Technology

New FLIR VS290-32 Offers a Dual-Sensor, Electrical Safety-Rated Videoscope for Safer and More Efficient Industrial Inspection  ARLINGTON, Va., November 17, 2020 – FLIR Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: FLIR) today announced the FLIR VS290-32™, an industry-first, videoscope that combines thermal imaging and a visible camera specifically designed for safer and more efficient inspections of hard-to-reach underground utility […]

American Electric Power (AEP) will shut down or refuel 5.6 GW of its 2020 coal-fired power fleet by 2030 to comply with environmental rules—including recent revisions governing federal coal ash and effluent limitations—and rebalance its portfolio in a bid to meet ambitious climate goals.  The move is bold for the Columbus, Ohio-based generating giant, which […]

Neil Wright Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology is not new, but it is extremely nascent. To many, it is the natural progression from “smart charging,” whereby electric vehicles (EVs) are only recharged at the best time for the network, to a more holistic grid scheme. But V2G trials are unfolding slowly, as finding the right business model […]

Joe Biden on Nov. 7 clinched the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency, barring Donald Trump’s prospects for a second-term. Almost immediately, reactions from various parts of the power sector streamed in, highlighting possibilities and pitfalls of Biden’s wide-ranging energy and environment agenda.  Energy, and its implications on the environment, figured prominently as […]

By Mark Bole, CEO, Quortus There has been a sharp increase in the number of enterprises across the world looking to build private mobile broadband networks—2G, 3G, LTE, and 5G—over the past few years. Put simply, this has seen enterprises buy up radio spectrum to provide organizations with the freedom to create dedicated, optimized and […]

By some estimates, offshore wind energy has the potential to deliver 18 times the current global electricity demand. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said offshore wind power could develop into a $1 trillion industry over the next two decades, so there’s obviously a lot of growth potential around the world. While the cost for […]

The successful refurbishment of Unit 2 at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station marked a pivotal milestone for Ontario Power Generation’s 10-year, C$12.8 billion overhaul of the plant’s four CANDU

Decarbonization is posing a fundamental dilemma that could have widespread serious implications for the power sector: the clean energy transition, if not properly managed, could increase water stress, or be

In a bid to spur economic activity and thwart a COVID-19–related downturn, Australia’s government in September set out a strategy to reset domestic power and gas priorities to tamp down power prices and

Japanese firm JERA, a joint venture between TEPCO and Chubu Electric, on Oct. 13 issued a roadmap to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. The move is notable for the company whose business includes a sizable

Through programs such as Transformative Power Generation, High-Performance Materials, and Advanced Coal Processing, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is conducting research and development

Inspecting generators has always been a time-consuming and expensive job, yet one that needs to be done at regular intervals. An impressive new visual inspection robot can save owners many days of unnecessary

Chezy and Manning developed equations that are used to determine the average volumetric flowrate in open channels. This article explains a laboratory method that was developed and tested to further identify

For nearly a century, the grid has been one, solid, hulking, inflexible machine. Now, with the rise of technologies like microgrids, distributed renewables, battery storage, and vehicle-to-grid applications, we can reimagine the grids that enclose our communities to be like those fictional spaceships.

At least eight cities have now dropped shares in the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), a 720-MWe NuScale Power small modular reactor (SMR) project proposed by Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS). Despite the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oct.16–announced $1.4 billion, 10-year award to fund one-time costs for the first-of-a-kind project, four Utah cities withdrew […]

Fusion research and development have been ongoing for decades, and many people probably believe a fusion power system will remain out of reach for decades longer. But the truth is that more than 100 tokamaks have been constructed and the science behind fusion is well-understood. What has been elusive is generating net energy from a […]

CHICAGO, October 27, 2020 – S&C Electric Company, a leading grid innovator improving power reliability and delivery worldwide, and Western Power Distribution (WPD), a U.K.-based electricity distribution network operator serving 7.9 million customers throughout Wales and England’s Midlands and South West regions, have completed the installation of the first S&C TripSaver® II Cutout-Mounted Recloser in […]

Netze BW GmbH is the largest distribution system operator (DSO) in Baden-Württemberg, which is the third-largest state in Germany. Netze BW is responsible for high-, medium-, and low-voltage networks across the state. Its power lines stretch over 100,000 kilometers (more than 62,000 miles), and like all power utilities, it faces a constant challenge of monitoring, […]

Most consumers know that lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries can get hot. People experience the phenomenon in devices such as cell phones and laptop computers. In extreme circumstances, the heat can cause fires with catastrophic consequences. One company that is working to remedy the problem is Burlington, Washington-headquartered LAVLE. The company’s COO Morten Pedersen and CTO Ben […]

Compact (H-type) vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are not as familiar as their horizontal-axis, propeller-type cousins. The two have their origins in the windmills of the 12th century, and even earlier, but the former has lacked financing, and research and development resources that have been poured into the latter to produce some of the lowest-cost energy […]

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) statement of testing and approval of nacelle based wind Lidar ‘ZX TM’ from ZX Lidars for the purpose of Power Performance Testing on Siemens Gamesa wind turbines released In connection with a power curve campaign, Siemens Gamesa has tested a new technology together with the well-known company ZX Lidars. Based […]

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (Oct. 13, 2020) – Schneider Electric, the industry leader in Geographic Information System (GIS) solutions for utilities and communication providers, announced the latest release of ArcFM Mobile XI, the utility-scale mobile GIS solution designed for field crews. ArcFM Mobile 11.2.1 now supports a full digital design-construction workflow in the ArcFM XI ecosystem […]

TerraPower and X-energy will each receive $80 million in initial federal funding under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) to build their two distinct advanced nuclear reactors and begin operating them within seven years.  Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette made the much-awaited announcement about the first ARDP awards in a brief Twitter […]

Electric-power and gas companies are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks, but a structured approach that applies communication, organizational, and process frameworks can significantly reduce cyber-related risks. In our experience working with utility companies, we have observed three characteristics that make the sector especially vulnerable to contemporary cyberthreats. First is an increased number of threats and actors […]

The Department of Energy (DOE) on Oct. 7 notified Congress that it has chosen recipients for its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) and will make its selections public “next week.” The ARDP program, which the DOE officially launched on May 14, will essentially focus DOE and non-federal resources (through cost-shared agreements with industry) to enable […]

Although the first lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery was conceived more than 50 years ago, the technology continues to be refined and improved today. Scientists and engineers are constantly modifying and testing electrolytes, anodes, and cathodes in an effort to make Li-ion batteries more energy-efficient, cost-effective, and safer. Chicago, Illinois-based NanoGraf Technologies is one company working to […]