Hydro

Dual sensor operation with 4 wire sensor connection Automatic redundancy switching for lossless recordings Wide range of hazardous approvals Versatile use in chemical, oil and gas, marine and power generation applications With Sitrans TH320/420 and TR320/420, Siemens introduces a new generation of reliable HART (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer Protocol) temperature transmitters for a wide range […]

  Despite the recent retirement of “blackstart” units, grid operators have sufficient resources to quickly restore systems in the event of widespread outages, suggests a new report by staff at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC). The report—“FERC-NERC-Regional Entity Joint Review of Restoration and Recovery Plans”—released May […]

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

Budarhals hydropower plant to be fitted with intelligent acoustic monitoring system Voith tests new remote data-analysis service Optimized mode of operation and intelligent scheduling of maintenance work for power plant operators The national Power Company of Iceland Landsvirkjun and Voith have launched a joint pilot project on intelligent noise analysis in hydropower plants. Voith is […]

A report from groups including the United Nations environmental arm and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) shows renewable energy installations were responsible for 61% of the world’s net power capacity additions in 2017, more than double the new-builds from fossil fuel-powered generation. The Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018 report, compiled by BNEF, the […]

More efficient electricity production: New motor-generator from Voith increases potential output of complete generating set by more than seven percent Faster response to changes in load requirements from the grid Special design for energy transfer saves rebuild costs Heidenheim, Germany. Voith has won the order to modernize a motor-generator in the Vianden pumped storage plant […]

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) CEO Bill Johnson in an exclusive interview with POWER suggested that the power industry continues to face an uncertain future.  Johnson said that during his 40-year career, he has seen more change in the last five years than in the previous 35 combined. Several indicators imply that will continue going forward. […]

The generating fleets owned by some of the largest companies in the U.S. (ranked here by capacity in 2017) have transformed over the past four years, in some cases dramatically, as total revenues fluctuated. Sources: Fidelity Investments (revenue data standardized by S&P Capital IQ); EIA-860 detailed data; SEC 10-K filings, and company websites. —Copy and artwork by Sonal Patel, a […]

Technology is being incorporated into operations and maintenance schemes at an ever-increasing pace. New digital tools are helping optimize assets, improve performance, and reduce overall costs. Big Data Best

Williamson College of the Trades’ Power Plant Technology program provides hands-on training for learners within its student-run power plant—known as the “Energy Island.” Through the program, students

Joe Grimes, executive vice president of generation with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), gave the keynote presentation during the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition, which was held March 19–22 in Nashville, Tennessee. His presentation focused on steps TVA is taking to diversify its generation portfolio in order to reduce risks and keep costs as low […]

Voith delivers complete electromechanical equipment for hydropower plant extension project Voith’s asset management solution OnCare AM in use for the first time at a hydropower plant Expansion of hydropower potential to increase Pakistan’s independence from fuel imports Islamabad (March 14, 2018) — In the presence of numerous guests from the areas of politics, industry, and […]

Damage to the main and emergency spillways of the Oroville Dam in California, triggered in February 2017 by heavy rain that was part of Northern California’s wettest winter in almost 100 years, has brought

Coal-fired power generation has taken another punch, as Consumers Energy—which along with DTE Energy supplies most of Michigan’s power—has announced it will phase out coal burning over the next two decades, with a plan to generate at least 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2040. Patti Poppe, Consumers’ president and CEO, made the […]

A business group geared toward sustainable energy says renewable sources of energy for the first time are generating nearly as much power as the entire fleet of U.S. nuclear reactors. The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (BCSE), along with Bloomberg New Energy Finance, on February 15 released the sixth edition of its Sustainable Energy in […]

The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2019 budget request released February 12 asks for more money to support fossil fuel-based power systems, but seeks funding below current levels for other energy initiatives, including renewable energy and energy efficiency. The energy funding is part of a $4.4 trillion budget that features large increases in military spending, along […]

Voith to be gold sponsor of congress and exhibition “Hydropower Caspian and Central Asia” in Georgia More than 150 projects realized in Central Asia and around the Caspian Sea In this region, technology from Voith supplies more than 95 million people with environmentally-friendly electricity Heidenheim, Germany. For more than 80 years, Voith has been building […]

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. (NNPC) in December 2017 announced a plan to build three natural gas-fired power plants in the country, thanks to a $2.8 billion pipeline project that would bring natural gas from the southern part of the African nation to its northern region. The plants, sited in Abuja, Kaduna, and Kano, would […]

Voith in December announced it has completed the modernization of the Mucomir hydropower station in Scotland, and the 20-MW facility is again producing electricity for the Scottish grid. Voith was responsible

Documents obtained by The Washington Post show the Trump administration is prepared to ask Congress to cut the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) renewable energy and energy efficiency programs by as much as 72% in fiscal year 2019. The newspaper in a January 31 report says Congress likely would not support many of the cuts, but […]

Overwhelmed by low wholesale power prices and changing customer needs in the Pacific Northwest, the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) on January 30 unveiled a lifeline it hopes will allow it to remain commercially afloat. While the nonprofit federal power marketer headquartered in Portland, Oregon, is part of the Department of Energy, it is self-funding and […]

FAGERSTA/SOLLETEA, Sweden (January 23, 2018) — There are a large number of hydropower plants in Europe and North America that are more than 100 years old. Voith installed new technology in two of these plants in Sweden, Semla and Graninge, making them not only much more efficient but also more environmentally compatible. As a result […]

The history of power generation is long and convoluted, marked by myriad technological milestones—conceptual and technical—from hundreds of contributors. Many accounts begin power’s story at the demonstration of electric conduction by Englishman Stephen Gray, which led to the 1740 invention of glass friction generators in Leyden, Germany. This quiz is designed to test your knowledge […]

SANTIAGO, CHILE (January 18, 2018) — Building Energy SpA, a multinational company operating as a global integrated IPP in the Renewable Energy Industry, announces the constitution of Building Energy Andes SpA, a Joint Venture with Scotta Group aimed to the development, construction and operation of renewable energy assets in Chile. Scotta Group is an Italian […]

In a press briefing held with Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg on January 10, President Donald Trump said that U.S. could “conceivably” re-enter into global climate change mitigation efforts under the Paris accord. While he has “no problem” with the accord itself, he felt the agreement negotiated by the Obama administration treated the U.S. unfairly, […]

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) released its first look at expected power generation in 2019, and its conclusions are much the same as those it expects in 2018—the use of natural gas to produce electricity will continue to rise, and the use of coal will continue to decline. EIA’s Short-Term Energy Outlook, released January […]

There are many tools available to assist companies as they gain a better grasp on how their energy is being used, and what that means for the goal of efficient energy management. Not all solutions are created

As power plants and substations become more connected, the need for rugged networking equipment built to withstand tough conditions is amplified. The military has already gone through the growing pains, so

News about the rate at which new renewable power capacity is being added to grids around the world has been overshadowed by a remarkable trend that could revolutionize the renewables sector. Over the past few

Iberdrola’s global strategy to close its remaining coal-fired power plants has met with government opposition in its home country of Spain. Days after Iberdrola, the country’s largest utility, said it