Renewables

  • New Jersey Backs 45 Community Solar Projects

    The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) on Dec. 20 announced it has approved 45 applications in the first year of its Community Solar Energy Pilot Program. The NJBPU in a statement Friday said the projects, with total generation capacity of 77.61 MW, will be designed by local governments, community groups, and private developers. […]

  • The POWER Interview: NCC Group on Cybersecurity

    Reliability and resiliency are buzzwords in today’s world of power generation. The focus is often on valuing those attributes, be it through subsidizing baseload power to make it more economically viable, or through other means. Reliable delivery of electricity, of course, also depends on cyber-resilient systems, at power plants and across the grid. Cyberattacks against […]

  • NERC: Long-Term Reliability Uncertain Amid Rapid Changes to Bulk Power System

    Significant and rapid changes that are reshaping North America’s power sector will likely leave Texas and Ontario, Canada, with supply shortfalls over the next decade, and energy deficiencies could also occur during off-peak conditions in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) area and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) region, the North American Electric Reliability […]

  • Subsidy-Free Onshore Wind Farm Will Host First Siemens Gamesa 5-MW Turbines

    Three first-of-their-kind Siemens Gamesa 5-MW wind turbines will be installed on the island of Thyholm in Denmark at a project that will be operated without subsidies. The company announced on Dec. 19 it has entered into a contract with Torp Vind I/S for the delivery of three SG 5.0-132 models for the 15-MW Torp Vindmoellepark […]

  • Recruiting the New Power Workforce [PODCAST]

    It’s a time of great transition in the power industry. Not only are generation resources changing, but so are the work skills needed to operate and maintain those resources. Meanwhile, a large number of workers are reaching retirement age, leaving open positions that had long been filled by highly experienced staff. And the talent pool […]

  • New Siemens Gamesa wind turbine debuts in Denmark

    Siemens Gamesa has entered into a contract with Torp Vind I/S for the delivery of three wind turbines of the new SG 5.0-132 model for Torp Vindmoellepark in the municipality of Struer. The three wind turbines will be the first in the world of their kind to be installed. Torp Vindmoellepark will have a total […]

  • 547 Energy in Partnership with ENORA S.A. Secures 135 MW of Wind Energy Projects in Greece

    HOUSTON, Dec. 19, 2019 — 547 Energy, LLC (547 Energy), the clean energy platform of Quantum Energy Partners, today announced that its affiliate, 547 Energy International European Holdings, LLC, has, in partnership with ENORA S.A. (ENORA), been awarded by the Regulatory Authority for Energy (RAE) in Greece four 20-year power purchase agreements for 135 megawatts […]

  • ‘Breakthrough Technology’ Uses Sunlight to Produce Renewable Hydrogen

    HyperSolar Inc. said it has demonstrated a working version of a “large-scale hydrogen unit device” that it expects will lead to the production of full-sized panels for a first-generation (GEN 1) pilot plant. The company said its “breakthrough technology” uses sunlight in a “low-cost photoelectrochemical process” to separate hydrogen from water, producing “clean and environmentally […]

  • EU Finalizes ‘Green Deal’ for Clean Energy Investment

    The European Union (EU) on Dec. 16 announced an agreement among its member states on rules involving the financing of green energy projects. Lawmakers approved a list of technologies and activities that can be classified as green, after disagreement about whether nuclear energy and natural gas should be included. The so-called “Green Deal” is a […]

  • Positive Technologies assists Siemens with eliminating dangerous vulnerabilities in utility control system

    Framingham, MA — Positive Technologies experts have discovered a total of 17 vulnerabilities in the SPPA-T3000. Vladimir Nazarov, Head of ICS Security at Positive Technologies, said: “By exploiting some of these vulnerabilities, an attacker could run arbitrary code on an application server, which is one of the key components of the SPPA-T3000 distributed control system. […]

  • Voith is a leading member of the XFLEX HYDRO project, a new initiative to build a resilient, renewable power system with flexible hydropower technology

    The XFLEX HYDRO project demonstrates how modern hydropower plants can provide the vital power grid services required by variable renewables such as wind and solar power The project is a four-year initiative by leading utilities, equipment manufacturers, universities, research centres and consultancies Voith Hydro is in the lead of the development and implementation of additional […]

  • The POWER Interview: New Directions for GE Digital

    In a recent conversation with POWER, GE Digital CEO Pat Byrne discussed why GE made key changes to the lucrative business, streamlining it to focus on four key markets, including electric utilities and power generation.  GE has been at the forefront of the innovation in the energy sector since Thomas Edison formulated the essential requirements […]

  • Dominion Energy and Vanguard Renewables Form Strategic Partnership to Develop First Nationwide Network of Dairy Waste-to-Energy Projects

    More than $200 million strategic partnership will capture methane from U.S. dairy farms and convert it into clean, renewable energy for U.S. consumers Strategic partnership will substantially reduce greenhouse gas emissions from U.S. dairy farms, equivalent to taking nearly 100,000 cars off the road or planting 7.5 million new trees each year Companies expand strategic […]

  • Hydropower Industry Launches Major International Project to Demonstrate Flexibility

    In a new attempt to secure a concrete role for the international hydropower industry within the decarbonization movement, several utilities, equipment manufacturers, universities, research centers, and consultancies have scaffolded to demonstrate how modern hydropower plants can provide flexibility to markets that are increasingly inundated by variable generation like wind and solar. On Dec. 10, the […]

  • Indiana Utility Will Close Coal-Fired Units Early

    Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL) on Dec. 9 announced it will close two of the four coal-fired units at its Petersburg Generating Station in southern Indiana, as the utility continues to move away from coal generation. IPL has been pressured by state political leaders and environmentalists to close the 1,700-MW Petersburg facility, the largest power […]

  • Building a resilient, renewable power system with innovative hydropower technology

    December 10, 2019 — A major new energy innovation project to demonstrate how smart hydropower technologies can deliver a low-carbon, reliable and resilient power system was launched today. The €18 million initiative was announced by the European Commission and a consortium of 19 partners, including the International Hydropower Association, at the United Nations climate change conference […]

  • Veteran Material Handling Specialists Expand Benetech, Inc.’s Capabilities

    Benetech, Inc. has announced the addition of two highly seasoned material handling experts who will further enhance the company’s service and solutions for bulk material handlers. AURORA, Ill., Dec. 10, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Benetech, Inc. has announced the addition of two highly seasoned material handling experts who will further enhance the company’s service and solutions […]

  • Connecticut Gives Go-Ahead for 804-MW Offshore Wind Project

    Vineyard Wind’s 804-MW Park City project was given the go-ahead by Connecticut officials on Dec. 5, with regulators saying Vineyard’s bid in an offshore wind solicitation was “lower than any other publicly announced offshore wind project in North America.” Vineyard Wind competed against other groups in the bidding, including developers backed by Ørsted and Shell. […]

  • Geronimo Energy Announces Commercial Operation of 200 MW South Dakota Wind Farm

    MINNEAPOLIS, Dec. 5, 2019 — Geronimo Energy (Geronimo), a wholly owned subsidiary of National Grid Plc (NYSE: NGG), announced today the start of commercial operations for its Crocker Wind Farm (Crocker), a 200 megawatt (MW) wind energy project located in Clark County, South Dakota. Crocker has Virtual Power Purchase Agreements (VPPAs) in place with leading corporations, […]

  • Report Says Global CO2 Emissions From Coal Down This Year

    Global emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from coal-fired power plants and industrial facilities fell in 2019, according to research published Dec. 3, though overall emissions of CO2 rose due to the increased use of natural gas and oil for power generation and other industrial processes. The new emissions figures were reported by the Global Carbon Project […]

  • Is Carbon Pricing the Key to a Clean Energy Future? [PODCAST]

    The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) has proposed incorporating the social cost of carbon into the wholesale price of electricity. According to an October-released study conducted by the consulting firm Analysis Group, “A carbon price in NYISO’s competitive wholesale power markets can help deliver New York’s clean-energy transition in faster, cheaper, more reliable, more […]

  • Energy Toolbase Implements SolarEdge’s Residential Energy Storage Solution onto the Platform

    Users can quickly determine utility bill savings and project economics for residential applications DECEMBER 3, 2019 – Stuart, FL – Energy Toolbase has implemented SolarEdge’s StorEdge© inverter onto its platform to enable users to run residential storage dispatch simulations and savings analysis that are representative of how StorEdge, coupled with an LG RESU10H battery, would […]

  • Brouillette Takes Over as Energy Secretary

    The U.S. Senate on Dec. 2 confirmed Dan Brouillette as the new Secretary of Energy, tapping the former lobbyist for Ford Motor Company to replace Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who stepped down as Department of Energy (DOE) chief after becoming part of the impeachment inquiry into President Trump. Perry’s tenure was marked by […]

  • Foreign companies eyeing opportunities in Japan’s offshore wind market, says GlobalData

    Japan has been witnessing an upsurge in the number of companies showing interest in its fledgling offshore wind sector, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. GlobalData’s research reveals that the Japanese offshore market presently stands at a miniscule 68 megawatt (MW). However, 770 MW of capacity is in the pipeline across four projects, […]

  • Wärtsilä to provide full energy storage solution for one of the largest power hybrid projects at an off-grid mine in Mali

    Dec. 2, 2019 — The technology group Wärtsilä will optimise the energy system of the Fekola Mine, located in a remote region in southwest Mali. This is needed to improve the mine’s operations, reduce fuel consumption, and lessen the carbon emissions. Wärtsilä has been contracted to design and engineer a cutting-edge 17MW/15MWh energy storage system […]

  • A Review of Global Power-to-Gas Projects To Date [INTERACTIVE]

    According to experts from Technical University of Applied Sciences (OTH) in Regensburg, Germany, who recently reviewed the world’s existing power-to-gas (P2G) hydrogen and methane projects, about 143 P2G projects have operated since 1988 in 22 countries. Only 56 hydrogen and 38 methanation projects were active in 2019. While the existing fleet mostly comprises pilot or […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: The Need for Power Flexibility

    In its November 2019–issued World Energy Outlook, the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggests that if countries pursue currently stated policies, the combined generation share of wind and solar photovoltaic could surge from 7% today to 24% in 2040. This very steep ramp-up of variable renewables will undoubtedly require an emphatic focus on flexibility—the ability of […]

  • Unlocking Value at the Grid-Edge: Extending the Reach of the Utility Control Room

    Just 10 years ago, the magnitude of behind-the-meter distributed energy resources (DERs) at the edge of the grid was not materially significant. All that has changed, and we’re now at an inflection point: by

  • Worm Gear Technology Helps CSP Plant Stay Locked on Target

    Solar power generation continues to increase, with forecasts from BloombergNEF (BNEF) calling for global solar generation to make up 22% of the world’s electricity by 2050, up from about 2% today. BNEF has

  • International Business: Before You Enter a New Market, Do Your Due Diligence

    As an attorney who has spent the majority of his career litigating and settling international commercial disputes, I have experienced several instances where U.S. companies jump at the opportunity to expand