Power
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O&M
The POWER Interview: Using Data, Device Models, and More to Support the Grid
Amanda Neuenfeldt is the energy management system (EMS) modeling lead engineer at Actalent, a global company specializing in engineering and sciences services, along with talent solutions. Neuenfeldt works with emerging grid technologies related to artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cybersecurity. She has studied the application of a predictive machine learning algorithm, coupled with […]
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Data Centers
Energy Transfer Will Provide Natural Gas to Texas Data Center Project
Texas-based oil and gas major Energy Transfer said the company has entered into a long-term agreement with Colorado-based CloudBurst Data Centers for the energy supply to serve a data center development in Texas. The agreement announced Feb. 10 calls for Energy Transfer to provide as much as 450,000 MMBtu per day of natural gas to […]
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Energy Storage
ERCOT and CAISO market trends and successful bid optimization
Battery energy storage systems (BESS) play an essential role in balancing grids with high renewable energy. They can charge during low price hours and discharge during high price hours in the wholesale markets, or support grid stability participating in the ancillary markets. It is important for BESS owners to maximise their profit by deciding how […]
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Solar
Microsoft Buying Power from Three EDP Renewables’ Solar Projects
Technology giant Microsoft is buying nearly 400 MW of power from three new utility-scale solar projects in Illinois and Texas. EDP Renewables North America (EDPR NA) on Feb. 10 said the installations have come online with long-term virtual power purchase agreements (PPAs), through which Microsoft will take 389 MW of electricity and renewable energy credits. […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Enhancing Reliability of the U.S. Power System
Designing, building, and maintaining the network of power transmission lines and associated infrastructure that delivers electricity across the U.S. is a complex task. It involves disparate components, from thermal power plants using different fuel types, to renewable energy such as solar, wind, and geothermal installations. Substations are another component, and the use of battery energy […]
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O&M
The Evolving State of Power Plant O&M
As power plants confront aging infrastructure, surging demand, and the sweeping changes of rapid electrification, operations and maintenance (O&M) are being redefined to tackle unprecedented challenges and
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O&M
Software, Hardware, Innovation All Needed to Upgrade the Power Grid
Enhancing the transmission and distribution of electricity is a priority to ensure a reliable and resilient power supply, as demand increases and grid challenges mount. Providing more electricity to meet
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Emerson Exec Discusses Grid Enhancements
There are many ways to enhance power grid and power plant reliability, including the implementation of advanced control strategies, proactive maintenance programs, and modern technologies for early detection
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O&M
Turbine MRO Best Practices: Expert Guide to Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul
Effective maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) practices are vital for reliable turbine operation. Innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and 3D scanning are transforming MRO processes
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O&M
O&M Innovation in the Power Sector: The Latest Tools Redefining Asset Optimization
As the power sector grapples with aging infrastructure, stricter sustainability mandates, and the rapid integration of renewables, innovation in operations and maintenance (O&M) has become critical to
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O&M
Cut Downtime and Costs with Predictive Maintenance (PdM): Here’s How
Predictive maintenance (PdM) is transforming power plant operations by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and automation to prevent costly equipment failures. Learn about real-world
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Workforce
PSEG Program Unlocks Neurodivergent Talent, Transforms Business and Lives
What does it mean to be neurodivergent? The term basically applies to people whose brains work in an atypical fashion. It was coined in the 1990s to counter stigma against people with autism, ADHD
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T&D
Building Better Ways to Keep the Lights On
Utilities and power grid operators walk a fine line when it comes to providing reliable and resilient power while also protecting valuable assets in the electricity transmission and distribution system. Power
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O&M
POWER Magazine February 2025 Operations and Maintenance Special Report Preview
POWER is the one brand that addresses all electric power generation and related technologies and fuels across North America and around the world, providing insight into this increasingly complex industry. Established in 1882, it is dedicated to providing its global audience with exclusive analysis of the latest trends, best practices, and power generation and related […]
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Commentary
Creating a Successful Utility Workforce Succession Plan
Succession planning is a priority in the utility industry as an aging workforce, changing technologies, and turnover reshape the sector. The utility sector faces unique challenges, striving for seamless
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Solar
Building for Solar Growth—Selecting the Right Foundation for Any Site
Solar builds are becoming more complex. “Perfect” sites with the ideal topography and terrain profile are less available, and sites that remain pose additional challenges for developers and EPCs alike. Selecting the right foundation is key to mitigating risks, overcoming hurdles, and constructing a project that delivers reliable solar power on budget and on time. […]
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Commentary
Demonstrating Electricity Value: Customer Satisfaction as a Utility Business Strategy
Like many other household goods, the average monthly residential electric bill in the U.S. continues to increase. In 2024, bills hit an average of $182, an 8% increase over the past two years. Though the causes of the increases are well documented—inflation, the hottest summer ever recorded and an increased need to harden infrastructure due […]
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Electrification
Rocky Mountain Power, Torus Will Deploy Grid-Scale Energy Storage Program
Torus and Rocky Mountain Power, following the recent signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU), on Feb. 7 released additional technical details about the integration of Torus’s commercial energy storage technology into Rocky Mountain Power’s Wattsmart Battery program. The proposed 70-MW demand response initiative will leverage Torus’s Nova Spin and Nova Pulse technologies to enhance […]
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Commentary
It’s Time to Think Differently About Energy Storage and California’s Power Grid
With nearly 60% of the state’s electricity generated from solar, wind, and geothermal energy, California is well past the halfway mark to its goal of 100% renewable power generation by 2045. But this comes with major challenges, both financial and environmental. Mainly, generating adequate electricity during the hours when the sun is not shining is […]
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Commentary
A Renewed Vision for the Energy Grid: Turning Challenges into Opportunities
As the world accelerates toward an electrified future driven by renewable energy, electric vehicles (EVs), and industrial electrification, energy distribution grids face unprecedented challenges. From grid overloads and delays in connecting distributed energy resources (DERs) to frequency instabilities and inadequate infrastructure upgrades, the need for transformative action is clear. These challenges, however, present a unique opportunity to rethink and […]
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Nuclear
Arizona Utilities Announce Effort to Add More In-State Nuclear Power
Arizona’s three major electric power utilities said they will collaborate to explore adding more nuclear power generation in the state, possibly placing small modular reactors (SMRs) or building large reactor projects at the locations of retiring coal-fired power plants. Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), and Tucson Electric Power (TEP) on Feb. 5 […]
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Partner Content
Emerson Exec Discusses Grid Enhancements
Sponsored by:
Among those talking with POWER about reliability enhancements for the power grid was James Nyenhuis, plant performance consultant for Emerson. Nyenhuis provided POWER with insight about the work being done to support a reliable supply of electricity, from the power plant to the edge of the grid. POWER: What are some enhancements that […]
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Nuclear
Focused Energy, Livermore Lab Join in Support of Fusion Research
Focused Energy and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California have announced the signing of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) to develop a model simulating the behavior of low-density foams wetted with liquid deuterium and tritium during implosion. The agreement supports the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s INFUSE project. Focused, based in the San […]
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Trends
Georgia Power to Keep Coal, Gas Power Plants Running Longer as Demand Climbs
Southern Co. subsidiary Georgia Power has proposed a pivot toward extending the life of several existing coal and natural gas-fired power plants into the late 2030s—well beyond previous retirement timelines—citing rising electricity demand, regulatory constraints, and grid reliability risks. The utility’s 2025 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) on […]
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Trends
Texas A&M Launches SMR ‘Energy Proving Ground’ with Selection of Four Nuclear Firms
Texas A&M University System has unveiled four nuclear developers with which it plans to explore building and operating small modular reactor plants (SMRs) at its Texas A&M-RELLIS campus near College Station. The project—dubbed “The Energy Proving Ground”—is part of a state-supported initiative to deploy operational advanced reactors in Texas within the next five to seven […]
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Nuclear
Streamlining Outage Efficiency at a Pennsylvania Nuclear Power Plant
Nuclear power plant outages demand efficiency, safety, and a high level of coordination to execute time-critical tasks and bring plants back online quickly. When a Pennsylvania nuclear power plant faced excessive critical path time due to outdated steam line plugs and a unique control rod blade transportation and storage requirement, the plant’s leadership engaged Preferred […]
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Nuclear
Going Nuclear: Why AI Will Lead the Next Energy Transition
As policies and regulations are adjusted to reflect a new presidential administration, the U.S. needs to unleash its full energy potential by embracing nuclear power. With opinions and regulations historically slow to adjust, the impetus for nuclear power may depend on the tech companies whose race for artificial intelligence (AI) may at last solve the […]
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Solar
Major Solar Tracker Technology Deal as Kinematics Completes Acquisition of P4Q
Kinematics, an Arizona-headquartered global group focused on intelligent motion control, said it has completed its acquisition of P4Q. Kinematics on Feb. 4 said it will now integrate P4Q’s high-performance electronics portfolio—which includes more than 1 million solar controllers deployed across 2,400 solar sites globally—with Kinematics’ installed base of 2.9 million solar actuators (Figure 1). The […]
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Commentary
Could Space Solar Power Play a Key Role in Disaster Relief?
The Los Angeles wildfires of January 2025 highlight a critical vulnerability in disaster response: power failure. With insured losses potentially reaching $45 billion and more than 170,000 residents displaced, reliable power could have supported essential emergency services and potentially saved lives. Space Solar Power (SSP), which can beam energy directly to disaster zones from space, […]
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Legislative
Oil and Gas Exec Wright Confirmed to Lead DOE
The U.S. Senate in a 59-38 vote has confirmed Colorado-based oil and gas executive Chris Wright as secretary of the Dept. of Energy (DOE). Seven Democrats, including both Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper from Wright’s home state, crossed party lines and voted with Republicans on Feb. 3 to confirm Wright. Angus King, the independent from […]