Technology

Chubu Electric’s Nishi-Nagoya power plant Block-1 in Japan, a plant powered by three GE 7HA turbines and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions steam turbine and generator technology, is officially the world’s most efficient combined-cycle power plant, according to Guinness World Records.  The entity that collects and showcases ultimate record-breaking facts highlighted the plant’s achievement of […]

Siemens recently signed an agreement with Shanghai Shenergy Energy Technology Co., Ltd. (Shenergy Technology) to implement a high-temperature subcritical upgrade for a 320-MW steam turbine unit at Xuzhou Power Plant, a subsidiary of China Resources Power Holdings Co., Ltd (CR Power) in Jiangsu province. It is estimated that the upgrade will enhance the unit’s power […]

Engineers test autonomous UAS to fly inside damaged nuclear power station SAN ANTONIO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A team led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) is developing unmanned aerial system (UAS) technology to fly into the containment vessels of the damaged units at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station and assess conditions. Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Incorporated (TEPCO […]

The 20th annual ELECTRIC POWER Conference and Exhibition wrapped up on March 22. The event included nearly 200 exhibitors, with many offering interesting demonstrations of innovative new products. A sampling of some are presented below. Deep Trekker Inc. supplies high-quality, commercial-grade, remotely operated vehicles—underwater drones—specifically designed and developed to make underwater observation easy and affordable. […]

Siemens was recently selected to supply another SGT-700 mechanical drive compression train for the Camisea gas-condensate asset located in Peru. The equipment, identical to that Siemens supplied in 2011, is essential to the continuing exploration and production of hydrocarbons in Block 88, operated by Pluspetrol Peru Corporation S.A. Due to the natural gas pressure decline […]

The rise of digital technologies for power plants has moved in fits and starts over the past several years, with some generators quickly embracing digitization of their assets while others are looking to justify potential investments. Suppliers of digital technologies have widely marketed the benefits, but many generators are looking to current end users for […]

Turbine manufacturers continue to upgrade their products with technology enhancements to meet market demands for more flexibility and higher efficiency. Suppliers for combined cycle power plants outlined several of those advancements during POWER magazine’s ELECTRIC POWER Conference + Exhibition in Nashville, Tennessee this week. Executives from Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems America (MHPS), Siemens, and GE […]

Held once again in Düsseldorf, Germany’s huge exhibition center March 13–15, the 12th annual International Renewable Energy Storage (IRES) Conference and Energy Storage Europe Conference attracted roughly 4,500 international visitors, and more than 170 exhibitors, from over 60 nations. While showcasing the latest in energy storage technologies, presenters discussed developing markets worldwide, offered detailed case […]

Burdened by a trade case, unpredictable policy-making, interconnection delays, and other market factors, the U.S. installed 30% less solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2017 compared to a record-breaking 2016. However, the 10.6 GW of new PV capacity added last year represents 30% of all new generating capacity added to the U.S. grid, more than any […]

ZURICH, Switzerland (March 7, 2018) – Deering and Buckland are two small villages in northwestern Alaska, with populations of 200 and 400 mostly indigenous Inupiaq people. For these residents, who rely heavily on fishing and hunting for their subsistence, life above the Arctic Circle is tough. Winter lasts for nine months with temperatures dipping to […]

The Connected Plant Game Changer Award recognizes those people who are leading the charge in implementing digital technologies in their field: either in the chemical process industries or in power generation. Nominations are open to individuals who have used tools associated with digitalization to contribute to innovation, solve a problem or make improvements, as well […]

If you’re a power plant supervisor, you’ve undoubtedly been forced to find a worker during off-hours on the spur of the moment. New tools are being used today that allow automating the callout process—and workforce schedule. Last summer City Utilities (CU) of Springfield, Missouri, joined a list of power companies automating workforce scheduling and callout […]

Power plants are challenged to generate value from their data, but this can be a tedious and slow process, with uncertain outcomes. Now, as shown in these use cases, data analytic solutions can put innovation

Spent nuclear fuel has continued to accumulate at sites across the nation, paralyzed by a government deadlock on a nuclear waste management strategy formally established 35 years ago. Can recent developments

The ability of a coal power plant to accommodate significant changes in fuel quality is often limited by many constraints. When faced with a challenging goal to test torrefied biomass fuel at its Boardman

Reverse osmosis (RO) systems offer power plant owners and operators a reliable and well-proven water treatment solution. However, designing and caring for an RO system requires a thorough understanding of a

ABB Receives Contract to Upgrade, Expand Combined Cycle Plant. A consortium including Doosan Heavy Industries and state-owned construction company PT Hutama Karya has awarded a $40 million contract to ABB to

Reforging its core business to return to competitiveness after record losses of €4.83 billion in 2014, French nuclear firm AREVA has split its five operational business units and rebranded them—again. All

When many of us pick up our smartphones and take a panoramic photo, we probably think that’s a neat feature. But for inspection personnel at a nuclear energy facility, the technique behind those panoramic

Utilities and power plant equipment providers know that maximizing the value of their assets includes keeping them maintained and online. Minimizing downtime is critical, certainly when it comes to keeping the

Concentric Power, a California-based provider of high-efficiency energy modules for onsite refrigeration and electric power generation, recently launched a $100 million financing program for cogeneration and microgrid projects. “We are excited to create a new path forward in energy infrastructure financing and development,” Brian Curtis, founder and CEO of Concentric Power, said in a press […]

CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Westinghouse Electric Company has signed a Cooperation Agreement for lead-cooled fast reactor (LFR) technology development with the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) and Ansaldo Nucleare. The agreement demonstrates each party’s commitment to collaborating toward the development of a next-generation nuclear plant based on LFR technology, […]

Researchers have successfully demonstrated an open-source supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system designed to withstand attacks and compromises on the power grid. The intrusion-tolerant system—called “Spire”—keeps power flowing even if part of the system is compromised, and it may be a breakthrough for grid resiliency, industry observers said. Spire was built from the ground […]

CHICAGO (February 22, 2018) —Uptake, the industrial data science and artificial intelligence (AI) software company, today announced that Pattern Energy Group Inc. (Nasdaq & TSX: PEGI) will pilot Uptake’s wind software. Pattern Energy, the seventh largest wind operator in the U.S., will pilot the predictive analytics software at its Logan’s Gap Wind farm in Comanche County, […]

A 200-MW solar power plant is being planned at a 2,000-acre site near Warner Robins, Georgia, a project that at present would be the largest standalone solar facility in the U.S. Southeast. First Solar, a Tempe, Arizona-based global provider of photovoltaic (PV) systems, announced the project on February 21. The plant already has a power […]

CHICAGO, IL AND IRVINE, CA (February 21, 2018) — Invenergy, North America’s largest independent, privately-held renewable energy company, and NarrativeWave, an Irvine-based Internet of Things software company, announced a three-year agreement. Invenergy will use NarrativeWave’s software to optimize its fleet of wind turbines and other renewable energy assets. The announcement follows a successful 60-day pilot, […]

ISMANING – February 21th 2018 – VIBSCANNER 2, the new high-speed data collector, increases the efficiency of vibration-based condition monitoring of machines and plants. PRUFTECHNIK, the Bavarian manufacturer, has developed and produced the new device according to the motto “keep it smart and simple”. The result is a vibration measurement instrument on the pulse of […]

Cybersecurity threats have increased dramatically as sophisticated, nation-state developed hacking programs have been leaked to the general public. Now, common criminals have high-tech tools at their disposal with the capability to cause serious damage. As such, the power industry must take precautions and upgrade security to keep systems safe. While regulations provide a minimum security […]

The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2019 budget request released February 12 asks for more money to support fossil fuel-based power systems, but seeks funding below current levels for other energy initiatives, including renewable energy and energy efficiency. The energy funding is part of a $4.4 trillion budget that features large increases in military spending, along […]

The budget bill passed by Congress and signed by President Trump in the early hours of February 9 extends a host of tax credits for energy technologies, including provisions to help the Vogtle nuclear expansion in Georgia as well as U.S. carbon-capture projects. The legislation also provides support for renewable energy, including for small wind […]