Technology
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Renewables
Anesco Celebrates Subsidy-Free Solar
On September 26, 2017, UK Climate Change Minister Claire Perry marched across a slightly muddy field to a 10-MW solar farm built by British renewable energy developer Anesco. The high-profile visit included a
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Renewables
China’s Renewables Strategy Shines in Massive Solar Park
The Longyangxia Dam Solar Park, part of a hydro-solar integration in the high desert on the Tibetan Plateau, has helped the country move toward its ambitious targets for increasing generation from cleaner fuel
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Connected Plant
Reducing Nuclear Plant Operations and Maintenance Costs Through Online Monitoring
The Electric Power Research Institute’s full spectrum of online monitoring-related research offers nuclear power plant operators guidance for monitoring program implementation. The research results are used
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IIOT Power
Solar Power’s Golden Opportunity: Connected Tech
The solar industry has the opportunity to integrate intelligent technology, including some that was originally developed for conventional energy resources, into its solar systems. Most parts of a solar farm
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Connected Plant
Increase the IQ of Your Intelligent Sootblowing
Power plants have been blowing soot using essentially the same method for decades. However, technological advances now offer boiler operators a much-improved technique. Rather than running sootblowing systems
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O&M
Improve Power Plant Heat Rate with a Pulverizer Performance Program
Associated Electric Cooperative has spent a decade building a pulverizer performance program for its Thomas Hill Energy Center. The effort, combined with a sharp focus on maintaining proper air/fuel ratios
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Legal & Regulatory
ASME Operation and Maintenance lnservice Testing Program Ensures Nuclear Component Operational Readiness
Originally embedded in the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code , today the Operation and Maintenance of Nuclear Power Plants standard for inservice testing of pumps
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O&M
Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia Show Preview
High-Pressure, Rotary Gear Pumps for Severe Applications Northern Pump manufactures high-pressure, heavy-duty, positive-displacement, rotary gear pumps for industry, designed to perform in severe
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Renewables
Say Hello to Hybrid Microgrids: Renewables, Storage, Diesel, and Intelligence
When is a D+ grade acceptable? The answer should be never. But that’s the state of the U.S. power grid according to the 2017 infrastructure report card issued by the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE). And the impact of this year’s catastrophic hurricane season only reinforced its vulnerability. Given the billions of dollars of […]
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O&M
Exelon’s Digital Transformation [PODCAST]
GE and Exelon announced a multi-year agreement to deploy GE’s portfolio of Predix software solutions across the energy company’s six electric utilities to further enhance reliability and efficient service to its more than 10 million customers. Exelon’s six utilities will use these advanced analytics to further strengthen transmission and delivery systems. POWER Executive Editor Aaron […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Dominion to Seek 80-Year Lifetime for North Anna Nuclear Reactors
Dominion Energy will formally ask the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to relicense its two reactors at the North Anna Power Station for 20 more years—effectively extending their operating lives up to 80 years. Dominion Energy Virginia notified the federal regulatory body of its intent to relicense the two reactors in Louisa County, Virginia, which it […]
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IIOT Power
Emerson Offers New $29B Bid to Take Over Rockwell Automation
Global technology and engineering giant Emerson renewed its bid for a $29 billion takeover of Rockwell Automation, the world’s largest dedicated industrial automation firm, saying it remained “convinced” a merger of the companies offered “compelling strategic, operational, and financial merit.” Emerson Chairman and CEO David Farr on November 16 sent Rockwell’s president and CEO, Blake […]
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Gas
Siemens Launches 44-MW Aeroderivative Gas Turbine Model for Fast Power Demand Surge
Siemens in November introduced the SGT-A45 TR, a mobile 44-MW aeroderivative gas turbine designed for the world’s booming fast power market. While the product’s launch is pivotal for the giant technology conglomerate—which has suffered flagging orders for large gas turbines—Siemens’ interest in distributed generation also points to a prominent direction in which the future of […]
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Connected Plant
Utilities Prepare for Simulated Attack on U.S. Power Grid
Utilities across the country are gearing up for an attack on the power grid November 15 and 16. Thankfully, it’s only a drill. But in the event of an actual emergency, a real physical and cyberattack on the U.S. electricity infrastructure, GridEx IV—a biennial exercise conducted by the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC)—will help […]
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Infographics
THE BIG PICTURE: Power Expenses (Infographic)
The operating expenses at major U.S. investor-owned electric utilities have shifted over the last decade or so, owing primarily to changing fuel costs.
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Renewables
Uganda Ready to Double Generation with More Hydro Projects
Ugandan officials said they want to double the country’s installed power generation capacity over the next two years, primarily with the construction of hydropower projects. However, those same officials
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Coal
Beleaguered Eskom Starts Up Kusile’s First Supercritical Coal Unit
Africa’s first major coal-fired power unit to implement flue gas desulfurization (FGD) has been completed nearly a year earlier than expected. South Africa’s state-owned utility Eskom brought Kusile 1
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Nuclear
China Advances HTGR Technology
China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Corp. (SNPTC) has completed the installation of its high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) project, the joint venture told the International Atomic Energy Agency
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Renewables
POWER Digest [November 2017]
Giant UK Tidal Lagoon Project Secures Grid Connection Deal. Tidal Lagoon Power’s project to build a full-scale 3.2-GW tidal lagoon power plant in the Severn Estuary in Swansea Bay to harness strong tides on
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Coal
Scotland to Press Ahead with CCS in Response to UK Inaction
The UK dropped the ball on carbon capture and storage (CCS) development and Scotland intends to pick it up, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced in early September. In the government’s program
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Coal
Poland Will End Coal Investments, Move Toward Nuclear
Poland’s energy minister in September said the country was ready to shift away from coal-fired power, which provides about 90% of its electricity. Krzysztof Tchorzewski, speaking at the Krynica-Zdroj
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Nuclear
Russia Continues Legacy of Innovation at Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant
Russia’s nuclear power station operations arm Rosenergoatom brought its most powerful nuclear reactor to date into commercial operation in February 2017, marking the latest evolution of its Water-Water
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O&M
Mitigating and Managing J-Seal Failure Risks in Turbine Steam Path Systems
J-seals are an integral part of efficient steam turbine operation. The failure of a J-seal can cause significant damage to the turbine rotor as material migrates downstream. For that reason, plant staff should
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IIOT Power
Best Practices for Choosing a Predictive Maintenance Partner
Predictive analytics software offers many benefits when appropriately selected. However, finding the best solution for a given situation can be tricky. The tips provided here could help power companies avoid
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Commentary
Why CrashOverride Is a Red Flag for U.S. Power Companies
Organizations across every industry today face a wide range of cyber threats and serious security challenges from various vectors. A top concern among these is the persistence cybersecurity experts are seeing
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IIOT Power
DHS, FBI Identify Tactics in Cyberattack Campaign Targeting Industrial Control Systems
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned in an e-mail on October 20 that an ongoing cyberattack campaign is targeting the nuclear, energy, and other critical infrastructure sectors since at least May 2017—with results ranging from cyber espionage to the ability to disrupt energy systems in the event of […]
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Gas
Siemens Reportedly Downsizing Power and Gas Business
Stricken by falling orders for large gas turbines, global technology conglomerate Siemens AG is reportedly moving to downsize its Power and Gas segment. The changes may include closure or sale of major sites globally and result in thousands of job cuts. The company will likely embark on a reorganization plan this November that could result […]
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Renewables
Droneweek [PODCAST]
[Ed. note: This post was first published on October 5, 2017, and was updated on October 17, 2017, with embedded video from the DRONEWEEK television show.] DRONEWEEK is a television program that will air on the Viceland network beginning Monday, October 9, 2017, and continuing each night throughout the week. Each episode will feature footage […]
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Distributed Energy
Siemens Rolls Out MVDC Transmission System to Bolster Distributed Generation
Siemens has launched a new direct-current (DC) transmission system for alternating current (AC) grids of between 30 kV and 150 kV. The medium-voltage system that can bridge distances of up to 125 miles is designed to help grid entities handle ever-growing volumes of power fed into the distribution system from distributed and renewable power. The […]
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History
135th Anniversary—The History of POWER magazine
POWER magazine was launched in 1882, just as the world was beginning to grasp the implications of a new, versatile form of energy: electricity. During its 135-year history, the magazine’s pages have reflected the fast-changing evolution of the technologies and markets that characterize the world’s power sector today. The History of POWER is the History […]