News

  • Avangrid Brings First Phase of Solar Farm in Texas Online

    Avangrid said it has started producing power from the first phase of the True North solar project in Texas, an installation the company said is its first solar installation in the state. Avangrid, headquartered in Orange, Connecticut, on July 15 said the solar farm when complete will have 238 MWac (321 MWdc) of generation capacity, […]

  • Offshore Wind Group Looks to Challenge China’s Dominance of Sector

    Countries active in the offshore wind industry continue to consider steps to counter China’s dominance of the sector. The latest to announce a move is South Korea, where officials recently announced they may work with a global offshore wind industry group in order to better compete with China. Officials have said joining the Global Offshore […]

  • GOP-Held Congressional Districts Cash in on Clean Energy Projects

    More than $106.5 billion in large-scale clean energy project investments have been announced in Republican-held congressional districts in the U.S. during the period from August 2022 through June 2024. The figure was released by E2, a national, nonpartisan group of business leaders, investors, and professionals from every sector of the economy who advocate for “smart […]

  • Price Swings Mean Coal May Replace Natural Gas in European Power Mix This Winter

    Higher prices for natural gas across Europe mean some countries, particularly in Eastern Europe, likely will burn more coal for power generation during the upcoming winter season. Coal remains a large part of the energy mix in Germany—the largest energy consumer in Europe—as well as other countries such as Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, […]

  • Sinovoltaics Launches BESSential Quality Control Service to Reveal and Correct Battery Pack Defects

    A global group that provides quality assurance for the battery energy storage system (BESS) and solar photovoltaic (PV) industries has launched a battery pack review service designed to improve detection and correction of capacity imbalance issues. Sinovoltaics on July 11 said it has launched its BESSential analysis service, offering 100% battery pack review. The service, […]

  • Group Selected to Develop Pilot Nuclear Fusion Plant

    A global professional services and project management company headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, announced it has been chose to develop the pre-concept design for a nuclear fusion pilot plant (FPP). The pilot, announced by Canada-based Canada-based AtkinsRéalis on July 10 as part of Type One Energy’s FusionDirect program, will be a commercial-scale FPP. It will use […]

  • Largest Maine Natural Gas Provider Acquiring Second-Largest Supplier

    Unitil Corp., the largest provider of natural gas in Maine, on July 9 said it has a deal to purchase Bangor Natural Gas Co., which has been the state’s No. 2 provider of the fuel. The Maine Public Utilities Commission, which still must approve the merger, said Unitil has about 27,000 customers in Maine, most […]

  • The POWER Interview: Growing Importance of Solar Recycling

    Waste from end-of-life solar panels and other solar-related equipment provides an opportunity to recover valuable materials, along with other benefits. The International Renewable Energy Agency said that by 2030, the cumulative value of recoverable raw materials from end-of-life panels alone will be about $450 million worldwide, which the agency said is equivalent to the cost […]

  • Cost Makes Adding New Nuclear Power Plants Unthinkable

    On Friday, May 31, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm flew to Georgia to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Plant Vogtle, the first set of nuclear reactors built in the U.S. in nearly 30 years, where she called for another 198 large-scale reactors to follow. There is a lot I don’t understand in […]

  • Clearway Begins Repowering of Texas Wind Farm

    Clearway Energy Group on July 8 said it has closed financing and begun a repowering project for the California-based company’s Cedro Hill wind farm in Webb County, Texas. Clearway said the repowering will boost the wind farm’s generation capacity to 160 MW, from its current 150 MW. Workers will replace the blades and nacelle with […]

  • Analyst Says Nuclear Industry Is ‘Totally Irrelevant’ in the Market for New Power Capacity

    Nuclear power has consistently provided about 19% to 20% of total annual U.S. electricity generation since 1990. It provides significant amounts of electricity in many other countries as well. According to data from The World Nuclear Industry Status Report (WNISR), a total of 414 reactors were operating in 32 countries, as of July 1, 2024. […]

  • Report: India Supports $33 Billion Investment in New Coal-Fired Generation

    Government officials in India have reportedly asked the country’s power companies to spend billions on equipment to support additional coal-fired generation. India is looking for ways to more quickly increase its baseload electricity supply as demand for power increases across the country. Reuters news service on July 3 said the Indian government supports tenders for […]

  • Sulzer Will Deliver Hot and Cold Molten Salt Pumps for China Solar Project

    A major concentrated solar power (CSP) project in China selected Sulzer, a global fluid engineering company, to supply both the hot and the cold molten salts pumps for the installation. The planned 100-MW solar project will feature technology designed to deliver electricity from solar energy 24 hours a day. Molten salts have been used in […]

  • Nearly 5 GW of New Offshore Wind Power Approved for the U.S. Northeast

    Over the past week, the offshore wind power sector in the U.S. received two major federal approvals that could add nearly 5 GW to the grid. On July 1, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) approved a construction and operations plan (COP) for  Avangrid’s 791-MW New England Wind 1 project and 1,080-MW New England Wind […]

  • Sedimentary Geothermal Resources Offer a Bright Future for Geothermal Energy

    Next-generation, or “next-gen,” geothermal resources have the potential to increase geothermal power generation in the U.S. by twenty-fold by 2050. Next-gen geothermal concepts use technologies developed by the oil and gas industry to engineer reservoirs for geothermal energy generation, vastly expanding the available resource base. Typically, the term next-gen geothermal refers to enhanced geothermal systems […]

  • The Chevron Deference Is Dead. What Does It Mean for the Power Sector?

    The U.S. Supreme Court on June 28 overturned the Chevron doctrine—a forty-year-old precedent—significantly curtailing the power of federal agencies to interpret ambiguous statutory provisions, even in areas of agency expertise. The landmark 6–3 decision could have far-reaching effects on the power industry, with specific impact on sweeping energy regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) […]

  • Group Expects Huge Jump in Global Revenue for Hydrogen-Capable Gas Turbines

    A new report from Guidehouse Insights, the Colorado-based dedicated market intelligence arm of Guidehouse, estimates global revenue for hydrogen-capable gas turbines (HGTs) will grow to more than $7 billion by 2033. The group said HGTs will help to buffer intermittent electricity output from renewable resources, and provide stability for the power grid. The report released […]

  • U.S. Seeks Bids for Domestic Low-Enriched Uranium to Counter Russian Influence

    In a strategic move to jumpstart domestic uranium enrichment capacity in the U.S., the Department of Energy (DOE) has launched a request for proposals (RFP) to buy low-enriched uranium (LEU) from domestic suppliers. The RFP will seek LEU through procurement contracts for indefinite quantity and indefinite delivery (IDIQ). It could result in awards of “two […]

  • Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 Win POWER’s Plant of the Year Award

    Adding new reactors to the U.S.’s fleet of nuclear power plants doesn’t happen every day. In fact, prior to the addition of Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4, it hadn’t been done from scratch in decades

  • Efficiency in Production at Heart of Bloom Technology

    Decarbonization of power generation and other industrial sectors relies on hydrogen, and a Bloom Energy demonstration project is supporting the fuel’s production through an advanced electrolyzer system. The

  • Epasa Breakthrough Transforms Heavy Fuel Oil Sludge into Resource Stream

    Brazilian independent power generator Epasa faced significant environmental and operational challenges with heavy fuel oil sludge. Through innovative engineering and problem-solving, the company developed a

  • Hydropower Remains Renewable Leader Despite Climate Challenges

    As the oldest renewable energy resource, hydropower is well-established as a reliable source of dispatchable energy. Yet, it is often overlooked and taken for granted. It’s commonly believed that hydro’s

  • Energy Evolution: What Technologies Are Leading the Way Today

    It’s not uncommon to hear people talk about the energy transition. Yet, throughout its history, the power industry has almost always been transitioning in one way or another. There are constantly new

  • Mexico Increases Reliance on Natural Gas to Support Electricity Demand

    Mexico is ramping up its use of natural gas for power generation, with several plants coming online in recent years, and at least 10 more (Table 1) expected to come online this year, next year, or in 2026. The

  • Measuring the Prospects for Wind Energy in 2024 and Beyond

    The wind energy industry has been on an exponential growth curve for more than a decade. POWER looks at the drivers behind the growth and predictions for the future. Nearly 200 countries made major collective

  • The Heating Sector: A CO2 Headache or a Hidden Treasure?

    The combination of combined heat and power plants with thermal energy storage and industrial heat pumps provides a sustainable and efficient heating sector option. In recent years there has been a growing

  • The World Wants Nuclear Power Again—America Can Lead

    After a decades-long slowdown marked by fits and starts, the U.S. is once again building and innovating in nuclear power. In April, the second of two new nuclear units went into service at Georgia Power’s

  • Next-Gen Geospatial, AI, and Other Tech Is Critical for Utilities to Mitigate Wildfires

    The danger of wildfires has risen dramatically over the past two decades as more extreme temperatures and more volatile weather patterns have increased the frequency and intensity of fires. The most prominent examples of this have been in the western U.S. and Canada, but wildfire risks are rising in every geographic area of North America. […]

  • Federal Court Blocks Attempt by Coal Power Plants to Evade Cleaning Up Coal Ash Sites

    The U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., on June 28 blocked the coal power industry’s attempt to get out of the requirement that they prevent toxic coal ash from contaminating groundwater. The court affirmed that the EPA regulations established in 2015 already prohibit closing coal ash dumps with ash sitting in groundwater. Industry filed […]

  • Coating Technologies Crucial for Offshore Wind Farms

    Efforts to combat climate change drive the growth of renewable energy technologies as governments and utility companies increase investments in solar and wind installations to meet rising electricity demands. Onshore wind is a well-developed market, while offshore wind is beginning to expand due to its high production efficiency and significant energy production potential. According to […]