Renewables
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Renewables
Natural Gas and Wind Dominate U.S. LCOE Landscape, Interactive Map Shows
Natural gas combined cycle, wind, and residential solar photovoltaic technologies may be the least-expensive way to generate power across a wide swathe of the U.S., an interactive map published and recently updated by the University of Texas (UT) at Austin’s Energy Institute shows. The interactive chart (Version 1.4.0, retrieved on October 4, 2018), first published […]
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Renewables
How Did MATS Affect U.S. Coal Generation?
Industry aggressively fought the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) when the Obama administration proposed it in 2011 and finalized it in February 2012, warning it would precipitate the closure of a swathe of coal capacity nationwide. Six years later, the rule appears to have had a sizable impact on the power sector, but not […]
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Press Releases
ONYX Insight Keeps Tabs on 8.3-MW Turbines at Blyth Offshore Demonstrator Wind Farm
(October 2, 2018) — ONYX InSight, a predictive analytics provider that gives asset owners clarity and control over their operations, has signed a contract with EDF Renewables to provide predictive maintenance services at the Blyth Offshore Demonstrator Project (Blyth). The contract will see ONYX InSight monitor the project’s 8.3MW MHI Vestas V164 wind turbines – some […]
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History
The Rise of Natural Gas Generation in Europe
Spurred by the shale gas revolution, natural gas’s stunning rise to dominate the U.S. power profile has been echoed by a number of countries, particularly in the Middle East. In Europe, where domestic natural gas production is actually in decline—and consensus is that shale gas won’t likely play a major role on the continent—natural gas […]
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Infographics
THE BIG PICTURE: A Power Sector Carbon Decline
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that if states fully implement the Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule—which it proposed in August 2018 to replace the 2015 Clean Power Plan—by 2025, U.S. power sector carbon dioxide emissions could be about 34% below 2005 levels. At the end of 2016, they had fallen 24%, and by the end […]
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Renewables
POWER Digest [October 2018]
Gasification Plant Under Construction in Saudi Arabia. A Pennsylvania company has partnered with two Saudi Arabian energy firms on construction of a gasification-to-power plant project in Saudi Arabia. The
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IIOT Power
Advanced Digital Technology Offers Utilities Profound Changes
Advanced digital technologies, including robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning, are transforming the way electric power companies do business, in ways that benefit the companies and their
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Renewables
India’s Coal Glut Leaves Producers Teetering on Bankruptcy
At the end of July, India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA) noted in its annual load generation balance report (LGBR) for the year 2018–2019 that the country will likely have a peak surplus of 2.5% and
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Commentary
Court Upholds Water Intake Rule, Offering Some Certainty for Power Plants
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in July issued a long-awaited decision in the case Cooling Water Intake Structure Coalition v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), upholding the EPA’s
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Renewables
Wind and Solar Powering Greek Island
The Greek island of Tilos may provide the model for a renaissance of renewable energy across the European Union (EU). Technicians this summer have tested a system that will allow the island to produce and run
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O&M
Jobsite Safety Check: Mitigating Risk and Improving Safety at Power Plants
Safety should be the top priority on any job site and goes hand in hand with operational excellence. Risk mitigation and safety are exceptionally important for power plants due to the nature of the industry
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Renewables
Dam Collapse May Slow, but Not Stop, Laotian Hydropower Projects
The Laotian government in August said the approval process for new hydroelectric dams in the country should be suspended as it continued to review construction practices. The move came after more than three
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IIOT Power
Using Predictive Analytics to Keep Up with Energy Demand
Silicon Valley Power implemented a system using machine-learning technology to monitor critical power plant components. The solution has proven to reduce downtime and save money. Furthermore, its wireless
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Commentary
If You’re Not Leading the Pack the View’s Always the Same
We’ve all heard that phrase about leading or following. In today’s energy world, and more so in tomorrow’s, this saying takes on a new meaning that can be summed up in two words: distributed generation
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Fuel
U.S. Biomass Power, Dampened by Market Forces, Fights to Stay Ablaze
Though experts say biomass should continue to play a key role in the U.S. renewable power portfolio for its baseload properties, contributions to forest management, and other reasons, a swathe of uneconomic
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O&M
How Does the Western Energy Imbalance Market Work?
The California Independent System Operator’s Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) is a real-time energy market, the first of its kind in the western U.S. EIM’s advanced market systems automatically find low-cost
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O&M
The Gamble to Produce Power from a ‘Killer’ Lake
KivuWatt, a 26.2-MW power plant in Kibuye, Rwanda, was conceived to help reduce risk of an overpressure gas outburst at Lake Kivu. The first-of-its-kind integrated methane gas extraction and production
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O&M
Aftermarket Parts Substitutions Can Shut Down a Power Plant
Every power generation facility is unique, as are the functions and maintenance requirements for their equipment. Keeping equipment in working order and avoiding downtime is critical. Plants will sometimes use
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Renewables
Global Wind Summit Showcases the Increasing Power of the Segment
More than 35,000 visitors from 100 nations were expected to attend the vast Global Wind Summit, which began Tuesday, September 25, in Hamburg, Germany’s Exposition Center. The expo is one of the world’s largest wind energy events. Held every two years and organized by WindEurope, the Global Wind Energy Association, and VDMA Power Systems, it […]
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Press Releases
Garlock Launches ABRA-SHIELD™, an Expansion Joint Material Designed for Abrasion Protection
PALMYRA, N.Y., Sept. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Garlock – a leading manufacturer of high-performance fluid sealing products – has launched ABRA-SHIELD™, a proprietary expansion joint liner material designed for abrasion resistance and sustainability in demanding high temperature operating conditions. As the newest addition to Garlock’s family of abrasion resistant expansion joint materials, ABRA-SHIELD™ will join […]
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Commentary
Increasing Sustainability in the Power Industry Through Proactive Maintenance
According to a recent maintenance study published by Plant Engineering, more than 50% of respondents said their plants are still heavily relying on reactive maintenance. However, organizations and industries (including the power industry) have slowly started to move toward a more proactive maintenance approach because of the numerous benefits its implementation provides. This article addresses […]
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Press Releases
Esdec Launches U.S. Operations, Introduces FlatFix Solar Mounting System
Leading European rooftop mounting company brings customer-centric innovation to U.S. solar market ATLANTA—September 20, 2018—Esdec, a leading European solar rooftop mounting solutions provider, announced today that it is entering the U.S. market. With more than 1.8 GW of installed capacity and leading market share in several European countries, the company brings 14 years of solar mounting and […]
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Press Releases
Shell and NREL Launch Cleantech Incubator: Shell GameChanger Accelerator Powered by NREL
DENVER (Sept. 20, 2018) — Shell today announced a new multimillion dollar, multiyear program to discover and advance emerging clean energy technologies with the potential to dramatically alter the future global energy landscape. Partnering with early-stage startup companies, the new Shell GameChanger™ Accelerator Powered by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (GCxN) […]
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Press Releases
Con Edison Will Acquire 981 MW of Renewable Electric Production Projects from Sempra Energy
NEW YORK (September 20, 2018) – Consolidated Edison, Inc. (NYSE: ED) (“Con Edison”) today announced that one of its subsidiaries has agreed to acquire a Sempra Energy subsidiary that owns 981 megawatts (MW) AC of operating renewable electric production projects, including its 379 MW AC share of projects that it owns jointly with Con Edison subsidiaries, […]
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Press Releases
Minesto breaks new ground in the energy sector as it proves its subsea kite technology
Marine energy developer Minesto has verified the functionality of its unique Deep Green technology at utility scale, marking a significant milestone for the company and for the marine energy industry. Following a thorough commissioning program of the company’s first device of the Deep Green technology at utility scale, which generates clean electricity from tidal streams […]
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Renewables
How Independence Power & Light Saves Ratepayers $100k a Year Using Artificial Intelligence Technology
At this moment, the lights are on around the country in homes and workplaces. Most don’t realize, perhaps take it for granted, that those lights come on because of the hard work of dispatchers operating one of the most important manmade systems ever built, the national electric power grid. Without oversimplifying the process too much, […]
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Press Releases
France’s first offshore wind turbine produces electricity
Sept 19th 2018 – Floating offshore wind turbine Floatgen, the first offshore wind turbine installed off the French coast, exported its first KWh to the electricity grid. The connection of the electricity export cable and a final series of tests carried out in recent days enabled the Floatgen wind turbine, which is installed 22 km […]
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Press Releases
Grasshopper Announces USD $10 Million Investment in 4-MW Solar Portfolio in Japan
TORONTO, September 18, 2018— Grasshopper Solar, Canada’s largest vertically integrated solar energy company, announces a USD $10 million investment in six solar power plants from Univergy Solar in Japan. These six ground mount projects, ranging from 439kW to 971kW totaling 4 MW, will utilize 12,500 solar panels, generate 4,544 MWh of clean energy and deliver […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Appeals Court Backs Illinois’ Nuclear Subsidies
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit on September 13 upheld subsidies offered by Illinois to help struggling nuclear power plants. The court rejected arguments from power producers and some Illinois energy consumers that so-called zero-emission credits (ZEC) are preempted by the Federal Power Act. Opponents argued the program violates the Commerce Clause […]
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Renewables
EIA Report Says Coal Still King on State-by-State Basis
A report this week from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) shows coal-fired power was still the major source of generation on a state-by-state basis in 2017, though natural gas-fueled electricity production slightly outpaced coal overall The EIA’s report, published September 10, said 18 states relied on coal for the bulk of their power generation […]