Power
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Commentary
How the Presidential Election Could Impact Renewable Energy Tax Credits
President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law in 2022. The IRA is the largest public investments in renewable energy in American history and created more than 20 different tax incentives for renewable energy and related manufacturing. Certain Republic politicians have directed vitriol at the IRA. However, even if Republicans win the White […]
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Legal & Regulatory
The Other Side of Safety—Litigation and the Expert Witness
What happens when you suffer a catastrophic injury at work and can’t continue in your career? Workers compensation begins. Those payments last until you reach the maximum medical improvement point. How long will you receive those benefits? It varies from state-to-state. In California, for example, benefits pay up to 104 weeks for most injuries and […]
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Sustainability
3 Steps for Utility Companies to Get Started with Undergrounding
The U.S. electric grid is under more strain than ever to support exponential electricity demand due to artificial intelligence (AI), data centers, electric vehicles, and hotter temperatures. Its infrastructure is made up of 180 million power poles spread out over 5.5 million miles that are frequently bombarded with increasingly severe storms and weather. Worsening SAIDI […]
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Wind
Bill Gates-Backed Group Secures Funding for New Wind Energy Project
A startup company whose investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, the group led by Microsoft founder Bill Gates, said it has received about $14 million in new funding in support of a pilot project in Wyoming. Airloom Energy has said its technology is prepared to “revolutionize” wind power through the company’s new design for wind turbines, […]
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Wind
‘World’s Largest’: Chinese Company Installs 15-MW Onshore Wind Turbine
A Chinese company has installed what it calls the world’s largest onshore wind turbine. Sany Group, a multinational firm known for its manufacturing of heavy equipment, on October 9 announced a 15-MW wind turbine has been placed in service at a site in Tongyu, Jilin Province, in China. Sany said the machine is a prototype […]
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Gas
Breakthrough for sCO2 Power Cycle as STEP Demo Completes Phase 1 of 10-MW Project
In a significant breakthrough for the development of supercritical carbon dioxide (sCO2) power cycles, the 10-MWe Supercritical Transformational Electric Power (STEP) Demo pilot plant in San Antonio, Texas, has wrapped up Phase 1 testing, demonstrating the commercial readiness of its next-generation indirect sCO2 Brayton cycle. The $169 million project—the largest of its kind in the […]
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Gas
Mitsubishi Brings Final Unit of 5.3-GW Gas-Fired Thailand Project Online
Mitsubishi Power announced completion of a 5.3-GW natural gas-fired power plant project in Thailand, with the multi-phase installation now fully in commercial operation. The two combined-cycle power plants in Chonburi and Rayong provinces, regions that are hubs for technology manufacturing and services in Thailand, each feature four M701JAC turbines. Mitsubishi on October 9 announced the […]
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Nuclear
DOE Picks Six Companies to Provide HALEU Fuel Services for Advanced Reactors
The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) announced six companies have successfully bid to provide deconversion services for high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) fuel to support advanced nuclear reactors. The DOE on October 8 announced the complete list of successful bidders. They include Nuclear Fuel Services, part of BWX Technologies (BWXT); American Centrifuge Operating, part of Centrus […]
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Gas
GE Vernova Turbines Part of Upgrade at Japan Gas-Fired Power Plant
The Nanko Power Plant in Osaka, Japan, will be upgraded with new gas turbines from GE Vernova. The 1,800-MW station, which was commissioned in late 1990, is replacing three boilers and three steam turbines in an effort to increase the efficiency of the facility and reduce its emissions of carbon dioxide. GE Vernova on October […]
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Hydrogen
Hydrogen Attracts Significant Investments to Support a Decarbonized Energy Economy
In late 2023, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $7 billion initiative to establish seven Regional Clean Hydrogen Hubs, aiming to scale the use of cost-effective clean hydrogen. This initiative comes as utilities face growing pressures from data centers and other industries that are demanding increasingly large amounts of reliable power. Hydrogen’s role […]
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Gas
Experts Say Gas-Fired Power Key to Reliable U.S. Electricity Supply
Energy analysts have said the increasing need for reliable baseload power generation means natural gas-fired power plants will become even more important as demand for electricity increases. Several experts who have spoken with POWER noted the availability of natural gas—the U.S. leads the world in natural gas production, far outpacing second-ranked Russia—will drive continued construction […]
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Nuclear
Kazakhstan Voters Show Support for Country’s First Nuclear Power Plant
Voters in Kazakhstan reportedly have approved a plan that would bring the country its first nuclear power plant. Election officials said 70% of voters in a referendum held October 6 support the strategy promoted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who has said nuclear power is a way to move the country away from reliance on coal-fired […]
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Offshore Wind
RWE, TotalEnergies Developing 4 GW of Offshore Wind for Germany
German multinational energy company RWE is joining with France’s TotalEnergies to jointly develop two large-scale offshore wind projects off the German coast. The companies on October 7 announced that TotalEnergies is acquiring a 50% equity stake in the two projects from RWE, which was awarded the sites in Germany’s latest offshore wind auction in August […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Supreme Court Clears Way for Limits on Power Plant Mercury, Methane Emissions
The U.S. Supreme Court has said that rules requiring power plants burning fossil fuels to reduce emissions of toxic substances can stand, dealing a blow to several Republican-led states and some power generators that had challenged the regulations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in May of this year finalized rules on emissions of mercury, after […]
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Commentary
From Rust to AI: How America’s Industrial Heartland Is Powering the Digital Revolution
The artificial intelligence (AI) revolution is transforming our world, but it comes with an insatiable surge in data centers that are powered by an ever-growing appetite for energy. As AI and high-performance computing (HPC) applications proliferate, the tech industry faces a growing challenge: building the next generation of data centers and finding suitable locations with […]
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Renewables
Clearway Starts Construction on Texas Solar and Storage Projects
California-based Clearway Energy Group said it has closed financing and started construction of standalone solar and energy storage projects in Hopkins County, Texas. The company on October 2 said the 300-MW Pine Forest solar and 200-MW Pine Forest storage installations represent a $665 million investment. Dell Technologies has agreed to buy much of the electricity […]
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Solar
New Legislation Would Expand Access to Community Solar
A New Mexico senator has introduced a bill that would support community solar projects and help expand access to solar energy across the U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D), considered a champion for advancing clean energy through community solar, on October 1 introduced the Community Solar Consumer Choice Act. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced companion […]
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Energy Storage
Grid-Scale Deployments Drive Growth in Energy Storage
Installations of grid-scale energy storage across the U.S. continue to surge, with three states—California, Arizona, and Texas—responsible for 85% of that growth in the second quarter of this year. Data from the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and Wood Mackenzie, released October 1 in the group’s latest Energy Storage Monitor report, showed 3,011 MW and […]
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Gas
Ohio Facility Supports PJM Power Supply in Heart of Major Shale Plays
Caithness Energy’s Guernsey Power Station, which features GE Vernova equipment, is an important gas-fired facility helping replace retired coal-fired generation in the PJM Interconnection territory
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Gas
Innovative Gas-Fired Power Station Supports Taiwan’s Need for More Energy
A GE Vernova-led project, completed in just 10 months, is helping Taiwan’s efforts for a more reliable power supply, along with supporting the integration of renewable energy resources in the country. Taiwan
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Business
Attarat Power Plant Unlocks Domestic Energy Source for Jordan
Oil shale doesn’t fuel a lot of power plants around the world, but in Jordan, it’s a vital option, offering energy security and independence. The success of the Attarat Power Plant in capitalizing on this
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Workforce
Best Places to Work in the Power Industry 2024
Earlier this year, POWER partnered with Best Companies Group (BCG), an organization dedicated to identifying and recognizing outstanding workplaces across various industries, to launch our Best Places to Work
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Gas
Diversification Key to Finland’s Goals Around Energy and Environment
Finland has a diversified energy mix, comprised mostly of renewable energy resources and nuclear power. Recent power generation project announcements highlight this diversification, which has led to industry
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O&M
Minimize Risks with Robotic Generator Inspections and Comprehensive Testing
Historically, generator inspections require rotor removal (Figure 3). There’s a significant level of risk during this process due to possible generator damage during the disassembly, and it also requires
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Biomass
Marnie Surfaceblow: It’s Ghostbusting Time … Again
Everything happens for a reason, and fantastic events often have mundane causes. Two women silently waited in their rental car next to a guard hut, sheltered under spreading banana tree leaves. Sunlight
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News and Notes
POWER Digest [October 2024]
China Completes World’s Largest Pumped Storage Facility. China has completed the 3.6-GW Fengning Pumped Storage Power Station, in Hebei province. Operated by the State Grid Corp. of China (SGCC), the
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Business
The Queensland SuperGrid Marries the Old and the New
The Australian state of Queensland is in the midst of a rapid changeover from coal to renewables. From 70% coal generation today, it is switching to 70% renewables by 2032. This means phasing out 8.1 GW of coal and some of its 3 GW of gas generation, while simultaneously building at least 25 GW of […]
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Full Coverage
Powering Performance with an Integrated Approach to Cooling Water
Power plant managers know that optimizing cooling water operations will improve efficiency. Using an integrated approach that combines advanced chemistry, digital technologies, such as deposit sensing, and
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Sustainability
How Battery Energy Storage System Testing Is Making the Grid More Sustainable
U.S. energy needs have changed dramatically over the last few decades, and questions are growing as to whether our grid can manage these new demands. Aside from rising temperatures—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared 2023 the hottest year on record—the energy sector is managing a trio of additional challenges: City populations are growing, creating […]
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Business
Offshore Wind Growth and HVDC Developments in the North Sea: Key Trends and Future Outlook
Europe is pursuing an ambitious energy transition to become the world’s first climate-neutral continent by 2050. To reach this goal, the region has set stringent targets to decrease reliance on Russian fossil fuels and increase the adoption of renewable energy across the power and transportation sectors. Significant strides are being made in developing solar and […]