News
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Coal
FirstEnergy Moves to Deactivate Two Embattled Ohio Coal Plants
FirstEnergy Corp. will sell or deactivate 856 MW of coal-fired generation to reduce fleet operating costs. The company announced on July 22 that it plans to sell or deactivate the 136-MW Bay Shore Unit 1 in Oregon, Ohio, by October 2020. In addition, Units 1–4 (totaling 720 MW of capacity) at the company’s seven-unit W.H. […]
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Solar
11 Things to Know About the Solar Sector’s Precarious Future
Despite escalating growth over the past decade, the U.S. solar power sector faces potentially crippling issues concerning module supply, workforce deficiencies, and grid interconnection obstacles, according to industry experts attending an international solar and energy storage convention. The country added an estimated 14.5 GW of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2016, and by 2021, […]
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Renewables
Turmoil in Turkey Cuts Power to U.S. Military Base
Power supply to a U.S. military base was cut off by the Turkish government following an attempted military coup in the country on Friday.
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Legal & Regulatory
Federal Court Stays EPA’s Regional Haze Rule
A federal appeals court has stayed a regional haze rule finalized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this year that had threatened to close up to 8.4 GW of coal-fired power capacity in Texas. In a unanimous ruling on July 15, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit granted a motion for […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Amid Scrutiny, Kemper IGCC Project Marks Big Syngas Production Milestone
Southern Co.’s Kemper County energy facility—the only carbon capture and storage (CCS) integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) power plant that is under construction—is producing syngas using lignite. The plant marked its most significant milestone to date on July 14, said Southern Co.’s Mississippi Power. It means that the first-of-its-kind technology to convert locally mined lignite […]
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Legal & Regulatory
NextEra Energy Cans Deal to Acquire Hawaiian Electric
NextEra Energy announced on July 18 that it has terminated plans to merge with Hawaiian Electric Industries (HEI). Not surprisingly, NextEra Energy said the decision was driven by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC’s) 2–0 decision on July 15 to dismiss the Joint Application for the Change of Control filed by the companies. “As a […]
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Renewables
Germany Backs Measure to Replace Renewable Incentives with Competitive Auctions
Lawmakers in Germany have voted to replace subsidies for wind and solar with competitively priced electricity prices. The country’s upper (Bundesrat) and lower (Bundestag) legislative chambers on July 8 voted to adopt an amendment to the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG 2016) introduced by Minister of Economics and Energy Sigmar Gabriel. The legislation aims to […]
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Solar
In Push for Collaboration, Solar and Storage Industries Unveil “Smart Solar” Potential
Pairing solar with energy storage will be integral to cement the future of both emerging sectors, said experts at the Intersolar North America’s annual event held this week in San Francisco. The three-day event and exhibition was co-located with ees North America, a stand-alone event focused on energy storage technologies and services. But experts […]
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Nuclear
Entergy Considering Sale of FitzPatrick Nuclear Plant to Exelon
Entergy Corp. announced on July 13 that it is in discussions with Exelon Corp. concerning the potential sale of the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant in Scriba, N.Y. The news comes following the release of the New York Department of Public Service’s proposal to subsidize zero-emissions attributes of upstate nuclear power plants, including FitzPatrick […]
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Nuclear
Subsidies Proposed for New York’s Upstate Nuclear Power Plants
The New York Department of Public Service has proposed subsidizing zero-emissions attributes from zero-carbon electric generating stations, namely nuclear power plants, in order to encourage the preservation of the facilities. In an 11-page document titled “Staff’s Responsive Proposal for Preserving Zero-Emissions Attributes,” a formula that starts with published estimates of the social cost of carbon […]