Power

The Uptime Institute’s Tier standard is a globally recognized framework that classifies data centers into four tiers based on their infrastructure’s reliability, redundancy, and fault tolerance. These tiers—Tier I through Tier IV—provide a benchmark for data center performance, ranging from basic infrastructure (Tier I) to fully fault-tolerant systems (Tier IV). Each tier reflects specific design […]

Fine grain Optical Transport Network (fgOTN) technology is optimal for future electric power communication networks. Developed under highly regarded international standards, fgOTN addresses limitations in traditional communication network systems by efficiently handling small-bandwidth services while providing high reliability and low latency. The global electric power industry is undergoing a remarkable transformation through the deployment of […]

Most POWER readers are probably familiar with levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and levelized value of energy (LVOE) as metrics used to help evaluate potential power plant investment options. LCOE measures the average net present cost of electricity generation over a facility’s lifetime. It includes capital costs, fuel costs, operation and maintenance (O&M) costs, financing […]

COMMENTARY As the incoming administration prepares its list of priorities once President-elect Trump is sworn in for a second term on Jan. 20, 2025, it is a national security imperative that cybersecurity policy be sufficiently prioritized in a manner that enhances the security of America’s electric grids and the energy sector, as a whole. Shortly […]

Virginia’s governor and other officials on Dec. 17 said the state has a plan for the world’s first nuclear fusion power plant. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) on Tuesday announced it will build a 400-MW fusion facility on a 100-acre site at the James River Industrial Park in Chesterfield County. Massachusetts-based CFS, founded in 2018, and […]

The International Energy Agency (IEA) in a new report said global use of coal, including for power generation, is expected to reach a record 8.77 billion tonnes this year. The group said China’s continued use of coal in its power plants, along with the impacts of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on global gas markets, means […]

An African banking group announced it will finance development of a 200-MW hydropower installation along the Lufira River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The project is the African Export-Import Bank’s (Afreximbank) first private-sector renewable energy initiative in the DRC. Afreximbank is partnering with Kipay Investments SAS (Kipay). Officials on Dec. 18 said the […]

Primergy Solar, a developer, owner, and operator of utility-scale solar and energy storage projects, on Dec. 18 said the company’s 100-MWac solar project in Ashley County, Arkansas is fully operational. The Amazon Solar Farm Arkansas—Prairie Mist has begun sending power to the grid. It is the second Primergy project to enter commercial operation this year. […]

Advanced nuclear firm Oklo has partnered with Switch, a Las Vegas-based data center designer, builder, and operator, to deploy 12 GW of Aurora powerhouses through 2044 in a  historic deal hailed as “one of the largest corporate clean power agreements ever signed.” The two companies announced a groundbreaking Master Power Agreement on Dec. 18 to […]

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Loan Programs Office (LPO) has announced a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $15 billion to Pacific Gas & Electric, (PG&E), the natural gas and electric utility serving Northern and Central California. It’s the largest loan guarantee ever for the LPO, which under the Biden administration […]

50Hertz, the transmission system operator (TSO) for eastern Germany, has awarded its Ostwind 4 project to GE Vernova, in consortium with Drydocks World, a DP World company that provides marine and offshore services to the renewable energy sector, among others. The project involves the design, construction, and commissioning of a 2-GW high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) electric […]

Wind turbine manufacturer Vestas said the company will supply, install, and commission dozens of the company’s 15-MW turbines for the 1.1-GW Inch Cape offshore wind project in Scotland. The company on Dec. 16 said the order is for 72 of Vestas’ V236-15.0-MW turbines. The Inch Cape site is in the North Sea, about 9 miles […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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, 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) […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 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, […]