Renewables

  • Solar Power Is Economical Today, but Comes With Challenges

    Depending on the deployment location and competing energy prices, photovoltaic solar panels are among the most cost-effective power solutions being added to the grid today, often without subsidies and other incentives. The revelation came during a panel discussion—which included several CEOs from the power sector—that took place at the Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) Summit […]

  • New York Power Authority and Municipal and Cooperative Electric Systems Extend Hydropower Contract to 2040

    The 51 Municipal and Rural Electric Cooperative Systems throughout New York Are Adopting the State’s Clean Energy Goals  WHITE PLAINS—The New York Power Authority (NYPA) Board of Trustees has approved a contract extension of low-cost hydropower for all 51 New York electric systems through September 1, 2040. Under the terms of the new power contract, […]

  • Navajo Nation Ends Bid to Acquire 2.3-GW Coal Plant

    After a Navajo tribal council on March 21 voted 11–9 to block acquisition of the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) and Peabody Energy’s Kayenta coal mine, the Navajo Transitional Energy Co. (NTEC) announced it would drop its bid to keep the 2.3-GW coal-fired plant near Page, Arizona, open.  NTEC, a company wholly owned by the Navajo […]

  • Trump Ended War on Fossil Fuels, but Focus Needed on CCS [PODCAST]

    The United States Energy Association (USEA) is an association of public and private energy-related organizations, corporations, and government agencies that helps increase understanding of the world’s energy issues. Barry Worthington has been the executive director of the USEA for more than 30 years. During that time, he has seen the association grow from a two-person, […]

  • DOE Announces $36 Million for High-Temperature Materials Projects

    WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 22, 2019) – The U.S. Department of Energy has announced $36 million in awards for 18 projects as part of the High Intensity Thermal Exchange through Materials and Manufacturing Processes (HITEMMP) program, as well as the final OPEN+ Cohort, High Temperature Devices. These project teams seek to develop new approaches and technologies for the […]

  • Siemens, Mitsubishi Discuss Merger of Turbine Units

    A German business magazine reports that Siemens is exploring options for its struggling gas turbine business, and could look to form a joint venture with Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI). Manager Magazin on March 21 said Siemens “wants to accommodate the large turbine business of the Japanese Mitsubishi Group and in the future hold only a […]

  • GOVERNOR CUOMO ANNOUNCES SELECTION OF DEVELOPER TO INSTALL ROOFTOP SOLAR ARRAYS AT JAVITS CENTER

    Siemens to Design and Construct 1.4 MW Renewable Energy Project on Green Roof of Jacob K. Javits Convention Center Largest Rooftop Solar Installation in New York City Advances Governor’s Nation-Leading Clean Energy andJobs Agenda That Puts New York on a Path to Carbon Neutrality Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the selection of a developer to […]

  • RES Breaks Ground on America’s Largest Bifacial Solar Farm

    The 160 MWac project in Georgia ushers in a new era of high-efficiency solar. 21 March 2019 – RES (Renewable Energy Systems), a leader in the engineering and construction of wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects worldwide, has announced the start of construction on the Southern Oak Solar Project in the state of Georgia. […]

  • How a Major Resort Owner Manages Its Power [PODCAST]

    MGM Resorts International took a bold step in 2016 when it ended its energy-buying relationship with NV Energy and instead chose to purchase electricity from private providers. The company’s decision was driven by a desire to slash bills and boost renewables. Henry Shields, executive director of finance and analysis in the Corporate Sustainability division of […]

  • Renewables Provided 18% of U.S. Power Generation in 2018

    Renewable generation in the U.S. has doubled over the past 10 years. In 2018, generation from solar, wind, hydro, and other renewables soared to a record 742 TWh—or 17.6% of total U.S. generation. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), since 2008—when renewables provided 382 TWh—wind generation rose from 55 TWh and generated 275 TWh […]

  • Gas Now Tops Coal in PJM, but Nuclear Still No. 1

    A report from an independent market monitor for PJM Interconnection shows that natural gas-fired power generation topped coal-fired output in PJM in 2018, the first time that gas has topped coal in the history of the largest U.S. grid operator. The “2018 State of the Market” report from Monitoring Analytics LLC, which includes Volume 1 […]

  • Cyberattack Debilitates Major Aluminum and Hydropower Producer

    Norsk Hydro, a major global aluminum producer that is also Norway’s third-largest producer of hydropower, has been stricken by an extensive cyberattack—reportedly ransomware—that forced its entire global network offline. The company powers its sizable aluminum production operations with 20 hydropower plants concentrated in Telemark, Røldal-Suldal, Sogn, and Vennesla, producing a total 10 TWh per year. […]

  • POWER Notebook: ‘Coal on Way Out’, Theme Parks Embrace Renewables

    The chief executive of Vistra Energy Corp. last week said coal is not likely to regain market share in the U.S. power market. Curtis Morgan, in a panel discussion March 14 at the CERAWeek event in Houston, Texas, said “coal is on its way out. More and more plants are being retired.” It’s not the […]

  • FPL Plans to Build 1,500 MW of Solar in Next Two Years

    Florida Power & Light (FPL) continues to add to its solar power portfolio, with the utility on March 13 announcing plans to build the largest community solar program in the U.S. Eric Silagy, FPL’s president and CEO, in a statement said, “We’ve been aggressively expanding solar with one goal in mind: bringing more solar to […]

  • US Wind Urges Maryland Legislators to Increase Offshore Wind Capacity and Related Economic Development and Jobs

    BALTIMORE, March 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — In testimony this week before Senate Finance Committee and House Economic Matters Committee of the Maryland General Assembly, US Wind Country Manager Salvo Vitale urged House and Senate committee members to support HB 1158 and its Senate companion, SB 516 – The Clean Jobs Act of 2019 – citing […]

  • States Take Lead with Plans for 100% Carbon-Free Energy

    Minnesota and Wisconsin recently joined the list of states aiming for a 100% clean-energy future, while some Illinois lawmakers are pushing for not only carbon-free power, but also 100% renewable energy. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) was the latest to announce a set of policy proposals designed to lead his state’s electricity sector to 100% […]

  • FPL Developing More Solar, Set to Bring Big Gas Plant Online

    Florida Power & Light (FPL) on March 4 announced plans to build four new solar power plants this year, with each expected to come online in early 2020. The company has rapidly expanded its solar power portfolio in recent years; the four new plants will join 18 others already operating in the state. FPL also […]

  • ERCOT Warns of Intensified Summer Supply Crunch (UPDATED)

    Grappling with a historically low planning reserve margin of 7.4%, owing to a mass of coal plant closures, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) is forecasting record electric use this summer and warns it could issue energy alerts at “various times.”  ERCOT said its March 5–released final Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA) for […]

  • Wind turbine blade erosion to be tackled in new Joint Industry Project

    DNV GL launches Joint Industry Project to analyse damage caused to wind turbine blades from the high-speed impacts of foreign objects Group of industry experts will jointly develop Recommended Practice for designing a protection system against rain erosion, to be published in 2020 Project partners include Vestas, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy, LM Wind Power, Ørsted, […]

  • RusHydro Commissions Third Hydropower Unit at Ust-Srednekanskaya Power Plant

    Moscow, Russia. RusHydro announces commissioning of the third hydropower unit at Ust-Srednekanskaya hydropower plant, the country’s largest hydropower plant currently under construction located on the Kolyma River in the Magadan region of the Far Eastern Federal District. The plant’s installed capacity increased almost two fold – from 168 MW to 310.5 MW. Nikolay Shulginov, Chairman […]

  • FPL announces plans to build four new solar power plants in 2019

    – Installation of more than 1 million solar panels included as part of FPL’s plan to add 30 million more solar panels by 2030 – New solar plants will create about 800 jobs as Florida continues to lead the nation in solar-related employment – With 18 solar power plants in operation and four more on […]

  • POWER Notebook: Alabama Power Says Closing Coal Plant Will Cost $740 Million

    Several developments worldwide impacted the power generation landscape in the past week, including more news about the closure of a coal-fired power plant in Alabama, the restart of a geothermal facility in Hawaii, and construction of a biomass-fueled power plant in Japan. In addition, a company said it plans a $150 million investment in three […]

  • Construction Resumes on $1.5 Billion Zimbabwe Power Project

    Johannesburg, South Africa (March 2, 2019) – Zimbabwe recently resumed the construction of the $1.5 billion Hwange Expansion Project for Units 7 and 8 as it aims to progressively implement the Vision 2030 which will transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle class economy. The $1.488 billion project is being funded by China Exim Bank, Sinohydro […]

  • Power Supplies in Pacific Northwest Tighten as Deep Freeze Grips Region

    Energy supplies are tight in the Pacific Northwest, a region that has been stricken with unseasonably frigid weather and is bracing for deep freezes as a mass of Arctic air descends on the region.    The Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a federal power marketer that sells wholesale power from 31 federal dams and one nuclear […]

  • POWER Digest [March 2019]

    The Distribution System Is Newest Energy Transition Frontier in Europe. The European power sector is urging member states and regulators within the European Union (EU) to speed up development of

  • UAE Adds Gas Power to Its Mix and Renewables Abroad

    The January agreement between GE and Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. for a 1.8-GW combined cycle power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is part of the country’s commitment to increasing its power generation

  • Germany’s Coal Exit Bound to Be Complicated

    Eight years after Germany decided it would halt nuclear power production by 2022, the country that relied on lignite and hard coal for 38% of its generated power in 2018 will phase out coal by 2038 or earlier

  • Kazakhstan Adds New Solar Plant to Growing Renewables Capacity

    The SES Saran solar power plant entered commercial operation in late January in Saran, in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan, an area long known for its coal production. Government officials said the plant is

  • Improve Baghouse Performance with Custom Filtration Media

    Dust collection plays a vital role for safe and efficient power plant operation. There are a number of dust collection options available to plant designers, and baghouses have gained wide acceptance. The

  • How Existing Technology and Market Updates Lead to More Affordable, Reliable, Clean Power

    America’s energy mix is undergoing a period of rapid change. The way we generate electricity in this country looks dramatically different than it did just a decade ago, as wind and solar have matured and