Power
-
O&M
Tips for HRSG Maintenance and Upgrade Success
The heyday of combined cycle plant construction (especially in the U.S.) was at the start of the millennia. Between 2000 and 2005, about 130 GW of natural gas–fired combined cycle plants opened in the U.S.
-
Solar
Optimizing Solar Panel Manufacturing Efficiency and Reliability
Whether you’re a longtime solar panel maker or just embarking on a business plan, it’s easy to overlook some key business considerations. Perhaps you need to design a new warehouse and develop support
-
Legal & Regulatory
FERC Adopts Transmission Reform; Commissioner Cries Foul
There has been a growing consensus in recent years that the transmission planning process must be reformed to ensure reliability in the face of a rapidly changing grid. Despite the need for new transmission to
-
Commentary
The World Wants Nuclear Power Again—America Can Lead
After a decades-long slowdown marked by fits and starts, the U.S. is once again building and innovating in nuclear power. In April, the second of two new nuclear units went into service at Georgia Power’s
-
Wind
Coating Technologies Crucial for Offshore Wind Farms
Efforts to combat climate change drive the growth of renewable energy technologies as governments and utility companies increase investments in solar and wind installations to meet rising electricity demands. Onshore wind is a well-developed market, while offshore wind is beginning to expand due to its high production efficiency and significant energy production potential. According to […]
-
O&M
Rugged Mobile Devices Enhance OPPD Operations
Many power companies have turned to digital technology to streamline operations and improve worker efficiency. One example is Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), the 12th-largest public power utility in the U.S. OPPD recently decided to deploy hundreds of semi-rugged TOUGHBOOK 55 devices across multiple units, including meter technicians, troubleshooters, line crews, and system protection and […]
-
Coal
Tri-State Advances ERP With Unopposed Settlement Filing
Colorado electric cooperative Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association is proposing aid to coal communities in its service territory as part of an unopposed comprehensive settlement of the first phase of the group’s recent Electric Resource Plan (ERP). The company on June 27 said the filing is an important milestone in the energy transition of the […]
-
Legal & Regulatory
Supreme Court Halts EPA’s ‘Good Neighbor Plan’
The U.S. Supreme Court in a 5–4 vote blocked enforcement of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) final “Good Neighbor Plan,” a rule intended to significantly cut smog-forming nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution from power plants and other industrial facilities in 23 states. In the meantime, the applicants, which include the states of Ohio, Indiana, and West […]
-
Power
Ampion, Wendy’s Announce Community Solar Deal for Restaurants
Community solar provider Ampion Renewable Energy is partnering with The Wendy’s Company to help Wendy’s restaurants source renewable energy. Nearly 100 company-operated restaurants and nearly 40 franchise restaurants in New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts are now enrolled in Ampion+, a product that helps organizations reduce energy costs and secure Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) that substantiate […]
-
T&D
Strengthening America’s Electric Power Grid: How the Government and Industry Are Improving T&D Systems
The U.S. transmission and distribution (T&D) network is reliable and well-maintained, but as renewable energy continues being added to the grid, and demand increases due to growing data center needs and the electrification of transportation and manufacturing processes, work is necessary to keep up with the changing times. The U.S. government understands the need for […]
-
Interview
The POWER Interview: Solving the Challenges Facing the Grid
The power generation industry continues to grapple with a multitude of challenges when it comes to producing more electricity, and to ensure that power is delivered where and when it is needed. There is pressure to integrate more renewable energy resources to help meet net-zero targets and other decarbonization goals. Electrification efforts, notably from the […]
-
News
GE Vernova Building Synchronous Condenser Sites to Support New York Grid
GE Vernova said it has been awarded a contract by National Grid’s upstate New York business to supply and construct two separate 115 kV synchronous condenser sites at the company’s Coffeen and Taylorville substations. GE Vernova on June 26 said it will install three synchronous condenser machines, including Prolec GE generator step-up (GSU) transformers, at […]
-
Nuclear
First-Ever Additively Manufactured Debris-Filtering Bottom Nozzles Installed at Farley Nuclear Plant
Southern Nuclear, a subsidiary of Southern Company and operator of more than 8.2 GW of nuclear power capacity, said it has completed the installation of lead test assemblies with additively manufactured debris-filtering bottom nozzles (AMBN) at Alabama Power’s Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant. The AMBN assemblies are a new technology manufactured by Westinghouse Electric Co. […]
-
Energy Security
Mitigating EMP and GMD Risks for Power Grid Resilience
Risks posed by geomagnetic disturbance (GMD) and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) events add challenges to an already complex power system environment. But they remain crucial to address. How prepared is the power grid to withstand these powerful natural and man-made disturbances? On the evening of May 10, grid operator PJM Interconnection activated a rare geomagnetic disturbance […]
-
T&D
Building a Better Grid—Infrastructure Upgrades Require Ingenuity, Innovation, and Investment
The need for more reliability and resilience of power delivery, both in the U.S. and worldwide, has utilities and grid operators looking for solutions to the challenge of bolstering the electricity supply. Electric grid infrastructure, both in the U.S. and other parts of the world, needs an upgrade. Increased power demand from energy-intensive industries such […]
-
T&D
The Transformer Crisis: An Industry on the Brink
Facing unprecedented lead times and skyrocketing costs, the transformer supply chain crisis threatens the backbone of the electric power industry, driving urgent calls for increased manufacturing capacity and innovative solutions. Can the industry rise to the challenge? For several years now, the power sector has frantically raised the alarm about an impending transformer supply chain […]
-
Distributed Energy
Microgrids Take Major Role for Reliability, Resiliency
An array of technologies, both thermal and renewable, are being used in the design of microgrids, supporting distributed power generation across several sectors. The use of microgrids to provide reliable power for critical infrastructure is growing, and these off-grid installations also are becoming more prevalent as part of commercial and industrial (C&I) enterprises and residential […]
-
T&D
High-Voltage Power Transmission Projects Are Booming Around the World
High-voltage power transmission systems are more important today than ever before because power generated at renewable energy sites in remote locations must often be transmitted to distant load centers. Several state-of-the-art projects being done around the world are reviewed below. The majority of major electric power transmission lines in the U.S. are 115-kV, 230-kV, or […]
-
T&D
Planning for a Reliable and Resilient Electric Power Grid
In the U.S., regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs) are responsible for overseeing the reliable operation of the high-voltage transmission system within their respective regions. In other countries, transmission system operators (TSOs) perform similar roles. In most cases, the primary objectives of these entities are to ensure the reliable and efficient operation […]
-
T&D
What Does It Take to Bring Stability to a Renewable-Focused Grid?
As coal, gas, and nuclear plants are retired, and wind and solar resources are added to the power grid, stability can become a problem. Understanding the solutions that are available to help manage potential issues is important for decision-makers so they can select the best options for their system. Grid stability and system strength have […]
-
Renewables
Masdar Inks $3.4 Billion Deal to Acquire Greece Renewable Energy Major
Masdar, the Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy major, said it has agreed to buy Greece’s Terna Energy in a €3.2 billion ($3.4 billion) deal. The agreement signed June 20 is one of the largest renewable energy transactions in the history of the European Union. Masdar—also known as Abu Dhabi Future Energy Co.—said Thursday it had a […]
-
T&D
DLR Is More Than Optimizing Capacity; How Can Utilities Ensure Safety and Reliability?
Dynamic line rating (DLR) enables utilities to unlock up to 40% additional capacity from existing infrastructure, allowing grid operators to rapidly increase energy throughput. This capability is crucial in today’s energy landscape, where the proportion of renewable energy sources is quickly expanding, and the existing aging infrastructure cannot support this growing demand. Operating power lines […]
-
O&M
Four O&M Strategies to Give Your Solar Asset Efficiency a Boost
As the solar industry matures, pressure for asset owners to deliver higher returns continues to mount. Not surprisingly, so has the demand to improve operations and maintenance (O&M) efficiency – the single largest component of a utility-scale solar asset’s post-construction budget. Whether an asset owner performs O&M in-house, outsources to a third-party, or utilizes a […]
-
T&D
NVIDIA CEO: AI Will Impact the Future of Energy
The future of energy may depend on technology with roots in the video game industry, by a company founded more than 30 years ago that wanted to use accelerated computing to improve the look and feel of the gaming experience. Jensen Huang, NVIDIA’s CEO and president since co-founding the Santa Clara, California-based company in 1993, […]
-
Renewables
Construction Moves Forward on Australia’s Largest Wind Farm
The second stage of one of the world’s largest wind farms is moving forward after developer TagEnergy announced it had closed financing for the project. The $2.6 billion Golden Plains Wind Farm in Australia, which when complete will have about 1.3 GW of generation capacity, will be the largest wind farm in Australia once fully […]
-
Hydrogen
Ensuring Electrical Safety in Hydrogen Operations
In this article we explore the current use of hydrogen in industrial processes, as well as its role in the ongoing global transition to a net-zero economy. We’ll provide insights into market opportunities and challenges, the latest processing technologies, and best practices in safety to help industry stakeholders as they face mounting pressure to scale […]
-
Hydrogen
Japanese Firms Collaborate on Green Hydrogen Project in Hokkaido’s Chitose Area
Mitsubishi Corp. (MC), Takasago Thermal Engineering Co. Ltd. (TTE), Hokkaido Electric Power Co. (HEPCO), and Air Water Hokkaido Inc. (AWH) announced the signing of a joint development agreement to supply green hydrogen in Hokkaido’s Chitose area. Hydrogen can be produced by electricity and other sources of energy, and because it does not emit CO2 when […]
-
Hydrogen
Green Hydrogen Delivered to French Salt Cavern Storage Facility for Testing
Lhyfe, a pioneer in the production of green and renewable hydrogen, delivered 350 kilograms of green hydrogen (Figure 1) to natural gas expert Géométhane, on June 13, for it to test injecting hydrogen into salt caverns at its Manosque site in the south of France. The injection, which was completed within the day, is a […]
-
Renewables
NV Energy Adding 1 GW Each of Solar, Energy Storage in Nevada
Nevada-based utility NV Energy said it plans to add more than 1 GW of capacity from both solar power and battery energy storage to its generation portfolio by the end of 2027. The company, which includes Las Vegas in its service territory and is part of billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate, unveiled the additional […]
-
Nuclear
Kemmerer 1 Breaks Ground: A Look at TerraPower’s Natrium Fast Reactor Nuclear Power Plant
Bill Gates’ nuclear innovation firm TerraPower has broken ground on the non-nuclear portion of Kemmerer Unit 1, a 345-MW Natrium sodium-cooled fast reactor (SFR) power plant. The groundbreaking on June 10 makes the federal demonstration project the first advanced nuclear reactor project to move from design into construction in the Western Hemisphere, the company noted. […]