Hybrid Power

Virtual power plants (VPPs), as aggregations of dispatchable distributed energy resources (DERs), can deliver grid services ranging from resource adequacy to reliability at scale—all while making energy more affordable. Yet, despite their merits, the U.S. utility industry is yet to leverage the full potential of these readily available, affordable, customer-sited resources to add flexibility to the grid. Of course, the decision to incorporate […]

The importance of a reliable and resilient power supply continues to grow, and so does the need to control energy costs. That’s why more institutions want power systems that support operational efficiency

To state it simply, current decarbonization goals cannot happen without deeper engagement between utilities and their customers, and utilities are not yet truly harnessing the potential that their customers bring. In order to begin to realize this wholesale shift from customers as “load” to customers as “resource,” utilities must facilitate customer participation in energy-saving initiatives […]

Utilities and other companies in the electric power sector are using data to solve the dilemma of decarbonizing the power grid while also diversifying their generation resources. Utilities and power generators know that collecting data is critical to their operations. The process has grown in importance as the power grid diversifies, with more renewable energy […]

District energy systems are evolving across the power generation sector. Downtown business districts, college and university campuses, hospitals and healthcare facilities, airports, military bases and more are utilizing these systems to create economies of scale that reduce energy costs, and promote energy efficiency. These systems, used to provide power, hot water, heating, air conditioning and […]

German energy giant RWE has added three large battery energy storage (BESS) projects to the company’s U.S. portfolio. The group on Feb. 14 announced the completion of two installations in Texas and one in Arizona, and said energy storage systems now comprise more than one-third of the company’s U.S. renewable energy and storage development pipeline. […]

The decarbonization of power generation is fostering research and development of new energy technologies, and some companies are reimagining what’s possible when it comes to power plant design. That includes pairing nuclear power with solar power, in a system that could repurpose a brownfield site—for example, a closed or soon-to-retire thermal power plant with transmission […]

Nigeria’s Rural Electrification Agency (REA) touted its success at the recent UN Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), with the group noting it has deployed more than 100

The need for flexibility, sustainability, reliability, and resiliency in the electricity sector is bringing varied technologies together in the power generation mix. Hybrid power plants are increasingly part

A New Zealand utility is piloting two software solutions to gauge their efficacy at handling grid constraints. Raglan is a beachside community of just under 4,000 people, about a two-hour drive from Auckland

There are a few great reasons that utilities and the energy industry, in general, are looking for the next big thing. Whether that’s in distributed energy generation or demand flexibility to free up existing resources, utilities are challenged more than ever to meet evolving customer needs. While this will prove costly in the short term, […]

Government officials in the UK have shown further support for a plan to bring renewable energy from a massive project in Morocco to Britain, one of at least three projects worldwide in which miles-long subsea

Brookfield Asset Management announced the launch of Deriva Energy, the new name for Duke Energy’s former unregulated commercial renewables business that Brookfield acquired earlier this year. Deriva, which considers itself a leading operator and developer of clean power projects in the U.S., is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. Brookfield on Oct. 25 said it had […]

A California-headquartered energy company announced the start of commercial operation of one of the nation’s largest solar-plus-storage hybrid power plants. Officials with Clearway Energy Group, along with California Gov. Gavin Newsom, on Oct. 18 said the Daggett Solar + Storage project in San Bernardino County is now online. The installation features 482 MW of solar […]

A Vermont utility has filed a plan with state regulators that would enable the power company to offer more customers battery energy storage to keep the lights on during outages. Green Mountain Power (GMP), which has about 270,000 customers, said it wants to have its plan in place by 2030. GMP on Oct. 9 asked […]

California is looking for additional electricity resources, while being mindful of environmental concerns. That means power companies are looking at innovative technologies to provide reliable electricity

Energy industry analysts have said energy storage will be needed to support the integration of renewable energy into the U.S. power grid, and to provide grid flexibility and reliability. Energy storage, including the use of battery energy storage systems (BESS), also will support moves toward electrification and continued decentralization of U.S. power generation. A new […]

An innovative battery energy storage project, using a non-lithium technology, will be deployed at a research center in Arizona. Salt River Project (SRP), the state’s community-based, not-for-profit public power utility, and Germany’s CMBlu Energy, which designs and manufactures energy storage systems, on August 31 announced a pilot project for a 5-MW, 10-hour, long duration energy […]

Two companies supporting different technologies in the energy sector have formed a joint venture to develop an industrial park in Virginia that could feature data centers powered by hydrogen gas generators and small modular reactors (SMRs). Green Energy Partners (GEP), a Pennsylvania-based group better known for its development of solar power, and IP3 International—a nuclear […]

Colombian Dam Site of Major Floating Solar Project. A new solar power system that will float on the reservoir at the Urrá Dam in Colombia is designed to demonstrate that hydroelectric stations dealing with

Construction professionals can rely on propane for lower emissions and enhanced resiliency. Commercial buildings are experiencing more and more unplanned power outages and it’s causing incredible strain on

Eisenstadt, Austria, 19 July 2023 – The first operational Organic SolidFlow Battery of the world has successfully been delivered. CMBlu Energy, the manufacturer of this secure, sustainable and affordable battery storage system and Burgenland Energie, the hosting electric utility, have held a ceremony with prestigious guests covering politics, economics and science. The world premiere took […]

Much of the innovation in the power generation and energy sectors revolves around efficiency, with companies working to ensure a reliable and resilient supply of electricity while also reducing emissions. Those efficiency measures also include technologies to enhance sustainability, including recycling, cleaner fuels, and providing alternative modes of electric power. Companies such as Clean Energy […]

Utilities around the world will embark over the next decade on grid modernization at a monumental scale. With grid resilience and reliability top of mind combined with ambitious decarbonization goals, smart

Chinese officials on June 25 said the first phase of what is considered the world’s largest combined hydro and solar power plant has entered commercial operation. The Kela hydro/solar plant, part of an ambitious project anchored by the Lianghekou Hydropower Station on the Yalong River, is located in Yaijiang County in southwest China’s Sichuan Province. […]

KEPCO Wants to Extend Operations of Two Reactors. Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) in April asked Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) for permission to extend the lifespan of Units 3

The wealth of data available for today’s power generators is supporting more efficient electricity production, and more reliability and resiliency for the grid. There are many reasons utilities and power

Grid-tied electric vehicles are batteries on wheels that can support grid resilience. To accelerate the deployment of vehicle-to-grid installations, EnergyHub, the industry’s leading grid-edge DERMS provider, and Fermata Energy, the leading V2G services provider, have partnered to accelerate utilities’ access to EVs as mobile distributed energy resources (DERs) As vehicles and buildings rapidly electrify, utilities are racing […]

The green transition demands efficient storage of renewable energy, to which end a number of Power-to-X plants are under construction in Denmark. They are designed to convert green electricity to another form of energy, such as green fuels. And in the vanguard of this new technology is Lemvig, where the construction of the world’s first […]

Hybrid generation and storage is key to rapid low-carbon transition. COMMENTARY When asked why he robbed banks, the infamous Willie Sutton is said to have replied, “Because that’s where the money is!” So, when trying to decarbonize California’s electric power sector, we should follow Sutton’s Law and focus on where the carbon is. To decarbonize, […]