gadgets to Make Your Appliances More Energy Efficient
You put in a lot of time choosing the most energy efficient appliances you can find, and you work hard to cut back on energy use around the house. But what if there was a way to make your electric bill even lower with very little effort? Introducing the five gadgets you didn’t know you […]
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Hydro
Hydropower Grows but Industry Is Changing
New hydropower capacity installed worldwide plunged 36% in 2017 compared to 2016, but the sector remains optimistic about its future despite a transitioning role for hydropower away from baseload power and
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Renewables
More Efficient with Fewer Emissions: Cement Factory Finds Sugar-Based Biomass a Sweet Solution
Environmental regulations and a need to reduce its fuel consumption provide the incentive for an Egyptian plant to change its manufacturing process. Energy companies constantly grapple with controlling the
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O&M
Sustainable from the Start: Tech Company a Model of Efficient Power Management
OWC is known in the tech field for its computer hardware. It’s also known for its on-campus power generation, which sets it apart from others in the high-tech field, showcasing a commitment embraced by the
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Commentary
Electric Vehicles—Subsidies for an Environmental Pretender
On May 22, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the American Public Power Association (APPA), and two groups representing U.S. and foreign automakers sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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Renewables
Exelon CEO Clarifies Headline-Grabbing No-Grid-Emergency Comment
Chris Crane, CEO of Exelon Corp., seemed to take umbrage with the way comments he made on June 5 were reported by Utility Dive. The website published the headline “Exelon CEO: No grid emergency to justify DOE coal, nuke bailout,” but Crane went out of his way to clarify his position while on stage participating […]
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Coal
India’s Power Industry Struggles to Solve Pollution Problems
In a bid to tamp down pollution, India’s government in December 2015 notified the country’s coal generators they would need to meet—for the first time—new emissions limits for nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and mercury, as well as tightened limits for particulate matter (PM) and water consumption. The gazetted notification gave new plants until […]
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O&M
Maintaining Nuclear Plant Ice Condensers: A ‘Cool’ Responsibility
Although nuclear plant ice condensers are rare—only seven sites throughout the world have them—the theory behind these passive heat sinks is quite novel. In fact, some next-generation plant designers have built upon the concept and incorporated passive accident intervention schemes into their plans. A nuclear plant ice condenser is a passive, static heat sink that […]
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Renewables
The Shift from Coal to Biomass Is on in Europe
Various schemes are underway in Europe as nations use existing coal-fired power plants to generate electricity without coal as the feedstock. With rising carbon prices, some big utilities are repowering with
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Press Releases
Equipment Showcase: Boilers, Burners, Combustion
Boiler and burner manufacturers, along with those who supply combustion control systems, work with a variety of industries, providing power generation to commercial, industrial, and residential sites. A 2017
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Commentary
Why the EPA’s Proposed Coal Ash Rule Is Concerning
Over the past decade, together with my students and colleagues at Duke University and other academic institutions, I have conducted scientific research and published 13 scientific articles on different aspects
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O&M
Common Goals and Team Mentality a Winning Combination
A lot of things factor into success at a coal-fired power plant, but leadership and teamwork certainly rank high on the list. Comanche Generating Station has parlayed those two attributes, among others, into a
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Legal & Regulatory
Power in Africa: Prospects for an Economic Foothold
To sustain unprecedented economic growth, lift hundreds of millions out of poverty, and attract investment, African countries are taking bold steps to expand electricity infrastructure. Are the continent’s
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Renewables
New Jersey Nuclear and Renewable Energy Bills Signed by Governor
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed a few important energy bills on May 23 including one (S-2313) that establishes a zero emissions certificate (ZEC) program, which reportedly will provide the state’s nuclear power plants with $300 million a year in ratepayer subsidies. To qualify, the plants must demonstrate that they make a significant contribution to […]
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Press Releases
AMETEK LAND STANDARDISES CERTIFICATES OF CONFORMITY AND ADDS CALIBRATION DATA AS STANDARD FOR FIXED THERMAL IMAGERS AND LINE SCANNERS
SHEFFIELD, UK, 21 MAY 2018 – AMETEK Land*, a major innovator in non-contact temperature measurement, and combustion and environmental monitoring equipment, has standardised all its Certificates of Conformity for its fixed thermal imagers and line scanners. This includes the ARC, NIR, NIR-B Borescope, LSP-HD Line Scanner, FTI-Eb Borescope and FTI-E instruments. This means customers now […]
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Press Releases
Xcel Energy Cuts Carbon Emissions 35 Percent
Retiring coal plants and increasing renewables key to company’s clean energy transition MINNEAPOLIS, May 22 /CSRwire/ – Xcel Energy is a step closer to achieving one of the most aggressive carbon-reduction goals in the industry. Today, the company announced it cut carbon emissions 35 percent, according to its newly released Corporate Responsibility Report. This puts Xcel […]
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Gas
MHPS Will Convert Dutch CCGT to Run on Hydrogen
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) in March said it would work with the Netherlands Carbon-Free Gas Power project to support the conversion of the country’s 1.32-GW Magnum gas-fired power plant to run
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Legal & Regulatory
Upheaval and Innovation in Wastewater Management
Regulatory uncertainty, changing resources, and an industrywide drive to cut costs and boost flexibility and efficiency are among a growing list of challenges that are prompting new approaches to treat power
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Water
Bringing New Life to Industrial Wastewater
As water demand soars in every corner of the world amid widespread drought and water scarcity concerns, recovery and recycling of wastewater is increasingly becoming a valuable solution to alleviate pressures
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Renewables
Power Mix Comes Down to Cost
It’s not a secret that the North American power mix is changing. Renewable energy and natural gas are picking up market share while coal-fired generation shrinks and nuclear power remains stagnant at best
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Coal
Equipment Showcase: Continuous Emissions Monitoring Systems and Gas Analyzers
A continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) is required in the U.S. under Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations to continuously collect, record, and report emissions data. CEMS are used to
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Commentary
The Nuclear Waste Impasse Can Only Be Resolved by the Public
The more I review the Yucca Mountain political boondoggle, the more I am convinced the stalemate will have to be resolved through a grassroots public campaign. At the outset of the Yucca startup, the
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Rampaging on Coal Ash Rule Despite Groundwater Concerns
Despite pleas by environmental groups for more time to review recent dumps of groundwater monitoring data from power companies, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is forging ahead to finalize a proposed overhaul of the Obama administration’s 2015 final Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) rule. The EPA’s 45-day comment period for the agency’s March 1 proposed rule, […]
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Biomass
EPA Declares Forest Biomass Is ‘Carbon Neutral’
Future regulatory actions issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will treat biomass from managed forests as carbon neutral when used for energy production at stationary sources, an agency policy statement declares. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt, who revealed the policy statement on April 23 during a meeting with Georgia forestry leaders, also said the […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Costs and Emissions Will Increase If Nuclear Plants Close
A report released this week by The Brattle Group says that if four nuclear power plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania are allowed to retire early it will cause “substantially higher emissions of CO2 and other pollutants” and that there will be “a significant increase in electricity prices” not only in the two states, but also […]