O&M
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Commentary
How Utilities Can Activate Data to Improve Asset Management
Nearly every utility in the world has embarked on their own journey of digital transformation, using data to help make processes faster and more efficient. Traditionally, utility data has been collected in silos to support individual functions, and utilities have been hard at work to break down these silos so data can be shared among […]
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O&M
The POWER Interview: Using Data, Device Models, and More to Support the Grid
Amanda Neuenfeldt is the energy management system (EMS) modeling lead engineer at Actalent, a global company specializing in engineering and sciences services, along with talent solutions. Neuenfeldt works with emerging grid technologies related to artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cybersecurity. She has studied the application of a predictive machine learning algorithm, coupled with […]
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Energy Storage
ERCOT and CAISO market trends and successful bid optimization
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) play an essential role in balancing grids with high renewable energy. They can charge during low price hours and discharge during high price hours in the wholesale markets, or support grid stability participating in the ancillary markets. It is important for BESS owners to maximise their profit by deciding how […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Enhancing Reliability of the U.S. Power System
Designing, building, and maintaining the network of power transmission lines and associated infrastructure that delivers electricity across the U.S. is a complex task. It involves disparate components, from thermal power plants using different fuel types, to renewable energy such as solar, wind, and geothermal installations. Substations are another component, and the use of battery energy […]
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O&M
The Evolving State of Power Plant O&M
As power plants confront aging infrastructure, surging demand, and the sweeping changes of rapid electrification, operations and maintenance (O&M) are being redefined to tackle unprecedented challenges and
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O&M
Software, Hardware, Innovation All Needed to Upgrade the Power Grid
Enhancing the transmission and distribution of electricity is a priority to ensure a reliable and resilient power supply, as demand increases and grid challenges mount. Providing more electricity to meet
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Emerson Exec Discusses Grid Enhancements
There are many ways to enhance power grid and power plant reliability, including the implementation of advanced control strategies, proactive maintenance programs, and modern technologies for early detection
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O&M
Turbine MRO Best Practices: Expert Guide to Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul
Effective maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) practices are vital for reliable turbine operation. Innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and 3D scanning are transforming MRO processes
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O&M
O&M Innovation in the Power Sector: The Latest Tools Redefining Asset Optimization
As the power sector grapples with aging infrastructure, stricter sustainability mandates, and the rapid integration of renewables, innovation in operations and maintenance (O&M) has become critical to
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O&M
Cut Downtime and Costs with Predictive Maintenance (PdM): Here’s How
Predictive maintenance (PdM) is transforming power plant operations by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and automation to prevent costly equipment failures. Learn about real-world
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O&M
POWER Magazine February 2025 Operations and Maintenance Special Report Preview
POWER is the one brand that addresses all electric power generation and related technologies and fuels across North America and around the world, providing insight into this increasingly complex industry. Established in 1882, it is dedicated to providing its global audience with exclusive analysis of the latest trends, best practices, and power generation and related […]
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Press Releases
STLE Partners with European Sustainability Expert Carbon Minds
This partnership includes a four-part series on life cycle assessment Park Ridge, Illinois (January 28, 2025) ─ The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE) — the technical society serving individuals, companies and organizations that comprise the tribology and lubrication engineering business sector — is pleased to announce a partnership with European sustainability expert Carbon […]
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O&M
Marnie Surfaceblow: Know What You Know and Know What You Don’t
Not everyone has to be an expert. Having a goal to do the right thing, listening to your team, and seeking experienced help often results in an expert solution. Wayne Fritz, the manager of a struggling ammonia
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O&M
Technology Has Transformed Energy Deployment; O&M Is Next
Deployment operations management (DOM) systems were born of necessity to help telecom, renewable energy, electric vehicle (EV) charging, and other critical-infrastructure developers tackle the simultaneous
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O&M
How to Prevent Oxygen Pitting in Boilers: A Safer Alternative to Hydrazine
Experienced boiler operators know that oxygen can cause localized, severe corrosion in steam boiler systems through a process called oxygen pitting. This occurs when dissolved oxygen in the water comes into
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News
POWER Magazine January 2025 Issue Preview
POWER is the one brand that addresses all electric power generation and related technologies and fuels across North America and around the world, providing insight into this increasingly complex industry. Established in 1882, it is dedicated to providing its global audience with exclusive analysis of the latest trends, best practices, and power generation and related […]
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Connected Plant
How Successful SCADA Implementation Improves Efficiency, Uptime, and Safety
Boiler systems play a crucial role across industrial, institutional, commercial, and other large-scale facilities. The systems are often complex and require meticulous oversight to ensure optimal performance and safety. This is where supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are vital in supporting the management of boiler rooms. SCADA platforms are advanced systems used to […]
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O&M
Explosion at Coal Power Plant in South Africa Injures Nine
A transformer explosion at Eskom’s coal-fired 3.6-GW Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga, South Africa, on Dec. 12 injured nine employees, including one critically. The incident, caused by a ruptured high-pressure steam pipe, has underscored challenges faced by Eskom’s generating fleet, even as the state-owned maintains its suspension of load-shedding. The incident, reported at 5 p.m. […]
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Connected Plant
AI-Driven Big Data Platform Revolutionizes Power Plant Operations
The surge in adoption of renewable energy driven by carbon neutrality policies has created operational challenges for large thermal power plants. These plants must now accommodate rapid load fluctuations and offer flexible operation, which involves adjusting their outputs rapidly as the renewable generators’ outputs fluctuate. However, operating beyond original design specifications places additional stress on […]
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Connected Plant
Digital Sensor Provides Greater Asset Management Capability for Transformers
ABB Electrification Service recently launched a digital monitoring solution for power and distribution transformers that it says will enhance performance, reliability, and availability of equipment. The transformer sensor is reportedly quick and easy to fit, requiring no screws or tooling for installation. Instead, the sensor, called TRAFCOM, can be mounted magnetically to the transformer within […]
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Gas
Replacing Duct Burners in Combined Cycle Power Plants
Many combined cycle power plants (CCPP) and cogeneration or combined heat and power (CHP) plants utilize supplemental firing systems, or duct burners, inside the heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) boilers
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Nuclear
Enhancing Nuclear Plant Safety, Efficiency, and Compliance Through Video Borescope Inspections
This article explores the role video borescopes play in nuclear plant inspections, emphasizing the value they bring in terms of safety, efficiency, and long-term plant integrity. Nuclear power plants operate
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Offshore Wind
Cutting-Edge Process Turns Wind Turbine Blades Into Reusable Materials
A damaged 44-meter turbine blade from Vattenfall’s Kentish Flats Offshore Wind Farm has been recycled by Plaswire, a Northern Ireland-based company. Plaswire has developed a sustainable solution which overcomes the challenge of what to do with scrap wind turbine components. The recycling process will give new life to the old blade, by turning it into […]
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Full Coverage
Communication Is Key to Successful Power Projects
Power plant construction and retrofit projects come in all shapes and sizes, but they all generally have at least one thing in common: complexity. There are usually a lot of moving pieces that must be managed. This can include sourcing the right materials and components, getting equipment delivered to the site at the right time, […]
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Commentary
Navigating Rising Power Demand and Avoiding Vendor Limitations
Utility companies are going headfirst into a whirlwind of challenges from increasing electricity demands and new sustainability initiatives, to meeting evolving customer expectations. Power demand in the U.S. is on a sharp upward trajectory, with the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) having forecast a new peak of 4.099 trillion kWh in 2024, climbing further to […]
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Trends
How Nuclear O&M Is Evolving for the Emerging Power Paradigm
In its quest to drive down costs while boosting safety, the nuclear industry has ramped up efforts to streamline operations and maintenance (O&M). New approaches target efficiency and resilience. If there
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Top Plant
SEIL Energy India: A Coal Plant Model for Performance and Sustainability
SEIL Energy India Limited, the only coal plant to win a POWER Top Plant award this year, stands out for its advanced supercritical technology, exceptional operational performance, and commitment to
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O&M
Minimize Risks with Robotic Generator Inspections and Comprehensive Testing
Historically, generator inspections require rotor removal (Figure 3). There’s a significant level of risk during this process due to possible generator damage during the disassembly, and it also requires
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Biomass
Marnie Surfaceblow: It’s Ghostbusting Time … Again
Everything happens for a reason, and fantastic events often have mundane causes. Two women silently waited in their rental car next to a guard hut, sheltered under spreading banana tree leaves. Sunlight
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Full Coverage
Powering Performance with an Integrated Approach to Cooling Water
Power plant managers know that optimizing cooling water operations will improve efficiency. Using an integrated approach that combines advanced chemistry, digital technologies, such as deposit sensing, and