Renewables

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a proposed rule to replace the Clean Power Plan—a rule regulating greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from existing coal-fired power plants. The new “Affordable Clean Energy” rule sets GHG guidelines for states to set standards for performance for existing coal-fired power plants. The proposal is the newest development in a […]

A report from POLITICO says the Trump administration’s rollback of the Obama-era Clean Power Plan (CPP) would give individual states more leeway to set their own rules governing emissions from power plants. POLITICO, which covers politics and policy both in the U.S. and internationally, said its review of a draft document, and information from a […]

An Indiana consumer protection agency has told state regulators they should reject Vectren Corp.’s plan to build a new natural gas-fired power plant in the state. Vectren wants the plant to replace four of the utility’s retiring coal-fired units. Indiana’s Office of Utility Consumer Counselor (OUCC) on August 13 said it completed a five-month legal […]

MONTRÉAL, Québec, August 14, 2018 – Pattern Energy Group Inc. (NASDAQ and TSX: PEGI) (“Pattern Energy” or the “Company”) and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board (“PSP Investments”) today announced the acquisition of the 147 megawatt (MW) Mont Sainte-Marguerite Wind power facility from Pattern Energy Group LP (“Pattern Development 1.0”). Mont Sainte-Marguerite Wind is located […]

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Demonstrating that the offshore wind industry is gaining significant momentum in the United States, Ørsted and Siemens Gamesa today announced the signing of a subcontract to supply wind turbines for the Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind project founded by Dominion Energy. Ørsted and Dominion Energy entered into a strategic initiative in 2017 to provide […]

Fargo, ND (August 9, 2018) — Xcel Energy celebrated the construction of its newest 150-megawatt wind facility in central North Dakota today. The event featured local landowners, company representatives, U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp, and other state and local officials. The Foxtail Wind project will provide low-cost wind energy to nearly 80,000 homes when it’s completed […]

An official with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) told a nuclear industry group this week that the agency and Trump administration officials are trying to identify power plants they consider critical to the nation’s grid. The move is seen as part of the White House effort to prop up the struggling U.S. coal and […]

August 8, 2018 — Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) signed 10 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with a range of suppliers today in Taipei, Taiwan. The MoUs come as a complement to previous agreements signed with Yeong Guan Energy Technology Group (YGG) and Swancor Holding Co. (Swancor). They further demonstrate the commitment of SGRE to the […]

High-voltage power contractor Smith Brothers has secured an Independent Connection Provider (ICP) contract with sustainable energy specialist P3P Partners, marking the electrical engineering firm’s first foray into the fast-growing combined heat and power (CHP) market. A leading provider of CHP services, P3P develops energy-efficient centres across the UK and has previously delivered state-of-the-art solutions to […]

Siemens reported a 2% rise in industrial profit for its fiscal third quarter on August 2, topping analyst forecasts, though the German engineering giant also reported that revenue for the quarter dropped 4%. The earnings report comes as the company prepares to implement a new strategy that cuts its number of business divisions. The company […]

General Electric (GE), long considered the most-prominent business in Schenectady, New York, on August 7 announced another 225 job cuts at its main campus in the city. The announcement comes as GE continues to restructure its operations amid a downturn in global demand for the company’s turbines. GE cut about 110 jobs at the Schenectady […]

It is safe to say that every power plant in the world uses scaffolding in some way, shape, or form. It is a critical component for many maintenance activities where permanently installed access is not possible or practical. Therefore, the dangers associated with scaffolding should not be overlooked by the industry. Often, plant maintenance personnel […]

Large Energy Storage System Commissioned in Germany. NEC Energy Solutions (NEC) in late June said it had commissioned the largest energy storage system in Europe for Germany-based EnspireME, a joint venture

The Mongolian government in late June commissioned the country’s second photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant, a 15-MW facility in the province of Dornogovi, in an “economic development zone” of

Through much of the developed world, we have come to rely on a steady flow of electricity just as we have a steady flow of air. Power outages are still disruptive, but they are few in number, and we have

U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry last year petitioned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to craft policies to provide for “resilience” in the nation’s generation resource mix. He wrote

Wind farms are not all created equal. During the previous 12 months ending February 2018, the average capacity factor for U.S. wind turbines—virtually all of which were located on land—was 36.9%. Danish

As the electric power industry moves forward with new technology, the workforce that is needed to design, build, and manage the next generation of systems will undergo an equal if not greater transformation

Albuquerque, New Mexico (July 31, 2018) – Pattern Energy Group 2 LP (Pattern Development) today announced it has signed 15-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) and Monterey Bay Community Power (MBCP) to deliver wind power from the 200 megawatt (MW) Duran Mesa Wind project currently in development near Corona, New Mexico. […]

Two planned solar projects in Nevada would be the first in that state to include battery storage, part of an increasing trend toward such projects to help mitigate issues with integrating renewable energy into the larger transmission grid. Both projects are scheduled to begin construction next year pending regulatory approval, with the Bureau of Land […]

More than two dozen people have died in southeastern Laos after part of a newly built hydroelectric dam broke on July 23, flooding nearby villages. Government officials on July 25 said it had confirmed 26 deaths, with fears the death toll will rise with more than 130 people officially listed as missing and heavy rain […]

Kyocera Corporation and Tokyo Century Corporation announced that Kyocera TCL Solar LLC (herein “Kyocera TCL Solar”) has completed construction of a 28-MW utility-scale solar power plant in the town of Taiwa, Kurokawa District, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The company has developed this solar power plant in collaboration with Tokyo-based Tsuboi Corporation and started operations in late June […]

ALISO VIEJO, Calif. — esVolta, a developer and owner of utility-scale energy storage projects across North America, has been selected by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) to build an energy storage system in Santa Clara County, California. Under the proposal, which is pending approval by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), esVolta will develop, […]

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) announces the order for the 235-megawatt (MW) Överturingen wind park in central Sweden. The scope of the project is to supply 56 units of the SWT-DD-130 wind turbine rated at 4.2 MW each, including delivery, installation and long term service. The customer is the Green Investment Group (GIG), a business […]

Electric cooperatives in the U.S. have vastly accelerated solar power installments. Today, they own or purchase more than nine times as much solar photovoltaic (PV) power as they did in 2013, a new report says.   The report, “A Solar Revolution in Rural America,” was prepared by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), a […]

Key technologies and ABB Ability digital solutions will integrate wind energy from Hornsea Project Two to the UK grid, powering more than 1.3 million homes. ABB has won orders worth more than $150 million from Danish energy company, Ørsted (previously Dong Energy), to supply a range of technologies that will help integrate and transmit renewable […]

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) will supply two wind farms in South Africa including 109 units of onshore wind turbines. The SWT-2.3-108 turbine will each feature a rated capacity of 2.3 MW and a 108 meters diameter rotor. While the 140 MW Kangnas wind farm project is located near Springbok in the Northern Cape, another […]

The Trump administration is moving forward with its effort to replace the Clean Power Plan, with the president set to review a document sent to the White House on July 9. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on July 10 said a new rule, which insiders said would be more favorable to the coal industry, was […]

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (July 9, 2018) – Duke Energy Renewables today announced it has completed the acquisition of the 24.9-megawatt Shoreham Solar Commons project on Long Island from Invenergy. Shoreham Solar Commons is located in Brookhaven, New York, about 60 miles east of Manhattan, on the site of the former Tallgrass Golf Course. It was placed […]

Scott Pruitt, chosen by President Donald Trump to lead the Environmental Protection Agency despite repeated lawsuits against the agency when he served as Oklahoma’s attorney general, resigned as EPA director July 5. Pruitt had been under scrutiny throughout his EPA tenure for questionable ethical decisions involving his office. Pruitt, who repeatedly said he had done […]