Instrumentation & Controls

  • How EL Testing Is Transforming Solar Panel Damage Assessment

    The global solar boom has introduced a new urgency around asset durability, performance, and risk. As utility-scale solar farms become more common, so do the invisible defects that compromise long-term generation and reliability. While traditional visual and infrared (IR) inspections are still a common practice, a more advanced diagnostic method is emerging as an invaluable […]

  • Grid Modernization: A Utility’s Guide to Resilience and Flexibility

    Sponsored by:
    Honeywell

    Utilities are confronting a convergence of challenges, including aging infrastructure, rising energy demand and the accelerating shift to renewable energy sources. The electric grid, much of which is decades old, is increasingly exposed to risks like extreme weather and cyber threats. Digital transformation can offer a practical path forward, helping utilities modernize operations, improve visibility […]

  • Honeywell Introduces New BESS for C&I Applications

    Honeywell announced the company is supporting the commercial and industrial sector with the group’s Ionic Modular All-in-One, a compact, end-to-end battery energy storage system (BESS) designed for the commercial and industrial segments. The Ionic combines flexible battery storage with Honeywell’s advanced control system. The new BESS, announced September 10 and featured at the RE+ 2025 […]

  • AZZO Announces Launch of Standardized, Scalable Microgrid Solutions

    AZZO, a global leader in energy integration and management technologies, announced the launch of a new offering of standardized, scalable microgrid solutions for the U.S. commercial and industrial market. This initiative is supported by Schneider Electric, whose EcoStruxure Microgrid Flex platform forms the foundation of the solution. The offering, announced September 9 at the RE+ […]

  • Analytics Can Help Energy Storage Operators Find More Revenue

    Using modeling through analytics, battery energy storage system operators can determine exactly what size system they need for their site with advanced predictive software.

  • Behind-the-Meter DERs: A Practical Strategy to Offset Rising Grid Construction Costs

    With national electricity demand surging—driven by artificial intelligence (AI) and data center developments, widespread electrification, and challenging legislative and regulatory policy shifts—utilities are scrambling to keep pace. Add to that mounting supply chain strain and aging infrastructure, and it’s no wonder utilities are facing a costly balancing act.

  • Preparing Energy Storage Technology to Support Data Center Power Demands

    The increasing power demands of data centers are adding urgency to grid resiliency and renewable energy projects. Data center electricity use is expected to grow 300% by 2035 as hyperscale cloud computing companies race to adopt new technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI). Renewable energy and microgrid solutions will play an essential role in the digitalized and electrified future.

  • How Advanced Monitoring and Early Warning Tools Are Revolutionizing Power Plant Cooling Water Intake Management

    Thermal power plants, nuclear and fossil-fueled, rely on cooling water intake structures (CWIS) to withdraw water for rejecting waste heat. The CWIS serves as a critical interface between engineered systems and the natural environment, making it vulnerable to various external factors such as biological growth, water chemistry changes, hydraulic forces, drifting debris, and meteorologic events. […]

  • Managing AI’s Heat: Advanced Liquid Cooling Systems and the Instrumentation That Supports Them

    Efficient liquid cooling supported by reliable instrumentation is essential for data centers to handle increased capacity demands in the age of artificial intelligence (AI) and other heavy compute applications. The landscape of data processing has undergone a seismic shift recently, with today’s artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) applications requiring computational power at a […]

  • Yokogawa Establishes Trusted Green Sustainability Guiding Principles Covering the Product Lifecycle

    Yokogawa has established sustainability guiding principles called Trusted Green that cover Yokogawa Group products over their entire lifecycle, from planning and development to the procurement of parts and materials, production, service, collection, and recycling. For many years, Yokogawa has emphasized the establishment of environmental design standards for products, development of life cycle assessment (LCA) criteria […]

  • It’s Time to Listen to Transformers

    A transformer fire at Heathrow Airport earlier this year triggered cascading power outages, cutting electricity to more than 66,000 homes, grounding more than 1,300 flights, and causing losses of up to £100 million. According to a recent report, the fire started because of a fault in a 50-year-old asset that subsequently led to short circuiting […]

  • Extra Effort: Filling the Gaps in Demand Response

    The dual challenges of affordability and growing load demand are putting enormous stress on utilities, communities and households. Demand response, a key part of the solution, is falling short, but innovative payment plans can help fill the gap. Residential demand response (DR) is like the aerobic exercise of the electric utility industry. We all know […]

  • From Static Maps to Smart Systems: How GIS, LiDAR and Geospatial AI are Reshaping Utility Inspections

    Visual inspections of the power grid have traditionally relied on manual methods and reactive responses. These inspections, whether performed on foot, by helicopter or drone, often involve fragmented data systems and delayed reporting cycles. The approach worked for decades, but it is no longer sufficient. Utilities are now facing intensified pressure on several fronts. Infrastructure […]

  • AI and the Energy Transition: Building a Smarter, Decarbonized Energy System

    Solar energy generation from a rooftop panel system can be monitored quickly and easily, an example of how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools are empowering businesses to optimize energy use and contribute to a decentralized, decarbonized grid. The energy transition is accelerating. Electrification is surging, renewable power generation is expanding and energy consumption patterns […]

  • Achieving maximum reliability with drive systems

    This white paper explores how using a holistic, application-driven approach can help minimize drivetrain failures, reduce Total Harmonic Distortion (THD), enable predictive maintenance, and deliver long-term cost savings via lower total cost of ownership (TCO). It explains how an integrated approach to drive system design ensures maximum efficiency, reliability, and performance.

  • Energy Storage Project Boosts Efficiency, Provides Savings, Reduces Emissions

    An innovative thermal energy storage system in use at a New York state university campus is an example of the long-term energy vision for the college, and a blueprint for other institutions.

  • Pavegen Chosen for Cyberport 5 Smart City Expansion in Hong Kong

    Pavegen, a UK-based clean technology company pioneering energy and data generation, on July 29 announced it has been selected to deliver a flagship installation at Cyberport 5, part of the HK$3.7 billion ($472 million) expansion of Cyberport, Hong Kong’s government-owned Innovation & Technology (I&T) hub. Installation is scheduled for September, ahead of the site’s full […]

  • Securing the Power Grid: Cybersecurity Strategies for Smart Energy Systems

    As the backbone of modern energy systems, smart grids and digital substations promise efficiency and sustainability—but they also open the door to escalating cyberthreats. This article dives into a layered cybersecurity strategy that blends integrated vulnerability assessments, robust protocols, and defense-in-depth tactics. Packed with practical insights and a look at breakthrough technologies, it empowers utilities […]

  • Flow State: The Connected Future of Hydropower Generation

    As aging infrastructure meets rising demand, hydro plants are embracing modern control systems to unlock data, streamline operations, and power a more resilient, connected future. Hydro generation has been a

  • Unlocking Power Plant Efficiency: How AI Models Are Revolutionizing Heat Rate Optimization

    Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a huge role in heat rate optimization. In some cases, AI-driven models have analyzed operational data to recommend control settings that reduce heat rates by 1.5% to

  • Data Is the New Diesel: Understanding the Role of Telematics in the EV Transition

    The fleet industry is approaching a pivotal juncture, with electrification increasingly positioned as a potential path forward for businesses working to reduce emissions and operating costs. Yet, during this period with evolving expectations and uncertain environmental regulations, the direction and pace of this transition remain fluid. While momentum is building around the shift from traditional […]

  • Outage and Grid Alerts Catalyst for Replacing Obsolete Valves, Actuators

    When an electric utility with a power plant in the southwestern U.S. prepared for a planned, major outage on its two Siemens 501D turbines, the plant’s manager requested a repair quote for two directional control valves and two gas valves attached to each turbine. “We had a problem with one of our controllers that lead […]

  • Eaton, TVA Turning Retired Bull Run Coal Plant into Critical Grid Asset

    Intelligent power management company Eaton is working with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to repurpose the utility’s retired Bull Run Fossil Plant in Clinton, Tennessee, into a critical asset supporting reliable and clean energy. The two groups on June 25 noted the importance of maintaining grid stability as more electricity comes from variable renewable energy […]

  • Three Strategies for Seamlessly Incorporating AI into the Modern Energy Equation

    In the ongoing effort to improve the profitability of energy production and delivery while mitigating the risks, companies are incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) to drive more powerful, effective analytics. This technological leap is critical as the industry navigates evolving demands, embraces new sources, and strives for greater efficiency, reliability, and sustainability. However, some energy companies […]

  • Improve Product Quality and Yield

    Our state-of-the-art lab aims to replicate and optimize real operating conditions so that you can maximize the hydroprocessing component of your facility. Learn how today.

  • The POWER Interview: Advanced Technologies Support Microgrid Movement

    Microgrids have grown in importance as the need for a reliable and resilient supply of power has grown. The technology has proven itself for a variety of commercial and industrial (C&I) enterprises, in both urban and rural areas where a source of off-grid—or in some cases grid-connected—energy is needed, whether a backup power or as a primary source of electricity.

  • Meet the Tools Helping Power Companies Separate Threats from Noise

    As threats to power companies rise—from cyberattacks to theft and vandalism—many utilities are rethinking how to secure facilities and critical infrastructure. Outdated systems that constantly trigger false alarms from wind, weather, or wildlife are draining resources—making it imperative for utilities to modernize their security to improve response, cut costs and reduce reliance on armed personnel. […]

  • Hitachi, Southwest Power Pool Join to Develop AI-Based Grid Solution

    The Southwest Power Pool (SPP) regional transmission organization (RTO) is joining with energy technology company Hitachi on development of what the groups say is an artificial intelligence (AI)-based solution to support power transmission reliability and flexibility challenges.

  • Navigating the Distributed Energy Resources Revolution

    Sponsored by:
    Emerson

    Power generators and transmission system engineers have to rethink their planning strategies, and must continue to develop tools to allow more solar, wind, and other forms of renewable energy to populate the power grid. Integrating renewable energy resources such as solar and wind into the electric power grid involves addressing challenges, starting with the intermittent […]

  • Natural Gas, Energy Storage at Heart of New Group’s Data Center Power Concept

    A startup company led by former executives with major technology and energy groups is betting on the use of natural gas and battery energy storage to provide data centers with on-site power, freeing those sites from reliance on the traditional power grid.