Technology
-
Press Releases
Brüel & Kjær Vibro launches next generation of VCM-3 / SETPOINT® integrated CMS solution
DARMSTADT, Germany (July 16, 2021) – Today Brüel & Kjær Vibro (B&K Vibro) is excited to announce a double product release – the latest versions of the Vibro Conditioning Monitoring (VCM-3) system and SETPOINT® CMS software. These latest releases maximize uptime by providing “out of the box” early diagnoses for a wide range of rotating […]
-
Press Releases
Washington Utility Provider Douglas PUD Turns to Renewable Hydrogen for Backup Power
Washington State Utility Advances Energy Efficiency and Environmental Objectives Using the GenCell G5™ Hydrogen-Fueled Backup Power Solution Petah Tikva, Israel – July 15, 2021 – GenCell Energy, (TASE: GNCL), a leading Israel-based manufacturer of fuel cell energy solutions, today announces that Douglas PUD, the Douglas County Public Utility District, located in East Wenatchee, Washington, will deploy the GenCell […]
-
Press Releases
Cormetech Selected for a DOE Award to Demonstrate Technology to Increase the Amount of CO2 Captured in DAC Operations
CHARLOTTE, N.C.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Cormetech has been selected for an award from the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) to increase the amount of CO2 captured in Direct Air Capture (DAC) operations. Cormetech plans to further develop its DAC “contactor”. The “contactor” is the engine […]
-
News
UK’s First Gas-Fired Allam Cycle Power Plant Taking Shape
The inventor of the Allam-Fetvedt Cycle, a novel power cycle that uses supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2), is collaborating with a subsidiary of Singapore-based Sembcorp Industries to potentially develop the UK’s first 300-MW natural gas–fired NET Power station at an existing site at Teesside, northeastern England. Zero Degrees Whitetail Development Ltd. (ZDW), a subsidiary of North Carolina-based […]
-
Connected Plant
Data Intelligence the Smart Way: Why Utilities Need to Digitalise the Grid Urgently Today
It’s the decade of the Distribution System Operator (DSO) and time is of the essence. The utility sector is one of the last industries to digitalise its operations. Distribution grids face a seemingly impossible journey to decarbonise, decentralise, and digitalise. And the climate-change clock is ticking. It takes time to mature operations based on relevant, […]
-
News
Reliability-Wary California Will Procure More Energy Resources to Get It Through Summer
Stricken by repeated extreme heat events, the prospect of a worsening drought, incremental resource delays, and the “unforeseen” loss of 300 MW in thermal resources, California has set out to secure additional energy resources to ensure reliability this summer. Responding to a June 29 letter from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California […]
-
IIOT
Enabling IIoT Connectivity for Virtual Power Plants
Declarations of climate emergencies in many countries around the world have created awareness for the need to switch to clean energy sources, which in turn has prompted the power industry and governments to take action or set definite goals. Many governments around the world now provide incentives to individuals, industries, and communities who are interested […]
-
News
AES Accelerates 1 GW of Coal Plant Retirements in Chile
AES Corp. will retire four coal-fired power plants—a total 1,097 MW—in Chile “as soon as” January 2025 if supported by grid requirements under an agreement the Virginia-headquartered company signed with the Chilean government on July 6. The coal closures, which are outlined in what AES described as a “voluntary” retirement plan, represent the “single largest […]
-
Hydrogen
Shell Starts Up 10-MW REFHYNE Hydrogen Electrolyzer, Eyes Expansion to 100 MW
Shell Energy has started up a 10-MW polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer facility—one of the largest of its kind in the world—to produce green hydrogen at its Energy and Chemicals Park Rheinland refinery in Wesseling, Germany, and it says plans are underway to expand the plant’s capacity to 100 MW. The startup of the electrolyzer […]
-
Top Plant
Technology Triumph: Track 4A Is POWER’s Plant of the Year
Winning POWER’s highest honor is Track 4A, Southern Power Generation’s 1.4-GW natural gas–fired power plant in southern Malaysia that is equipped with the first commercial GE 9HA.02 gas turbines—one of
-
Connected Plant
Hitachi ABB Power Grids Will Change Name to ‘Hitachi Energy’ to Mark Business Evolution
Hitachi ABB Power Grids, the behemoth joint venture firm officially launched last year when Japanese technology conglomerate Hitachi acquired a majority share in Swiss conglomerate ABB’s Power Grids business, will be known as “Hitachi Energy” starting in October 2021. The name change reflects the firm’s business evolution amid a rapidly evolving energy landscape, the company […]
-
Microgrid
Why Microgrids Are the Key to Our Carbon-Neutral Future
As we continue to work toward a more sustainable future globally, demand for renewable energy integration is increasing. This requires more flexibility in grid infrastructure and the ability to add more types
-
News
Protecting Battery Energy Storage Systems from Fire and Explosion Hazards
There are serious risks associated with lithium-ion battery energy storage systems. Thermal runaway can release toxic and explosive gases, and the problem can spread from one malfunctioning cell to neighboring cells, resulting in catastrophe.
-
News
Illinois University Seeking NRC License to Build Nuclear Microreactor
The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) has formally kicked off a pioneering project to partly re-power its 85-MW Abbott cogeneration plant with an Ultra Safe Nuclear Corp. (USNC) Micro Modular Reactor (MMR) Energy System. UIUC on June 28 said it submitted a letter of intent to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build […]
-
Climate change
Rolling Blackouts Triggered as Historic Heatwave Grips Pacific Northwest
Utilities across the Pacific Northwest are bracing for exceptional stress on the grid as record-breaking temperatures continue to fester across the region, and at least one utility—Avista Corp.—this week began rolling outages as a measure to alleviate strain on the electric system. Despite pleas to customers to reduce their power consumption, Avista, which supplies power […]
-
IIOT
Zero-Trust Gateways: A New Strategy for Protecting Critical Infrastructure
In early May 2021, a Russian cyber-criminal group hit Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. oil and natural gas pipeline system, with a devastating ransomware attack. The exploit maliciously encrypts computer files, making them inaccessible unless the victim pays a ransom. To contain the threat, Colonial was forced to temporarily shut down portions of its operations […]
-
Press Releases
Getac Debuts Next Gen F110, Industry’s Uncompromised Fully Rugged Tablet
2021 Upgrades Inc. latest Intel® 11th Gen CPUs, Iris® Xe Graphics, PCIE SSDs, 1000Nit Display IRVINE, CA – June 28, 2021 Getac Technology Corporation, a leading producer of rugged technology today announced the launch of its next generation F110 fully rugged tablet featuring across the board improvements and innovations in processing speed, multi-tasking ability, high-level […]
-
Coal
Consumers Energy to Quit Coal by 2025, Speeding Closure of Five Units
Michigan’s largest energy provider Consumers Energy will stop using coal as a fuel source for power generation within the next four years—15 years earlier than previously planned. In an updated integrated resource plan (IRP) filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission (MPSC) on June 23, the CMS Energy subsidiary said the effort would lead Michigan’s […]
-
News
GE Hitachi: Nuclear Costs, Innovation Must Be a Pivotal Focus for Carbon-Free Future
Nuclear energy’s future as a critical pillar in a decarbonized world will depend on its adaptability to rapid change, but the sector must focus on costs, certainty of outcome, reliability, and experience to cement its role beyond the transition, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) President and CEO Jay Wileman told POWER in an exclusive interview. […]
-
Energy Storage
R&D Toward Sustainable Technologies Is the Key to Achieving California’s Climate Goal
With historic wildfires in California and severe winter storms in Texas, electric utilities had little choice but to initiate rolling blackouts to reduce strain on the electric grid, leaving millions of residents stranded without power. These catastrophic events revealed vulnerabilities in our energy infrastructure that must be addressed to meet peak electricity demand as our […]
-
News
World-First Test Production of Fossil-Free Hydrogen-Reduced Sponge Iron Completed
A pioneering pilot project in Lulea, Sweden, designed to produce “fossil-free” steel has successfully completed test production of sponge iron, demonstrating it is possible to use hydrogen made with fossil-free power to reduce iron ore, instead of coal and coke. Swedish energy company Vattenfall, mining company LKAB, and steel manufacturer SSAB—companies that are collaborating under […]
-
Nuclear
UK Eyes 2025 Operation Date for Fusion Demo Plant as Powerful Magnet Heads to ITER
This week marked two major milestones for fusion energy. On June 15, San Diego-based General Atomics (GA) said it was ready to ship the first module of the Central Solenoid—the world’s most powerful magnet—which will become a central component of ITER, the world’s largest experimental fusion facility that is under construction in France. And a […]
-
POWER Podcasts
Open-Source Technology Benefits Transmission and Distribution Operators
The term “open source” is well-recognized in the technology world, but may not be as widely understood in other sectors. What open source means is that the software code is publicly available so that anyone can contribute to the code base and create add-on extensions. This enables the growth of a market of providers that […]
-
Press Releases
Wyoming Governor, Officials Break Ground on Coal-to-Product ‘Innovation Center’ in the State’s ‘Carbon Valley’ Region
Nearly 10-acre site in Gillette, Wyo., to accelerate production of new coal-based products, reduce U.S. reliance on foreign imports for rare earth elements GILLETTE, Wyo., June 7, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — The Wyoming Innovation Center (WyIC), a 5,500-square-foot coal commercialization facility, has broken ground in Gillette, Wyo., owner Energy Capital Economic Development (ECED) announced today. The 9.5-acre […]
-
Press Releases
Enverus Plugs Power & Renewables Intelligence Gap With New Software Suite
AUSTIN, Texas, June 2, 2021 — Enverus, the leading global energy data analytics and SaaS technology company, released today its initial suite of solutions for the Power & Renewables market. Built on a foundation of the most comprehensive data and analytics capabilities available, these products enable project and infrastructure tracking with full source documents, investment […]
-
Nuclear
Wyoming Coal Power Plant May Host Natrium Advanced Nuclear Demonstration
Bill Gates’ nuclear innovation startup TerraPower and Berkshire Hathaway Energy subsidiary PacifiCorp are looking to site a federally backed demonstration of their 345-MWe Natrium advanced nuclear reactor system at a retiring PacifiCorp coal power plant in Wyoming. During a June 2 energy event in Cheyenne attended by Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer […]
-
Wind
Changing Winds: Emerging Wind Turbine Technologies
Wind turbine technology continues to evolve under new market demands—as well as an urgency to expand to further decarbonization.
-
Connected Plant
In-Person Events and COVID: Are You Ready to Travel?
In my job, I typically do a fair amount of traveling. Of course, that all changed last year due to COVID-19. I didn’t go anywhere for work-related events or meetings. It was kind of nice—at first—but