Technology
-
T&D
The Importance of a Resilient Power System
It’s hurricane season in the U.S., which runs from June 1 through the end of November, and there have already been three named storms. The most recent was Tropical Storm Christobal, which was the earliest third-named Atlantic storm on record when it formed on June 2. It made landfall in the U.S. along the northern […]
-
Hydrogen
World’s First Integrated Hydrogen Power-to-Power Demonstration Launched
A consortium of European companies, research institutes, and universities have launched the world’s first demonstration of a fully integrated power-to-hydrogen-to-power project, at industrial scale and in a real-world power plant application. The four-year project to demonstrate HYFLEXPOWER, which has achieved a technology readiness level of 7, will convert a 12-MWe combined heat and power (CHP) […]
-
COVID-19
NERC: Summer 2020 Reliability Rife With Unknowns
Despite COVID-19’s impact on power demand, disrupted pre-season generation preparation, and an expected highly active hurricane and wildfire season, industry appears well-positioned to meet peak demand this summer under anticipated weather in nearly all parts of the North American bulk power system (BPS). Other than in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), anticipated reserve […]
-
Interview
The POWER Interview: Ameresco’s CEO on Efficiency, Renewables, and Resilience
The present and future of power generation is and will be driven by new technologies, those designed to increase the efficient use of electricity while limiting emissions and supporting resiliency. It’s a challenging time for those in energy. Developing solutions to solve issues in the power sector involves navigating an uncertain and ever-changing regulatory landscape, […]
-
Gas
T-Point 2 Is a Proving Ground for Gas Turbine Advancements
It may be unusual to recognize a demonstration facility with POWER’s Plant of the Year award, but T-Point 2 is a remarkable unit that is poised to change the way power plants operate. Besides validating new
-
Water
Rethinking Wastewater Treatment for Better FGD Economics
POWER’s 2020 Water Award goes to Saltworks Technologies for successfully piloting a novel application of a 50-year-old technology at a coal plant. The company’s solution promises to slash costs of treating
-
Smart Grid
Smart Neighborhood Wins Smart Grid Award
Alabama Power’s Smart Neighborhood integrates a microgrid into a community filled with high-performance homes containing energy-efficient systems and connected appliances. The innovative initiative, which
-
Nuclear
Fusion Energy Is Coming, and Maybe Sooner Than You Think
The joke about fusion energy is that it’s 30 years away and always will be. But significant recent advances in fusion science and technology could potentially put the first fusion power on the grid as soon
-
Environmental
Industry to Explore Decentralized Nuclear Waste Disposal
Efforts to explore whether it is feasible to permanently dispose of high-level nuclear waste in deep horizontal boreholes under next-generation nuclear reactor sites got a boost in late April as nuclear waste
-
Business
Executing Successful Projects with Reality Capture Technology
Standard general arrangement drawings, and piping and instrumentation diagrams, serve a purpose, but they are not ideal records for as-built project documentation. 3D reality capture offers a better
-
Supply Chains
Equipment Showcase: Construction Equipment
Construction equipment is a critical part of the power generation industry, as new facilities are built and older facilities are upgraded to enhance efficiency and comply with evolving regulations. The
-
T&D
How Our Current Power Grid Is Failing Us
As coal prices fluctuate and regulations increase, utilities are phasing out dirty coal sources. With renewable energy like solar and wind set to become the fastest-growing sources of electricity generation in
-
Nuclear
[VIDEO] POWER Insights: Nuclear Reactor with 3D-Printed Core Slated for Operation in 2023
In the first installment of POWER’s brand new video interview series, POWER Insights, Kurt Terrani, technical director of the Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR) program, talks to POWER Senior Associate Editor Sonal Patel about the innovative microreactor program spearheaded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and project partners, including Idaho National Laboratory, Argonne National Laboratory, and […]
-
Biomass
Large cogeneration project in Japan is expanded by 20 Spanner Re2 systems
Since the beginning of 2019, only ten, then twenty wood-power plants from Spanner Re2 GmbH including peripherals with above-average plant runtimes have been in operation. By the end of this year, the customer will install additional wood-power plants with an electrical output of 1 MW. Neufahrn i. NB. Spanner Re2, based in Neufahrn in Lower […]
-
Connected Plant
The POWER Interview: How Modern Control System Technology Is Changing Power Plant Operation
Distributed control systems (DCSs) and programmable logic controllers (PLCs) have been commonplace in power plants for decades, but the technology has not been stagnant. Today’s systems are beginning to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to take plant control to a whole new level. To get an insider’s perspective on how these systems […]
-
Solar
Sharp launches new stylish black half-cut cell PV panel
London, 26th May 2020 – Sharp today announces the addition of a new all black design monocrystalline silicon photovoltaic (PV) panel to its half-cut cell portfolio, the NU-JC320B. The new stylish half-cut cell PERC module offers a 2-3% higher module performance compared to standard full cell panels, providing design-oriented customers with an efficient and reliable […]
-
Press Releases
Wärtsilä gas engine technology to secure customer’s future in Spain’s CHP market
MAY 26, 2020 — The technology group Wärtsilä’s capabilities in gas conversions for oil-fueled power plants have again been recognized with a new order. Rofeica Energia, based in Barcelona, Spain, has ordered a Wärtsilä 34SG gas-fueled engine generating set, enabling the company to secure its future in Spain’s Combined Heat and Power (CHP) market. The […]
-
Solar
The Economic Case for Solar Energy in South Africa
South Africa has the largest carbon footprint in Africa and contributes 40% of the total CO2 emissions in the continent. As the world evolves in response to climate change concerns, the way business is done in South Africa will need to change. In addition to the critical need for every business to contribute to broadly […]
-
Water
Minimize Unscheduled Downtime Due to Filtration Deficiencies
Traditional plants are turning to automatic self-cleaning strainers to provide more reliable cooling, reduce required maintenance, and improve uptime. With greater intrusion into the market from renewables, traditional power generation plants are under pressure to produce more efficiently and cost-effectively. Consequently, more than ever, there is no room for any unscheduled downtime. While not the […]
-
Nuclear
Advanced Nuclear Reactor Designs to Get Digital Twins
Nine projects will get $27 million in federal funding to develop digital twin technology for promising advanced nuclear reactor designs—including Kairos, Xe-100, BWRX-300, and the SSR-W—and help achieve a ten-fold reduction in their operations and maintenance (O&M) costs. The funding announced by the Department of Energy (DOE) on May 13 will be furnished under the […]
-
Technology
Texas Electric Cooperatives and Exelon Clearsight Form Alliance to Provide UAS Inspection Services to Electric Utilities in Texas
Cutting-edge technology will help electric utilities in Texas maintain electrical assets AUSTIN, Texas, May 12, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Texas Electric Cooperatives, Inc. (TEC) and Exelon Clearsight, LLC (Exelon Clearsight) announced they have formed a partnership to bring advanced UAS (drone), robot, and software enabled inspections to utilities in Texas. Under the agreement, TEC will […]
-
Nuclear
Nuclear Reactor with 3D-Printed Core Slated for Operation in 2023
A first-of-its-kind nuclear reactor that will use a 3D-printed core, advanced materials, and integrated sensors and controls is on track for completion by 2023. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, work is ramping up to demonstrate the Transformational Challenge Reactor (TCR), an innovative micro-reactor program spearheaded by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and project partners, to include […]
-
Supply Chains
Trump Ban on Foreign Bulk Power Equipment Triggers New Uncertainty
Declaring a national emergency over threats to the U.S. bulk power system (BPS), President Trump in an executive order (EO) on May 1 issued a sweeping ban on transactions by U.S. persons for electric equipment sourced abroad if the U.S. government determines they pose undue security risks. Because foreign adversaries are “increasingly creating and exploiting […]
-
Press Releases
Wärtsilä Gas Engines Will Burn 100% Hydrogen
May 5, 2020 — The technology group Wärtsilä is developing the combustion process in its gas engines to enable them to burn 100% hydrogen fuel.Wärtsilä has researched hydrogen as a fuel for 20 years, and has tested its engines with blends of up to 60% hydrogen and 40% natural gas. This development is part of […]
-
Connected Plant
Peoples Natural Gas Adopts SAP S/4HANA® as the Foundation for Future Transformation as Part of Essential Utilities
May 4, 2020 – SAP SE (NYSE: SAP) announced that Peoples Natural Gas has completed its conversion to SAP S/4HANA®, laying the technical groundwork for ongoing innovation and business transformation. Acquired by Essentials Utilities in March, Peoples provides natural gas to about 740,000 homes and businesses in Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Kentucky. The company has been […]
-
News
Offshore Wind Finding Direction in U.S.
Europe has a big head start globally when it comes to generating power from offshore wind installations. The U.S. has lagged due to a variety of factors, including the need to work through regulatory issues
-
Fuel
A Nuclear Power Side Venture: Medical Isotope Production
Earlier this year, nuclear technology giant Framatome and power sector lifecycle management service company Kinectrics launched an Ontario-based joint venture, Isogen, whose mission is to enable the use of
-
News
Innovative Distributed Generation Projects Provide Power to Remote Areas
Remote communities have become testing grounds for innovative power projects. These areas traditionally have been powered by fossil fuel generation, usually diesel fuel or oil and sometimes natural gas, and
-
Coal
Coal Plant Conversion to Non-Recyclable Plastic Waste Combustion Advances
A hundred metric tons of innovative fuel pellets derived entirely from biogenic and plastic waste material—which would otherwise be bound for a landfill—have been successfully produced, marking a
-
Geothermal
Is Geothermal Power on the Brink of a Boom?
After several years of stagnancy, prospects for the geothermal power industry are heating up. Over the past year, it has seen a flurry of legislative boosts, an uptick of power purchase agreements, and