IIOT

CONCERN TITAN-2 JSC, contractor for building and supply of equipment for Hanhikivi-1 NPP construction, has signed today a contract with Framatome-Siemens, the French-German consortium, to supply Main Instrumentation and Control (I&C). The signature followed a competitive procedure with the participation of international companies that are market leaders in the field of integrated I&C solutions at […]

Delivering energy has centered on the fundamental tenant of being reliably available. As energy providers strive to maintain that availability, they all too often push security to the backburner. Many unsafe practices have fallen into place for the sake of speed and efficiency, including the use of default and shared passwords, open access, and little […]

The energy industry is currently moving from a traditional, highly regulated production model dominated by electricity utilities to a decentralized, deregulated model featuring a higher proportion of renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. With subsidies in decline, renewables are reaching grid parity—with costs equal to or less than traditional sources. Not surprisingly, […]

The power industry is witnessing rapid changes thanks to technology. Networks are evolving, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has taken root, with autonomous systems contributing to the rise of

ENGIE, the world’s largest independent power producer, has signed an innovative volume firming agreement (VFA) with Microsoft that will allow the technology giant to buy “firm” power from wind and solar projects in Texas under a specially structured power purchase agreement (PPA).  The companies on Sept. 24 said the long-term PPA will allow Microsoft to […]

Power plants have an abundance of data. Temperatures, pressures, flows, and various other parameters are all monitored constantly to ensure plants are operating properly. However, a lot of data is not used to its fullest extent. With the right tools, data can be more-thoroughly analyzed and findings can be acted upon to improve efficiency and […]

BREA, CA – Curtiss-Wright Corporation has announced the expansion of its digital control systems portfolio with the addition of the Curtiss-Wright Digital Safety System. Built on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)-approved RadICS platform, the Digital Safety System is fully-qualified for nuclear safety-related applications. Curtiss-Wright’s Digital Safety System is an internally diverse, fully-qualified field programmable gate […]

Winners of The Cleanie Awards—the only comprehensive awards program focused exclusively on the clean energy industry—were unveiled on Sept. 24 during North America Smart Energy Week in Salt Lake City, Utah. “The Cleanie Awards honors companies and individuals at the forefront of innovation for the clean technology and renewables industries,” said Elyssa Haynes, program director for […]

Two companies who recently announced they are creating what they consider North America’s largest behind-the-meter (BTM) deployment of energy storage technology have said they plan to expand the service, providing a long-term solution for controlling costs and promoting energy sustainability for businesses. Executives of the two companies—Honeywell and NRStor C&I—told POWER in a Sept. 23 interview […]

Xcel to Take Advantage of Distributed Intelligence and Distribution Automation LIBERTY LAKE, Wash. — Sept. 17 — Itron, Inc. (NASDAQ: ITRI), which is innovating the way utilities and cities manage energy and water, and Xcel Energy entered an agreement to secure smart meters that will allow for collaboration to improve customer experience and utility operations […]

For some utilities, community solar is a way to offer consumers access to clean energy without requiring investment in rooftop solar. For others, it presents a means of strategically placing solar resources in the most beneficial locations. Meanwhile, many utilities view it as an opportunity to learn how best to integrate distributed energy resources (DERs). […]

Lock in safe, reliable operations by opening the door to third-party expertise There’s still a big takeaway from a 2008 Florida blackout, and it’s not the size of the fine that followed. Although it was the largest penalty levied under the new reliability standards at that time, here’s the bigger elephant in the room: Florida […]

Today, drones equipped with sensors and cameras are proving their worth in gathering real-time footage that can be stored for later analysis. Uncrewed aerial systems can detect failing structures and equipment

Power plant operators are always looking for ways to boost performance. A combustion optimizer designed to improve efficiency and lower emissions could help. It supports more flexible operation of boilers by

The power grid is changing across the U.S. More distributed energy resources are being added every day. That brings challenges for power utilities, but also opportunities. John Di Stasio, president of the Large Public Power Council (LPPC), which represents 27 of the largest locally governed and operated not-for-profit electric systems in the U.S., was a […]

The names of bulk power system entities that violate federal critical infrastructure cybersecurity reliability standards—along with identification of standards violated and penalties assessed—may soon be routinely disclosed under changes proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the North American Reliability Corp. (NERC).  The proposed changes, which FERC and NERC outlined in an Aug. […]

APS scales from pilot to full deployment at three power plants, wirelessly monitoring all rotating assets. SAN JOSE, Calif., August 27, 2019 — Arizona Public Service (APS) announced that they have significantly scaled their investment in wireless PdM (predictive maintenance) with Petasense, a Silicon Valley based venture-backed leader in Industrial IoT. Petasense provides the ARO […]

Organizations operating within a mission-critical environment must adopt appropriate technology to mitigate potentially life-threatening problems. As we acknowledge National Preparedness Month this September, we need to remember what is important to electric power customers. They expect to be kept safe, to be heard, and to receive realistic estimated restoration times—especially when a power line is […]

Collaboration empowers utility customers to get the most benefit out of their energy devices, including smart thermostats, electric vehicle chargers, solar inverters and more BROOKLYN, New York – August 21, 2019 – EnergyHub today announced a collaboration with Oracle Utilities to help energy providers intelligently incorporate distributed energy resources (DERs) into their customer engagement and […]

Utilities have offered demand response programs for years, in many cases offering rebates or other compensation to customers willing to allow the utility to reduce their household or business power consumption at certain times of the day. Other companies are moving forward with their own programs, seeking a piece of the growing market for automation […]

GSE Systems said it has delivered and commissioned three additional full-scope simulators for Southern Nuclear’s new Operations Training Centers. The simulators are for the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, Edwin I. Hatch Nuclear Plant, and the Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant. Simulators provide efficient hands-on learning for power plant operators. While power plants of […]

ABB is delivering innovative excitation solutions that ensure early compliance with new European regulations and will bring broader benefits, minimizing risk in connecting grid networks and supporting reliable and stable operations. ABB’s UNITROL® 1000 series is the world’s first excitation product that is fully compliant with the new European grid code pioneered in Germany.  Compliance […]

Unique in the market, APM Integrity’s new Compliance Management feature automates mechanical integrity planning – reducing regulatory risk, increasing team efficiency and improving safety. SAN RAMON, CALIF. – August 6, 2019 – GE Digital (NYSE: GE) today announced the general availability of enhanced Compliance Management features in its Asset Performance Management (APM) Integrity software for […]

ABB is supporting the Chinese government in its efforts to produce emissions-free electricity, delivering automation control solutions at the country’s first two concentrated solar power (CSP) plants. Building on the successful delivery of power at the first 50 megawatt CSP in Delingha with China General Nuclear Power Group in late 2018, ABB has been awarded […]

VW Chooses MHPS to Modernize Cogen Plant. Volkswagen AG (VW) in early July said it chose Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Europe (MHPS Europe) to build a gas-and-steam power plant in Wolfsburg, as part of the

Shutdown, turnaround, and outage events are extremely complex, with multiple stakeholders all focused on minimizing the time assets are offline, delivering their scope on budget, and ensuring zero safety

State-of-the-art automation systems are common at power plants these days. Still, many plants start up units in a very manual way. When startups were rare, the implications were minimal, but as units cycle

GLENDALE, Calif., July 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Beyond Limits, an artificial intelligence software engineering company, has been awarded a $25 million contract initial order with follow on orders by Xcell Security House and Finance S.A (Xcell), the Swiss-based global financial and minerals development company, to build the world’s first cognitive power plant. With technology originated for NASA space […]

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue’s mechanical engineering faculty and students are using artificial intelligence to help coal-dependent areas make the eventual transition to renewable energies. Purdue University is working with the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association; Great River Energy, Maple, Minnesota; and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington, on a project to develop resources […]

Inter-lab collaboration between the New York Power Authority (NYPA) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is paving the way for a greener and more resilient power grid – and attracting interest from businesses and government in the process. The Analysis Laboratory for Synchrophasor and Electrical Energy Technology (ALSETLab) at Rensselaer in collaboration with the Advanced Grid Innovation […]