Power

  • Google Could Use Small Nuclear Reactors to Power Data Centers

    Google’s top executive confirmed the company is working on large-scale data centers that would use more than 1 GW of power. Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, in a speech last week at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh said small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) could possibly be used to generate the needed electricity. Pichai […]

  • Gray Skies for U.S. Power Generation? Uncertainty and Turmoil on the Horizon

    The Supreme Court’s landmark decision this past summer in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo marks a significant shift in administrative law by overturning the long-standing principle of Chevron deference, which was established in Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council Inc. in 1984. The Loper ruling from earlier this year is poised to have […]

  • Data Centers Might Be Catalyst for Modernizing U.S. Power Grid

    Rapid growth in the U.S. data center market is ushering in a new era of power demand and testing the ability of electric utilities to keep pace with this surging growth. Data center energy use has doubled over the past three years and is expected to continue climbing as more hyperscale data centers leveraging power-hungry […]

  • Spanish Group Injecting Hydrogen Into Natural Gas Network

    A Spanish infrastructure company said it has achieved a “historic milestone” for Spain’s energy industry. Madrid-headquartered Redexis announced has begun injecting hydrogen produced with renewable energy into the country’s natural gas supply via Spain’s first hydrogen pipeline. The company said the project, inaugurated on September 20, is believed to be the first fully commissioned renewable […]

  • Evolution of Decommissioning Requirements in Renewable Energy

    With legislative momentum around clean power generation and net-zero emissions policies rapidly building, the U.S. is seeing rapid increases in installed wind and solar capacity each year. At the same time, older generations of renewables are facing a new challenge: obsolescence. The first utility-scale wind and solar projects in the U.S. were developed in the […]

  • Unlocking America’s Clean Hydrogen Potential: Navigating Policy, Challenges, and Market Opportunities

    The U.S. clean hydrogen sector is poised for significant growth, driven in part by its potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in hard-to-abate industries such as transportation and chemical production. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) have catalyzed this momentum, providing production tax credits (PTCs) and billions in funding to […]

  • Microsoft Would Restart Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant to Power AI

    Microsoft has announced a deal to restart the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. It’s the latest move by a technology company to use nuclear power to provide electricity for energy-intensive data centers and support the use of artificial intelligence (AI). The agreement announced September 20, if approved by regulators, would allow Microsoft […]

  • U.S. in a Race with China to Develop Commercial Fusion Power Technology

    Fusion energy is a promising form of power generation that aims to harness the same process that powers the sun and stars. Fusion involves combining two light atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy in the process. This is the opposite of nuclear fission, which splits heavy atoms apart. […]

  • New AI Partnership to Invest in Data Centers and Supporting Power Infrastructure

    $100 billion investment potential will enhance American competitiveness in artificial intelligence (AI) while meeting the growing need for energy infrastructure to power economic growth The drive to develop more powerful AI capabilities will require significant infrastructure investment to support it. BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Microsoft, and MGX announced on Sept. 17 the Global AI […]

  • Carbon Capture Projects at Gas-Fired Cane Run 7, Coal-Fired Four Corners Get Federal Awards

    Significant carbon capture projects—at Cane Run 7, PPL Corp.’s 691-MW gas-fired unit in Louisville, Kentucky, and Four Corners, a 1.5-GW coal-fired power plant in New Mexico—have separately secured federal awards from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). OCED has allocated $4.9 million to PPL Corp. subsidiary Kentucky Utilities Co. under […]

  • Experience Shows Wet Compression Is Safe to Use on Gas Turbines

    Back in the early 2000s, some controversy emerged about the practice of spraying large amounts of fog directly into the compressor. Some claimed that this led to blade erosion, pitting, and scaling. So, is it safe to use wet compression on gas turbines by pumping water droplets into the compressor inlet? The answer is yes—provided […]

  • GE Vernova Integrating Energy Storage for Australia Data Center Complex

    GE Vernova said it has been chosen by investment manager Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners to integrate 250 MW/1,000 MWh of battery energy storage into a major data center complex in Queensland, Australia. Quinbook, with U.S. headquarters in Houston, Texas, and offices in the UK and Australia, is a specialist investment manager focused on the energy transition […]

  • Turning Energy Storage From an Idle Backup Into a Money-Making Asset

    Battery energy storage systems (BESS) can be the key to tackling any number of issues your grid or business may be facing, such as a need to support more renewables, ensuring a resilient backup, or cutting energy costs. You may believe that a BESS will resolve your issues, but do you have full buy-in from […]

  • Impact of the IRA on U.S. Renewable Energy Manufacturing and Supply Chains

    The Inflation Reduction Act  was designed to enhance domestic manufacturing and secure domestic supply chains. The act, signed by President Biden in 2022, was sponsored by Sens. Chuck Shumer (D-NY) and Joe Manchin (D-WV), with the legislation also drawing from House Bill HR5376 sponsored by Rep. John A. Yarmuth (D-KY 3). According to a White […]

  • U.S. Solar Manufacturing Generates More Than Electricity

    As government incentives continue to accelerate investment, new manufacturing facilities are driving community resurgence, economic development, and job growth. That was the message from panelists during a session at the recent RE+ event, the largest renewable energy trade show in North America, held Sept. 9-12 in Anaheim, California. In order for U.S. economic policy to […]

  • IHI Terrasun Will Integrate SK On BESS Systems in U.S.

    IHI Terrasun Solutions announced it has been selected as the integrator of choice for battery energy storage system (BESS) projects by SK On, a subsidiary of global conglomerate and South Korea-based SK Group, and the fifth-largest manufacturer of batteries for electric vehicles globally. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on September 10 […]

  • GE Vernova Expands European Onshore Wind Presence with Romania Deal

    GE Vernova announced what it called a milestone agreement for onshore wind in Europe, announcing a deal with Public Power Corporation Renewables (PPC R) to supply, install, and commission 23 of GE Vernova’s 6.1-MW 158-meter turbines for a wind farm in Vaslui County, Romania. The deal, which was booked by GE Vernova in the second […]

  • California Confirms Strategy for Centralized Offshore Wind Procurement

    Following more than three years of planning and analysis, California has established an offshore wind goal of 7,600 MW, with procurements starting as early as 2027. Through its central procurement efforts, California intends to bring about a “market transformation” to help reduce the costs of particular technologies, like offshore wind, allowing them to be developed […]

  • The POWER Interview: How Unified Endpoint Management Can Help Secure the Power Grid

    Digital technology poses critical challenges for the power sector. As the backbone of modern society, any disruption to power infrastructure can have far-reaching consequences. To learn steps leading power companies can take to protect their systems, POWER interviewed Apu Pavithran, founder and CEO of Hexnode. Hexnode’s award-winning Unified Endpoint Management (UEM) platform has empowered organizations […]

  • Net Metering Reform: Premature or Long Overdue?

    The growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) has significantly increased over the past decade as the U.S. moves to decarbonize the electric grid. Growth has been possible by incentivizing the transition to clean energy; states and federal legislation, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), have used tax credits and other programs to accelerate deployment. […]

  • SOLV Energy Announces 3 GW of New Solar, Including Oregon’s Largest Project

    A California-based renewable energy company announced has several milestones, including that it has surpassed 20 GW of installed and awarded utility-scale solar and energy storage projects in America. SOLV Energy, headquartered in San Diego, also said it plans to bring about 4 GW of generation capacity online this year, and has another 3 GW of […]

  • Coming Together for Clean Energy: Supplement to POWER and RE+

    POWER is proud to partner with RE+ as we provide information and insight for attendees of the largest renewable energy event in North America. RE+ celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, with the conference making its return to Anaheim, California. The 2024 event, running September 9 through 12, is building on its past success as […]

  • Supreme Court Showdown: EPA Defends Carbon Capture Amid Power Industry Backlash

    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has doubled down on its stance that carbon capture is “adequately demonstrated” in a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court as part of a bid to urge the high court to allow the agency’s contentious Carbon Pollution Standards to remain in effect while legal challenges continue. The Supreme Court […]

  • DOE Announces $125 Million in Funding to Support Energy Storage Research

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced it will provide $125 million in funding to support two Energy Innovation Hub groups that will look at challenges facing the battery energy storage industry. The DOE on September 3 said teams of researchers “will develop scientific concepts and understanding to impact decarbonization of transportation and incorporation of […]

  • South Fork: A Positive Turn for U.S. Offshore Wind

    South Fork Wind, the first commercial-scale offshore wind project to come online in the U.S., and New York’s first offshore wind farm, marks a milestone for the industry’s future in America. The U.S

  • Report Says China, India Account for Nearly All New Coal-Fired Generation

    Research from a group that tracks fossil fuel and other energy projects shows that just 15 countries, led by China and India, account for 98% of coal-fired power plants under development worldwide. Global Energy Monitor (GEM), a San Francisco, California-based non-governmental organization, in its latest Global Coal Plant Tracker (GCPT) said China and India alone […]

  • Notre Dame Captures Top Plant Award for South Bend Hydro Project

    A run-of-river hydro project on the St. Joseph River in downtown South Bend, Indiana, spearheaded by the University of Notre Dame, was one of the first ever in the U.S. to utilize the StreamDiver propeller

  • Repowering Project Renews Company’s Commitment to Sustainability

    Shell Energy upgraded a Texas wind farm to produce more power with fewer turbines, a project that showcased repurposing of old materials with new technology to enhance efficiency, reliability, and safety

  • Solar-Plus-Storage Project Brings New Energy to California

    Clearway Energy’s Daggett Solar + Storage power plant in San Bernardino County is a model for producing renewable energy, and taking advantage of existing infrastructure, at the site of a closed thermal

  • Jinzhai Pumped-Storage Hydro Facility Helps Integrate Renewable Energy and Solve Grid Stability Challenges

    Pumped-storage hydropower is seen as a key technology in China to balance the grid and store excess energy from intermittent sources like wind and solar. The 1.2-GW Jinzhai pumped-storage project is a model