News

  • AI-Driven Big Data Platform Revolutionizes Power Plant Operations

    The surge in adoption of renewable energy driven by carbon neutrality policies has created operational challenges for large thermal power plants. These plants must now accommodate rapid load fluctuations and offer flexible operation, which involves adjusting their outputs rapidly as the renewable generators’ outputs fluctuate. However, operating beyond original design specifications places additional stress on […]

  • Hydrogen Use Cases for the Power Industry

    Hydrogen is becoming increasingly important to the electric power generation industry for several reasons. One is that hydrogen offers a promising pathway to decarbonize the power sector. When used in fuel cells or burned for electricity generation, hydrogen produces only water vapor as a byproduct, making it a zero-emission energy source. This is crucial for […]

  • Tech Giant Meta Seeking Nuclear Power to Support Data Centers

    Facebook parent Meta wants to find developers that can provide nuclear reactors to support electricity demand from the tech company’s data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. The group said the new generation capacity also could support local power grids. Meta on Dec. 3 announced a request for proposals (RFP) “to identify nuclear energy developers […]

  • Balancing Growth and Sustainability: Power Challenges for Data Centers in the Age of AI

    The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how industries operate, and data centers have become the nerve center of this transformation. From streaming services to real-time collaboration tools, the data centers that house and manage our digital lives are expanding rapidly to meet the surging demand. Yet, as AI’s impact and importance grow, so […]

  • Watt’s Up with Cyber and AI? Navigating Legal Currents in Power Generation and Smart Grids

    In the rapidly evolving landscape of power generation, companies are increasingly integrating smart grids and artificial intelligence (AI) into their operations. This transition, while promising enhanced efficiency and reliability, also brings forth a myriad of challenges, particularly in the realms of cybersecurity and legal compliance. This commentary delves into three legal issues around emerging cybersecurity […]

  • GE Vernova Will Modernize Two Units at Dominion Hydropower Plant

    GE Vernova said it has secured an order with Dominion Energy South Carolina to modernize two hydropower units at the Saluda Hydro facility on the Saluda River about 10 miles west of Columbia, South Carolina. The company on Dec. 2 said the project “will help extend the lifetime, reliability, performance, and operational flexibility of the […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: How Much Power Will Data Centers Consume? (Infographic)

    Driven by artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and the digital transformation, U.S. data centers consumed an estimated 150 TWh of electricity in 2023—equivalent to around 3% of the nation’s power demand. Globally, data center demand hovered at 340 TWh in 2023—about 1.3% of worldwide electricity use. Multiple sources project this demand will surge dramatically through […]

  • Trial Run at Finland’s Onkalo Repository Sets Stage for World’s First Spent Nuclear Fuel Disposal

    Finland is making significant strides in a trial run that will demonstrate the entire process for the safe disposal of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at Onkalo on Olkiluoto Island—the world’s first permanent

  • Data Center Hysteria: How the Power Industry Is Accommodating the Boom

    Everywhere you turn these days people are talking about data centers and the enormous amount of electrical power they are expected to demand as artificial intelligence (AI) platforms scale up and become more

  • Renewable Energy Event Showcases Innovation in Energy Storage

    Attendees of this year’s RE+ trade show saw several advanced designs for energy storage systems, with experts across utility-scale, commercial and industrial, and residential sectors providing insight into

  • Solar Power Leads Buildout of India’s Renewable Energy

    India has long been dependent on coal-fired power for much of its electricity, and the country still gets about 70% of its energy from burning coal according to government data. The Institute for Energy

  • Digital Sensor Provides Greater Asset Management Capability for Transformers

    ABB Electrification Service recently launched a digital monitoring solution for power and distribution transformers that it says will enhance performance, reliability, and availability of equipment. The transformer sensor is reportedly quick and easy to fit, requiring no screws or tooling for installation. Instead, the sensor, called TRAFCOM, can be mounted magnetically to the transformer within […]

  • POWER Digest (December 2024)

    Egypt Reducing Renewable Energy Target. Karim Badawi, petroleum minister for Egypt, said the country has cut the amount of renewable energy it will likely have online by 2040. Badawi on Oct. 20, speaking at

  • Shoring Up the Future of Wind Power

    Wind power is one of the UK’s most abundant sources of renewable energy. Ensuring wind turbines operate reliably and extending their useful lifetimes are important to achieving a sustainable energy future

  • Transformer Safety: Fire Barriers as Essential Protection for Electrical Infrastructure

    Flammable insulating fluids and electrical faults pose significant fire and explosion risks to transformers. These hazards can result in catastrophic damage, disrupt business continuity, and cause extensive

  • Enhancing Nuclear Plant Safety, Efficiency, and Compliance Through Video Borescope Inspections

    This article explores the role video borescopes play in nuclear plant inspections, emphasizing the value they bring in terms of safety, efficiency, and long-term plant integrity. Nuclear power plants operate

  • How to Improve Remediation of Coal Ash Pond Water

    Many power companies face significant risks from coal ash ponds. New solutions based on water flow physics are showing promise in preventing the spread of hazardous particulate matter. Existing coal plants are

  • Fire Suppression for Battery Energy Storage Systems

    As demand for electrical energy storage systems (ESS) has expanded, safety has become a critical concern. This article examines lithium-ion battery ESS housed in outdoor enclosures, which represent the most

  • Lessen Risk for Battery Energy Storage with Analytics Software

    Battery energy storage systems (BESS) have emerged as a crucial technology for storing and dispatching energy when needed. However, the rapid expansion of BESS has been accompanied by safety and risk management challenges. Most BESS units use lithium-ion batteries, which require particular care to avoid fire concerns. Though lithium-ion BESS is overall a safe and […]

  • How Energy Storage Can Turn Oversupply into Opportunity

    Renewable energy intermittency isn’t only a challenge when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. For many regions, oversupply of renewable electricity during sunny and windy periods with low grid demand creates its own economic and operational challenges. In California, more than 2.7 TWh of renewable energy—primarily solar—was curtailed last year during such […]

  • Leaders Weigh in on Cuba’s Renewable Energy Transformation

    In the presence of Cuba’s Vice Prime Minister Ramiro Valdés and the Minister of Energy and Mines Vicente de la O Levy, the results of a study focused on the control and supervision of investments in photovoltaic parks and the maintenance of thermal power plants were analyzed in the Industry, Construction, and Energy Commission of […]

  • Wärtsilä Among Groups in New Consortium to Explore Hydrogen-Argon for Net-Zero Power

    Technology group Wärtsilä is part of a new research project exploring innovative technology for cleaner, more energy-efficient engines utilizing a closed-loop combustion cycle. The research, announced on Nov. 26, will focus on the use of argo, a non-toxic ideal gas present in the atmosphere, to increase efficiency of balancing engines. The co-innovation project is run […]

  • EPA Proposes Tighter NOx Limits for Combustion Turbines

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed tougher nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions limits for new, modified, and reconstructed stationary combustion turbines. The proposed rule identifies a combination of combustion controls and selective catalytic reduction (SCR) as the Best System of Emission Reduction (BSER) for most turbines though it proposes combustion controls alone for certain smaller […]

  • Westinghouse, CORE POWER Partner for Floating Nuclear Power Plants

    Westinghouse Electric Co. and CORE POWER said the companies have formalized a deal for the design and development of a floating nuclear power plant (FNPP) using the Westinghouse eVinci microreactor. The companies on Nov. 25 called the floating facilities “a game-changing approach to deploying nuclear energy to islands, ports, coastal communities and industry.” “There’s no […]

  • Cutting-Edge Process Turns Wind Turbine Blades Into Reusable Materials

    A damaged 44-meter turbine blade from Vattenfall’s Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm has been recycled by Plaswire, a Northern Ireland-based company. Plaswire has developed a sustainable solution which overcomes the challenge of what to do with scrap wind turbine components. The recycling process will give new life to the old blade, by turning it into […]

  • Why Businesses and the Government Are Turning to Nuclear Reactors for Our Increasing Energy Demands

    The energy landscape in the U.S. is undergoing a seismic shift, owing in part to the exponential growth of generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications and data centers, according to McKinsey & Company. This rise in energy demand is further exacerbated by the country’s increasing seasonal cooling and heating needs due to extreme weather. To offset […]

  • Hotly Contested Dispute Over Co-Located Loads Is Primed for FERC Action

    Federal regulation of customer loads located next to existing power generating facilities, referred to as “co-located loads,” have become a significant area of interest for the electric industry. Large industrial loads have taken an interest in this configuration because it promises a faster, streamlined pathway to interconnecting to the grid and meeting their power supply […]

  • Japan, Korea Groups Will Build 2.4-GW Gas-Fired Power Plant in Qatar

    Four major Japanese and Korean energy companies have jointly won the rights to build and operate a natural gas-fired power plant and a seawater desalination facility near Doha in Qatar. Tokyo-based Sumitomo Corp. on Nov. 26 announced it will lead the group, which includes Japan’s Shikoku Electric Power along with Korea Southern Power and Korea […]

  • DeepGEO, Copenhagen Atomics Sign Pact to Align Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing with Spent Fuel Management

    DeepGEO, a multinational spent nuclear fuel (SNF) repository developer, and Copenhagen Atomics, a Danish advanced thorium reactor innovator, have signed a first-of-its-kind collaboration agreement that seeks to revolutionize the nuclear fuel cycle by aligning emerging waste management solutions with next-generation reactor technologies. The landmark collaboration marks an industry-first effort to unite a reactor designer and […]

  • GE Vernova Will Supply Essential Grid Equipment for Australian Project

    GE Vernova Inc. said it has secured a contract from Powerlink, Queensland’s state-owned transmission utility, to supply essential equipment for an upcoming Capital Work program. Under the agreement, GE Vernova will deliver 69 Dead Tank Circuit Breakers (DTCBs) rated 245 kV and above, supporting Queensland’s renewable energy targets and enhancing power infrastructure resilience. Powerlink is responsible […]