News

  • Group: More Than 51 GW of U.S. Offshore Wind in Pipeline

    A coalition of companies working in the U.S. clean energy sector has released its latest report on the nation’s offshore wind market, noting projects totaling more than 51 GW of capacity are in a growing pipeline of expected installations. The Washington, D.C.-based American Clean Power Association (ACP) on May 4 said it is tracking projects […]

  • Technology Is Critical for Hedging and Trading in Energy Markets

    The world is currently going through a major shift toward clean energy, triggered by concerns over climate change, depleting resources, and energy security. The energy transition is a massive undertaking, requiring significant investment and a long-term vision. However, as with any transition, there are challenges and uncertainties, and this is where hedging and trading come […]

  • New Technology Offers Options for Floating Offshore Wind and Power-to-X Projects

    New technology is regularly being developed and enhanced to improve power delivery and incorporate more renewable energy into systems. ABB Energy Industries is among the companies investing in solutions to make future power systems better. Among its current focus areas are deploying subsea power distribution and conversion concepts to support the floating offshore wind industry, […]

  • Israel Adding Energy Storage to Support Grid Integration for Renewables

    Israel’s governmental energy agency said the country plans to build four major battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in the northern Gilboa mountain region. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure on May 2 said the projects are the first step in a “program of great importance for the energy sector.” The program is designed to […]

  • Our Carbon-Neutral Future Demands Disparate Renewable Energy Technologies

    Our global marketplace is certainly a competitive one but there is no reason why renewable energy technologies, whether they emanate from energy metals including lithium, uranium, zinc, cobalt, etc., or from the sun and wind or hydropower, should be competing for market dominance. Why shouldn’t renewable energy technologies compete for market dominance in the manner […]

  • Fusion Energy Reaches Prime Time

    Over the last three years, electricity generation from fusion has moved from the realm of science fiction to the brink of serious development. A lot has happened, but challenges remain before fusion arrives on

  • Searching for Advanced Nuclear Power Technology? Look to Idaho

    It might surprise many people to learn that nearly every operating reactor in the world has technological roots in Idaho. The fact is, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), which was known as the National

  • Canada Starts Up First Geothermal ‘Co-Production’ Power Project at Active Legacy Oil Field

    A pioneering 21-MW power project that economically produces geothermal power with co-produced hydrocarbon fluids from an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operation is now commercially operating in Alberta, Canada

  • Enduring Value: Entergy’s More Than 100-Year-Old Story

    One man’s ambition to electrify the Middle South and improve its economic outlook 110 years ago evolved from a handshake for steam from a boiler powered with waste sawdust into Entergy Corp., a

  • POWER Digest [May 2023]

    European Grid Operator Secures 22 GW of HVDC Projects. European transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT will lead a charge to install 11 2-GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems by 2031. A long-term

  • Effects of Evolving NatCat Risks on Reliability and Insurability of Renewable Assets

    News on extreme weather events in the U.S. report an increase in both frequency and size over the last couple of years, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, convective storms, flash floods, hurricanes, and winter storms. This has a massive impact on a renewable energy asset’s reliability and insurability; there have even been cases where lenders won’t approve […]

  • Floating PV System Provides Smart Energy and Savings for Wastewater Plant

    Installing floating photovoltaic solar panels on a water reservoir provides Kelseyville Wastewater Treatment Plant with low-cost, clean energy, reduces algae growth, minimizes bank erosion, and lessens

  • Understanding Ultrasonic Examination in the Power Industry

    Nondestructive testing (NDT) refers to the inspection of materials to ensure their integrity and serviceability without damaging the components in the process. There are various NDT methods used by inspectors

  • Inventory Management Systems: How Automation Can Save Time and Reduce Costs for Power Companies

    Inventory management can provide significant operational benefits for power companies. From forecasting, fueled by real-time data, to automated replenishment and supply chain continuity, digital solutions are

  • Turbine Bypass Valve Challenges

    Turbine bypass valves are one of the most difficult applications in a power plant. Keeping these valves operating efficiently and avoiding unexpected failures is critical for plant operation. When engineers

  • Winter Demand for Coal, Gas Falls Across EU Despite Energy Concerns

    An analysis from an energy research group shows European Union (EU) countries burned less coal and natural gas for power generation than in prior years, despite an ongoing energy crisis driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A study from Ember, a think-tank based in the UK, said coal-fired generation in the EU dropped 27 TWh […]

  • Arctic Circle Offshore Wind Farm Will Power Oil Exploration Platform

    Development of the first floating offshore wind farm in the Arctic Circle is moving forward, with three Norwegian companies releasing a project plan for the installation. The GoliatVIND project is envisioned as a 75-MW array installed in deep water northwest of Hammerfest, Norway, in the Barents Sea. The installation would be linked into the Goliat […]

  • EPRI Head: Duck Curve Now Looks Like a Canyon

    The “duck curve,” a concept that has become emblematic of the challenges associated with integrating variable renewables in the power system, now looks like a “canyon,” illustrating a paramount urgency for adequate flexibility, Arshad Mansoor, president and CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), has warned.  In a recent post on LinkedIn, Mansoor highlighted […]

  • GE Invests Heavily in Improving Gas Turbine Repair Processes and Combustor Performance

    On the east side of Greenville, South Carolina, sits a 413-acre site with more than one and a half million square feet of manufacturing space and another 70,000 square feet of labs. This is one of the locations where GE Gas Power is working to improve gas turbine technology and repair processes, among other things. […]

  • South Korean Companies Snap Up Opportunities to Advance Floating Nuclear, Nuclear Hydrogen, SMRs

    Days after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced it would participate in a consortium to develop floating nuclear power plants, the owner and operator of South Korea’s 25 nuclear power plants joined forces with TerraPower to bolster the demonstration and commercialization of Natrium, TerraPower’s sodium-cooled fast reactor integrated energy system. The deals were announced […]

  • U.S., European Legislation Puts Real Muscle into Clean Energy, Decarbonization, and Job Creation, but Must Evolve to Keep Up with Demand

    COMMENTARY With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in December, the U.S. put some real financial muscle behind efforts to combat climate change and incentivize renewable energy with $370 billion in loans, grants, and tax credits to spur clean energy technology development, manufacturing, and job creation. Once the full potential of the bill […]

  • Will New Business Models Topple VPP Roadblocks?

    My job has made me a frequent flyer, but I can’t imagine stepping onto a plane without confidence in the air traffic control system and its complex interplay of regulation, technology, communications, scheduling, and human expertise. Many obstacles were overcome to achieve modern aviation—and the same is true where I work: today’s electric grid. Virtual […]

  • Norwegian Group Promotes 20 Areas for Offshore Wind Development

    A Norwegian energy regulator has told officials it has identified at least 20 areas suitable for offshore wind farm development, as the government seeks to meet a target of installing at least 30 GW of offshore wind power capacity by 2040. The Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, known as NVE, an agency under the […]

  • Framatome achieves critical NRC approval in development of advanced nuclear fuel technology

    April 25, 2023 – Framatome received approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to apply the company’s suite of Advanced Codes and Methods to operating conditions with uranium-235 enrichments above the industry standard of 5 weight percent (wt%). This approval is a critical step toward the company’s goal of reload readiness by 2027 for nuclear […]

  • Challenges with Optimizing Generation Assets in New World with Large Renewable Mix

    New rules, regulations, and legislation are changing the way U.S. utilities generate electricity. First, there was the Clean Power Plan (CPP), which was passed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2015. This was replaced in 2019 by the EPA’s Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule. Both policies aim to reduce and limit carbon dioxide emissions […]

  • Fluor to Bolster Commercialization of Laser Fusion Power

    Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) giant Fluor Corp. will serve as an engineering and construction partner to design and plan laser fusion power plants developed by Longview Fusion Energy Systems—a company leveraging the recent fusion breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Fluor on April 18 announced it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with […]

  • The world’s first dynamic, green Power-to-Ammonia plant takes shape

    The green transition demands efficient storage of renewable energy, to which end a number of Power-to-X plants are under construction in Denmark. They are designed to convert green electricity to another form of energy, such as green fuels. And in the vanguard of this new technology is Lemvig, where the construction of the world’s first […]

  • GE Announces New Options to Further Reduce Emissions on LM2500XPRESS* Aeroderivative Gas Turbines

    Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Catalytic Oxidation Reduction (COR) systems are now available on GE LM2500XPRESS* aeroderivative gas turbines COR emissions control technologies were installed for the first time on GE’s LM2500XPRESS* units in Colorado to reduce emissions of carbon monoxide (CO) up to 50%. ATLANTA, GA — April 20, 2023 —GE (NYSE: GE) today […]

  • DOE Offers $3B Conditional Loan Guarantee to Virtual Power Plant Initiative

    Sunnova Energy Corp., an energy-as-a-service (EaaS) provider, has snagged a first-of-its-kind conditional federal loan guarantee commitment of up to $3 billion for a project that could further future virtual power plant (VPP) deployment. The Department of Energy (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO) on April 20 said it would provide a partial loan guarantee for up […]

  • Texas Combined Cycle Plant Changing Hands

    Rayburn Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Rockwall, Texas, announced on April 19 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire ownership of the Panda Sherman Power Plant. The Sherman facility is a 758-MW natural gas–fueled combined cycle unit located in Grayson County, about an hour north of Dallas. The plant will be renamed Rayburn […]