Power
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Press Releases
SmartestEnergy US Partners with GridBeyond to Optimize Three Energy Storage Resources in ERCOT Totalling 29.7 MW
SmartestEnergy US, part of a global energy company helping businesses navigate the energy transition, has selected GridBeyond, a global smart energy company, as its technology partner to optimize battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) market. The strategic partnership will leverage GridBeyond’s advanced price forecasting, bid optimization, and trading […]
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Solar
INTEC Chosen to Build 50-MW Solar Power Facility in Germany
Global renewable energy contractor INTEC Energy Solutions has been selected by a leading European renewable energy investment group to lead construction of a 50-MW solar power plant in Lachendorf, Germany. INTEC on December 3 said it has been commissioned by AUKERA as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor for the project. The solar farm […]
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Nuclear
Antares Raises $96 Million in Series B Funding to Accelerate Nuclear Microreactor Development
Antares, an advanced nuclear energy startup, announced the close of its $96-million Series B funding round, which was led by Shine Capital with participation from Alt Capital, Caffeinated, FiftyThree Stations, Industrious, and other investors.
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Nuclear
DOE Selects TVA, Holtec to Receive $800 Million to Advance SMR Deployment
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) said the agency has selected the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and Holtec Government Services to support early deployments of advanced light-water small modular reactors (SMRs) in the U.S. The DOE on December 2 said project teams with the two groups will receive up to $800 million in “federal cost-shared funding” targeted for projects in Tennessee and Michigan.
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Electrification
Getting the Grid and Charging Infrastructure Ready for Heavy-Duty Electric Trucks
The dawn of electric semitrucks and other medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles has arrived, and if the technology is going to be widely adopted, we have to come to grips with what this means for our electrical infrastructure.
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POWER Podcasts
The POWER Podcast Archive Vol. 8
The POWER Podcast is available through Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, iHeart, TuneIn, SoundCloud, and some other podcast apps. Follow the links below to subscribe via your favorite platform: Apple Podcasts Spotify YouTube YouTube Music Amazon Music iHeart TuneIn SoundCloud The POWER Podcast Archive (Dec. 4, 2024 – Dec. 1, 2025): Emerson […]
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Data Centers
Data Centers and the Grid: Key Insights from POWER’s Inaugural Data Center POWER eXchange Summit
POWER breaks down the top insights from Data Center POWER eXchange, its unique one-day summit curated by POWER’s editorial team and convened to examine the collision between accelerating data center load and tightening grid constraints. The rise of artificial intelligence is poised to create the fastest, largest, and most concentrated surge of electricity demand in […]
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Data Centers
Emerson Addresses Power Industry’s AI-Driven Demand Surge
The power industry is experiencing unprecedented demand growth, driven largely by data centers and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. This surge is creating both opportunities and challenges for utilities, equipment manufacturers, and the broader power generation ecosystem. As a guest on The POWER Podcast, Seth Harris, growth director for Emerson’s Power business in North America, discussed […]
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Nuclear
China’s Molten Salt Reactor Reaches Thorium-Uranium Conversion Milestone
China’s Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) in November reported it had achieved thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion inside an operating molten salt reactor (MSR). The milestone provides the first
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Fiction
Marnie Surfaceblow: Vicious Viscosity
Lubricants used outside their design working conditions can bite you in unexpectedly painful ways. The morning of Monday, December 1, found Marnie Surfaceblow, vice president of Surfaceblow and Associates
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Coal
How AI Is Breathing New Life into Aging Coal-Fired Power Assets
For years, some folks have considered coal-fired power plants relics of a bygone era, overshadowed by the rise of natural gas and renewables. Yet, in an unexpected twist, coal is finding its way back into the
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Connected Plant
A Guide to Asset Management Software Solutions for Power Industry Leaders
Power company leaders face mounting challenges in asset management—keeping aging equipment reliable, integrating diverse assets from renewables to baseload units, and meeting strict reliability standards
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Wind
Old Turbines, New Tricks: How Retrofits Drive Efficiency and Extend Lifespans in Power Generation
By retrofitting aging turbines with modern control systems, power generation companies are extending equipment lifespans, enhancing operational efficiency, and tapping into robust global support
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Wind
Future-Proofing Wind Turbine Communications: Why Fibre Optic Rotary Joints Are the Next Frontier
While the wind sector battles bearing failures and blade damage, a quieter revolution is unfolding at the heart of the nacelle. Fibre optic rotary joints are replacing electrical slip rings, promising to
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Energy Storage
BESS: Storing Potential for the UK’s Energy Future
The UK’s battery storage capacity is set to triple by 2030 and could reach 50 GW by mid-century—a transformation that will reshape how the nation powers itself. This explosive growth isn’t just about
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Energy Storage
Finding a Longer-Duration Alternative to Battery Storage
The limitations of lithium-ion batteries are prompting a search for longer-duration solutions. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) and other emerging technologies are gaining traction as safer, scalable
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Nuclear
On the Steam Side of Nuclear Energy
Siemens Energy develops conventional islands for small modular reactors. When Rolls-Royce SMR began developing its small modular reactor (SMR)—using a unique factory-built approach to proven pressurized
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Top Plant
Shimane 2 Highlights Progress in Japan’s Nuclear Restart Program
The Unit 2 reactor at the Shimane nuclear power station resumed operation in January 2025, more than a decade after it, and all other reactors in Japan, were taken offline. Japanese officials want restarted nuclear units to help supply needed power and lower the cost of energy across the country.
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O&M
Major Retrofit Restores Early 1900s Hydropower Dam
A hydroelectric facility that first came online in 1903 stands as a testament to early 20th-century hydroelectric engineering. Although much of its original structure and machinery remains in service today, a recent breaker upgrade illustrates how thoughtful modernization and modern equipment built “like it used to be” can sustain aging infrastructure.
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Renewables
Saudi Arabia Innovates to Support Renewable Energy Goals
The growing global shift toward renewable energy has intensified the pursuit of high-efficiency photovoltaic (PV) systems, with triple-junction solar cells emerging as a leading technology due to their superior energy conversion capabilities. However, these advanced cells face significant operational challenges, particularly in high-temperature environments, where issues such as thermal degradation, non-uniform heat distribution, and thermal runaway can drastically reduce performance and reliability.
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Trends
POWER DIGEST [December 2025]
Framatome has been selected by Electrabel, part of ENGIE Group, to modernize the rod control system of the Tihange 3 nuclear reactor in Belgium.
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Legal & Regulatory
Delivering Nuclear Energy: Promise vs. Regulatory Reality
In the race to decarbonize and secure America’s energy future, nuclear power is once again in the spotlight. From advanced reactors to fusion breakthroughs, the promise of nuclear energy is clear.
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Commentary
Emerging Digital Technologies Leading to a Greener Future
The energy industry continues to transition at a rapid pace. Across nearly every market, renewables are reliably and economically transitioning the grid from fossil fuels.
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Negotiating the Details of Power Project Contracts
Negotiating contracts is a process that requires preparation and communication, as all parties work toward a mutually beneficial relationship. It’s particularly true for electric utilities, groups with multiple stakeholders in their projects. That includes the utilities themselves, their shareholders or other investors, and of course their customers.
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Energy Security
Winter Reliability Concerns Spur Fresh DOE Intervention for PJM, MISO
The Department of Energy (DOE) extended its run of federal grid interventions into winter over the past week, issuing a Section 202(c) emergency order on Nov. 18 for Consumers Energy’s 1,420-MW J.H. Campbell coal plant in Michigan and another on Nov. 25 for Constellation’s 760-MW Eddystone Units 3 and 4 in southeastern Pennsylvania in a […]
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Commentary
Why Smarter Interconnection Must Power the Next Phase of Solar Growth
The demand for distributed generation (DG) solar has never been higher, yet many projects are getting stuck before they even break ground. The problem is utility interconnection. For community or net metered solar systems in the 1 MW to 5 MW range, in particular, the utility’s review of whether the grid can handle new power […]
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Commentary
Safer by Design Beats Safer by Procedure
When I was a kid, I used to watch thunderstorms roll in from the porch, tracing lightning across the sky and marveling at how energy moved between clouds. We build infrastructures now that try to do the same thing—collect, store, and dispatch power on demand. But as energy storage scales (Figure 1), it’s not the […]
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Gas
NRG Energy Will Build New 455-MW Gas-Fired Plant Near Houston
NRG Energy is the latest Texas-based utility to receive a loan agreement from the Texas Energy Fund (TxEF). The company plans to use the funding to support construction of a 455-MW natural gas-fired station at the site of the group’s current Greens Bayou Generating Station in Harris County, near Houston.
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Ensuring Successful Power Plant Decommissioning
Keith Kotimko is the U.S. Decommissioning and Demolition Leader for WSP, a full-service solution provider that offers comprehensive facility decommissioning and demolition services. Kotimko provided POWER with insight into the process of permanently shutting down a power generation facility. He emphasized that decommissioning is a separate activity from demolition.
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Solar
Arevon’s Big Muddy Solar Project Moves Forward in Illinois
Energy developer, owner and operator Arevon Energy has started construction of a $200-million solar farm in Illinois. The 124-MW Big Muddy Solar installation in Jackson County is the company’s first utility-scale solar project in that state.