Sustainability
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Data Centers
Amazon Data Centers Aren’t Raising Your Electric Bills—They May Be Lowering Them
As electricity demand from data centers continues to surge, a persistent question has dogged the industry: Are residential ratepayers footing the bill for massive tech infrastructure? According to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and an independent study it commissioned, the answer is a definitive no. As a guest on The POWER Podcast, Mandy Ulrich, senior manager […]
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Commentary
The Long Arc of Efficiency: What Refrigerators Teach Us About the Future of AI Data Centers
As AI demand accelerates, the race is on to bend the power curve before it bends the grid. The first electric refrigerators were mechanical curiosities—loud, bulky appliances that consumed staggering amounts of electricity. But they spread anyway, because the productivity gains were too great to ignore. Daily habits shifted. Food systems reshaped. Household labor changed […]
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Data Centers
Data Centers and the Grid: Key Insights from POWER’s Inaugural Data Center POWER eXchange Summit
POWER breaks down the top insights from Data Center POWER eXchange, its unique one-day summit curated by POWER’s editorial team and convened to examine the collision between accelerating data center load and tightening grid constraints. The rise of artificial intelligence is poised to create the fastest, largest, and most concentrated surge of electricity demand in […]
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Instrumentation & Controls
Get the White Paper: Boost Efficiency with Advanced Water Analytics
Sponsored by:Mettler ToledoGlobal shifts in energy demand are prompting power plants to reassess their production and efficiency needs. Energy-intensive AI data centers and increased renewable power loads to grids demand greater plant flexibility. Ramp-up and shutdown cycles require plants to rely more on cycle chemistry analytics to support fluctuations. The loss of personnel expertise due to layoffs […]
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Press Releases
Valmet’s Automation Solution for Improved Waste Management and Resource Efficiency at the New South Korean Incineration Facility
Valmet is to deliver an automation system to Seongnam City’s incineration facility currently under construction in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. The order was placed by GS E&C Corp., the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the facility. By leveraging intelligent automation, the plant will optimize energy production, minimize emissions, and deliver efficient, consistent performance […]
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Press Releases
Siemens and Samsung C&T Partner to Drive Next-Generation Infrastructure Projects
The Global partnership agreement combines Samsung C&T’s EPC expertise with Siemens’ leading capabilities in digitalization, electrification, and automation Collaboration to focus initially on six landmark infrastructure projects in Saudi Arabia, Thailand, and Canada Joint efforts to deliver differentiated, customer-centric solutions in airports, hospitals, buildings and data centers The partnership enables a unified “ONE Tech Company” […]
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Microgrid
Colville Tribes, OATI Partner on Microgrid Program
The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation will deploy multiple microgrids to enhance energy reliability and resiliency in an effort to achieve energy sovereignty. The Tribes, along with Open Access Technology International, on November 12 announced a landmark collaboration to advance tribal energy sovereignty and resilience through the siting of microgrids across the reservation in Washington state.
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Data Centers
Google Commits to First U.S. Gas-Fired Power Plant with Integrated CCS for Data Centers
Google has signed a first-of-its-kind corporate offtake agreement to purchase power from a new 400-MW natural gas–fired cogeneration plant outfitted with carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Decatur, Illinois. In an Oct. 23 blog post, Michael Terrell, head of Google’s Advanced Energy division, unveiled the corporate agreement that will allow the hyperscaler to purchase power […]
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Power
Nitrogen as the Safety Blanket for Your Industrial Process
Sponsored by:AIr ProductsIn this paper, Air Products’ representatives explain the basics of nitrogen blanketing, how to elucidate its various value propositions to maximize safety and efficiency, as well as how to practice it effectively and efficiently across a variety of industrial settings. Download the full white paper to learn more.
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Engineering
Mining Our Nation’s Scrap to Transform Our Electric Grid
Today’s demand for energy is extraordinary and expected to continue rising. The rapid growth of data centers, reshoring manufacturing operations and electrification of transportation has accelerated the market demands for electricity. Rethinking how industries use, and re-use materials is central to both the future of the electrified world and the work of Nucor, North America’s […]
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Commentary
Bill Gates: ‘The Future of Energy Is Subatomic’
I’m lucky to learn firsthand about some of the world’s most cutting-edge technologies. I’ve seen artificial intelligence ace an AP biology test, long before AI became an everyday tool. I’ve seen genetically modified mosquitoes that stop malaria in its tracks. I’ve seen geothermal wells that go 15,000 feet below the surface of the earth. But […]
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Trends
Buildings Will Devour 50% of New Global Electricity by 2035—Here’s How Smart Design Can Change That
Nations around the world are undergoing a seismic shift, switching from fossil fuels to renewable energy to meet net-zero targets. But one sector is set to dominate new demand—buildings.
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Electrification
Ausgrid’s Bold Plan to Break Grid Monopoly Boundaries with Community Power Network
Ausgrid, the state-owned electricity distributor serving 1.8 million customers across Sydney and beyond, has proposed a “Community Power Network” (CPN) that could upend a century-old regulatory boundary by
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Commentary
Young Americans Are the Future of Energy—It’s Time to Unleash Them
Throughout the first nine months of the Trump Administration, “energy dominance” has been the agenda. To win the artificial intelligence (AI) race, ensure energy reliability for Americans, and beat China on the world stage, we need more energy – period. But we can’t do it without America’s young people. Fortunately, it’s a dynamic time to get […]
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Commentary
Powering AI: From CERA Week Optimism to New York Climate Week Realism
This week, the energy world convenes in New York for the United Nations Climate Week. The gathering will encompass the most vital sectors of the U.S. economy at present—technology firms and utilities will be well-represented, along with a host of consultants, suppliers, experts, and academics, who consistently attend these events. UN Climate Week mirrors another […]
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International
Cuba Accelerates Solar Expansion with 2,000 MW Plan by 2028
The Cabaiguán photovoltaic park, with a capacity of 21.87 MW, located in the central province of Sancti Spíritus, began operations after just over two months of installation. This is part of Cuba’s national plan that calls for the construction of 55 solar parks by 2025, each with a capacity of 21.8 MW, with a total […]
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Top Plant
Geothermal Breakthrough in South Texas Signals New Era for ERCOT
In just 12 months, Sage Geosystems and San Miguel Electric Cooperative built the world’s first pressure geothermal system. It is now poised to deliver long-duration, dispatchable storage for the Electric
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Trends
Beyond Basic Sealing: Advanced Carbon Seal Rings Are Driving Industrial Decarbonization
Carbon seal rings are silently revolutionizing industries—from oil rigs to rocket engines. Carbon seal rings can have significant effects. Take a recent upgrade by ExxonMobil. By switching to advanced carbon seals in refineries, the company cut fugitive emissions by almost 30% and saved millions of dollars in downtime. Or SpaceX, which relies on ultra-durable carbon-graphite […]
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Trends
Transforming the Grid: Forging a Path to Resilience
The U.S. power grid has delivered electricity reliably for decades. However, today the grid faces challenges that are driving transformation, reshaping its operational scope and the technologies on which it relies.
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Electrification
Powering Progress: Redefining Energy Strategy for Sustainable Manufacturing
As commercial and industrial facilities face growing pressure to reduce emissions, lower costs, and build resilience into their operations, the spotlight has shifted to power. At Hutchinson Aerospace and
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Press Releases
Yokogawa Establishes Trusted Green Sustainability Guiding Principles Covering the Product Lifecycle
Yokogawa has established sustainability guiding principles called Trusted Green that cover Yokogawa Group products over their entire lifecycle, from planning and development to the procurement of parts and materials, production, service, collection, and recycling. For many years, Yokogawa has emphasized the establishment of environmental design standards for products, development of life cycle assessment (LCA) criteria […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Companies Remain Committed to Sustainability Targets
The use of renewable energy resources continue to grow worldwide, despite some governments—including the Trump administration in the U.S.—pushing back on the use of solar, wind, and other forms of cleaner energy. The SUN DAY Campaign in late August said its review of recent data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) revealed that solar […]
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Trends
Constellation Outlines Nuclear Expansion Plans at Clinton Site as Meta Partnership Strengthens
Constellation Energy is evaluating specific regulatory pathways to enable potential deployment of advanced nuclear reactors at its Clinton Clean Energy Center. The measure could mark the first concrete steps toward next-generation nuclear development at the Illinois site now that the competitive generator has finalized a landmark 20-year agreement with Meta. Constellation disclosed on Tuesday that […]
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Data Centers
Aalo Atomics Secures Capital, Regulatory Backing for 2026 Modular Nuclear Project at INL, Eyes Potential First Data Center Pairing
Advanced nuclear firm Aalo Atomics has secured new capital and regulatory backing to complete construction of its 10-MWe Aalo-X reactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The project, recently selected under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) new Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, will demonstrate cold criticality by July 2026 in an unusually aggressive federal milestone for advanced […]
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Trends
AI and the Energy Transition: Building a Smarter, Decarbonized Energy System
Solar energy generation from a rooftop panel system can be monitored quickly and easily, an example of how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools are empowering businesses to optimize energy use and contribute to a decentralized, decarbonized grid. The energy transition is accelerating. Electrification is surging, renewable power generation is expanding and energy consumption patterns […]
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nuclear technology
TVA Inks First U.S. Utility PPA for Gen IV Nuclear Power in Landmark Three-Way Deal with Google, Kairos
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has signed a first-of-its-kind power purchase agreement (PPA) with advanced nuclear technology firm Kairos Power to buy power from the company’s planned Hermes 2, a molten salt nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The deal makes TVA the first U.S. utility to contract for electricity from a Gen-IV reactor. Under […]
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Trends
Google, I&M Strike Landmark Deal to Share Clean Capacity and Flex AI Load
American Electric Power (AEP) subsidiary Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) has filed a special customer-specific contract with technology giant Google that could create a dual-purpose arrangement to address power capacity constraints in one of the fastest-growing digital infrastructure regions in the U.S. AEP on Aug. 4 announced that the two companies filed a petition to the […]
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Trends
Delays, Rollbacks, and Diverging Paths: The Global State of Power Plant Emissions Controls
In recent years, analysis of the world’s power plant emissions appears to have centered largely on carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), mainly because carbon dominates global accounting frameworks and climate goals. In
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Hybrid Power
The White Island Goes Green: How Graciosa Became a Global Benchmark for Hybrid Renewable Power
A Portuguese island that once relied almost exclusively on expensive diesel fuel shipments to keep the lights on now runs entirely on wind and solar power for nearly half the year. Graciosa didn’t just
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Data Centers
Luxembourg Group Seeks Sustainability in Powering Data Center Operations
The global buildout of data centers continues to put a spotlight on the energy needs of those facilities. LuxConnect, a Luxembourg-based data center firm, has made sustainability one of its main goals.