International
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Commentary
2023: A Transformative Year for Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
The small modular reactor (SMR) concept has long been viewed by many within the nuclear sector and by policymakers as somewhat of an arriviste—an upstart with bold promises but lacking credibility and a track record. SMRs were touted to save the nuclear industry from its original sins of delays and cost overruns, typical for all […]
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Nuclear
POWER’s Top 5 Posts from 2023
POWER magazine’s website gets millions of pageviews every year. Looking over the stats from 2023, the following five articles were the most-viewed by our audience, which includes many power industry professionals. Were you among the hundreds of thousands of readers of these stories? 5. Westinghouse Secures First Customer for eVinci Nuclear Microreactor (Nov. 27, 2023) […]
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O&M
A Boiler for Any Occasion
Boilers obviously play an important role in the power generation industry, providing the mechanism to convert heat produced by burning fuel into steam that can be used to drive a turbine to generate electricity. But many other industries also use boilers to produce steam for a variety of purposes. Boilers are commonly used for space […]
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Solar
India’s Adani Group Announces $1 Billion Investment in Renewable Energy
India’s Adani Group announced more development of renewable energy, with the company on Dec. 27 saying its Adani Green Energy arm has received $300 million for the transfer of a 1,050-MW clean energy portfolio as part of a joint venture (JV) with France’s TotalEnergies. The announcement Wednesday came one day after Adani, led by billionaire […]
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Offshore Wind
RWE Buying Offshore Wind Projects from Vattenfall in $1.2 Billion Deal
Germany-based RWE, among the world’s leading companies in development of offshore wind energy, said it will acquire three major projects off the East Anglia coast of the UK from Sweden’s Vattenfall in a $1.2 billion deal. RWE on Dec. 21 said the projects, each with planned generation capacity of 1.4 GW, are in the Norfolk […]
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Solar
India’s Largest Solar PV Manufacturer Planning U.S. Factory
India’s largest solar photovoltaic (PV) module maker is moving some of its manufacturing to the U.S. Mumbai-based Waaree Energies on Dec. 21 said it would build its first U.S.-based facility in Brookshire, Texas, near Houston. Waaree, a major equipment supplier for the U.S. solar power sector, on Thursday said the new plant would have an […]
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Trends
Seven European Countries Set Ambitious But ‘Necessary’ Target to Decarbonize Power System by 2035
The seven European countries that make up the Pentalateral Energy Forum—Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Switzerland—will strive for the decarbonization of their interconnected electricity system by 2035. The countries, which form the Pentalateral Energy Forum—a 2005-convened voluntary framework for regional energy cooperation—in a joint statement on Dec. 18 formally concluded, “timely decarbonization […]
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Sustainability
Shining Light on Life Cycle Analysis for Renewable Energy Systems
Life cycle analysis or assessments (LCAs) are a quintessential tool for power and utility industry professionals and tradespeople. They determine the environmental and financial value of new technologies. Consumer products get the most attention, but LCAs for renewable energy systems (Figure 1) should be discussed more. It is time to synthesize known information to create […]
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Hydro
Major Hydropower Project Moves Forward in Angola
Work continues on what would be the largest hydropower project in Angola, a $5.2 billion run-of-river power station that Angolan officials have said could come online as early as 2026. Technology group Voith on Dec. 19 said it is supplying all the electrical and mechanical equipment for the Caculo Cabaca facility, located in the midstream […]
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Solar
How Renewable Energy Companies Can Address Increasing Foreign Exchange Challenges
Following a difficult period for the renewable energy industry, firms must begin prioritising foreign exchange (FX) risk management against the rising threat of currency movements. It has been a tough year for the renewable energy industry. The post-COVID inflationary pressures that have gripped the global economy over the last two years are weighing heavily on […]
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Trends
COP28 Concludes with Landmark Decision to Shift Away from Fossil Fuels
Negotiators from nearly every country in the world closed COP28 with a decision that—for the first time—formally recognizes the necessity of moving away from fossil fuels to achieve Paris Agreement targets. The decision, adopted on the last day of the two-week 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate […]
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Wind
GE Vernova, Forestalia Reach Deal for Wind Farms in Spain
GE Vernova said the company’s turbines will play a major role in supporting renewable energy in Spain through a collaboration with Forestalia, one of that country’s leading clean energy developers. The companies on Dec. 14 said they had a framework agreement in which GE Vernova will install as much as 693 MW of onshore wind […]
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Nuclear
South Africa Looking at Nuclear Power to Solve Load-Shedding Crisis
South African officials, faced with continued power outages that are hurting the country’s economy, are turning to nuclear power in an effort to support a more reliable supply of electricity. The country has experienced intermittent blackouts, part of a process known as load shedding, since 2008. The outages, imposed by state-owned utility Eskom, have escalated […]
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Nuclear
The Nuclear Renaissance 2.0
The World Nuclear Exhibition was held in Paris, France, from Nov. 28-30, 2023. Sitting here in France at the World Nuclear Exhibition among 20,000 nuclear stakeholders, it seems a new day for nuclear has arrived. The prospects of carbon-free 24/7 baseload power, a massive workforce and lucrative supply chain means billions of dollars and gigawatts […]
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Nuclear
Impressive Milestones Achieved on Chinese Advanced Nuclear Power Projects
China National Nuclear Corp. (CNNC) announced on Dec. 6 that China’s independently developed high-temperature gas-cooled modular pebble bed (HTR-PM) reactor demonstrator had commenced commercial operation. The HTR-PM project was constructed at a site in Rongcheng, Shandong Province (Figure 1), roughly midway between Beijing and Shanghai in eastern China. Touted as “the world’s first commercially operational […]
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Nuclear
U.S. Set to Lead Global Research for Nuclear Fusion
U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said the U.S. is ready to work with other governments on research and development of nuclear fusion, as part of efforts to produce more carbon-free energy and combat climate change. Kerry made the announcement Dec. 5 at the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Fusion has long been […]
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Nuclear
22 Countries, Including U.S., Pledge to Triple Nuclear Power Capacity
The U.S. and 21 other countries have said they want to triple the global generation capacity of nuclear power by mid-century. The pledge, announced Dec. 2 at the United Nations’ COP28 climate summit in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), comes as more of the world’s governments say increased use of nuclear power is […]
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Commentary
Why Utilities Must Create A Stronger Digital Architecture to Manage the Future Power Grid Amid Climate Challenges
This year, many of us watched with audible gasps as high temperatures shattered records and extreme weather destroyed homes and displaced people across the globe. These uncontrolled events have undoubtedly strained our old, antiquated electric grids, causing outages and downtime. The Biden administration has stepped up with $167 Million in energy grid resilience funding to assist in modernizing these […]
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Coal
What’s New in Coal Power Innovation?
Despite a dismal outlook for coal, countries with substantial coal fleets are intensifying efforts to develop new technologies and operational capabilities to improve coal power’s environmental impact
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Coal
Indonesia Outlines Plans for Coal Power, Renewables
Indonesian officials said they would increase their use of renewable energy and move away from coal-fired power generation in order to receive funding from an international public and private decarbonization
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News and Notes
World Bank Approves $1B Loan to Advance South Africa’s Power Sector Reforms
The World Bank on Oct. 25 granted South Africa a $1 billion developmental policy loan (DPL) as a significant measure to help the country address its debilitating energy crisis, and encourage it to transition
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Solar
BayWa r.e. Supporting Solar Power for Agriculture Projects
Solar photovoltaic (PV) installations designed to support agriculture across the European Union (EU) received a boost in late October. BayWa r.e., a major Germany-based renewable energy developer, announced it
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Commentary
A Community Solution to Decarbonization from College Campuses to Cities Around the World
University and college campuses are places where young minds are shaped, and groundbreaking research is conducted. Cities are often the places where recent graduates gather to put those ideas learned in the
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Hybrid Power
New Zealand Utility Eyes Cloud Computing to Support Renewables, EVs
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
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Connected Plant
Converged Field Area Networks: Modernizing the Grid for a Sustainable Future
We’ve come a long way since the first waterwheel in 200 BC. Renewable energy sources now make up about 30% of the world’s generated power and are set to more than double as governments and utilities aim to meet their net-zero emission targets by 2050. That’s a tall order, especially for utilities with an aging […]
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T&D
New 225-kV Transmission Lines and Substations Provide Reliable Power Supply to Impoverished Regions of Cameroon
Spanning several regions of Cameroon where 55% of the population live in poverty, grid connectivity is limited and the power supply is unreliable. However, a new project, which will extend the country’s electricity network, may help. The project involves building two 225-kV single-circuit transmission lines and supporting substations. Upon completion, the new infrastructure will enhance […]
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Coal
Cambodia Cancels Coal Plant in Favor of Gas-Fired Facility
A Cambodian energy official said the country no longer plans to build a coal-fired power plant along the nation’s southwest coast, and will instead move forward with a natural gas-fired facility. Energy Minister Keo Rottanak told the Reuters news service an official announcement is expected Nov. 30. Rottanak said the proposed 700-ME coal-fired plant, which […]
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Sustainability
FutureCoal CEO Suggests ‘Cancel Coal’ Mantra Is Short-Sighted, Abated Coal Solutions Must Be Part of Energy Transition
Speaking at the 5th annual India Coal Conference in New Delhi, FutureCoal CEO Michelle Manook said, “Government and finance policies, which embrace a ‘cancel coal’ mantra, are short-sighted and undermine the very ambitions we seek to achieve as a global community.” Formerly known as the World Coal Association, FutureCoal: The Global Alliance for Sustainable Coal […]
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Nuclear
U.S. Pledges to Help Philippines Develop Nuclear Power
The U.S. will help develop a nuclear power industry in the Philippines after both countries signed an agreement Nov. 17 during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in San Francisco, California. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, speaking Friday during the meeting, said, “The United States will be able to share equipment and material with […]
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Offshore Wind
Vestas Will Supply 15-MW Turbines for South Korean Offshore Wind Project
Vestas will supply 33 of the company’s wind turbines for a major floating offshore wind project in South Korea. The Ulsan Gray Whale 3 installation, which was announced in March of this year with few details, is part of a 1.5-GW floating wind development being built in three phases in an area about 37 miles […]