Technology

As we enter 2025, the world’s growing need for charging large battery storage in vehicles is driving many changes in how we generate, transmit, distribute and use energy. Against this backdrop, four major trends are poised to impact the energy sector in the coming year and beyond. We expect significant advancements to be seen in […]

GE Vernova said it has completed a validation test series for its advanced Dry Low NOx (DLN) hydrogen combustion technology, designed for the company’s B- and E-class gas turbines. The group on Jan. 15 said the test campaign was conducted at GE Vernova’s Global Technology Center in Greenville, South Carolina. The testing phase “demonstrated successful […]

Advanced nuclear technology firm Oklo is partnering with Texas-based prime and backup solutions company RPower to roll out an innovative “phased energy model” that will combine natural gas and nuclear to offer a scalable and sustainable turnkey solution for data centers. The companies on Jan. 17 said they signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to […]

Sweden has broken ground on its final repository for spent nuclear fuel (SNF)—a milestone reached after 40 years of research and development—making it the world’s second deep geological repository (DGR) now under construction. Svensk Kärnbränslehantering AB (SKB), a nuclear fuel and waste management company owned by Sweden’s nuclear operators, officially announced the start of construction […]

A Florida-based battery energy storage provider is teaming with Idaho’s largest electric utility for a 200-MW/800-MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project designed to support grid resiliency. Prevalon Energy, a Mitsubishi Power Americas and EES joint venture, on Jan. 14 announced it had secured a contract with Idaho Power for the project, which will feature […]

Estonia energy company Fermi Energia has begun the site selection process for that country’s first nuclear power plant, more than a decade after government officials initially approved construction of a reactor. Fermi Energia on Jan. 14 announced the company has submitted an application to the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications to begin the […]

Competitive generation giant Constellation has agreed to acquire Calpine Corp. in a $16.4 billion deal that is set to create the largest producer of clean and reliable energy in the U.S. with an asset portfolio of more than 60 GW. The definitive agreement, announced on Jan. 10, includes a cash and stock transaction valued at […]

Deals involving the data center sector are occurring regularly, as tech companies make moves to ensure they have a reliable supply of power for their energy-intensive operations. Several generation types, both thermal and renewable, are being touted and pursued by groups involved with artificial intelligence (AI), data management, and cloud computing. Google, Microsoft, Amazon Web […]

Transmission congestion currently affects approximately 70% of the U.S. grid. Bottlenecks delay the interconnection of cost-effective clean energy sources, limit the transfer of electricity between regions, and raise operational and consumer costs. Dynamic line rating (DLR) technology mitigates these challenges with valuable newfound transmission capacity. DLR allows operators to utilize the maximum capacity of existing […]

The use of distributed energy resources (DERs) will continue to grow as utilities, businesses, and residential neighborhoods look for ways to balance the power grid and support more reliable and resilient

Transformers have been the backbone of power grids for over a century, but today’s demands for renewable energy, electric vehicles, and smarter grids are exposing their limits. Enter solid-state transformers—compact, efficient, and intelligent power solutions poised to revolutionize how electricity is distributed and managed. The push to modernize the grid is exposing critical shortcomings of […]

The electric power sector is undergoing a digital transformation with mobile applications playing a crucial role by enabling real-time data sharing and more efficient grid management. Innovative technology is

Deployment operations management (DOM) systems were born of necessity to help telecom, renewable energy, electric vehicle (EV) charging, and other critical-infrastructure developers tackle the simultaneous

The outlook for the power generation sector in 2025 promises a continuation of the energy transition, though there’s plenty of debate about the direction of the industry. Advocates for renewable energy, particularly in the U.S., are concerned about how the incoming Trump administration—with its support for fossil fuels—could impact the growth of clean technologies. Utilities […]

Boiler systems play a crucial role across industrial, institutional, commercial, and other large-scale facilities. The systems are often complex and require meticulous oversight to ensure optimal performance and safety. This is where supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems are vital in supporting the management of boiler rooms. SCADA platforms are advanced systems used to […]

The use of distributed energy resources (DERs), which can include solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, fuel cells, and more, is increasing as the power generation sector becomes more decentralized. The future of the distributed energy generation market is promising, as more commercial and industrial customers, along with residential electricity users, look for cleaner sources of […]

The Uptime Institute’s Tier standard is a globally recognized framework that classifies data centers into four tiers based on their infrastructure’s reliability, redundancy, and fault tolerance. These tiers—Tier I through Tier IV—provide a benchmark for data center performance, ranging from basic infrastructure (Tier I) to fully fault-tolerant systems (Tier IV). Each tier reflects specific design […]

Fine grain Optical Transport Network (fgOTN) technology is optimal for future electric power communication networks. Developed under highly regarded international standards, fgOTN addresses limitations in traditional communication network systems by efficiently handling small-bandwidth services while providing high reliability and low latency. The global electric power industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation through the deployment of […]

Historically, the mass production of green hydrogen has not been viewed as a viable alternative energy solution for our climate crisis. But recent technological advancements in proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzers offer new avenues for long-term viability and present an intriguing opportunity for manufacturers. Experts have long deemed electrolyzers as a central technology for meeting […]

COMMENTARY As the incoming administration prepares its list of priorities once President-elect Trump is sworn in for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025, it is a national security imperative that cybersecurity policy be sufficiently prioritized in a manner that enhances the security of America’s electric grids and the energy sector, as a whole. Shortly […]

Virginia’s governor and other officials on Dec. 17 said the state has a plan for the world’s first nuclear fusion power plant. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) on Tuesday announced it will build a 400-MW fusion facility on a 100-acre site at the James River Industrial Park in Chesterfield County. Massachusetts-based CFS, founded in 2018, and […]

Advanced nuclear firm Oklo has partnered with Switch, a Las Vegas-based data center designer, builder, and operator, to deploy 12 GW of Aurora powerhouses through 2044 in a  historic deal hailed as “one of the largest corporate clean power agreements ever signed.” The two companies announced a groundbreaking Master Power Agreement on Dec. 18 to […]

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has advanced three potential National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs) into Phase 3 of its designation process, focusing on areas with critical transmission constraints to enhance grid reliability and reduce consumer costs. The measure is historic—given no NIETCs currently exist despite a decades-long effort to establish them—and it marks […]

A transformer explosion at Eskom’s coal-fired 3.6-GW Matla Power Station in Mpumalanga, South Africa, on Dec. 12 injured nine employees, including one critically. The incident, caused by a ruptured high-pressure steam pipe, has underscored challenges faced by Eskom’s generating fleet, even as the state-owned maintains its suspension of load-shedding. The incident, reported at 5 p.m. […]

Siemens Energy is teaming with UK power giant SSE to develop a combustion system that will allow its flagship SGT5-9000HL gas turbine to run 100% on hydrogen while maintaining the flexibility to operate with natural gas and blends of the two. The two companies on Dec. 9 launched “Mission H2 Power,” a project that will […]

NET Power, developer of a novel gas-fired power plant that captures all atmospheric emissions, will explore deploying up to 1 GW of power capacity in Northern California with partner California Resources Corp. (CRC), California’s largest oil and gas producer.  CRC’s carbon management subsidiary, Carbon TerraVault (CTV), and NET Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) […]

Technology companies are looking at various ways to source electricity for energy-intensive data centers. Google on Dec. 10 unveiled a plan to join with several partners in supporting power generation, as part of what could be a $20 billion investment to develop industrial parks that would have renewable energy and energy storage built alongside those […]

Amid growing pressure to optimize costs, dependability, and green initiatives, some power companies are beginning to reconsider their approaches to upgrading dated equipment. Refurbished elements provide a viable option to realize these objectives, enabling companies to address the challenges of power plant maintenance and upgrade. All plants need to be updated at some point in […]

GE Vernova secured a contract with 50Hertz Transmission GmbH to deliver advanced STATCOM technology, supporting Germany’s transition to a renewable energy future The 300 Mvar FACTSFLEX GFM solution, with Grid Forming Control, will enhance grid stability and resilience as Germany integrates more renewable energy sources STATCOM units will be deployed at key substations in Germany, […]

Planning and operating a power system requires detailed grid studies to guide investment decisions and prepare for how the system may evolve over time. Long-term planning can identify the policy, regulatory, infrastructure, and operational updates that may be needed to achieve desired outcomes. Also, comprehensive planning can identify operating limits, determine performance improvements, assess mitigation […]