Environmental

Every month, POWER magazine publishes several articles in its Global Monitor section covering topics important to the electric power generation industry. The articles typically feature interesting updates on progress made at notable projects around the world, big policy changes, or promising research and development (R&D) news. Short notes about major contracts are also touched on […]

EY earlier this month released the findings from its Energy Consumer Survey 2022. The report is “focused on how energy impacts the lifestyles and wallets of consumers,” according to the company. EY is the trade name for Ernst & Young, the multinational professional services group headquartered in London, UK. The report is based on a […]

Many experts believe small modular reactors (SMRs), which are generally classified as nuclear power reactors with an electrical output of 300 MW or less, offer great promise for supplying the world with carbon-free energy. Several SMR designs are under development by companies around the world including NuScale Power, GE-Hitachi, Terrestrial Energy, TerraPower, Toshiba, X-energy, and […]

GE Gas Power announced on Dec. 6 that it has deployed an “innovative technical solution” on four TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines at the California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR’s) sites in Yuba City and Roseville, California (Figure 1). The solution reportedly reduced nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by more than 90%, surpassing […]

Identifying areas in your plant where insulation is inadequate and fixing the problem can save significant amounts of money, eliminate safety hazards for workers, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a

Coal ash, or coal combustion residuals (CCRs), is the second-largest waste material in the U.S., just behind household garbage. The safe and sustainable management of coal ash poses one of the most complex

The Biden administration has reversed a controversial Trump-era rule that barred plan fiduciaries from considering climate change and other environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors when choosing retirement investments and exercising shareholder rights, such as proxy voting.  A final rule issued by the Department of Labor (DOL) on Nov. 22 removes restrictions issued in two […]

The world is on a quest for solutions to decarbonize its economy. More than 70 countries and over 1,200 companies have set a net-zero target, according to the United Nations. To limit warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius, emissions of hundreds of gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) would need to be prevented and removed from […]

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) first round of funding from its $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) Program is poised to go to Diablo Canyon Power Plant, California’s only operational nuclear plant. Pacific Gas & Electric  (PG&E), Diablo Canyon’s owner, could receive up to $1.1 billion in credits to extend the 2.2-GW plant’s operation for […]

European energy giant EnBW will pilot switching a 114-year-old coal-fired waste incineration and district heating power plant in Stuttgart-Münster, Germany, to gas-fired technology while ensuring the regionally significant plant will be ready to combust hydrogen “as quickly and completely” as possible. Siemens Energy on Nov. 17 sealed an agreement with the utility for an overall […]

Hydropower projects frequently face resistance from environmental groups for a variety of reasons. One of the more common objections to hydro is the high turbine-induced mortality of fish. The passage of fish through hydroelectric turbines can quickly prove fatal—a danger that increases with the size of the fish. Furthermore, if several hydropower plants are located […]

The sustainable hydropower sector is at the heart of two new initiatives that aim to accelerate the clean energy transition, both announced at COP27 today. Planning for Climate Commission aims to accelerate hydropower and other renewables The Planning for Climate Commission is a new global forum focused on speeding up planning and approvals for the massive […]

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA  – The newly approved long-range energy plan for Minnesota’s second largest public utility company reflects an exciting agreement reached between Minnesota Power, Clean Energy Organizations, labor unions, industrial customers, and the Boswell coal plant host communities to more quickly transition towards a reliable and carbon free electric system that works for everyone.  […]

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) will pursue a first-of-its-kind pilot program at the Shawnee Fossil Plant in West Paducah, Kentucky, to determine if closed coal ash sites are suitable for utility-scale solar projects. The self-funded U.S. corporate agency’s board on Nov. 10 unanimously approved a $216 million pilot project to explore repurposing the 1,071-MW coal-fired power […]

First-to-market solution offers emergency managers access to better prepare and manage through weather impacts with advanced outage prediction technology   MINNEAPOLIS, MN (November 8, 2022) – DTN®, a data, analytics, and technology company, recently  launched Storm Risk Analytics, a first-to-market solution that combines advanced weather intelligence and machine learning outage prediction to help mid-size electric utilities more confidently make incident […]

Marking intent interest from the power sector in hydrogen’s decarbonization potential, six major utilities—Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Louisville Gas & Electric Co. (LG&E), Kentucky Utilities Co. (KU), Southern Co., and the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)—have announced they will jointly pursue federal financial support for a Southeast Hydrogen Hub. The utilities, along with Battelle, an independent […]

Baltimore Gas & Electric set out to build the 1.8-GW Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in 1967 because fossil energy was becoming expensive and controversial. Over its nearly 50 years of operation

It’s kind of exciting to be able to write that events are back in full swing. In case you missed it, POWER hosted the co-located Experience POWER, Distributed Energy Conference, and HydrogeNext events, Oct

Sulfur oxides (SO x ) have several harmful effects both to the environment, and to human and animal health. Much of the SO x in the atmosphere comes from the burning of fossil fuels by power plants and other

A major lesson from the global energy price crisis has been the value of having a diversity of supplies—not relying on a small number of (sometimes unreliable or politically controlled) sources. With

The concept of decarbonization typically calls attention to the energy sources or inefficient systems that drive greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions upward—in order to decarbonize, we must reduce our usage of, or replace, these sources or systems. What’s important to understand, however, is how the infrastructures that rely on these current energy sources or systems operate, […]

CHARLOTTE, NC – October 20, 2022 – Honeywell (NASDAQ: HON), a global leader in energy and climate transition solutions, today announced the launch of its Environmental Sustainability Index. The index is the first quarterly indicator of key trends pertaining to global efforts in climate change mitigation and other sustainability initiatives. Two-thirds of the S&P 500 […]

CF Industries to capture up to 2 million metric tons of CO2 from operations ExxonMobil to develop 125K-acre CO2 storage location in Vermilion Parish ExxonMobil agreement with EnLink Midstream to transport CO2 through pipeline network IRVING, Texas – CF Industries, a leading global manufacturer of hydrogen and nitrogen products, has entered into the largest-of-its-kind commercial […]

There have been historic initiatives within the U.S. to create a sustainable energy economy and to address major environmental concerns created by fossil fuels. The Inflation Reduction Act contains $369 billion in climate and energy provisions, which will have a meaningful impact on climate change. Meanwhile, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law seeks to remedy environmental issues […]

A pioneering GE aeroderivative gas turbine project to demonstrate hydrogen combustion as part of a retrofit at an existing U.S. natural gas power plant has successfully utilized blends of 5% to 44% hydrogen with natural gas—some of the highest volumes of hydrogen blended into a commercially operating gas turbine. The project spearheaded by New York […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) has initiated community outreach to facilitate consent-based siting, management of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), and interim storage facility siting. The effort, outlined in a series of steps the DOE expects to take in response to a recent request for public input, marks a significant first step toward advancing the agency’s […]

Michigan’s governor has asked the Department of Energy (DOE) to support Holtec International’s efforts to “save” the 800-MW Palisades nuclear power plant, marking a potential turnaround for the facility in Southwest Michigan, which was taken offline for the final time on May 20, 2022, after 50 years of operation. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s in a […]

California’s lawmakers have passed Senate Bill 846, effectively offering Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) a pathway to keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant open until at least 2030. The bill, authored by Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham, a Republican from San Luis Obispo, and Democratic state Sen. Bill Dodd of Napa, passed the California Assembly by 69–3 […]

Japan’s ambitions to install up to 10 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 have made rapid progress over the past month, driven partly by accelerated action to address a supply and demand mismatch. Weeks after

President Biden’s signing of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) should provide further impetus for growth of U.S. renewable energy, coming on the heels of a report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) that installations of solar and wind power accounted for more than two-thirds of new domestic utility-scale generation in the first six months […]