Technology
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Press Releases
ABB Will Upgrade Historic New Zealand HVDC Link
ABB has received an order from Transpower New Zealand Ltd to upgrade its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link which interconnects the transmission grids of the North and South islands. The link is a vital element of the country’s transmission system and is used as an energy-balancing system, between the two islands. ABB Ability™ MACH control system, […]
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Renewables
Japan’s New Energy Plan Commits to Renewables—And Nuclear and Coal, Too
Japan’s government on July 3 approved a new Basic Energy Plan for the country, saying it is committed to increasing the role of renewable resources for power generation while also confirming it wants nuclear power to remain a vital part of the nation’s energy strategy. Japan issues a revised Basic Energy Plan, which outlines the […]
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Press Releases
Market for Dispatching Services: Be Power and ABB together for first projects of VPP and Demand Response
Milan, Italy (July 2, 2018) — Be Power and ABB will cooperate in the Dispatching Service Market (MSD). Be Power is the Digital Green Utility of the Building Energy Group with a trailblazing business model based on the synergies between the markets of energy and mobility. This model aims at integrating the opportunities arising from the […]
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Press Releases
Minesto initiates DG500 commissioning program
Marine energy developer Minesto has initiated the commissioning program of its first tidal energy project in commercial scale in North West Wales, with initial sea trials of the company’s DG500 tidal energy converter taking place in Holyhead harbour and the Holyhead Deep site. “The activities in Holyhead are progressing well and we are pleased to […]
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Press Releases
Fast-track delivery of Wärtsilä gas-fired power plant will help alleviate Myanmar’s electricity shortage in Kyaukse
The technology group Wärtsilä has been selected to provide the generating equipment for a new gas-fired power plant needed to alleviate the shortage of electricity in Myanmar. The power plant will operate on eight Wärtsilä 50SG gas-fueled engines, and the electricity generated will be fed into the national grid. The 145-MW plant is being built […]
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O&M
Using Drones to Increase Net Safety in the Utility Sector
Across the country, energy and utility companies are adopting and using drone technology to increase their business operations and improve overall safety of their workforces. Many companies are also discussing the risks and rewards of implementing new safety technology on job sites. With workplace fatalities in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities sectors comprising 17.3% of […]
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O&M
Benefits of Single-Shaft Combined Cycle Power Plants
In recent years, the use of single-shaft combined cycle power plants has steadily increased in the U.S. While multi-shaft configurations are advantageous in certain scenarios—for example, when layout flexibility or phased installation is needed—single-shaft designs have proven to be a highly efficient and cost-saving option for power plant owners and operators seeking to maximize the […]
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Hydro
Hydropower Grows but Industry Is Changing
New hydropower capacity installed worldwide plunged 36% in 2017 compared to 2016, but the sector remains optimistic about its future despite a transitioning role for hydropower away from baseload power and
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Coal
Water-Capturing Cooling Tower Technology Makes Headway at MIT
A cooling tower water recovery system designed by engineers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) could capture water from power plant fogs and plumes, potentially rendering them into a source
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O&M
Lubrication: Optimizing the Performance of Today’s Gas Turbines
Modern gas turbines are designed to deliver more power and greater efficiencies. Several manufacturers, including GE, Siemens, and others, have established new marks for efficiency over the past year, reaching
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O&M
Commitment, Teamwork, and Perseverance Pay Off as Nuclear Unit Wins Plant of the Year
The Tennessee Valley Authority’s Watts Bar Nuclear Plant Unit 2 was the first new nuclear unit added to the U.S. fleet in more than 20 years. There were challenges along the way, but the colossal effort
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Renewables
More Efficient with Fewer Emissions: Cement Factory Finds Sugar-Based Biomass a Sweet Solution
Environmental regulations and a need to reduce its fuel consumption provide the incentive for an Egyptian plant to change its manufacturing process. Energy companies constantly grapple with controlling the
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IIOT Power
NYPA’s iSOC: The Path to a Digital Utility
The New York Power Authority’s Integrated Smart Operations Center (iSOC) is the first step in the public power utility’s goal to become the first end-to-end digital electricity system. And it’s a big
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O&M
Sustainable from the Start: Tech Company a Model of Efficient Power Management
OWC is known in the tech field for its computer hardware. It’s also known for its on-campus power generation, which sets it apart from others in the high-tech field, showcasing a commitment embraced by the
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Renewables
Floating Solar Panel Industry Makes a Splash
Floating solar panel technology has been gaining traction as a favorable and cost-effective alternative to land-based photovoltaic systems. Thriving on the cusp of a massive inclination toward renewable energy
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O&M
Innovative Narrowband Solution for SCADA Communications
Great River Energy rolled out an extensive 700-MHz point-to-multipoint communications project within its 56,000-square-mile service area. Using high-order modulation, combined with full-duplex
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IIOT Power
Innovative Tool Monitors for Damaging Impacts and Vibration
The safe transportation of transformers, gas turbines, generators, and other electrical production equipment is a vital component in suppliers’ current business models and future growth potential. Equipment
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Commentary
Electric Vehicles—Subsidies for an Environmental Pretender
On May 22, the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), the American Public Power Association (APPA), and two groups representing U.S. and foreign automakers sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
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Press Releases
ABB, Ballard Power Systems Sign MOU on Zero-Emission Fuel Cell Power Plant
ABB, the pioneering technology leader, and Ballard Power Systems, the leading global provider of innovative clean energy fuel cell solutions, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on developing the next-generation fuel cell power system for sustainable marine e-mobility. The fuel cell power system, to be jointly designed, developed and validated by ABB and Ballard […]
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Press Releases
Maxwell Technologies Launches Advanced Energy Storage Power Delivery Solutions for Utility Grids and Microgrids
First-of-their-kind ultracapacitor subsystems address the power gap caused by increasing renewable energy generation SAN DIEGO, June 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ — Maxwell Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: MXWL), a leading developer and manufacturer of energy storage and power delivery solutions, today announced the launch of two new highly scalable products to deliver reliable, fast responding, long lifetime storage […]
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Press Releases
Ice Energy announces long-term funding agreement with Argo Infrastructure Partners
COSTA MESA, CA (June 26, 2018)— Ice Energy, the leading provider of distributed thermal energy storage solutions, announced that it has entered into a long-term funding agreement with private equity manager Argo Infrastructure Partners LLC (“Argo”). The investment establishes a strategic relationship that begins with $40 million in funding for Ice Energy and its current projects, […]
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Press Releases
Rebranded ‘MAN Energy Solutions’ Replaces Former MAN Diesel & Turbo Name
MAN Energy Solutions represents a new vision, as reflected by a new, corporate design. The new branding embodies a strategic and technological transformation, a process the company had already begun back in 2017 by implementing its new strategy for the future: to expand its business with sustainable technologies and solutions such that they become its […]
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Press Releases
Wärtsilä, Hyundai Motor Group Announce Energy Storage Partnership
Seoul, South Korea and Helsinki, Finland (June 26, 2018) — The technology group Wärtsilä and Hyundai Motor Group have signed a technology and commercial partnership designed to utilize second-life electric vehicle (EV) batteries towards the growing energy storage market. The global partnership will combine Hyundai’s expansion in electric vehicles, with Wärtsilä’s growing energy business, which includes […]
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O&M
Test Your Knowledge: Monitoring and Treatment of Closed-Loop Cooling Water Systems
There are often multiple closed-loop water cooling systems installed in a power plant. Chances are good that they cool or control temperature on some very critical components. It can be easy to ignore these systems because they are usually quite reliable. By its very nature, when a closed-loop system remains closed and operates properly for an extended period of time, it is often […]
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Press Releases
FlexGen Awarded Contract for ESS at Upton 2 Solar Power Plant
Vistra Energy, headquartered in Irving, Texas, has awarded a contract to FlexGen to design and integrate a 10-MW/42-MWh FlexGen energy storage system (ESS) at Upton 2 Solar Power Plant in Upton County, Texas. At 180 MW, Upton 2 is Texas’ largest operating solar facility. The Upton 2 plant consists of 718,000 photovoltaic solar panels. The lithium-ion energy storage project at […]
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Nuclear
First AP1000 Nuclear Units Reach Key Milestones
Two Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power plants being constructed in China have successfully completed significant project milestones. Sanmen Unit 1—the world’s first AP1000 reactor—achieved initial criticality on June 21. Initial criticality is a nuclear industry term meaning the reactor’s neutron population has remained steady from one generation to the next and the nuclear fission chain reaction […]
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Renewables
Analysts: Coal Generation Will Plummet More Than 70%
About half the world’s power will be generated by wind and solar resources by 2050. Generation from coal will drop more than 70% from today’s levels. That’s according to research from energy analysts published June 19 in the “New Energy Outlook 2018” (NEO) from Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). The NEO report outlines information from […]
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Press Releases
GE Power Announces New Achievements by HA Gas Turbine and Services Upgrades
GREENVILLE, S.C.—June 14, 2018—GE Power (NYSE: GE) today announced a growing list of accomplishments by its industry-leading HA gas turbine and its services portfolio—including the 26th HA in commercial operation and the new MXL2 with Additive Manufactured Performance upgrade for the GT13E2 turbine. These accomplishments reiterate GE Power’s unique position to help gas power producers efficiently […]
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Power
Siemens Reportedly Considering Sale of Gas Turbine Business
Siemens AG, the parent company of Siemens Power and Gas, is contemplating the sale of its lucrative but lately troubled gas turbine business, according to one major news outlet. Citing unnamed sources, Bloomberg on June 13 reported that the German giant may be considering the sale of its power and gas business, possibly to a […]
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Press Releases
New RINA Guidelines for Additive Manufacturing in the Power Industry
Genoa, Italy (14 June 2018) – RINA, a leading specialist in additive manufacturing, has announced the release of its ‘Guidelines for the certification of metallic products made by additive manufacturing’, for the Power industry. The use of additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) is expanding rapidly, especially as technology now enables the production of larger components […]