Technology

  • How Virtual Power Plants Enhance Grid Operations and Resilience

    A virtual power plant (VPP) is a network of decentralized, small- to medium-scale power generating units, flexible power consumers, and storage systems that are aggregated and operated as a single entity through sophisticated software and control systems. Unlike a traditional power plant that exists in a single physical location, a VPP is distributed across multiple […]

  • GE Vernova Turbines Will Power Texas Wind Farms

    GE Vernova said it has an agreement with global energy developer RWE to provide 109 of GE Vernova’s 2.8-MW wind turbines for two projects in Texas. The new Honey Mesquite wind farm in Glasscock County, along with a repowering project at the Forest Creek wind facility near Big Spring, each will have GE Vernova turbines […]

  • Trump Administration Backs $1.52B Loan for Palisades Nuclear Restart

    The Trump administration has released a second loan disbursement of $56.8 million to Holtec International as part of an up to $1.52 billion loan guarantee for the restart of the 800-MW Palisades Nuclear Plant in Michigan. The funding, a key step in reviving the shuttered facility, reinforces a loan guarantee initially issued under the Biden […]

  • ABB, Charbone Hydrogen Join to Advance Green Hydrogen Production

    ABB and Canada-based Charbone Hydrogen Corp. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreement to collaborate on the development of up to 15 modular and scalable green hydrogen production facilities across North America over the next five years. The deal is designed to provide a clean fuel source for existing hydrogen users and heavy industrial […]

  • AI-Powered Energy Forecasting: How Accurate Predictions Could Save Your Power Company

    Net-demand energy forecasts are critical for competitive market participants, such as in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and similar markets, for several key reasons. For example, accurate forecasting helps predict when supply-demand imbalances will create price spikes or crashes, allowing traders and generators to optimize their bidding strategies. It’s also important for asset […]

  • The POWER Interview: Upgrading the Grid Key to Support Electrification

    As buildings, EVs, and industrial processes are increasingly electrified, utilities are seeing grid demand rapidly growing. While this shift is necessary to reduce emissions, it also introduces new challenges for grid stability, capacity, and long-term reliability.

  • Software and DLRs Key to Unlocking Power Grid’s Potential

    Imagine unlocking 30% more power from our existing grid overnight. That’s the potential we’re ignoring, and it’s costing us billions. The demand for energy is rising, and utilities are struggling to serve this growth. In the U.S., congestion costs have increased from $8 billion in 2021 to more than $11 billion in 2023 despite record […]

  • Landsnet and Laki Power Tackle Severe Weather Challenges in Iceland

    Landsnet owns and operates Iceland’s power transmission system and is responsible for building and maintaining a secure and reliable electrical grid. Monitoring the grid in Iceland is uniquely challenging because of the country’s rugged, often inaccessible terrain and extreme weather conditions—particularly severe winds and sub-zero temperatures. Between December 10 and 11, 2019, northern Iceland experienced […]

  • Baker Hughes, Woodside Energy Developing Decarbonization Solution Utilizing NET Power Platform

    U.S.-based energy tech company Baker Hughes is joining with Australia’s Woodside Energy in an initiative to develop a lower-carbon power generation technology solution specifically designed for oil and gas, heavy industries, and other smaller-scale applications.

  • Leveraging VPPs to Prepare Utilities for Extreme Weather

    From the Midwest to the South, the U.S. has experienced dangerous cold snaps this winter that challenge grid operators to meet rising heating demands. These temperature extremes are driven in part by climate change, which is why the past decade has had the highest temperature extremes in recorded history, as well as why temperature extremes […]

  • Emerging Risks in Energy Trading, and Best Practices for Navigating Them

    The energy market is the newest frontier for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know Your Customer (KYC) compliance risk. This sector is highly complex; it is dynamic, volatile, and under mounting regulatory pressures.

  • LG&E, KU Propose $3.7B Power Buildout: 1.3 GW of New Gas Plants, $153M Coal Unit Upgrade

    PPL subsidiaries Louisville Gas and Electric Company (LG&E) and Kentucky Utilities Company (KU) have proposed to upgrade environmental controls at a 1974-built coal unit, build two new gas-fired power plants at a combined cost of $2.8 billion, and add 400 MW of battery storage. The measures seek to significantly boost the companies’ capacity to ready […]

  • GE Vernova, AWS Address Energy Demand With Collaboration Agreement

    GE Vernova and Amazon Web Services announced the companies have signed a strategic framework agreement aimed at supporting AWS’s data center scaling. The groups on March 4 said they would collaborate to address increasing global energy demand, advance grid security and reliability, and decarbonize electric power systems.

  • The SMR Gamble: Betting on Nuclear to Fuel the Data Center Boom

    Data center power demand is accelerating, pushing the grid to its limits and prompting tech giants to bet on next-generation nuclear reactors. But given steep costs, regulatory hurdles, and uncertain

  • A Business-Like Approach to Power Generation

    The decentralization of electricity production and delivery is evident in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector, as businesses move to produce their own power to ensure a reliable and resilient supply

  • Zimbabwe Joins Other African Nations in Pursuit of Nuclear Power

    Officials in Zimbabwe recently said the country will work with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and likely with investment from Russia, to develop a nuclear power program in the country. Zimbabwe

  • What Comes Next for Carbon Capture in the Power Industry?

    Policy upheavals have cast uncertainty over the future of carbon capture and storage in the power sector, though its momentum is widely expected to continue. In November 2024, the Global CCS Institute, an

  • Generative AI at the Edge: Revolutionizing the Power Industry’s Control Layer

    Localized intelligence will reshape energy operations, enabling edge-based generative artificial intelligence (AI) models to deliver precision, agility, and control at every layer of power operations. For

  • Italy Passes Law to Bring Back Nuclear Energy

    Government officials in Italy have implemented a new law that allows for nuclear energy to return in the country, four decades after voters banned the technology in a 1987 referendum. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has called the measure, adopted by the government on Feb. 28, a move toward energy security for Italy. The law, which […]

  • Increasing Voltage Complaints Demand Whole-System Solutions

    The rise in customer voltage complaints is one of the hot topics in play within the industry forum we recently hosted, “Voltage Matters.” The forum brings together members from across the electricity industry to share their concerns and experiences on all things voltage-related. More than 60 forum members were presented with figures from a UK […]

  • Last Energy Secures Texas Site for 30-Microreactor Deployment to Power Data Centers

    Advanced nuclear plant developer Last Energy will build 30 microreactors at a site in Haskell County, Texas, a measure aimed at meeting the growing power demands of data centers across the state. The development comes as Texas faces increasing pressure to ramp up its power supplies to address an expansion of energy-intensive industries. The Washington […]

  • Kemmerer 1—TerraPower’s Pioneering Fourth-Generation Nuclear Project—Hits Key NRC Milestone Ahead of Schedule

    The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has completed its draft safety evaluation (SE) a month ahead of schedule—albeit with open items—for TerraPower’s Kemmerer Power Station Unit 1, a pioneering 345-MWe sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) under development in Wyoming. Editor’s note: This article was substantially updated on Feb. 27 at 11 a.m. CST to provide deeper […]

  • Quidnet Completes Testing of Long-Duration Geomechanical Energy Storage

    Energy storage solutions group Quidnet Energy said the company has successfully completed demonstration and testing of its Geomechanical Energy Storage (GES) technology at a megawatt-hour (MWh) scale.

  • Curtiss-Wright Secures TerraPower Contracts for Natrium Nuclear Reactor Simulation and Control Systems

    Curtiss-Wright Corp. said it has been awarded two contracts from TerraPower to design and supply plant simulation and digital control solutions for the Natrium advanced nuclear reactor design. Under the contracts, Curtiss-Wright will design and deliver the training simulator (TSN) and distributed control systems (DCS) for the Natrium plant. The TSN is a full-scope simulator that […]

  • AI and NLP: Driving the Next Generation of Energy Management Systems

    Artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) promise to transform the energy sector by enhancing efficiency, optimising power systems, and improving consumer engagement. AI can enable grid operators to predict demand, optimise renewable integration, and enhance grid stability. Meanwhile, NLP helps extract insights from policy documents, technical reports, and consumer feedback, making energy systems […]

  • Constellation Races to Revive Crane Nuclear Plant Amid Tight Timelines, Market Shifts

    Constellation Energy’s ambitious plan to restart the Three Mile Island Unit 1 as the Crane Clean Energy Center (CEC) is proceeding ahead of schedule, shooting for a 2028 start date, despite a new report that suggests Microsoft may be re-evaluating its data center strategy. Just five months after Constellation announced a landmark 20-year power purchase […]

  • NRG, GE Vernova, Kiewit Have Plan to Build Four New Gas-Fired Power Plants

    NRG Energy is joining with GE Vernova and Kiewit Corp. in a plan to build four new natural gas-fired power plants. The companies on Feb. 26 said the venture is designed to help supply the energy-intensive data center and artificial intelligence sector. “The accelerating demand for electricity in part due to GenAI [generative artificial intelligence] […]

  • NRC Proposes Deep Fee Cuts for Advanced Nuclear

    The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has proposed to sharply reduce its hourly service fees—by more than 50%—for advanced nuclear reactor applicants and pre-applicants in a move designed to incentivize innovation and accelerate the deployment of next-generation nuclear technologies. In a proposed rule published in the Federal Register on Feb. 19, the regulatory body moved to […]

  • Last Energy Secures UK Nuclear Licensing Milestone for South Wales SMR Project

    Last Energy has formally launched the UK’s nuclear site licensing (NSL) process for plans to develop four 20-MWe microreactors in South Wales, becoming the first small modular reactor (SMR) developer to make the move. The UK Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) on Feb. 17 confirmed the U.S.-based nuclear technology firm’s entry into the critical licensing […]

  • Duke Researchers: Grid Flexibility Key to Accommodate Load Growth

    Researchers from Duke University have said that integrating more flexibility into U.S. power grids could help provide the energy needed to power future load growth, particularly the electricity needed to support artificial intelligence and data centers. The group in a Feb. 19 webinar discussed their findings, which are contained in their recent report titled “Rethinking […]