News
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Nuclear
Illinois Nuclear Plants Saved by Last-Minute Vote
The Illinois Senate has approved an overhaul of the state’s energy policy with an eye toward a carbon-free future, with a key part of the package keeping the Byron nuclear power plant operating just hours before Exelon, the parent of Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), said it would begin shutting down the facility. Senators voted 37-17 on […]
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News
LNG-to-Power Project, $30 Billion in Offshore Wind Targeted for Vietnam
Power generation projects both thermal and renewable continue to be announced for Southeast Asia, with Vietnam taking a lead role with both onshore and offshore power generation installations. Details of a large liquefied natural gas (LNG)-to-power project were announced Sept. 13, just days after the country’s T&T Group and Denmark’s Ørsted said they are prepared […]
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Press Releases
IVADO and Hitachi ABB Power Grids Form Strategic Collaboration to Develop Digital Solutions for Power Grids
Research initiatives to focus on the application of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to the challenge of managing the transition to a carbon-neutral energy system Collaboration highlights the growing importance of Quebec as a center of AI research and development Montréal, 9 September 2021 – Montreal’s Institute for data valorization (IVADO) today announced a […]
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Press Releases
Charah Solutions Awarded 5-Year Fly Ash Sales and Marketing Contract for Beneficial Use of Production Fly Ash at Gavin Power Plant in Ohio
Fly Ash Will be Recycled and Sold for Beneficial Use in the Ready-Mix Concrete Market LOUISVILLE, KY (September 9, 2021) – Charah® Solutions, Inc. (NYSE: CHRA) (the “Company”), a leading provider of mission-critical environmental services and byproduct sales to the power generation industry, today announced that it has been awarded a five-year sales and marketing contract for the […]
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Press Releases
Burns & McDonnell Contracted to Build 250-MW of Solar Projects in Wisconsin
KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Burns & McDonnell is providing the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services for three Alliant Energy solar projects in Wisconsin. The projects include Bear Creek (50-MW/ac / 64-MW/dc), North Rock (50-MW/ac / 64-MW/dc), and Wood County (150-MW/ac / 198-MW/dc) and are part of the path to generating cleaner energy in the […]
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Hydro
Former Prime Ministers Tout Need for Pumped Storage and More Hydropower
Tony Blair and Malcolm Turnbull, former prime ministers of the UK and Australia, respectively, suggested pumped storage and more hydropower will be vitally important to electric grids around the world as more wind and solar are added to the power mix. Speaking on the opening day of the World Hydropower Congress, which began Sept. 7 […]
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Nuclear
Groups Announce Successful Test to Advance Fusion Energy
A company working to bring fusion energy technology to market joined with a group from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in announcing a successful test of what they call the world’s strongest high-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet, technology considered key for development of commercial fusion energy. Representatives of Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), along with researchers […]
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News
Power Restoration Continues After Ida; Storm’s Death Toll Tops 60
Power restoration efforts continue along the Gulf Coast and in the U.S. Northeast, as utilities work to bring electricity back to areas in Louisiana hit hard by Hurricane Ida, and around New York City and New England due to heavy rainfall from remnants of the storm. The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) in a Sept. […]
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Hydro
Drought-Crippled Hoover Dam, Glen Canyon Hydropower Plants Operating at Substantially Decreased Capacity
The iconic 2-GW Hoover Dam and 1.3-GW Glen Canyon Dam hydropower plants are operating at substantially reduced capacity, paralyzed by enduring drought conditions across the West, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) has revealed. Weeks after USBR on Aug. 16 declared the first-ever federal water shortage at Lake Mead, the agency told POWER this week […]
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Engineering
3D Printing: More Than Just a Cool Process, It Offers Real Benefits
3D printing is a process used to create an object by sequentially adding build material in successive cross-sections, one stacked upon another. It is a form of additive manufacturing. Once considered more of a novelty, 3D printing has evolved into an incredibly valuable production method used to create very intricate designs, including gas turbine components […]
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Commentary
Competition for Cleaner Energy Will Pay Dividends for Climate and the Economy
America’s energy system has entered a new era where companies are competing against one another to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Customers—large and small—are concerned about climate change, forcing business models to adapt beyond keeping the lights on. Today, 75% of households in the U.S. are served by a utility with a carbon or emissions reduction goal—to […]
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News
The Human Side of Digital Adoption
A pervading theme at the ongoing 5th annual Connected Plant Conference has been to explore the human side of digital adoption. Attendees have so far heard from several experts who are deeply involved in the future of the power plant workforce. Steven Ford, Compliance and Support manager at Southern Co.’s Plant Barry, in his presentation […]
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Ocean/Marine
A Big Splash for Marine Power: Minesto’s Underwater Kite
After more than a decade of development, Minesto’s novel underwater “kite” technology kicked off commercial operation with a 100-kW project in the Faroe Islands. Despite some hiccups, the pioneering
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Hydro
Red Rock Hydroelectric Project: Successfully Generating New Power from a Pre-Existing Dam
There are challenges to adding power generating capability to a dam built for flood control, but the Red Rock Hydroelectric Project shows that the obstacles are not insurmountable. With the right team, success
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Finance
Types of Power Purchase Agreements and Why Each PPA Might Be Used
Stakeholders are increasingly pressuring corporations to become more sustainable, and often that means using renewable energy to help meet their electricity needs. Most non-power companies don’t want to take
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News
Hydropower Experiencing Climate Impacts From Drought, Flooding
The impacts of climate change are being experienced across the power generation industry, and certainly in the hydropower sector, with generation directly tied to the ebbs and flows of precipitation. Areas
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Coal
Types of Coal and Fuel Blending Tips for Coal Power Plants
There are a handful of reasons why coal-fired power plant managers may want to blend fuel, but often the driving factor is economics. While the cost of the delivered coal is an important aspect, there could be
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Energy Storage
Global Market Expanding for Battery Makers
The global market for batteries continues to grow, as demand for battery power accelerates across several industries, from electric vehicles (EVs) to electronic devices, and for energy storage in the power
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Gas
Phnom Penh Power Plant: An Investment for the Future of Cambodia
The Phnom Penh power station supports Cambodia’s decarbonization goals. The 200-MW facility’s 11 dual-fuel engines can operate on heavy fuel oil today, with a goal of using much-lower-emission natural gas
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T&D
Optimism Abounds as Infrastructure Projects Fuel Growth
Soon after COVID-19 first broke into the public consciousness in early 2020, panic filled the streets. I’ll be honest, I was nervous. The U.S. stock market plummeted roughly 35% over the course of about a
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Solar
Debunking Four Solar Energy Myths
Solar energy is already a significant part of the energy supply in the U.S., and it is poised to continue growing in the next few decades. In April, President Biden announced his target for the U.S. to achieve
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Distributed Generation
A Brave New World of Reliability: ELCC, EIMs, and DERs
Market forces and government policy are driving clean energy deployment across the U.S. at a level that could impact reliability if not carefully implemented. State regulators, independent system operators
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News
Japanese Firm Unveils Ship Dedicated to Storing and Transmitting Offshore Wind Power
A Japanese firm has set out to shake up energy storage and transmission with a freshly launched “power transfer vessel” concept that is designed to carry electricity from offshore wind farms to shore. The company’s first electric ship model, which will have an energy storage capacity of 200 MWh, is slated for completion in 2025. […]
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Gas
The Benefits of Mobile Aero-derivative Gas Turbines for Power Generation
If you’ve flown on a commercial airplane, you’ve likely sat within a hundred feet of an operating gas turbine engine. Gas turbines have been used to power aircraft since the 1940s. But gas turbines like those on airplanes are also used for generating electricity. These designs are known as aero-derivative gas turbines and occupy a […]
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News
Regulators Rattle AEP’s Plans to Operate 4.2-GW of Coal Power Through 2040
The Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) on Aug. 23 rattled American Electric Power’s (AEP’s) plans to operate the 2.9-GW John Amos and 1.3-GW Mountaineer coal power plants through 2040 when it partly denied cost recovery for expenses that the West Virginia plants need to comply with the federal Steam Electric Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) rule. The […]
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Distributed Energy
‘Smart Grid Ready’ Generator Changes Game for Backup Power
Residential applications for smart grid technologies continue to grow as electricity customers take more control of their energy usage and costs. Homeowners with rooftop solar have been selling power back to the grid for years, and more opportunities for power customers are coming as electric vehicle owners tap into the market via energy storage. Homeowners […]
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Solar
Record Growth Continues for Renewable Energy Projects
The pace of installations of renewable energy projects across the first six months of 2021 hit a new high for the sector, according to a report released Aug. 24 by the American Clean Power Association (ACP). ACP, which works with solar, wind, energy storage and power transmission companies to promote renewable energy, said the U.S. […]
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Gas
California Will Add Gas-Fired Units to Increase Power Supply
The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved licenses for gas-fired power units to help the state cope with continued electricity shortages. The move comes after Gov. Gavin Newsom earlier declared a state of emergency for California’s power grid. The state’s Dept. of Water Resources is procuring what it called five temporary gas-fueled generators, each with […]
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Nuclear
Breakthrough: Laser-Powered Fusion Experiment Nears ‘Ignition’
An experiment at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL’s) National Ignition Facility (NIF) appears to have approached fusion ignition as it recreated the extreme temperatures and pressures at the heart of the sun for a tiny fraction of a second. The momentous step has fueled new optimism for fusion energy. The experiment on Aug. 8 “was […]
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Nuclear
Former Westinghouse Executive Charged with Conspiracy, Fraud in Connection with V.C. Summer Nuclear Project
Former Westinghouse Electric Co. Senior Vice President Jeffrey A. Benjamin was charged with 16 felony counts, including conspiracy, wire fraud, securities fraud, and causing a publicly traded company to keep a false record, for his part in failing to truthfully report information regarding construction of new nuclear units at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant in […]