Renewables

Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies can help make electric generating plants more efficient while increasing availability. The electric power industry is going through a transformational change

Low asset utilization is an increasing financial challenge for both conventional and renewable assets, which are sometimes curtailed due to over-generation at various times of day. Integrating large-scale

The power industry faces many challenges, which require a dedicated workforce to overcome. How can a company get everyone pulling in the same direction? It starts with a strong culture. The electric utility

Officials in China in 2017 said the country—the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases—would move away from coal-fired power generation. They promptly canceled more than 100 coal power plant construction projects. But coal remains king in China, which in the past two years has added 43 GW of coal-fired generation capacity, according to a report […]

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) has announced the firm order to supply wind turbines for the 448-MW Neart na Gaoithe (NnG) offshore wind power project, being developed by the utility EDF Renewables in Scotland. The contract further cements SGRE’s market-leading position. The company will install 54 of its SG 8.0-167 DD offshore turbines, with a […]

Falling natural gas prices tamped down annual U.S. wholesale power prices over the last decade by $7/MWh to $53/MWh—to a much higher degree compared to the impact of wind and solar growth—a new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) suggests.  The Nov. 20–published report, The Impact of Wind, Solar, and Other Factors on Wholesale Power […]

POWER was at the POWERGEN International exhibition and summit, which was held in New Orleans, Louisiana, Nov. 19–21, 2019. Among the experts we met with at the show were Paul Browning, CEO of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Americas; Chris Mieckowski, director of global solutions marketing and strategy with Siemens; Robert Yeager, president of Emerson’s Power […]

The POWERGEN International exhibition and summit—one of the world’s largest power-industry events with more than 750 exhibitors—was held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, Nov. 19–21, 2019. POWER was there (Figure 1) to connect with leaders from the industry and report on the latest news from the show. Hot topics […]

ABB’s digital solutions and engineering services will improve availability and reliability of power in the State of Paraná, with ABB winning a $US2.5 million contract to upgrade Copel’s Governador José Richa hydro power plant. ABB will provide excitation systems and speed regulation for four generator units at the 20-year-old Governador José Richa[i]  hydro power plant […]

Offshore wind industry leader Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) expanded its product portfolio today at the WindEurope Offshore 2019 Conference & Exhibition with the launch of the new Siemens Gamesa DD Flex concept and the SG 11.0-193 DD Flex offshore wind turbine. Built on the current largest offshore wind turbine in the SGRE fleet, the […]

Actively dictating the wind flow in any offshore wind power plant has likely been the dream of developers and engineers since the first turbines were installed in Danish waters in 1991. Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) is therefore proud to launch the Wake Adapt feature today at the WindEurope Offshore 2019 Conference & Exhibition in […]

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy has selected Electrical Distribution Design (EDD) to lead a project focused on increasing solar situational awareness and grid resilience through threat detection. EDD, working with project partners PEPCO Holdings (PHI), Clean Power Research (CPR), Florida State University (FSU), Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA), University of Delaware (UD), […]

A nationwide survey of state utility commissions suggests regulators are increasingly grappling with issues that could “profoundly” alter energy delivery and utility business models. However, over the next decade, they expect central station generation will continue to dominate state portfolios, and utility-scale solar growth will surpass customer-owned photovoltaic (PV).  The survey to take the “regulatory […]

ABB has won an order worth around $30 million from Amprion GmbH, a German transmission grid operator that provides electricity to more than 29 million people, from the Alps in South of Germany to Lower Saxony, to supply phase-shifting transformers (PSTs) that will optimize power flow in the German electricity network and help in the […]

Signing of the contract in attendance of the Federal Minister for Economics and Energy Peter Altmaier and the Minister of Energy of Ethiopia Dr. Seleshi Bekele Stable energy supply as a foundation for further social and economical development Enormous hydropower potential in Ethiopia HEIDENHEIM, Germany. The technology group Voith has signed a comprehensive service and […]

Companies and individuals honored by The Cleanie Awards, a comprehensive awards program focused on the clean energy industry, are a diverse group, representing nearly every facet of the clean technology and renewable energy market. The 2019 honorees received their awards at the Solar Power International (SPI) event in Salt Lake City, Utah, in late September. […]

The Ways and Means Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives on Nov. 19 released a draft tax package for clean energy projects that includes a five-year extension of the 30% solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), along with new incentives for energy storage. The legislation also supports incentives for electric vehicles (EVs), offshore and onshore […]

GE Renewable Energy has confirmed the company will close its GE Grid Solutions manufacturing plant in Waynesboro, Georgia, with the 200 workers at the facility offered the chance to relocate to a similar site in Charleroi, Pennsylvania, or apply for other jobs within the company. The plant is expected to close by year-end 2020. The […]

As the world continues to face climate uncertainties, industrial companies are looking for ways to ensure they are as sustainable as possible while maintaining profitability. POWER’s recent Distributed Energy Conference included a session on sustainability from the viewpoint of utilities and others in the power generation industry. Many companies are working toward the goal of […]

Solar photovoltaic (PV) could surge ahead of coal and gas and become the largest source of installed power capacity in the world in the next two decades if countries pursue stated policies and targets, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said in its newly released World Energy Outlook 2019 (WEO2019).  The agency’s annual publication, which it […]

Twenty-three projects chosen by the Department of Energy (DOE) in response to its 2019 Grid Modernization Lab Call provide a broad look at the critical issues that are roiling the nation’s power sector, as well as the tools and technologies that it has determined will best bolster the grid of the future in the near […]

Paris, France, November 12, 2019 – Schneider Electric, global specialist in energy management and automation, announces the release of EcoStruxure™ DERMS – Distributed Energy Resource Management System. The new energy landscape is becoming more decarbonized, more decentralized and more digitalized. Electricity consumers are seeking more control over their energy future and are driving the growing […]

The pace at which new digitalization technologies are being adopted in the power sector is dizzying, but news from major players in the sector—among them, AES, Invenergy, Google, and IBM—this week suggests it will only accelerate.  For more insight into power plant digitalization, including the latest in digital monitoring, diagnostic, analytics, Industrial Internet of Things […]

OMAHA, Nebraska (November 5, 2019) – Independent energy company Tenaska closed $158 million in commercial financing today for the Nobles 2 wind project, which is under construction in Nobles County in southwest Minnesota. Tenaska has successfully developed approximately 10,500 megawatts (MW) of natural gas-fueled and renewable power projects. Including the Nobles 2 transaction, Tenaska has […]

Wisconsin-based Alliant Energy has announced a plan to add 1 GW of solar power generation to its portfolio by 2023. The company on Oct. 31 in its “Powering What’s Next Plan” said it would begin construction of its first “Community Solar” site in Fond du Lac County next year. David de Leon, president of Alliant […]

POWER in 2018 reported on the lasting impact that a dip in training programs has had on the utility workforce. In the 1980s, there were fewer training programs and the impact is still being felt today. There are fewer utility workers able to move into middle- and upper-management positions, contributing to a workforce gap as […]

Dominion Energy announced plans for a new 500-MW natural gas-fired power plant and also has taken over a solar farm project in Pittsylvania County in Virginia, with the company saying it would invest about $330 million in the two projects. The Nov. 1 announcement came one day after Dominion said it would it would add […]

SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 30, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — CleanSpark, Inc. (OTCQB: CLSK), a microgrid company with advanced engineering, software and controls for innovative distributed energy resource management systems, today announced an award of a contract totaling $627,000 to provide software controls and energy storage to Energias Limpias De CentroAmerica (ELCA) as part of their Energy as […]

Drones represent a classic good news/bad news scenario. The good news is great. The bad news is terrifying. On the good news front, drones can keep utility-sector workers safely on the ground, with the