Gas

Dominion applies for new Virginia reactor / ABB commissions world’s largest SVC / Google Earth adds air quality data / Alstom supplies integrated solar/CC project in Morocco / DOE updates coal plant database / Dam the Red Sea? / Complying with CWA Section 316

In our second annual report on the state and future of the U.S. power generation industry, we combine the considerable experience of POWER’s editorial staff with the market savvy of Industrial Info Resources Inc. (see next story) to preview the industry’s direction in 2008. We anticipate that the specter of carbon control legislation will hobble coal and make renewables the hot ticket while nukes continue to inch forward in a generation market that is basically treading water.

Industrial Info Resources’ strengths are tracking capital projects and cost projections and providing intelligence about the power generation market, among others. IIR has used its large industry databases and numerous industry contacts to develop its outlook for 2008. Here’s what you should expect and plan for this year.

TVA may revive Bellefonte / GE’s globetrotting Jenbaches / Largest PV plant taking shape / When will PV be competitive? / Siemens goes to the wall with solar / Breakthrough in metamaterials / POWER digest

Siemens ships first blade from U.S. plant; GE’s frames hit 1,000; Battery problems hit hybrid EV programs; Solar thermal rebounds in California;Peabody’s Illinois coal plant gets green light;EPA could sink 278-MW CFB unit; Longest-serving NRC commissioner dies at 58; POWER digest; Readers talk back; corrections

October 1886 In the late 19th century, efficient combustion of solid fuels was achieved more by trial and error than by a fundamental understanding of stoichiometry and staged combustion. Boiler manufacturers took many different approaches to the challenge. Some made sense; others didn’t. In which category does the design described below fall? In 1886 the […]

The rationale for a typical cogeneration plant is clear: Supply some power, and maybe some steam, to an industrial host and save energy dollars on both sides of the fence. But integrating a cogen plant that also produces hydrogen with a major refinery that operates 24/7 is a job best left to a company with diverse and proven technology skills. The Air Products Port Arthur II project proves that such a job can be done right. Accordingly, it is one of POWER’s natural gas–fired Top Plants of 2007.

Since going commercial this June, Port Westward Generating Plant has taken its rightful place as one of America’s most efficient power stations. It is now helping to satisfy Portland General Electric’s summer demand reliably and cost-effectively. What differentiates Port Westward is its pioneering use in the U.S. of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ G1 class combined-cycle combustion turbine.

Not every facility that POWER singles out as a Top Plant has a unique design. Some, like this one, may be recognized for an excellent operations record and being a good corporate citizen. At Tenaska Virginia Generating Station, a formal program to make O&M personnel aware of best industry practices—and apply them on the job—has shortened the plant’s start-up time and elevated its availability, making it much more dispatchable and profitable.