News
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Nuclear
Report: Biden Administration Will Provide $1.5 Billion for Palisades Nuclear Restart
The Palisades nuclear power plant in Michigan could be another step closer to restarting, with reports saying the Biden administration in February will announce $1.5 billion in funding for the project. Holtec International Corp. purchased the 800-MW facility from Entergy in 2022, after Entergy closed the nuclear plant. Holtec was prepared to decommission the site […]
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Wind
Onshore Wind Farm Part of Fukushima Rebuild in Japan
GE Vernova announced it will supply the turbines for an onshore wind farm being developed in Japan, an energy project that is part of the effort to support industry in the area impacted by the Fukushima disaster in 2011. GE Vernova’s Onshore Wind business on Jan. 31 said that Abukuma South Wind Power LLC selected […]
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Hydrogen
Hydrogen Production Project Moves Forward at Wyoming Coal Plant
Wyoming officials will help fund a hydrogen generation project that will have coal as its energy source, using carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) along with a chemical looping technology. Babcock & Wilcox (B&W), an Ohio-headquartered group working on technologies to produce cleaner energy, and electric utility Black Hills Energy recently announced the companies have received […]
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Wind
GE Vernova Will Supply Wind Turbines for Three Australia Projects
GE Vernova has entered into a wind turbine supply deal with an Australian company, a move that includes construction of onshore projects in New South Wales. GE Vernova on Jan. 29 confirmed it has signed a strategic framework agreement with Squadron Energy for about 1.5 GW of new onshore wind generation, what the companies on […]
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Energy Storage
The Evolution of Battery Technology and the Path Toward Cleaner Energy
Battery technology powers many aspects of our modern world. It’s an invention that’s ubiquitous, yet often overlooked. In the 1970s, the need for alternative energy sources emerged following the peak of American oil production, and lithium-ion batteries revolutionized energy consumption. Although most commercial applications still use them today, the battery industry, including those in government […]
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News and Notes
UK Nuclear Recap: Major Funding for GEH’s SMR and Sizewell C as Hinkley Point C Suffers New Hefty Delays
Over the past week, the UK government stepped up its nuclear agenda, doling out a £33.6 million grant under its Future Nuclear Enabling Fund to support GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH)’s BWRX-300 while also announcing a substantial £1.3 billion investment in the proposed 3.2-GW Sizewell C nuclear project. The developments, aimed at potentially tripling the […]
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Hydrogen
Oil, Gas Groups Will Support New Jobs in Hydrogen Sector
A study from a group that recruits workers for energy sector jobs has found that as many as 39% of workers in the nascent green hydrogen industry are coming from the fossil fuel sector. The report from WorldWide Recruitment Energy, released in January 2024 and the second edition of the study, compiled responses from more […]
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Sustainability
GE Vernova, IHI Developing Novel Ammonia-Capable Gas Turbine Combustor
GE Vernova will collaborate with Japanese integrated heavy industry group IHI Corp. to develop a retrofittable 100% ammonia-capable gas turbine combustion system that would be compatible with GE’s 6F.03, 7F, and 9F models, targeting a potential commercially available product by 2030. The companies on Jan. 24 signed a joint development agreement (JDA) that formally launched […]
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Solar
Brazil Oil Major Buying Renewable Energy Assets
Renewable energy in Brazil will get a boost after the chief executive of Petrobras, the country’s state-run oil giant, said the company will begin buying solar power and onshore wind projects in an effort to build a clean energy portfolio. Jean Paul Prates, in an interview with the Reuters news service published Jan. 22, said […]
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Trends
Prodigy and Westinghouse Targeting Launch of eVinci Floating Nuclear Plant in Canada by 2030
Westinghouse has revealed it is designing a transportable nuclear power plant (TNPP) featuring an eVinci microreactor with Canadian firm Prodigy Clean Energy, aiming to deliver a first project in Canada by 2030. The project will potentially integrate a single or multiple 5-MWe eVinci microreactors within a Prodigy Microreactor Power Station—a purpose-designed floating facility that will […]
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Sustainability
PGE Leans into an All-of-the-Above Strategy to Decarbonize Its Power System
Climate change has led many states and countries to set targets for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from power systems. Oregon, for example, has set targets for all power sold to retail customers in the state to have GHG emissions cut by 80% by 2030, 90% by 2035, and 100% by 2040. It’s a challenging […]
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Solar
SolarEdge Slashing 900 Jobs in Cost-Cutting Move
Israel-headquartered SolarEdge Technologies is expected to cut about 900 jobs from its global workforce as the company seeks to reduce operating costs. SolarEdge on Jan. 21 said it would lay off about 16% of its employees. CEO Zvi Lando in a statement said, “We have made a very difficult, but necessary decision to implement a […]
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Hydrogen
Groups Have Deal for Green Hydrogen Development in UK, Ireland
A European group that produces and supplies hydrogen has joined with a UK-based renewable energy developer in a deal to build commercial-scale green and renewable hydrogen production units in Britain and Ireland. London-headquartered Source Galileo, known for developing large-scale offshore wind projects, as well as energy storage and solar power installations, on Jan. 22 announced […]
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Hydrogen
Hydrogen Fuel Cell Provides Backup Power for Microsoft Data Center
A demonstration project led by Caterpillar at a Wyoming site showed that large-format hydrogen fuel cells could be used to supply backup power to a data center. Caterpillar on Jan. 19 announced the project, done in collaboration with Microsoft and Ballard Power Systems, provided insights into the use of hydrogen fuel cells to support energy-intensive […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Bipartisan Senate Bill Seeks to Rein In DOE Distribution Transformer Efficiency Standards
A bipartisan group of 12 U.S. senators on Jan. 18 introduced a bill that could freeze the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) implementation of updated energy efficiency standards for distribution transformers. The Distribution Transformer Efficiency and Supply Chain Reliability Act of 2024 (S.3627) would establish new limitations on federal efficiency rules for specific distribution transformers. Several […]
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Hydrogen
DOE Selects Consortium to Bolster Demand for Regional Hydrogen Hubs
The Department of Energy (DOE) has selected a consortium that will work to foster demand for commercial clean hydrogen at seven regional hydrogen hubs (H2Hubs), which the agency in October 2023 selected to receive $7 billion in federal funding. The Hydrogen Demand Initiative (H2DI) consortium will be tasked with designing and implementing demand-side support mechanisms, […]
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Nuclear
SMR Developer X-Energy Completes Canadian Pre-Licensing Milestone, Projects Look Promising
X-Energy Reactor Co. LLC, a developer of advanced small modular nuclear reactors and fuel technology for clean energy generation, reported on Jan. 17 that it has successfully completed milestones in the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s (CNSC’s) pre-licensing Vendor Design Review (VDR). The company submitted the design of its Xe-100 advanced small modular reactor (SMR) to […]
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Solar
AES Announces Addition of 3.5 GW of Renewables
Virginia-based AES Corp. said the company added 3.5 GW of new renewable energy generation capacity to its global portfolio in 2023, an amount nearly double that built in the previous year. The projects, including solar power, wind power, and energy storage, were built in several locations worldwide, including the U.S., and will serve a variety […]
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Solar
Corporate Funding for Solar Power Projects Hits 10-Year High
Total corporate funding for solar energy projects hit a 10-year high in 2023, according to Mercom Capital Group’s annual report focused on the solar power sector. Mercom, an integrated communications, research, and media firm focused on global clean energy markets, said groups raised $34.3 billion to support solar projects last year, including $6.9 billion in […]
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Waste to Energy
Maximizing Corrosion Prevention in Waste-to-Energy Plants
Waste-to-energy (WtE) facilities have the potential to become one of the most sustainable and reliable forms of energy creation on the planet, but they have their challenges. The most eco-conscious way of adopting WtE is by repurposing fossil fuel plants and retrofitting them for burning and transforming biomass. Whether working with old or new mechanisms, […]
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Energy Security
TVA Urges Conservation as Cold Snap Sets All-Time Peak Demand Record
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has urged conservation as it grapples with record-high power demand amid extremely cold temperatures and near-zero wind chill over its seven-state region in the Southeast. The federal corporation, a major generator that serves as a regional reliability coordinator, on Jan. 16 said “heavy snow and bitterly cold temperatures” were expected […]
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Nuclear
OPG, Capital Power to Explore Small Modular Nuclear Reactors in Alberta
Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and North American power producer Capital Power Corp. will jointly examine the feasibility of developing small modular reactors (SMRs) in Alberta, including possible ownership and operating structures. The companies on Jan. 15 announced they signed a two-year commitment agreement to assess the feasibility of jointly owning and operating SMRs in Alberta […]
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Coal
Poland Set to End Coal-Fired Power Generation
Poland’s top climate official said the country is preparing to set a date for a complete phase-out of coal-fired power generation, just months after the nation elected a new government that has pledged to support environmental policies of the European Union (EU). Poland, which currently receives about 70% of its electricity from burning coal, and […]
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Energy Security
ERCOT Warns of ‘Tight Conditions’ as Intense Freeze Grips Texas
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a conservation appeal as it braces for continued freezing temperatures, “very high” demand, and “unseasonably low wind” early in the morning on Jan. 15, just before the solar ramp-up. The grid operator on Sunday afternoon said it expects “tight grid conditions” as temperatures plunge, driven by […]
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Commentary
Artificial Intelligence Will Help Power America’s Clean Electricity Grids
Most countries will not meet zero-goals by 2050 based on current trajectories. It’s an unfortunate situation that needs to be taken seriously. While there are many factors delaying decarbonization efforts, the lack of clean energy-powered electric grids is perhaps the most significant barrier for nations. The United States is not exempt—despite the recent influx of […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Agrivoltaics, and Connecting More Renewable Energy to the Grid
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 […]
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Nuclear
UK Lays Out Fourfold Nuclear Power Expansion in Comprehensive Roadmap
A roadmap released by the UK government on Jan. 11 aimed at quadrupling the country’s nuclear power capacity by 2050 sets out a series of goals and actions that could enable the delivery of 3 GW to 7 GW every five years from 2030 to 2044. In its 78-page Civil Nuclear Roadmap, the UK lays […]
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Nuclear
DOE Launches Nuclear RFP for Uranium Enrichment to Expand Domestic HALEU Chain
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for uranium enrichment and storage services as part of a measure aimed at stimulating a domestic supply chain for high-assay, low-enriched uranium (HALEU). The action follows an RFP released in November 2023 for services to deconvert enriched uranium into metal, oxide, and […]
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Nuclear
Puget Sound Energy Commits $10M to Nuclear Power Feasibility Work, X-energy SMR Technology a Leading Contender for Project
Energy Northwest, a Washington state public power joint operating agency, announced an agreement with Bellevue-based Puget Sound Energy (PSE), which it says will “accelerate the agency’s program examining the feasibility of developing and deploying a next-generation nuclear energy facility.” The agreement, a $10 million investment by PSE in Energy Northwest’s new nuclear project feasibility phase, […]
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T&D
What Needs to Be Done to Prevent Seasonal Grid Failures?
The increasing threat of seasonal grid failures is a significant concern for energy systems. Failures occur when the demand for electricity surges during certain times, straining the current grids. The risk is compounded by factors like high energy consumption, weather issues affecting renewable sources, and limitations in existing grid setups. Energy professionals must grasp these […]