News
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Wind
How Developments in Electrical System Design Are Helping to Tackle the Challenges of Wind
As a clean and renewable power source, wind offers massive potential for alleviating some of the growing challenges that countries worldwide are looking to address through the development of new forms of energy generation. At ABB, we look at how developments in electrical system design are helping to turn wind into a major source of […]
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Climate change
Climate Change Policy Belongs in Congress, Not State Courts
Crafting solutions to address the pressing challenges of our time is Congress’s foremost job. There is no doubt that policy-making can be messy, take time, and require compromise. But, overall members and their staff do incredible work for the American public. During my tenure serving Indiana’s 9th Congressional District, I prided myself on working with […]
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Gas
GE Turbines Will Equip Vietnam’s First LNG-Fueled Power Plant
Two units of a new gas-fired power plant in Vietnam will feature the first use of General Electric’s (GE’s) H-Class turbine in the country. GE on May 16 announced that PetroVietnam Power Corp.’s (PV Power’s) Nhon Trach 3 & 4 Power Plant, with 1.6 GW of generation capacity, will use two GE 9HA.02 gas turbines. […]
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Hydrogen
How Fuel Cells Are Creating Sustainable Data Centers
In this day and age, there’s more of a need for data centers and cloud computing than ever before. They’re actually one of the fastest growing businesses out there right now. While they are essential, they’re also a drain on the planet. Powering these centers can take up to 50% of their operating costs, and […]
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Offshore Wind
California, Again Facing Summer Supply Vulnerabilities, Eyes 20-GW Offshore Wind Goal
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is mulling a preliminary planning goal for 3 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and potentially expanding it to 10 GW to 15 GW by 2045. If finalized, California’s offshore wind goals would be the most ambitious in the U.S., surpassing even New York’s, which calls for 9 GW by […]
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T&D
DOE Launches $2.5B Fund to Upgrade and Build New Transmission Lines
The Biden administration has launched efforts to shape the $2.5 billion Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP), a key Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) initiative dedicated to building out critical new transmission lines and related facilities across the country. The Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office on May 10 issued a joint notice of information (NOI) […]
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Business
Blue Star and Volvo Penta Build Successful Business Partnership Based on Shared Values
Close collaboration plays key role as companies achieve growth milestones and tackle new opportunities. When Volvo Penta first approached Blue Star back in 2011, the companies immediately found common ground in their commitment to business ethics. These were the seeds of a fruitful partnership that has only grown stronger over the past decade. “Right from […]
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IIOT
Quantum Technology: Applications in Cybersecurity for Power Utilities
With the advent and implementation of smart grid infrastructure across power utilities, there has been a paradigm shift in the efficiencies of the grid. The use of digital communication technology has led to high-speed communication enablement across various components as well as better data analysis and real-time control. This has proven to be advantageous not […]
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Nuclear
Vogtle Nuclear Expansion Price Tag Tops $30 Billion
An updated financial report from one of the owners of the Plant Vogtle nuclear expansion in Georgia shows the cost to build two new reactors has now topped $30 billion, more than double the original price tag expected for the project. The Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG), one of four groups with an ownership […]
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Coal
Keeping Coal Relevant: University of Wyoming Leads the Way
To say the coal industry faces challenges is an understatement. Coal-fired power plants are being retired around the globe as efforts to decarbonize the world’s power supply have intensified due to climate change concerns. That’s a problem for people working in the coal industry, as well as for states and governments that rely on coal […]
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Trends
ERCOT, MISO Warn of Potential Power Supply Shortfalls
(Updated—May 6, 2022) The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) over the past week separately expressed concerns about power supply uncertainties in the face of upcoming warmer-than-normal temperatures. MISO raised an alarm on April 28 when it said that it projects “insufficient firm resources” to cover the summer […]
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Coal
Revolutionizing Refractory Maintenance: Increasing Efficiency with Specialized Equipment
Refractory maintenance, though vital, can often be a logistical and financial burden. This is especially true for power plants, cement plants, and other large facilities that rely on boilers, kilns, coolers, preheater towers, and risers for day-to-day operation. These facilities stand to lose many thousands of dollars a day in production if their refractory can’t […]
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Press Releases
Reduce Your Concrete Carbon Footprint while Enhancing Concrete Durability!
Concrete is the world ’s most widely used construction material—and also one of its greatest contributors to greenhouse gas. The root cause is cement production, which alone accounts for approximately 8% of global CO2 emissions. At this rate, successful strategies to lower concrete carbon output are especially significant. MCI® Technology is one of those simple […]
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Press Releases
Brüel & Kjær Vibro announces VCM-3/SETPOINT product enhancements
DARMSTADT, Germany (May 4, 2022) – Brüel & Kjær Vibro (B&K Vibro), one of the leading worldwide independent suppliers of condition monitoring solutions for rotating machinery, has delivered a range of product enhancements for its VCM-3/SETPOINT® offerings to deliver a single, integrated SETPOINT® condition monitoring system (CMS) solution. VCM-3 data can be fully integrated with VC-8000 data […]
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Gas
Siemens Energy Sells 100th H-Class Gas Turbine—Fleet Exceeds 2.5 Million Operating Hours
In late March, Siemens Energy announced separate agreements with Guangdong Energy Group Co. Ltd. and Shenzhen Energy Group Co. Ltd., in which the gas turbine giant will deliver a total of four SGT-8000H units for installation in power plants located in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area in southern China. The deals mean Siemens Energy […]
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Press Releases
Esco Introduces MILLHOG® Boiler Tube Panel Replacement System that Offers Fast, Accurate Cutting & Membrane Removal
A saw and track system that rapidly cuts through water wall boiler tube up to 4″ O.D. to produce highly accurate and perfectly straight cuts with no HAZ (heat affect zone) has been introduced by Esco Tool HOLLISTON, Mass., May 3, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Esco Tool has introduced a saw and track system that rapidly […]
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History
History of Power: Duke Energy’s Century-Old Legacy
Duke Energy, one of the largest energy companies in the world, grew out of a system of lakes and dams along the Catawba River to generate power for the Piedmont Carolinas. While the company has sustained a
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Hydrogen
Large-Scale Hydrogen Projects Take Shape as Technology Continues to Evolve
If hydrogen-based power technology and decarbonization schemes seem like a novelty to you, you may not be paying close enough attention to developments happening around the world. While some hydrogen pilot
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News
There’s Value in Old Power Generation Components
Equipment from both renewable and thermal energy power plants is finding new life in the recycling market. The market for recycled power equipment components is getting a boost due to ongoing global supply
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Offshore Wind
Dramatic Innovation-Driven Ramp Up of Floating Offshore Wind Anticipated by 2030
A drumbeat of floating offshore wind–related developments this year suggests the pipeline for the long-nascent wind technology sub-sector may be finally beginning to grow. While floating wind’s current
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Legal & Regulatory
UK Leans Heavily on Nuclear in Bold New Energy Strategy
A long-awaited energy strategy published by the UK government on April 6 lays out bold commitments that tackle Great Britain’s multi-pronged challenges, including achieving net-zero carbon emissions while
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Nuclear
Small Modular Reactors Provide Opportunity to Rethink Automation for Nuclear Generation
An emerging generation of small modular reactors is encouraging suppliers and regulators alike to consider new digital instrumentation and control approaches. While instrumentation and control (I&C)
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Supply Chains
Supply Chain Issues Mean Planning Is More Important Than Ever
It’s hard to imagine a company that hasn’t been affected by supply chain issues over the past couple of years. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic began, a couple of utility executives had suggested POWER
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Legal & Regulatory
Administration, NRC, Nuclear Industry Look Ahead to Uncertain Territory
The Biden administration is fully behind development of new nuclear power technology. It is encouraging the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to look at “new approaches to regulation” as advanced
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O&M
Advanced Analytics Applications Power Predictive Maintenance Efforts
Moving from reactive to predictive maintenance requires the right tools for use by subject matter experts. As the power industry continues to advance from preventative to predictive maintenance, one thing is
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News
How State-of-the-Art Monitoring Technology Will Be Used at a Turkish Nuclear Power Plant
Turkey has considered adding nuclear power plants to its fleet of generators since at least 1970; yet, no commercial reactor units have ever been completed. That is likely to change soon. The country’s first nuclear power plant commenced construction in April 2018 at Akkuyu. When the planned four-unit facility is finished, about 10% of Turkey’s […]
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IIOT
Boosting Productivity in the Utility Industry with Mobile Solutions
In the utility industry, downtime and outages—from losing power to water shortages and burst pipes—can impact a customer’s day-to-day life, causing safety concerns and costly damages. This is especially true during sweltering summer months or freezing winter seasons caused by extreme weather and climate change. Today, digital transformation is shifting customer expectations as they demand […]
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IIOT
The Growth of Renewables Calls for Scalable Approaches to OT System and Device Integration
Reports from U.S. agencies indicate the use of renewable energy continues to grow. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. consumed a record amount of renewable energy in 2020. In addition, renewable energy in the U.S. grew for a fifth consecutive year, accounting for 12% of the total U.S. energy consumption. It was […]
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IIOT
Don’t Fix That … Yet: How IoT-Enabled Sensors Predict Maintenance and Streamline Operations
The traditional approach to maintenance has two motors that keep it running. The first motor is proactive service: regularly maintaining equipment, following a schedule to ensure each element is running smoothly before repairs are needed in order to prevent a breakdown. The second motor is to repair once a breakdown happens. While the first part […]
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Nuclear
INL Mulling Building New Nuclear Reactor to Energize Net-Zero Campus Microgrid
Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is exploring designing, building, and operating an onsite nuclear reactor resource as part of a broader effort to achieve net-zero emissions at its sprawling campus in Idaho Falls by 2031. Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), an entity that manages and operates the Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratory, on April 29 launched […]