Technology
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Nuclear
Updates on Five Big Nuclear Energy Developments POWER Was Watching in 2022
In January 2022, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) published a list of five nuclear energy stories to watch in 2022. Here’s an update on the items the NE felt were important for industry insiders to keep an eye on. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law The DOE noted in the January […]
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O&M
The 12 Most-Read POWER Global Monitor Articles of 2022
Every month, POWER magazine publishes several articles in its Global Monitor section covering topics important to the electric power generation industry. The articles typically feature interesting updates on progress made at notable projects around the world, big policy changes, or promising research and development (R&D) news. Short notes about major contracts are also touched on […]
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Gas
NET Power Consolidates Business to Gear Up for Allam Cycle Power Plant Deployment
NET Power will combine with Rice Acquisition Corp. II (RAC II), a decarbonization solutions special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in a new business direction designed to accelerate the deployment of NET Power’s much-watched novel natural gas–fired power plant technology. When the business combination transaction closes as expected in the second quarter of 2023, the new company, […]
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Nuclear
GE Hitachi Formally Enters BWRX-300 SMR in UK Race for New Nuclear
GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has submitted a Generic Design Assessment (GDA) entry application for its BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) to UK authorities, kicking off a key regulatory process that could give the advanced nuclear technology a competitive edge as the country races to potentially triple its nuclear capacity to up to 24 GW by […]
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T&D
Hitachi Energy Will Modernize HVDC System, Boost Delivery of Canadian Hydropower to U.S.
Hitachi Energy will spearhead the modernization of a key high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system in Canada to support the transmission of 1,500 MW of renewable power between Quebec and New York state’s electrical networks. Hydro-Québec, Canada’s largest power utility, on Dec. 15, picked the global technology firm to supply a “back-to-back” converter station at Châteauguay, […]
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Power
Increasing Energy Security: Optimizing Today’s Energy Operations and Investing in Renewables for the Future
Countries’ timelines to becoming energy secure and reaching net-zero targets have shortened. Major contributing factors include COVID-19’s impact on supply chains and the war in Ukraine. Alongside this are external influences such as COP27, or the landmark U.S. Climate Bill, which will direct almost $370 billion toward rapidly scaling renewable energy production and reducing emissions. Already, intergovernmental […]
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Press Releases
ELPEDISON Chooses GE Digital Software to Help Ensure Greece’s Access to Reliable Energy
SAN RAMON, Calif. – December 13, 2022 – GE Digital, an energy software leader, today announced that ELPEDISON S.A., the first independent energy producer in Greece, has chosen its cloud-based Asset Performance Management (APM) Reliability application to improve the reliability of its combined cycle fleet. The software will be installed at ELPEDISON’s Thisvi and Thessaloniki power plants, […]
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Nuclear
DOE Confirms Fusion Energy Milestone at California Lab
The first nuclear fusion reaction to result in a net energy gain has been successfully completed by scientists at a laboratory in California, a milestone in the decades-long pursuit of a way to produce unlimited energy with no carbon emissions or nuclear waste. U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm made the official announcement Dec. 13 during […]
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Power
Four Forces Shaping U.S. Utilities in 2023
In 2023, U.S. utilities have a multipronged ambition to realize: how to provide customers with reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy, and safe water. However, increased pressure around decarbonization and the adoption of cleaner energy sources, electrification, and related infrastructure needs, and customer-driven disruption will make this energy trilemma even more difficult to balance. Management at […]
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Press Releases
GE Grid Solutions and LineVision Partner to Deliver Comprehensive Dynamic System Rating Platform
Boston, Massachusetts, USA – December 7, 2022 – GE Grid Solutions (NYSE: GE), and LineVision, the global leader in Dynamic Line Ratings (DLR), have formed a partnership to deliver the world’s first integrated suite of Grid Enhancing Technologies (GETs), providing utilities with an end-to-end Dynamic System Rating (DSR). GE and LineVision will combine Dynamic Line Ratings […]
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Power
Small Modular Reactors Aren’t Difficult Nuclear Waste Generators
Many experts believe small modular reactors (SMRs), which are generally classified as nuclear power reactors with an electrical output of 300 MW or less, offer great promise for supplying the world with carbon-free energy. Several SMR designs are under development by companies around the world including NuScale Power, GE-Hitachi, Terrestrial Energy, TerraPower, Toshiba, X-energy, and […]
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Power
GE Releases New Option to Cut Emissions on Its Mobile Gas Turbines
GE Gas Power announced on Dec. 6 that it has deployed an “innovative technical solution” on four TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines at the California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR’s) sites in Yuba City and Roseville, California (Figure 1). The solution reportedly reduced nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by more than 90%, surpassing […]
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Nuclear
Three Nuclear Giants Will Vie for Czech Republic’s Dukovany Expansion
Competition for a new unit of up to 1.2 GW at the Czech Republic’s Dukovany nuclear power plant site has stepped up, with France’s EDF, South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), and a Westinghouse-Bechtel team submitting initial bids, Czech utility ČEZ, said on Nov. 30. Elektrárna Dukovany II, a. s. (EDU II), a […]
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Hybrid Power
Hybrids Combine Technologies to Enhance Electricity Production
Solar + wind, solar + storage, wind + storage—even fossil fuels combined with renewable energy—are supporting the growth of hybrid power plants that are breaking the norms of traditional power generation
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Interview
How Monitoring and Diagnostics Centers Benefit the Power Industry
GE has been operating a monitoring and diagnostics center for the power generation sector for more than 25 years. From modest beginnings, the facility now monitors about 1,000 power plants around the world
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Top Plant
Large Hydro Station Wins POWER’s Highest Honor, 21 Additional Outstanding Projects Recognized in 2022
It’s always difficult to select winners from the field of nominations submitted to POWER for its annual awards, and this year was no exception. The Wudongde Hydropower Station was the big winner, while
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Solar
Tracker Configurations for Bifacial Modules Support Distributed Generation Sites
Industry trends toward bigger and heavier modules, along with greater adoption of bifacial technology, are changing the way designers of solar power sites are thinking about tracking systems. Distributed
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Water
Transformer Failures Disrupted Water Supplies in Houston For Nearly Two Days
A nearly two-day-long boil water order that shuttered schools and businesses and affected as many as 2.2 million customers in Houston—the nation’s fourth-largest city—was caused by a power outage stemming from the failure of two city-owned transformers. The incident began on Nov. 27 at 10:30 a.m. when “a ground trip and current overload” tripped the […]
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Press Releases
i.safe MOBILE receives “Global Market Leader” award
Lauda-Koenigshofen, 29 November 2022. i.safe MOBILE GmbH has been awarded the title of ” Global Market Leader” in the category of “Explosion-proof mobile communication devices (mobile phones, smartphones, tablets)” by the information network DDW/Die Deutsche Wirtschaft as a newcomer in 639th place with a scoring index of 98.4 points. At a festive ceremony in Lauda-Königshofen, […]
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Coal
A New Dawn for CCUS After Five Decades of Ups and Downs
The world is on a quest for solutions to decarbonize its economy. More than 70 countries and over 1,200 companies have set a net-zero target, according to the United Nations. To limit warming to less than 2 degrees Celsius, emissions of hundreds of gigatonnes of carbon dioxide (CO₂) would need to be prevented and removed from […]
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Nuclear
DOE Grants First-Round Civil Nuclear Credit Award—$1.1B—to Diablo Canyon
The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) first round of funding from its $6 billion Civil Nuclear Credit (CNC) Program is poised to go to Diablo Canyon Power Plant, California’s only operational nuclear plant. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Diablo Canyon’s owner, could receive up to $1.1 billion in credits to extend the 2.2-GW plant’s operation for […]
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Technology
Waste Heat-to-Power Capture Pilot Launched in Ontario
Hamilton, a city in Ontario, Canada, will host a pilot project to demonstrate a new technology designed to capture excess hydrothermal energy from its district heating and cooling plant and convert it into grid-quality power. The pilot hosted by Hamilton Community Enterprises (HCE)—the city’s utility solutions arm— will use Extract Energy’s “Heat Engine,” whose core […]
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Gas
NET Power’s First Allam Cycle 300-MW Gas-Fired Project Will Be Built in Texas
NET Power, developer of the novel Allam-Fetvedt supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycle, will build its first 300-MW natural gas–fired power plant at an Occidental-hosted site near Odessa, Texas. The “serial number one” project will demonstrate—at utility scale—NET Power’s potentially revolutionary technology, which promises to provide low-cost gas-fired power generation, no atmospheric emissions, no water […]
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Power
Using Technology to Improve Management of Utilities’ Fleets
Utility fleet managers faced their share of challenges in recent years. They needed to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations and rising customer expectations while keeping drivers feeling safe and supported. They also needed to maximize the utilization of vehicles while extending lifecycles and complying with regulations—even as they evolve faster than ever. Like […]
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Press Releases
DTN Storm Risk Analytics Offers Enterprise Level Weather Insights to Mid-Size U.S Utilities
First-to-market solution offers emergency managers access to better prepare and manage through weather impacts with advanced outage prediction technology MINNEAPOLIS, MN (November 8, 2022) – DTN®, a data, analytics, and technology company, recently launched Storm Risk Analytics, a first-to-market solution that combines advanced weather intelligence and machine learning outage prediction to help mid-size electric utilities more confidently make incident […]
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Coal
Chimney Failure Takes Out Unit at Kusile, One of World’s Biggest Coal Plants
A severe failure on a duct exiting the sulfur dioxide absorber at Unit 1 of Eskom’s massive coal-fired 4.8-GW Kusile power plant, which is under construction in Mpumalanga province, South Africa, has shuttered the 800-MW unit and delayed Unit 2’s return to service. Eskom on Nov. 2 announced the section of the Kusile 1 flue […]
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Press Releases
Top 4 developments that will shape the air source heat pump market dynamics by 2030
NOV. 2, 2022 — Air source heat pumps (ASHPs) have emerged as a low-carbon way of heating that can potentially overcome some of the concerns associated with extreme temperatures, changing climate, and environmental adversities. When properly installed, these heat pumps can deliver up to three times more heat energy than the electricity consumed. The need to […]
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Nuclear
Potential Deal Brewing for Second Polish Nuclear Plant Based on South Korean Technology
Days after Poland chose Westinghouse to supply its AP1000 technology to the country’s first nuclear plant in Pomerania, northern Poland, the government and two Polish energy firms signed a letter of intent with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to “push ahead” with development of a second nuclear plant based on APR1400 technology in Pątnów, […]
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Press Releases
NRECA Receives $15 Million DOE Award to Expand Cyber Protection of Industrial Control Systems
ARLINGTON, Va. – The Department of Energy today awarded a $15 million award to the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association to help electric cooperatives expand their cyber monitoring capabilities of their industrial control facilities. The award will be spread over three years, with $10 million disbursed in 2022 and the remaining $5 million in subsequent […]
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Top Plant
A Half-Century of Reliability: Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant
Baltimore Gas & Electric set out to build the 1.8-GW Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in 1967 because fossil energy was becoming expensive and controversial. Over its nearly 50 years of operation