Power

  • Report Says $6.5 Billion in Unburned Coal Sitting at U.S. Power Plants

    A new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) says U.S. coal-fired power plants have as much as $6.5 billion of unused coal inventory, based on the latest figures on fuel stockpiles from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The IEEFA on Dec. 16 said the nation’s coal-fired power stations today […]

  • Regulators Approve Largest Solar Project in Wisconsin History

    The Public Service Commission (PSCW) of Wisconsin has approved construction of a $2 billion solar power project that could have more than 1,300 MW of generation capacity. The Vista Sands Solar Project, sited on more than 6,000 acres in Portage County, was greenlighted by a unanimous vote of the PSCW on Dec. 12. Vista Sands […]

  • The POWER Interview: Energy Storage Also Eyed for Data Centers

    Recent news about continued growth in the U.S. energy storage market highlighted continued deployments of grid-scale systems, along with ongoing demand from commercial and industrial and residential sectors. Electric utilities and power grid operators, along with those using storage to support distributed energy installations, want to make their power supplies more flexible, reliable, and resilient. […]

  • Siemens Energy Joins Forces for Bold 100% Hydrogen HL Gas Turbine Leap

    Siemens Energy is teaming with UK power giant SSE to develop a combustion system that will allow its flagship SGT5-9000HL gas turbine to run 100% on hydrogen while maintaining the flexibility to operate with natural gas and blends of the two. The two companies on Dec. 9 launched “Mission H2 Power,” a project that will […]

  • Report: More Records for U.S. Energy Storage Deployment

    The U.S. energy storage market continued its strong growth in third quarter of this year, with the grid-scale segment setting new quarterly records for deployments. That’s according to the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) and Wood Mackenzie’s latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor report released Dec. 12. The report said Q3 set the highest record for […]

  • How Nuclear Power Could Help Decarbonize Industrial Steam Needs

    Steam is used for a wide variety of critical processes across many industrial sectors. For example, the food and beverage industry uses steam for sterilization of food processing equipment; cooking, pasteurization, and sterilization of food products; cleaning and sanitizing production lines; and providing heat for various food preparation processes. Pulp and paper facilities use steam […]

  • Digitizing Distribution Substations Is Key to America’s Smart Grid Journey

    The future of clean electricity is dependent on modernizing America’s electric grid. At the heart of the U.S. grid are 75,000 substations that have not been updated to meet the standards of a truly smart grid. Electric utilities are grappling to control and monitor bilateral energy flows with their current substations. This is a result […]

  • ExxonMobil Planning Large Gas-Fired Plant to Serve Data Centers

    ExxonMobil is preparing to join the power generation business, seeing an opportunity to support the electricity supply for energy-intensive data centers. The company on Dec. 11 said it is designing what was referred to as a “massive” natural gas-fired power plant that would be dedicated to producing power for data centers. Reports said the facility […]

  • NET Power and CRC Team to Deploy 1 GW of Carbon-Free Gas Power Plants in California

    NET Power, developer of a novel gas-fired power plant that captures all atmospheric emissions, will explore deploying up to 1 GW of power capacity in Northern California with partner California Resources Corp. (CRC), California’s largest oil and gas producer.  CRC’s carbon management subsidiary, Carbon TerraVault (CTV), and NET Power signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) […]

  • Google Invests in Partnership to Develop Energy Assets at Data Center Parks

    Technology companies are looking at various ways to source electricity for energy-intensive data centers. Google on Dec. 10 unveiled a plan to join with several partners in supporting power generation, as part of what could be a $20 billion investment to develop industrial parks that would have renewable energy and energy storage built alongside those […]

  • Hundreds of New Gas-Fired Power Units Planned as U.S. Gas Output Soars

    The latest data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) published Dec. 10 shows five states accounted for more than 70% of record U.S. natural gas production this year and last year, which includes a period when electricity generation from natural gas also reached new summer highs. The availability of domestic natural gas, along with […]

  • Hydrogen For District Heating Part of German Research Project

    Electrolyzer equipment provider IMI said the company has supplied a proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser to a pioneering research project examining the viability of using the by-product of hydrogen power generation in district heating systems. The project, which will be delivered by the Fraunhofer-Institution for Energy Infrastructures and Geothermal Systems in Zittau, Germany, is part […]

  • California Power Group in PPA With 384-MW Solar Project

    Arevon Energy, a renewable energy developer, owner, and operator, on Dec. 9 announced the start of operations at its Eland 1 Solar-plus-Storage Project in Kern County, California. Eland 1 is under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Southern California Public Power Authority. The project, located in Mojave, is a 384-MW solar project coupled with […]

  • DOE Earmarks $305 Million for Energy Storage in California Buildings

    Nostromo Energy, provider of the IceBrick thermal energy storage (TES) technology, said the company has received a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $305.5 million from the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO). The proposed financing would be used by Nostromo for Project IceBrick, the first wide-scale deployment of […]

  • Avantus Signs PPA with Arizona Utility for 100-MW Solar Project

    A major U.S. solar power developer announced it has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Arizona Public Service (APS) for the energy produced from the Kitt Solar Project. Avantus, the former 8minute Solar Energy, on Dec. 9 said the PPA includes 100 MWac/130 MWdc of solar from the installation in Eloy, in Pinal County. It […]

  • Best Practices for Mitigating Hail Damage to Solar Projects

    Mitigating against the risk of hail for solar projects is both extremely complicated and more straightforward than you may think. Natural catastrophes (NatCat), particularly hail, pose a significant risk for solar projects and can lead to severe damage with cost impacts for projects and insurers. In this article, we look at the risk that hail […]

  • Why Power Companies Are Turning to Refurbished Parts for Plant System Upgrades

    Amid growing pressure to optimize costs, dependability, and green initiatives, some power companies are beginning to reconsider their approaches to upgrading dated equipment. Refurbished elements provide a viable option to realize these objectives, enabling companies to address the challenges of power plant maintenance and upgrade. All plants need to be updated at some point in […]

  • GE Vernova to Provide Grid-Stabilizing Technology for German Transmission System Operator

    GE Vernova secured a contract with 50Hertz Transmission GmbH to deliver advanced STATCOM technology, supporting Germany’s transition to a renewable energy future The 300 Mvar FACTSFLEX GFM solution, with Grid Forming Control, will enhance grid stability and resilience as Germany integrates more renewable energy sources STATCOM units will be deployed at key substations in Germany, […]

  • EPRI Develops Power System Generic Models to Plan for an Increasingly Net-Zero Grid

    Planning and operating a power system requires detailed grid studies to guide investment decisions and prepare for how the system may evolve over time. Long-term planning can identify the policy, regulatory, infrastructure, and operational updates that may be needed to achieve desired outcomes. Also, comprehensive planning can identify operating limits, determine performance improvements, assess mitigation […]

  • Study Finds 21 Regions with High Potential for the Development of Wind Farms in Cuba

    Cuban researchers have identified 21 areas in the country with favorable conditions for the installation of wind farms. These areas are mainly located on the north-central-eastern coast, from the provinces of Camagüey to Holguín, in the south of the eastern region and in the westernmost southern portion of Pinar del Río province. Alfredo Rodríguez, coordinator […]

  • Largest Pennsylvania Coal-Fired Plant Will Convert to Natural Gas

    A major Pennsylvania coal-fired power plant, the largest coal-burning facility in the state before it was closed in 2023, may be converted to a natural gas-fired station. Officials in Homer City on Dec. 3 announced plans to restart the Homer City Generating Station and increase its generating capacity through burning natural gas. A redevelopment group […]

  • Dimension Energy Completes 44-MW California Community Solar Project

    Dimension Energy, a developer, owner, and operator of community solar projects, has completed construction of the largest third-party-owned community solar project in the U.S. The installation in Inyokern, California, will produce 44 MW of power, serving a diverse group of residential and commercial customers in Southern California Edison’s service territory. Among the beneficiaries are more […]

  • North Dakota Carbon Capture Project in Limbo After Canada Group’s Exit

    A Canada-based energy group reportedly has withdrawn from a $2 billion carbon capture project in North Dakota. Project Tundra, which aimed to capture carbon dioxide from flue gas from two coal-fired units at the 705-MW Milton R. Young Station near Center, North Dakota, is now in limbo just two months after securing more than $4 […]

  • Building a Resilient Solar Future: Strategies to Safeguard Against Inclement Weather

    Recent advancements dramatically reduce loss due to weather conditions, but there is still much more the industry must do. Solar energy skeptics have long argued about its supposed unreliability. “The sun doesn’t always shine!” is their most common refrain. While this argument is easily discounted, it is true that environmental conditions can affect the energy […]

  • The POWER Interview: Growth in Renewables Brings Opportunities for Energy Storage

    Energy storage technologies have become more important to the power generation sector, in part because of their ability to support the deployment of renewable energy resources. Battery energy storage systems, or BESS, enable renewable resources such as solar and wind power to be stored for when that electricity is needed. Storage systems help balance the […]

  • The Role of Carbon Capture in Power Generation: Economic, Environmental, and Technological Insights

    As the global energy landscape evolves towards renewable sources, electric utilities and power plant operators are increasingly focused on effective carbon management to mitigate their environmental impact. Carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) has become essential in this context, particularly in monitoring carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power generation processes. Recent projections highlight the growing […]

  • AI-Driven Big Data Platform Revolutionizes Power Plant Operations

    The surge in adoption of renewable energy driven by carbon neutrality policies has created operational challenges for large thermal power plants. These plants must now accommodate rapid load fluctuations and offer flexible operation, which involves adjusting their outputs rapidly as the renewable generators’ outputs fluctuate. However, operating beyond original design specifications places additional stress on […]

  • Hydrogen Use Cases for the Power Industry

    Hydrogen is becoming increasingly important to the electric power generation industry for several reasons. One is that hydrogen offers a promising pathway to decarbonize the power sector. When used in fuel cells or burned for electricity generation, hydrogen produces only water vapor as a byproduct, making it a zero-emission energy source. This is crucial for […]

  • Tech Giant Meta Seeking Nuclear Power to Support Data Centers

    Facebook parent Meta wants to find developers that can provide nuclear reactors to support electricity demand from the tech company’s data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) efforts. The group said the new generation capacity also could support local power grids. Meta on Dec. 3 announced a request for proposals (RFP) “to identify nuclear energy developers […]

  • Balancing Growth and Sustainability: Power Challenges for Data Centers in the Age of AI

    The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized how industries operate, and data centers have become the nerve center of this transformation. From streaming services to real-time collaboration tools, the data centers that house and manage our digital lives are expanding rapidly to meet the surging demand. Yet, as AI’s impact and importance grow, so […]