Hydro
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Renewables
World Sees Hydropower Boom Driven by International Agreements, Financing Shifts, Technological Advancements
The world added 33 GW of new hydropower capacity in 2015, including 2.5 GW of pumped storage, the International Hydropower Association (IHA) said in a recent brief. The new capacity made up only 3% of the
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Hydro
Digital Control System Upgrade Gives Hydropower Plant New Life
Upgrading automation systems can often extend the life of power generation facilities by decades while reducing downtime, improving operations, and reducing required maintenance. The Maggotty plant in Jamaica offers one such example. Many power generation facilities have equipment in good running order with many years or even decades of potential service life remaining, but operation […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Senate Passes Comprehensive Energy Bill, Future Uncertain
By an 85-12 vote, the U.S. Senate passed the first comprehensive energy bill in nearly a decade, bringing a successful conclusion to months of legislative effort and overcoming a series of roadblocks in the full Senate related to the water quality crisis in Flint, Mich. The product of more than a year of bipartisan work […]
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Renewables
First Turbine Deployed at French Tidal Power Farm
The first of two 500-kW OpenHydro tidal turbines has been successfully deployed at French utility EDF’s much-watched Paimpol-Bréhat tidal project, which is under construction in North Brittany, France. When
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O&M
Weighing Costs and Benefits in Hydropower Maintenance and Upgrade Decisions
Although other renewable sources of energy may be growing at a faster rate, more electricity continues to be generated in the U.S. by conventional hydropower than by wind, solar, and geothermal power combined
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Legal & Regulatory
Belo Monte Hydro Plant Stunned, Revived Again
Legal battles to stall the 11-GW Belo Monte hydroelectric dam—being built on the Xingu River in Amazon forest for one of the world’s largest power plants—are raging on in Brazil (Figure 1). In January
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Coal
Duke Energy Mulls Sale of International Power Plants
Duke Energy is considering the sale of all or most of its international power plants, about 4,400 MW dispersed throughout Central and South America. The company’s international business segment, Duke Energy International (DEI), was forced to make the disclosure in light of a required statement from its Brazilian subsidiary, Duke Energy International, Geração Paranapanema S.A. […]
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Renewables
Chile’s Newest Hydro Plant Takes Shape in the Desert
Plans to build a pumped-storage hydroelectric plant in the world’s driest region won the approval of environmental regulators in Chile this December. The unique 300-MW project proposed by Valhalla Energia
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Legal & Regulatory
TransAlta Plays Defense with Coal Out, Renewables In
When it comes to a transition away from coal, TransAlta Corp. is playing political defense. The Canadian province of Alberta contains among the richest fossil energy resources in the world, including oil (and
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