Technology

An Electric Power Research Institute study has developed a systematic process for introducing sequence automation to fossil power plants. Researchers are now exploring its implementation in case studies. As

There is a widespread movement to reduce carbon emissions around the world. One way to do so is by improving plant efficiency, but that can be easier said than done. However, self-service analytics could play

With subsidies running short and emissions regulations still a challenge, the promise of biomass as a sustainable source for utility-scale power generation remains elusive. Yet, there are novel applications

Community solar refers to local solar facilities shared by multiple subscribers who receive credit on their electricity bills for their share of the power produced. Community solar allows homeowners, renters

In a rapidly changing energy market, the competitiveness of any power producer increasingly depends upon the reliability, efficiency, and flexibility of its power plants. As the share of renewable energy

In a modern economy increasingly dependent on electric power, blackouts can wreak havoc when the loads are critical to life, business, and even a comfortable lifestyle. The problem may be growing, but there

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a term power professionals are seeing increasingly to describe sophisticated digital technologies. Could it be the breakthrough that is so highly hyped? There is no argument

The next decade could belong to energy storage. Project development costs are dropping. Enhanced state and corporate focus on climate-related issues is producing more opportunities for renewable generation and

When a global leader in the design, manufacture, and maintenance of binary Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) power systems entered the geothermic energy market, company engineers knew its existing turbines would be

An Australian federal inquiry last December recommended partially lifting a nationwide ban on nuclear energy, urging that the government pursue a “goal-oriented” and community-focused strategy as it

India wants to reform its power generation sector, including upgrades to energy infrastructure, and plans to introduce new technology to make its electricity supply more reliable and resilient. It’s part of

Analysis by both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and International Energy Agency shows that achieving a zero-carbon energy system by 2050 will require large-scale deployment of carbon capture

BREA, CA ­­ – January 31, 2020 – Curtiss-Wright Corporation announced today it has signed an exclusive agreement with Arizona Public Service Company (APS) to commercialize APS’s equipment anomaly detection (EAD) technology. APS’s EAD technology uses machine learning to detect anomalies in plant equipment and systems, allowing operators to improve performance and prevent failures. “This […]

The smart grid is transforming the way utilities communicate with their customers. Smart grid technology, including control systems and automation that help new technologies work together, supports a power grid that can respond digitally to quickly changing electricity demand. The smart grid enables electricity producers to enhance reliability, availability, and efficiency. It can provide cost […]

HOUSTON—Chris Benson, principal artificial intelligence strategist for global aerospace, defense, and security giant Lockheed Martin, will give the opening keynote presentation at the Connected Plant Conference 2020, which will take place February 25 to 27, 2020, at the Westin Peachtree Plaza in Atlanta, Georgia. Kicking off the event, Benson will shed light on the vast […]

New Technology Hub Organizes and Protects Control Room Electronics Minnetonka, Minn. – Winsted Control Room Solutions unveiled the newest item in their line of technical furniture, the Paramount technology credenza. Paramount is designed to integrate into boardrooms, conference rooms, control rooms or any other high-tech space. “Paramount is an elegant and functional addition to our technical […]

Marking another major milestone for U.S.-based small modular reactor (SMR) development, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) said it has formally begun the regulatory licensing process for its BWRX-300, a 300-MW boiling water reactor that it claims could be competitive with natural gas power. The company revealed on Jan. 30 that it submitted the first licensing […]

Germany’s federal cabinet on Jan. 29 approved a nationwide phaseout of coal power generation by 2038, paving the way for the country, which has already initiated a nuclear phaseout, to rely even more heavily on renewables. The federal cabinet’s approval of the “Reduction and Termination of Coal Power Generation” (Gesetz zur Reduzierung und zur Beendigung der […]

BASKING RIDGE, N.J., AND MORRIS PLAINS, N.J., Jan. 29, 2020 — Verizon (NYSE: VZ) has teamed up with Honeywell (NYSE: HON) to help utilities speed up and simplify the deployment of new communication-enabled, intelligent sensors and controls for the smart electric grid. By integrating Verizon’s Managed Connectivity LTE solutions into Honeywell’s next-generation smart meters and […]

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Jan. 23 approved two new reliability standards related to transmission system planning performance and cybersecurity. However, it also proposed to retire 74 reliability standard requirements, which it deemed duplicative or unnecessarily burdensome. Among the spate of actions it took on Thursday, FERC also green-lighted retaining the North American […]

RXi industrial displays are vivid, responsive and modular, delivering high performance even in harsh and difficult operating environments CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Jan. 27, 2020) — Emerson has released the new portfolio of RXi industrial display and panel PC products for monitoring, visualizing and enhancing everyday production processes in life sciences, metals and mining, power and water, […]

The term “digital twin” is used frequently by tech-savvy power industry professionals, but what does it really mean? To get an insider’s perspective, POWER posed the question to Akshay Patwal, strategic business manager with Siemens Energy. Patwal leads the development and commercialization of digital business transformation projects, using big data platforms and analytics, to create […]

The power sector has increasingly turned to various forms of distributed generation to meet growing power demands over the past several decades. Although solar PV and other renewable technologies receive most of the coverage, they represent only a fraction of the distributed market. Diesel generator sets (gensets) have long been the face of distributed generation. […]

We live in the age of automation and artificial intelligence. We need smartphones with long-lasting battery backup. We demand computers with higher computing power. In short, we require more and more energy. And when it comes to energy, we often turn to the most sustainable power alternative: solar energy. Its abundance is not the only […]

KANSAS CITY, Missouri — Burns & McDonnell will serve as engineer-procure-construct (EPC) contractor for an extensive $134 million electrical control system upgrade and modernization project for the New York Power Authority’s 2,525-megawatt (MW) Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant. The control system project is a crucial component of a recently announced $1.1 billion Next Generation Niagara […]

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) and TerraPower are jointly pursuing an opportunity to design and build the U.S. Department of Energy’s Versatile Test Reactor (VTR), an experimental fast neutron nuclear reactor that could start up by 2026. The companies on Jan. 21 announced they collaborated on a response to an expression of interest (EOI) issued […]

Deal-making in the North American power and utilities sector fell for the third year in a row in 2019, and total deal value shrank by 41% compared to 2018, indicating a sustained sluggish financial interest in the sector, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). The international accounting firm’s newly released “North American Power & Utilities deals insights […]

JOHNSTON, R.I., USA—As part of its continuing commitment to cyber risk assessment, prevention and control, FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial property insurers, has become one of the first insurance carriers to offer industrial control systems (ICS) evaluations at client locations as part of its routine engineering site visits. The ICS evaluation will […]

A boiler feed pump with the largest drive rating worldwide was dispatched by the KSB Group based in Frankenthal in late December 2019. It will be used in the coal-fired power plant Pingshan II that is currently being built in Huaibei, China. The supercritical power station employs a new technology that is said to reach […]