Interview

Digital technology poses critical challenges for the power sector. As the backbone of modern society, any disruption to power infrastructure can have far-reaching consequences. To learn steps leading power companies can take to protect their systems, POWER interviewed Apu Pavithran, founder and CEO of Hexnode. Hexnode’s award-winning Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform has empowered organizations […]

A new U.S. president will be inaugurated in less than five months. Polls show the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris to be very close, with potentially only a few swing states deciding the election. While energy policy may not be a deciding factor for many Americans in choosing who they will vote for, […]

The Dell name is synonymous with technology and innovation, so perhaps it’s not surprising that a member of that famous computing family is working to solve the challenge of making electricity more reliable and resilient. The technology is distributed batteries, in this case a battery for the home that supports the power grid during periods […]

The power generation industry continues to grapple with a multitude of challenges when it comes to producing more electricity, and to ensure that power is delivered where and when it is needed. There is pressure to integrate more renewable energy resources to help meet net-zero targets and other decarbonization goals. Electrification efforts, notably from the […]

Engineering firms are increasingly recognizing the importance of digital construction and its transformative impact on electrical engineering and MEP (mechanical, electrical, and plumbing) design. Leveraging digital construction tools enables firms to optimize design processes, enhance collaboration, and deliver more efficient and sustainable solutions for their clients. Rahul Mittal, senior electrical engineer at Arup, has been […]

A pumped storage project in Kentucky is being touted as a model example of how land that once was the site of a coal mine can be repurposed for a renewable energy installation. The Lewis Ridge Pumped Storage Project, a closed-loop, 287-MW hydropower facility, is being constructed at a site where coal was mined beginning […]

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) represents the largest incentive effort for clean energy in U.S. history. Its impact touches multiple sectors, including solar, wind, hydrogen, energy storage, and more. The IRA includes more than 70 investment, production, and excise credits designed to facilitate the transition to cleaner energy production. The legislation promotes advanced manufacturing, and […]

Support for battery energy storage, and manufacturing of equipment for the electrification of transportation, is spurring construction of battery factories across the U.S. American Battery Factory, a leader in development of lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells, recently announced a partnership with Lead Intelligent Equipment (LEAD) to secure custom automation equipment and machinery that will […]

In 2002, the government of Saudi Arabia moved to step up the private sector’s role in the kingdom’s economy by opening the production of power and desalinated water. Saudi firms Abunayyan Trading Co., Abdulkadir Al Muhaidib & Sons Co., and MADA Group for Industrial and Commercial Development sensed a tremendous opportunity, forming ACWA Power Projects […]

A significant disconnect between political rhetoric and the practical realities of energy production is posing an insidious hurdle for the future of power, former Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-Louisiana) has warned. Speaking candidly to POWER during CERAweek by S&P Global in Houston on March 21, the influential three-term Democrat (1997–2015) who chaired the U.S. Senate Energy […]

Developments in communication technology, including software applications and new control hardware, are providing utilities the ability to monitor assets, analyze alarms, and control their power generation facilities remotely. Companies are using new technology to address power plant operations, support maintenance tasks, and ensure proper compliance reporting and incident response. Remote monitoring was part of POWER’s […]

Governments worldwide are investing in hydrogen production as a way to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and help decarbonize the energy sector. The U.S. Dept. of Energy last year published its U.S. National Clean Hydrogen Strategy and Roadmap, highlighting the need for collaboration across multiple agencies to push national decarbonization goals. The European Commission in […]

Companies offering the ability to collect data for use by electric utilities are finding their services in demand as the power generation sector embraces digitization. It’s an industry that promotes innovation, as utilities need to track the real-time performance of thermal and renewable energy generation assets, and gain more insight about how their equipment is […]

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie’s recent report on solar power installations said the U.S. installed a record 32.4 GW of new solar generation capacity in 2023, including 22.5 GW of new utility-scale capacity. That’s a 37% jump from the previous record, set in 2021, and a 51% increase from 2022. The […]

Utilities and other power generators recognize the importance of proper data management and the use of data analytics. Maximizing the value of data enables utilities to draw operational insights, including identifying current or potential issues at power plants and along the transmission and distribution system. Power generators are adopting communications networks to improve their operations, […]

Several solar power equipment manufacturing companies are building factories in the U.S., with many of those groups saying the investments are due to passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its incentives tied to domestic production. One of those companies is Heliene, a Canada-based solar power equipment maker. Heliene, which also makes solar panels […]

District energy systems are evolving across the power generation sector. Downtown business districts, college and university campuses, hospitals and healthcare facilities, airports, military bases and more are utilizing these systems to create economies of scale that reduce energy costs, and promote energy efficiency. These systems, used to provide power, hot water, heating, air conditioning and […]

The farm-to-table movement has changed the way many people look at food. But these days the agriculture business can be more than just growing and harvesting vegetables and grains. Many farmers are investing in farm-to-grid, particularly agrivoltaics, the practice of growing crops on the same land as a solar farm, to produce food and provide […]

Operators of utility-scale commercial solar farms know the importance of predictive maintenance for their installations. Being proactive when it comes to developing operations and maintenance (O&M) programs can help operators anticipate equipment failures, and also streamline repairs in the field, allowing O&M service providers to better manage and plan staff assignments, find spare parts, and […]

Growth in the solar power sector is being driven not only by ever-larger utility-scale farms, but also by growth in distributed generation. This smaller-scale use of solar energy is being supported as more homeowners and commercial and industrial (C&I) businesses install solar panels on rooftops, carports, parking garages and more. Distributed solar power generation is […]

In October, the National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) kicked off a ceremony to repurpose the iconic Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II) containment structure at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) as a new test bed for higher thermal power reactor projects. Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy Dr. Kathryn Huff shed more light on NRIC’s Demonstration […]

A variety of industries are looking at nuclear power as a way to reduce their carbon footprint and provide a reliable source of electricity. Technology companies, along with industries such as mining and shipping, are exploring the use of nuclear energy as a way to cut emissions and electrify their operations. Tech companies such as […]

Decarbonization of the U.S. power sector is bringing new technologies to the forefront, including an array of new battery types for energy storage, electric vehicles (EVs), and more. Lyten, a San Jose, California-based advanced materials manufacturer known for its Lyten 3D Graphene technology platform, along with other decarbonization materials, is moving forward with several projects. […]

The power industry has always evolved to meet the rising energy demands of communities across the U.S. That demand is now shifting from energy powered by fossil fuels to greener alternatives that can help the world reach its goal of keeping global warming under 1.5C. The latest report from IPCC, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate […]

There are many reasons to be optimistic about the prospects for nuclear energy. As a carbon-free energy source, it is a great option for power generation in a world trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and stop climate change. The fact that nuclear reactors can operate at baseload with capacity factors regularly greater than 90% […]

The International Energy Agency says electrification “means replacing technologies or processes that use fossil fuels, like internal combustion engines and gas boilers, with electrically-powered equivalents, such as electric vehicles or heat pumps. These replacements are typically more efficient, reducing energy demand, and have a growing impact on emissions as electricity generation is decarbonized.” The transition, […]

Much of the innovation in the power generation and energy sectors revolves around efficiency, with companies working to ensure a reliable and resilient supply of electricity while also reducing emissions. Those efficiency measures also include technologies to enhance sustainability, including recycling, cleaner fuels, and providing alternative modes of electric power. Companies such as Clean Energy […]

The U.S. nuclear power industry has an ally with a unique platform to spread the sector’s message of providing reliable, clean electricity. Meet Grace Stanke. She’s not just a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison working on the final stages of a degree in nuclear engineering. She is also Miss America 2023. “A lot of […]

Advancements in nuclear power technology have brought several new companies into the sector, many of them working on innovative reactor designs and fuels to move the industry forward. One of those groups is newcleo, a company based in the UK with additional operations in Italy and France. The company began operating in 2021, and in […]

There is a continued push in the power generation sector to make the industry more efficient through the use of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and data science. Several companies are working to provide products and services for utilities and other power producers, focused on generation, transmission and distribution, and the way utilities interact with […]