Solar

The growth in power generation from renewable energy sources, along with the continued shift from coal-fired generation to natural gas, is expected to drive the global market for turbines over the next several years, according to a report released by international business analysts Research and Markets. The Dublin, Ireland-based company in an April 25 news […]

More and more people are finding distributed energy solutions are the answer for their power resource challenges. Distributed energy comes in many forms. Renewables such as solar and wind are top-of-mind when most people think of distributed resources, but natural gas-fired generation is often a good fit too, because it adds reliability to the system […]

PEORIA, ILL. (April 11, 2018) – Caterpillar Inc. today announced that Cat dealer Altorfer has commissioned a 500-kW solar photovoltaic (PV) utility-scale demonstration project in St. Charles, Ill., as part of a 20-year power purchase agreement with the Illinois Municipal Electric Agency (IMEA).  Featuring more than 4,800 Cat solar panels, the 2.3-acre facility is located […]

MIYAGI, Japan (April 11, 2018) —GE Power recently successfully delivered and commissioned its Brilliance Solar Inverters to Pacifico Energy Osaki GK for the 40.32-megawatt alternating current (AC) mega-solar project in Furukawa, Japan. GE’s Brilliance Solar Inverters meet the customer’s requirements both for reliability and cost competitiveness. Along with the inverters, GE also supplied ring main units […]

A report from groups including the United Nations environmental arm and Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) shows renewable energy installations were responsible for 61% of the world’s net power capacity additions in 2017, more than double the new-builds from fossil fuel-powered generation. The Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018 report, compiled by BNEF, the […]

A transformation is underway in the energy sector where utility grid infrastructure is evolving to produce more energy from renewable sources and incorporate new advanced grid technologies. Technology concepts such as microgrids, and distributed and district energy help to localize our energy supply and allow us to generate, store, and consume energy in the places […]

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) CEO Bill Johnson in an exclusive interview with POWER suggested that the power industry continues to face an uncertain future.  Johnson said that during his 40-year career, he has seen more change in the last five years than in the previous 35 combined. Several indicators imply that will continue going forward. […]

Data from regional transmission organization (RTO) PJM Interconnection shows about 630 MW of power generation will be taken offline in the grid operator’s territory in April, with more than 3,600 MW scheduled to be retired this year, according to the organization’s website. This month’s deactivations are scheduled to begin April 16. Last week, Ohio power […]

Duke Energy Florida will commission both units of its new 1,640-MW Citrus gas-fired combined cycle power plant (Figure 1) by the end of 2018. The company on April 3 said the 820-MW Unit 1 will come online in September, with a second 820-MW unit entering service in November. Construction of the $1.5 billion plant began […]

The generating fleets owned by some of the largest companies in the U.S. (ranked here by capacity in 2017) have transformed over the past four years, in some cases dramatically, as total revenues fluctuated. Sources: Fidelity Investments (revenue data standardized by S&P Capital IQ); EIA-860 detailed data; SEC 10-K filings, and company websites. —Copy and artwork by Sonal Patel, a […]

Technology is being incorporated into operations and maintenance schemes at an ever-increasing pace. New digital tools are helping optimize assets, improve performance, and reduce overall costs. Big Data Best

Williamson College of the Trades’ Power Plant Technology program provides hands-on training for learners within its student-run power plant—known as the “Energy Island.” Through the program, students

As another hurricane season approaches, the lessons learned by energy companies that have repaired power infrastructure in Haiti, Puerto Rico, and other areas provide a path forward for reducing the impact of

JUNO BEACH, Fla. and SHANGHAI (March 30, 2018) — Two global solar energy leaders, U.S.-based NextEra Energy, Inc. (NYSE: NEE) and China-based JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. (NYSE: JKS), today announced one of the largest solar panel supply deals in history. NextEra Energy announced that it is the counterparty to a major supply agreement that was […]

TOKYO (March 27, 2018) — Kyocera President Hideo Tanimoto and Tokyo Century Corporation President & CEO Shunichi Asada announced today that Kyocera TCL Solar LLC has started operation of Japan’s largest 13.7-megawatt floating solar plant this month. Located on the Yamakura Dam reservoir in Ichihara, Chiba Prefecture, the Company held a completion ceremony on March 20 […]

Joe Grimes, executive vice president of generation with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), gave the keynote presentation during the ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition, which was held March 19–22 in Nashville, Tennessee. His presentation focused on steps TVA is taking to diversify its generation portfolio in order to reduce risks and keep costs as low […]

HELSINKI, Finland (March 20, 2018) — The technology group Wärtsilä today announced that it has delivered the world’s largest solar hybrid power plant. Wärtsilä will provide a reliable and sustainable supply of round-the-clock energy which is essential in operating the off-grid gold mine and demonstrate the enormous potential of integrating renewables as the baseload electricity. Wärtsilä […]

Burdened by a trade case, unpredictable policy-making, interconnection delays, and other market factors, the U.S. installed 30% less solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2017 compared to a record-breaking 2016. However, the 10.6 GW of new PV capacity added last year represents 30% of all new generating capacity added to the U.S. grid, more than any […]

State regulators in Arizona want the state’s investor-owned utilities to source more of their electricity from renewable sources, and develop more energy storage options, rather than rely on new natural gas-fired generation in the future. State senators, however, voted March 14 to give utilities a way to get around any voter-supported mandates for renewables. The […]

HELSINKI, Finland (March 8, 2018) — The technology group Wärtsilä has been the pioneer to promote flexibility in energy systems to enable greater use of solar and wind power. The company’s Smart Power Generation solution was launched ten years ago in recognition of growing environmental awareness within the industry, and in anticipation of increasing adoption of […]

The CEO of Texas-based CPS Energy said March 6 that the utility wants to generate at least 50% of its power from renewable sources by 2040, part of a plan that includes the addition of 550 MW of battery storage, as it looks to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels. But the city-owned San Antonio […]

SINGAPORE (March 6, 2018) — Modern Energy Management (MEM), a specialist in sourcing, developing, building and operating renewable energy projects in the emerging markets has announced it has been appointed to provide development support at two project sites, totalling 290 MW, in the Philippines and Thailand respectively.  MEM will act as technical and commercial advisor […]

Florida regulators on March 1 approved Florida Power & Light’s (FPL’s) plan to build a new $888 million natural gas-fired power plant, replacing an existing gas- and oil-fueled plant on the same site in Dania Beach that is being retired this year. The utility on Thursday also announced the opening of four new solar power […]

The private sector is traditionally known as a driver of innovation, so it may be surprising to some people that many businesses have only recently begun to consider advanced energy technologies. Looking at

As part of an EU Research Programme in Cooperation with the University of Cyprus, Autarsys Makes the Final Connections to its Energy Storage System (ESS) for Initial Testing   BERLIN, GERMANY and NICOSIA, CYPRUS – Autarsys GmbH has delivered and commissioned the first community energy storage system (ESS) in Cyprus. It aims to be a […]

An Indiana utility has confirmed it will close three coal-fired power units, replacing that generation with a proposed natural gas-fired facility along with additional solar power. Evansville, Indiana-based Vectren Corp., a holding company whose assets include Vectren Energy Delivery of Indiana-South, on February 20 released its Smart Energy Future strategic plan, designed to reduce Vectren’s […]

Concentric Power, a California-based provider of high-efficiency energy modules for onsite refrigeration and electric power generation, recently launched a $100 million financing program for cogeneration and microgrid projects. “We are excited to create a new path forward in energy infrastructure financing and development,” Brian Curtis, founder and CEO of Concentric Power, said in a press […]

In what has been a much longer and more drawn-out process than Entergy could have imagined when it first proposed a new gas-fired power plant in New Orleans, the company got some good news on February 21. The Utility, Cable, Telecommunications, and Technology Committee agreed—after what has turned out to be years of discussion—to send […]

A 200-MW solar power plant is being planned at a 2,000-acre site near Warner Robins, Georgia, a project that at present would be the largest standalone solar facility in the U.S. Southeast. First Solar, a Tempe, Arizona-based global provider of photovoltaic (PV) systems, announced the project on February 21. The plant already has a power […]

Coal-fired power generation has taken another punch, as Consumers Energy—which along with DTE Energy supplies most of Michigan’s power—has announced it will phase out coal burning over the next two decades, with a plan to generate at least 40% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2040. Patti Poppe, Consumers’ president and CEO, made the […]