Technology
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Connected Plant
Utilizing Data Is Key for Top Grid, Power Plant Performance
The wealth of data available for today’s power generators is supporting more efficient electricity production, and more reliability and resiliency for the grid. There are many reasons utilities and power
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History
Enduring Value: Entergy’s More Than 100-Year-Old Story
One man’s ambition to electrify the Middle South and improve its economic outlook 110 years ago evolved from a handshake for steam from a boiler powered with waste sawdust into Entergy Corp., a
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Sustainability
Why Energy Efficiency Should Be a Priority for Every Manufacturer
Manufacturing is among the most energy-intensive industries in the U.S., making sustainability efforts all the more important, and potentially impactful. Businesses looking to run and maintain their facilities more sustainably have a few options, some of which offer an almost immediate impact. Manufacturers should consider the path toward sustainability as a series of steps, focusing […]
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Full Coverage
Floating PV System Provides Smart Energy and Savings for Wastewater Plant
Installing floating photovoltaic solar panels on a water reservoir provides Kelseyville Wastewater Treatment Plant with low-cost, clean energy, reduces algae growth, minimizes bank erosion, and lessens
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O&M
Understanding Ultrasonic Examination in the Power Industry
Nondestructive testing (NDT) refers to the inspection of materials to ensure their integrity and serviceability without damaging the components in the process. There are various NDT methods used by inspectors
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Power
Keeping Substations Shielded: Maintaining Proper Protection from Lightning
Electrical substations utilize direct lightning stroke shielding to help ensure proper operation, and to prevent costly damages and extended outages. While modern substation designs and equipment make them
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Connected Plant
Inventory Management Systems: How Automation Can Save Time and Reduce Costs for Power Companies
Inventory management can provide significant operational benefits for power companies. From forecasting, fueled by real-time data, to automated replenishment and supply chain continuity, digital solutions are
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O&M
Turbine Bypass Valve Challenges
Turbine bypass valves are one of the most difficult applications in a power plant. Keeping these valves operating efficiently and avoiding unexpected failures is critical for plant operation. When engineers
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Gas
GE Invests Heavily in Improving Gas Turbine Repair Processes and Combustor Performance
On the east side of Greenville, South Carolina, sits a 413-acre site with more than one and a half million square feet of manufacturing space and another 70,000 square feet of labs. This is one of the locations where GE Gas Power is working to improve gas turbine technology and repair processes, among other things. […]
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Trends
South Korean Companies Snap Up Opportunities to Advance Floating Nuclear, Nuclear Hydrogen, SMRs
Days after Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) announced it would participate in a consortium to develop floating nuclear power plants, the owner and operator of South Korea’s 25 nuclear power plants joined forces with TerraPower to bolster the demonstration and commercialization of Natrium, TerraPower’s sodium-cooled fast reactor integrated energy system. The deals were announced […]
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Commentary
Will New Business Models Topple VPP Roadblocks?
My job has made me a frequent flyer, but I can’t imagine stepping onto a plane without confidence in the air traffic control system and its complex interplay of regulation, technology, communications, scheduling, and human expertise. Many obstacles were overcome to achieve modern aviation—and the same is true where I work: today’s electric grid. Virtual […]
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Nuclear
Fluor to Bolster Commercialization of Laser Fusion Power
Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) giant Fluor Corp. will serve as an engineering and construction partner to design and plan laser fusion power plants developed by Longview Fusion Energy Systems—a company leveraging the recent fusion breakthrough at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Fluor on April 18 announced it signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with […]
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Sustainability
How Low-E Valves Can Reduce Costly Fugitive Emissions
Though discussions of fugitive emissions are not new in power and processing facilities, they remain a focal point of most plants’ operational plans because they can harm profitability if they are not addressed. As governmental agencies like the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) aim to curb fugitive emissions, it becomes ever more important to make […]
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Commentary
A Tipping Point for America’s Grid
COMMENTARY The American grid is reaching a tipping point. With electric vehicles (EVs) making up 5% of all new vehicle sales last year, there is an urgent need to prepare for the unprecedented strain that will be placed on the U.S. power grid as adoption continues to ramp up—and this is to say nothing of […]
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Energy Security
How an EMP or GMD Could Destroy the Power Grid and Create Chaos
Perhaps the most devastating thing that could happen in any developed country would be widespread catastrophic damage to its electric power grid. Nearly everything in an industrialized nation relies on electricity to function. Without it, normal water supplies, sewer systems, and communication services are cut off. Furthermore, things like food and transportation are quickly affected […]
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Moves to Significantly Tighten Mercury and Air Toxics Standards
A proposed rule unveiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on April 5 could considerably tighten the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) for power plants, with specific repercussions for coal- and oil-fired generation. The proposed rule seeks to significantly update the 2012–finalized National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Coal- and Oil-Fired […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: How a Canadian Small Reactor Will Support Industrial Decarbonization
The nuclear power industry is banking on development of small modular reactor (SMR) technology to support global growth. Canada is at the forefront of the SMR market, with at least four Canadian provinces involved in a joint strategic plan to advance the deployment of SMRs. ARC Clean Technology Canada recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding […]
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Geothermal
EGS, AGS, and Supercritical Geothermal Systems: What’s the Difference?
The spectrum of geothermal technologies is quickly evolving. This supplement to POWER’s April 2023 feature, “Startups Are Shaking Up Geothermal Power’s Potential,” briefly explains the differences between some engineered geothermal systems. Conventional geothermal energy is largely produced by hydrothermal systems, which consist of hot water circulated in deep-seated permeable rocks. Resource temperature ranges from high (greater […]
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Nuclear
The Future Looks Bright for Nuclear Power—Dare We Use the ‘R’ Word Again?
The term “nuclear renaissance” was very popular in the early 2000s. Nuclear power plant operators had substantially improved existing plant performance, and many new plants were being considered around the
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Coal
India Commissions First Supercritical Coal Plant Equipped with Air-Cooled Condenser
NTPC, India’s largest energy conglomerate and its largest coal generator, in March commissioned the country’s first supercritical coal-fired plant equipped with an air-cooled condenser (ACC). The effort
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O&M
Considerations for Automatic Filtration of Cooling Tower Water Systems
Waste reduction and process efficiencies are key for companies wanting smoother operations. As various industries, including power generation, seek ways to improve operational efficiency, cooling water
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Instrumentation & Controls
Instrumentation and Control for Reliability, Efficiency, and Pollution Control
High-tech instrumentation and state-of-the-art modeling tools are helping power plant operators achieve best-in-class performance, meet pollution targets, and better predict failures. Calibration management
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Offshore Wind
Entergy, RWE Partner to Assess Offshore Wind Prospects in Gulf of Mexico
U.S. utility Entergy and global power giant RWE are partnering to jointly assess the best means to develop an offshore wind market in the Gulf of Mexico. The two companies on March 30 unveiled a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which they will analyze the Gulf of Mexico offshore wind market and define an optimal […]
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Press Releases
Schneider Electric to Equip Choice Hotels International Franchisees with AI-Assisted Technology to Help Reduce Environmental Footprint
LOUISVILLE, KY, March 27, 2023 – Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and sustainability, has been chosen by Choice Hotels International, one of the largest and most successful lodging franchisors in the world, to provide AI-assisted technology to help more than 6,000 franchisees in the United States autonomously track […]
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Press Releases
Cummins and Leclanché S.A. to collaborate on lower-emissions solutions for use in marine and rail applications
Columbus, Indiana, March 29, 2023 —Global power and technology leader Cummins Inc., and leading provider of energy storage solutions Leclanché S.A, today announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The collaboration represents a significant step forward in providing customers with a broader portfolio of integrated power solutions. The MOU enables Cummins and Leclanché to […]
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Offshore Wind
The Tremendous Potential—and Challenge—of Offshore Wind Energy
Wind turbines must move farther offshore to gain greater efficiency. But the challenges associated with doing so are significant. At the Dutch village of Den Oever, just north of Amsterdam, the A7 motorway extends onto the Afsluitdijk, a 32-kilometer dike that separates IJsselmeer Lake and the North Sea. Near the midway point, approaching the village […]
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Nuclear
Last Energy Secures PPAs for 34 SMR Nuclear Power Plants in Poland and the UK
Last Energy, a U.S.-based micro modular nuclear technology firm and project developer, has secured power purchase agreements (PPAs) for 34 PWR-20 small modular reactor (SMR) units with four industrial partners in the UK and Poland. The deals, which represent a combined $18.9 in power sales, mark “the largest pipeline of new nuclear power plants under […]
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Power
Microgrids Provide Reliable Power During Emergencies and Help Decarbonize the Grid
Microgrids are localized power grids that can be disconnected from the traditional grid to operate autonomously. Because they are able to operate while the main grid is down, microgrids can strengthen resilience and help prevent grid disturbances. They also function as a reliable resource for faster system response and recovery. Microgrids enable the integration of […]
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Commentary
Minimizing Talent Risk Critical to Success of Cleantech 2.0
“Deploy, deploy, deploy” is a mantra coined by Jigar Shah that’s gaining momentum as the climate tech and energy industries seek to scale their operations to meet the 2030 net-zero goals. With this Decade of Action in full swing, the urgency to implement carbon reductions in corporate and government operations is (finally) palpable and intensifying. […]
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Power
Enel and Newcleo Agree to Partner on New Gen-IV Small Modular Reactors
The Enel Group and nuclear technology company newcleo signed an agreement under which they will work together on Generation-IV (Gen-IV) nuclear technology projects. Under the deal, Enel will collaborate with newcleo by providing “specialized expertise” through the sharing of “a number of the company’s qualified personnel.” newcleo, for its part, will secure an option for […]