News

  • New Realms for Gas Power Technology

    Gas power technology developers are exploring new roles and applications to ensure gas power will remain relevant as power markets embrace decarbonization. At the end of 2020, about 1,600 GW of gas turbines

  • Repowering Provides New Purpose for Existing Plants

    The benefits of repowering—cost savings from upgraded performance, and utilizing existing infrastructure—make it an important part of the energy landscape. Repowering is occurring in both thermal and

  • Power Industry People: Finding Top Talent in the Military

    Last month, POWER published an article written by Senior Associate Editor Darrell Proctor that detailed the challenges power companies have been facing when trying to attract high-quality recruits in the increasingly competitive labor market for engineers and other workers with technical backgrounds (see “Groups Grapple with Labor Logistics as Energy Evolves” in the February 2022 […]

  • Sweden’s Government Approves Construction of Spent Nuclear Fuel Repository 

    Sweden’s government in late January gave radioactive waste management company Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB) the green light to proceed with a deep geological repository (DGR) for spent nuclear fuel (SNF) at a site near Vattenfall’s 3.2-GW Forsmark nuclear power plant. The milestone, which wraps up a planning process that has taken more than 40 years, makes Sweden only the second country, after Finland, to take active steps on building a permanent SNF repository.

  • Brazil Looks at Nuclear Power as Demand for Electricity Grows

    A government agency that supports research into Brazil’s energy sector has forecast a significant jump in demand for electricity within the country over the next several years. Empresa de Pesquisa

  • Accelerated Decommissioning of Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station: A Progress Report

    Holtec is decommissioning the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station. The company has a fairly aggressive schedule that could see site restoration work completed in 2027. This article provides a current-day status

  • Market Transitions: The MOPR Merry-Go-Round

    The PJM Interconnection’s Minimum Offer Price Rule (MOPR) was introduced in 2006 as a floor to bar new generators from artificially depressing capacity auction clearing prices through below-cost bids.

  • Low-Cost Long-Duration Energy Storage at a Natural Gas Pipeline

    An energy storage project based on Compressed Natural Gas Energy Storage (CNGES) technology is being studied at the Abbott Power Plant in Illinois. This article presents an overview of CNGES technology

  • District Heating Supply from Nuclear Power Plants: Technical and Economic Aspects

    In the February 2022 issue of POWER, an overview of existing district heating systems that utilize nuclear power for their energy source was presented and best practices of successful installations were

  • Composite Insulator Application and Design for a Growing and Evolving Transmission Grid

    The need to integrate renewable energy resources, and prepare for increased demand for power as electrification takes hold in transportation and other sectors, creates challenges for an aging grid. Some

  • 2022 CTOTF Innovation Excellence Award Winners Announced

    The Combustion Turbine Operations Technical Forum (CTOTF), in association with POWER, is excited to announce the recipients of its annual Innovation Excellence Awards. Winners were selected through a judging process performed by an independent panel of recognized utility industry experts. Selections were made in five categories: maintenance, environmental stewardship, safety process, operational, and management and […]

  • Harnessing the Benefits of Energy Storage to Reshape Sustainable Operations

    In today’s challenging business environment, it is paramount for organizations of all disciplines to reduce operating expenses while creating processes to meet strict greenhouse gas emissions standards. There is a worldwide focus on utilizing the full power of renewable energy and distributed assets to help organizations become more sustainable and decarbonized. Energy consumers, producers, utilities, […]

  • SCOTUS Hears Arguments on EPA’s Purview Over Power Plant GHG Emissions

    The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments on a landmark case that could determine whether the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the authority to broadly interpret the Clean Air Act (CAA) to establish carbon emission standards for coal, oil, and gas-fired power plants. Arguments in West Virginia v. Environmental Protection Agency (No. 20-1530) presented to […]

  • Well-Constructed Solution: Geothermal to Power Bitcoin Mining

    The mining of cryptocurrency, or bitcoin, is an energy-intensive process, and entrepreneurs are looking at several technologies—including innovative geothermal energy techniques—to power their operations. Among the latest is a service from a California-based renewable energy group, RenewaBit, which has joined with CeraPhi Energy, a Houston, Texas-based company, to produce geothermal energy with integrated crypto mining […]

  • Transmission & Distribution Summit Will Be Held in Boston, Massachusetts, April 4–6, 2022

    We are thrilled to announce that the 21st Transmission & Distribution Summit returns this April 4-6 in Boston, MA, USA and brings leading transmission & distribution executives and innovative suppliers and solution providers together at an exquisite location, Encore Boston Harbor. The summit focuses on key topics that have occupied the discussion by industry stakeholders […]

  • GE Digital’s CIMPLICITY 2022 Monitors and Controls Industrial Operations with Centralized, Remote, and Mobile Innovation

    SAN RAMON, Calif. – FEBRUARY 24, 2022 —  GE Digital today announced the availability of the latest version of its industry-leading CIMPLICITY 2022 HMI/SCADA software. A proven, secure-by-design automation platform, CIMPLICITY® provides true client/server visualization and control – from single machines to plant locations spanning the world – helping industrial companies manage operations, enable the connected worker, and achieve […]

  • Solar Developer Has Plan to Turn Oil Wells Into Energy Storage

    A California developer of concentrated solar power (CSP) systems has announced an innovation that it says combines the company’s technologies to turn existing oil wells into energy storage sites that can provide clean energy. Hyperlight Energy on Feb. 24 said it was launching Tectonic Sun, an electricity generation technology that when paired with the company’s […]

  • The Economics of Reliability: U.S. Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution

    The U.S. power network received attention for tragic reasons in 2021. From February 10 through 20, Texas suffered a severe power crisis due to a confluence of catastrophic winter storms. Failures occurred across all types of electricity generation facilities—natural gas, coal, and nuclear plants shut down, and wind turbines froze. Problems cascaded, as the compressors […]

  • Abloy unveils keyless padlock with removable shackle

    The new version of the keyless ABLOY BEAT padlock, designed especially for critical infrastructure, features a removable shackle. The highly weatherproof lock is operated with a mobile app and connects to both ASSA ABLOY’s and third-party management and operational systems. JOENSUU, Finland, February 24, 2022 – Abloy Oy today unveiled a digital, keyless padlock with […]

  • Bilfinger supports VERBUND with the construction of a pumped storage power plant

    Bilfinger will deliver pressure piping and draft tube gates for new Limberg III pumped storage power plant in Austria Order volume of more than €20 million Bilfinger impresses with innovative, time-saving assembly technique Bilfinger is supporting Austria’s leading energy company VERBUND Hydro Power with the construction of the new Limberg III pumped storage power plant […]

  • Decarbonizing the World: Hydrogen Technology Is the Next Big Thing

    Many experts believe hydrogen holds great promise as a clean energy resource that can help nations achieve carbon-free goals. Green hydrogen, which is made from water through electrolysis powered by renewable energy, could be used to decarbonize a wide range of hard-to-abate industries, including petrochemical, cement, and steel, which often require high temperatures and combustion […]

  • The ‘Weakest Link’ in Supply Chain Security

    The energy transition will bring with it a new generation of cybersecurity challenges for the power sector. While information-sharing has been valuable, strategies to address issues related to vendor security, cyber talent, and lagging investment will also be critical, a former utility supply chain executive who led the development of an industry-wide cybersecurity risk exchange […]

  • Houston Dynamo and Dash Exclusive Energy Provider

    Shell Energy will become the exclusive energy provider beginning with the 2022 soccer season, working to integrate energy solutions aimed at reducing the carbon footprint at their stadium by an estimated 50% by 2026. NEED TO KNOW: Shell Energy has signed a letter of intent to become the exclusive energy provider of the Houston Dynamo […]

  • Ethiopia Produces First Power at GERD Mega-Dam

    Ethiopia began delivering power from a 375-MW turbine at its flagship 5.15-GW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on Feb. 20, marking a significant milestone for the project that could become Africa’s largest hydropower producer. Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed inaugurated the project in a celebration broadcast widely in the East African nation on Sunday. Officials […]

  • California Energy Commission Awards Funding to GreenFire Energy Inc. for Demonstration of its Geothermal GreenLoop Technology at The Geysers

    GreenFire Energy Inc. to Partner with Calpine Corporation to Implement Its Steam Dominated GreenLoop Technology San Francisco, California – February 17, 2022, GreenFire Energy Inc. announced today that it was awarded more than $2.7 million by the California Energy Commission (CEC) to install its Steam Dominated GreenLoop (SDGL) technology at The Geysers geothermal field in […]

  • Large-Scale Green Hydrogen Infrastructure System Unveiled for California

    SoCalGas, North America’s largest gas distribution utility, has unveiled the Angeles Link, a proposed green hydrogen energy infrastructure system for Southern California that it says could be the largest of its kind in the nation. The Angeles Link proposes to utilize between 25 GW and 35 GW of curtailed or new solar, wind, or battery […]

  • Duke Energy Eyeing Coal Phaseout by 2035

    Duke Energy, the nation’s largest power producer, will dramatically slash coal generation’s share from the current 22% of total generation to 5% by 2030 and achieve a full phaseout of unabated coal by 2035. The company instead expects to deploy more than $130 billion over the next decade—$63 billion of which it will spend over […]

  • Green Hydrogen Economy: Magic Bullet or Mirage for Africa?

    Africa has approximately 600 million people without access to clean, reliable, and affordable electric power (80% of the global total). On the flip side, the continent has some of the fastest growing economies in the world. Countries like Egypt and Ethiopia have recorded more than 6% annual growth in gross domestic product (GDP) with the […]

  • Why Smarter Grids Start with Mesh Networks and Open Standards

    Smart grids have been with us for over a decade. But for many power industry stakeholders, they’re associated almost exclusively with smart meters. Remote meter reading is certainly a compelling use case, and one which justified many initial deployments, especially in the U.S. where end-customer sites are spread out over large distances. But there’s much […]

  • White House Releases Guidance on Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration

    In conjunction with the Biden-Harris administration’s recent announcement of new agency actions to promote clean manufacturing, the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) on Feb. 16 published its Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration Guidance (“Guidance”) in the Federal Register. Unlike traditional legal guidance documents, the Guidance addresses multiple federal agencies and provides numerous recommendations for efficiently […]