Technology
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Press Releases
CORE Electric Cooperative and Technosylva Announce Partnership to Reduce Wildfire Risk Across Colorado’s Front Range
CORE Electric Cooperative to Deploy Technosylva’s Wildfire Risk Mitigation Solutions LA JOLLA, CA, and SEDALIA, CO, May 30, 2024 – Technosylva, the leading provider of wildfire mitigation technology solutions, and CORE Electric Cooperative (CORE), the largest electric distribution cooperative in Colorado, today announced a new partnership and collaboration to reduce the impacts of wildfire to […]
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Nuclear
White House Launches Initiatives to Bolster New Nuclear Deployments
The White House has unveiled a suite of new measures aimed at slashing risks associated with new nuclear reactor development and construction, underscoring its policy push to champion nuclear. At a May 29 White House summit that showcased recent policy developments and industry investments, the Biden administration announced the formation of a nuclear working group […]
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O&M
How Technology Helps Overcome 10 of the Top Operational Challenges in the Energy Sector
Recent government legislation and initiatives have prompted positive momentum in the energy industry. From regulatory matters to technology upgrades to renewable energy trends boosted by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) tax incentives, energy demand and projects are increasing across the sector. However, every opportunity comes with its own set of issues, especially if an organization […]
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Electrification
A Tale of Two Vehicles: Exploring BEVs and Hydrogen FCEVs
As the global community intensifies its efforts to combat climate change, the transportation sector has emerged as a crucial battleground. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport constitute approximately 23% of total global CO2 emissions from energy combustion and industrial processes. The IEA’s latest data from 2022 shows that […]
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Nuclear
EPRI: Industry Has Marked Significant Progress on its Advanced Nuclear Reactor Roadmap
A year after EPRI and the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) unveiled the first phase of their Advanced Reactor Roadmap, the nuclear industry and its stakeholders have rallied to make significant strides in aligning around the roadmap’s strategic priorities. Over the past year, efforts have been particularly focused on increasing engagement, promoting regulatory efficiency, and […]
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Hydrogen
Aramco, Rondo Energy Studying GW-Scale Thermal Storage, Hydrogen, Carbon Capture Deployment
A major global energy and chemicals company has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a provider of lower-carbon industrial heat and power, with the groups beginning engineering studies for a project showcasing thermal energy storage, hydrogen production, and carbon capture. Saudi Arabia-based Aramco and California-headquartered Rondo Energy said they executed the MoU on […]
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T&D
How PG&E Is Reducing Wildfire Risks Using Satellite Imagery
Wildfires have had a devastating impact on California and on the state’s largest utility company, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). PG&E’s equipment has been linked to several major wildfires in the past including the 2018 Camp Fire (the deadliest wildfire in California history, killing 85 people, according to CAL FIRE, the state agency responsible for, […]
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Solar
Smart Software Bolsters Utility-Scale Solar Projects
The solar industry is on a continuous innovation curve — driving advancements, pushing boundaries, and harnessing solar energy’s power to increase returns and drive down the lower levelized cost of energy (LCOE). Stakeholders across the solar value chain have a variety of ways to optimize solar photovoltaic (PV) throughout the project lifecycle. And for each […]
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Hydrogen
DOE Announces Support for Plug Power Hydrogen Production Sites
The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) announced it was preparing to make as much as a $1.66 billion loan guarantee to Latham, New York-based Plug Power, with the money earmarked for construction of as many as six clean hydrogen facilities across the U.S. The DOE on May 14 said the funds were part of a […]
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Energy Storage
Borehole Battery: A Promising Solution for Energy Storage
For more than a century, fossil fuel companies have drilled oil and gas wells to increase the production, consumption, and export of fossil fuels. These wells are often abandoned once they are no longer profitable, and are sometimes left unplugged or improperly plugged, causing local environmental hazards and contributing to global climate change. There are […]
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Energy Storage
BESS Failures: Study Identifies Opportunities for Battery Analytics to Prevent Incidents
TWAICE, a Germany-based provider of battery analytics software, along with the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have published a joint study analyzing the root causes of battery energy storage system (BESS) failure incidents. The groups have aggregated data about why battery systems have failed. The report made available […]
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Sustainability
PG&E Recognized for Remote Grid Program
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) and its remote grid program received an honorable mention in the Energy category of Fast Company’s 2024 World Changing Ideas Awards. Winners were announced on May 14, highlighting fresh sustainability initiatives, cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) developments, and other creative projects that are helping mold the world. PG&E is one […]
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Commentary
Navigating the Future of Energy: How Utilities Can Modernize Their Grid Operations to Meet Increasing Energy Demands
In an era defined by rapid electrification, the widespread adoption of renewable energy sources, and sweeping digital transformation, the energy sector stands on the brink of profound change. As we cast our sights on 2050, utilities grapple with the colossal task of scaling up to meet burgeoning energy demands and reshaping their operations to be […]
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Electrification
Siemens Collaborating With Kontrolmatik, Pomega on Battery Engineering
The market for customizable, scalable, turnkey energy storage solutions continues to evolve, as companies look at providing systems that will work from an individual application level all the way to grid and utility-scale deployment. Kontrolmatik, an Istanbul, Turkey-headquartered systems integrator and global engineering, procurement, and construction leader in power generation, transmission, and distribution, and its […]
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Hydrogen
Multi-Module Hydrogen Pilot Plant Opens in Japan
Representatives from the Japanese technology company Asahi Kasei and its partners including the Japanese government recently celebrated the official opening of a new hydrogen pilot plant in Kawasaki, Japan. Asahi Kasei said the trial operation of four 0.8 MW modules at the site (Figure 1) is another milestone toward the realization of a commercial multi-module […]
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Energy Security
Historic Solar Storm Spurs PJM to Extend Geomagnetic Disturbance Warning
Grid operator PJM Interconnection has issued a geomagnetic disturbance (GMD) warning after observing “persistent geomagnetically induced current (GIC) at multiple stations” late on Friday. PJM initially issued a GMD warning on May 10 to generators and transmission operators that an ongoing severe solar storm could affect its system between 1:48 p.m. and 9 p.m. on […]
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Legal & Regulatory
States, Trade Groups Sue EPA Over New Fossil Fuel Rules
More than two dozen states and a handful of trade groups filed separate lawsuits in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, challenging parts of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) suite of new final environmental regulations targeting fossil-fired power plants. The challenges respond to the publication in the Federal Register on May 9 […]
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Renewables
Report: Renewables Generating Nearly One-Third of Global Electricity
A UK- based global research group said continued growth in wind and solar power increased power generation from renewable energy to nearly a third of worldwide electricity output last year. Ember, a think tank headquartered in London, in its “Global Electricity Review 2024” released May 8 wrote that the numbers show a goal to triple […]
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T&D
How Grid Enhancing Technologies Are Expanding Electric Power Transmission System Capabilities
It’s no secret that power grids around the world need to expand to accommodate more renewable energy and the so-called “electrification of everything.” The latter, of course, refers to the growing trend of using electricity to power various sectors and applications that have traditionally relied on fossil fuels, such as natural gas or petroleum-based products. […]
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Research and Development
National Fusion Facility Completes Upgrade
Enhancements will enable research into the physics of advanced fusion reactors and accelerate the drive to commercial fusion energy. The DIII-D National Fusion Facility has completed a series of important enhancements, providing researchers with several first-of-a-kind tools for controlling and understanding the function of fusion plasmas. These upgrades will further strengthen DIII-D’s standing as one […]
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Gas
TVA Secures 16 GE Vernova Aeroderivative Gas Turbine Packages for Kingston Replacement
GE Vernova has bagged the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) first order as part of a fast-track project to replace the 1.3-GW Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee with a 1.5-GW modern complex. The original equipment manufacturer will supply 16 aeroderivative LM6000VELOX dual fuel DLE (dry low emissions) gas turbine and generator packages, which are expected to deliver […]
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Gas
Industry Exec: Data Centers Will Drive Demand for Natural Gas
An executive with the TC Energy, a group that is among the largest operators of natural gas pipelines in North America, said electricity demand from energy-intensive data centers will support an increased need for the fuel in the coming years. Stanley Chapman, executive vice president and COO of Calgary, Alberta-based TC Energy, in a May […]
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Commentary
Data Is the New Uranium
When I first considered moving to San Luis Obispo, California, I learned of the nearby Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, and almost subscribed to a “not in my backyard” syndrome. But our power grids are strained by many things—including a computing revolution driven by artificial intelligence (AI), causing server stacks in data centers to consume […]
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O&M
Plant Operators Know Importance of Pumps and Piping Systems
Efficiency, safety, and providing support for optimal performance are key considerations when choosing equipment to move water and fuels through a power plant. Power plant operators know the importance of
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Power
Marnie Surfaceblow: Maya Bucks the Trends
Big data holds many secrets to help operate your power plant safer and more efficiently. But are you really seeing the entire landscape of your problem? Don’t miss the forest while focusing on the trees
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Smart Grid
Edge Computing May Be the Future of Power Distribution
A more distributed power distribution network will help utilities better navigate the wave of changes resulting from the smart grid. Very few industries will experience the rapid change that power distribution
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Coal
Coal-Fired Mill Creek Generating Station Readies for New 7HA.03 Gas-Fired Unit
Louisville Gas and Electric Co. and Kentucky Utilities Co. (LG&E and KU) will replace two aging coal generation units at Mill Creek Generating Station in Kentucky—a combined 600 MW—with a 645-MW GE Vernova hydrogen-ready 7HA.03 gas turbine. GE Vernova announced the order for the heavy-duty gas turbine—the most advanced of its HA-class models—from the two […]
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Nuclear
Nuclear Supply Chain for the BWRX-300 SMR Takes Shape
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) is forming a group of qualified supply chain companies to help ensure the deployment of its BWRX-300 small nuclear modular reactor (SMR). The move comes as power companies vie for components amidst a supply chain strain that has led some sectors to delay critical infrastructure projects and ramped up competition […]
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Electrification
From Mine to Line through End of Life, How Technology is Optimizing Battery Production
The battery industry is experiencing a seismic shift as demand for renewable energy solutions increases. With electric vehicle (EV) sales expected to double from 2023 to 2027, reaching 31.6 million units, and shortages of cobalt and lithium expected through 2027, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights, innovation is necessary. There is a growing demand for […]
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Unleashes Four-Pronged Assault on Fossil Fuel Power Pollution
In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 25 simultaneously finalized four major environmental rules covering greenhouse gases (GHG), air toxics, wastewater discharges, and coal combustion residuals from fossil fuel-fired power plants. Among the rules is the EPA’s final Carbon Pollution Standards, which marks the agency’s third attempt to broadly curb […]