Technology

Distributed generation integrated with intermittent renewable generation responds to the growing need for highly flexible small-scale (less than 100 MW) power generation resources. The limiting factor facing plant designers is that the conventional heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) does not enable fast-acting power generation demanded by modern grid systems. John Cockerill Energy’s vertical once-through boilers […]

General Electric International Inc. (GE) and consortium partner Taiwanese engineering services firm CTCI have bagged a multi-billion-dollar engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for five combined cycle gas-fired power units in Taiwan.  The consortium will build three new units at the 3.9-GW Hsinta Power Plant and two new units at the 2.6-GW Taichung Power Plant. […]

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and Bill Gates’ nuclear innovation startup TerraPower are ready to demonstrate a “cost-competitive” advanced nuclear reactor system that will integrate a 345-MWe sodium fast reactor (SFR) with a molten salt energy storage system under a unique energy system architecture. The advanced nuclear technology developed under a joint development agreement is […]

Two new fuel cell-based electricity generation facilities have been “powered on” in the Gyeonggi province of South Korea. The new installations use Bloom Energy’s solid-oxide fuel cells. One of the power plants—a 19.8-MW installation—is located in Hwasung. It is the largest Bloom Energy project in South Korea, and the company’s second-largest in the world. The […]

Three major gas-fired power projects—a total of 2.1 GW—in Eastern competitive markets that are slated to come online between 2023 and 2025 have chosen hydrogen pathways to ensure their long-term viability as states increasingly emphasize energy system decarbonization.  The plants, which represent a total investment of $3 billion, will adopt integrated green hydrogen solution packages […]

The South Landing project in Spokane, Washington, has been called “the five smartest city blocks in the world.” The development is said to feature “the most sustainable large building in North America.” Known as the Catalyst Building, it is intended to anchor a planned “innovation hub.” The five-story, 150,000-square-foot building features two wings around a […]

Uniper’s Falkenhagen site in Germany hosted two major pilots to produce “green” hydrogen and methane from wind power, opening up prospects for lucrative new revenue streams from decarbonized assets that

The 50-MW Delingha concentrated solar power tower plant located on the high-altitude Tibetan Plateau in China was developed, built, and continues to be refined by a company dedicated to solar tower technology

Construction of the 10-MW Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) pilot plant in San Antonio, Texas, is inching along, and developers in July announced that the building to house the innovative

Many experts believe power plants constructed with reciprocating engines are the ideal complement to intermittent renewables. Recip plants are extremely flexible. Facilities can be sized for almost any use

BP made headlines in early August when it announced it wants to develop about 50 GW of net renewable generating capacity by 2030—a 20-fold increase from the 2.5 GW deployed in 2019—as part of a new

The U.S. Department of Energy has made the research and development (R&D) of long-duration energy storage at fossil fuel generating stations a priority to keep reliable and affordable supplies of

Milestone for First 700-MW Domestically Built Indian Nuclear Reactor. Unit 3 of the Kakrapar nuclear power plant in the Indian state of Gujarat—an indigenously designed 700-MW pressurized heavy water reactor

Turbines—whether powered by steam, water, natural gas, or some other fluid—are vital to the generation of electricity. Many companies in the power industry are focused on designing, manufacturing, and

This is the last of a three-part series on technology in construction. In the May issue, Part I focused on predicting and adapting to change. Part II—in the July issue—examined choosing and implementing

Battelle Energy Alliance (BEA), the entity that manages Idaho National Laboratory (INL), has initiated contract negotiations with a team lead by Bechtel National Inc. (BNI) and supported by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and Terra Power to back the design and build phase of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Versatile Test Reactor (VTR).  The announcement […]

NEW YORK — Kiwi Power, a leading global energy technology company, is bringing its distributed energy resource (DER) optimization technology and expertise to North America. Building on the strong relationship with its first client ENGIE North America, the company has expanded its sales presence in the region. Kiwi Power enters the market offering advanced virtual power […]

In a $5 billion deal, engineering and industrial software company AVEVA has agreed to acquire OSIsoft, maker of the PI System, which is a market-leading operational data software solution. “Combining AVEVA and OSIsoft is yet another significant milestone in our journey to achieving the ambitious growth goals that we have set,” Craig Hayman, CEO of […]

In February 2020, TIME magazine described the coronavirus pandemic’s workplace implications as “the world’s largest work-from-home experiment.” Today, it’s apparent that it is no longer an experiment, but a new way of working for the foreseeable future. Globally, 70% of people work remotely at least once a week, as every sector from government institutions and […]

LONG BEACH, Calif. and HAYDENVILLE, Mass.  (August 18, 2020) — As part of a nationwide movement by cities and counties to generate their own clean, locally-sourced power, renewable hydrogen producer Ways2H and municipal energy consultancy Local Power announced a partnership to integrate a new power source, onsite renewable hydrogen, into the mix for community microgrids. […]

ABB has signed a contract with ORION to implement automation and control solutions at Bangladesh’s 100MW Moidhara solar power plant in Mongla, supporting the country’s growing energy requirements and helping the government to achieve its goals of delivering cleaner power generation projects by 2020.  Collaborating with Energon Renewables (BD) Ltd, a subsidiary of ORION, one […]

California’s governor demanded an investigation into the cause of a series of power outages—the first since an energy crisis in 2001—that blacked out parts of the state in recent days.  California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has struggled to ensure reliability since Friday, Aug. 14, when, amid triple-digit temperatures, it declared a statewide Stage 2 Emergency, […]

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has moved to redesignate four new areas of Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, and Texas as being in attainment of air quality standards for sulfur dioxide (SO2).  The proposed actions issued over the past week provide a potential reprieve for several coal power plants, which would have needed costly pollution controls to […]

DARMSTADT, Germany (Aug. 18, 2020) – Brüel & Kjær Vibro, one of the leading worldwide independent suppliers of condition monitoring solutions for rotating machinery, has launched the VIBROPORT 8000 (VP-8000) Portable Vibration Analyzer for rotating and reciprocating equipment. The new VP-8000 is a specially configured and packaged version of Brüel & Kjær Vibro’s VC-8000, which […]

Baton Rouge, LA (August 17, 2020) – Setpoint Integrated Solutions announces SNAP, an online booking tool that gives customers easy, remote access to technical experts. Setpoint SNAP is a scheduling tool that quickly connects users with technical and product experts through virtual meetings or phone calls. As part of an ongoing effort to improve the […]

Investors in the global power and utilities sector embraced agendas that created long-term value during the first half of this year, as the COVID-19 pandemic roiled the world. Recent activity points to several interesting trends that will likely persist in a post-crisis world and may even accelerate change in the sector, new analyses from global […]

The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and the Gas Technology Institute (GTI) are teaming on a notable five-year-long initiative to accelerate development and demonstrate low-carbon technologies that they say are needed to help private companies and governments achieve increasingly ambitious decarbonization goals by 2050. The Low-Carbon Resources Initiative (LCRI), officially launched on Aug. 10, is […]

GOLDEN, CO (August 12, 2020) – U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette today announced the launch of the Advanced Research on Integrated Energy Systems (ARIES) platform at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). ARIES is a cutting-edge research platform that will allow NREL researchers and the scientific community to address […]

It’s an article of faith in large parts of the U.S.—at least among power industry people—that organized and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)–regulated “merchant” interstate power markets are the best way to ensure a sufficient supply of electricity, as well as to ensure fair and equitable prices for ratepayers. On that basis, large areas of […]