Power
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Gas
Protecting Gas Turbines from High Temperatures, Humidity, and Dust
Gas turbines require high-quality air to operate reliably. However, increasing temperatures and reduced rainfall are increasing the frequency of dust storms in many parts of the world. In these circumstances
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Legal & Regulatory
Renewables Need More Domestic Production of Minerals
Climate legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which aims to cut U.S. greenhouse gas emissions up to 43% below 2005 levels by 2030, has shifted the already critical need for domestic minerals into
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Energy Storage
Improve Electric Grid Resilience Through Integration of Energy Storage at EV Charging Stations
By 2030, it’s expected that half of U.S. car sales will be electric, and while this is a positive step forward in transportation decarbonization, this change also comes with challenges and concerns
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Cybersecurity
Modernizing Cybersecurity Practices Within Utilities
The utility industry needs to be prepared to adapt at this time of uncertainty and change, rising prices, and international turmoil. However, it is becoming more challenging to comply with regulations and
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Power
Marnie Surfaceblow: When Theory Becomes Practice, Rely on Practical Experience as a Foundation
As new energy technologies are employed to solve today’s renewable energy challenges, think flexibly while relying upon established safety measures. “Is this your first time in the Philippines, ma’am?”
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Nuclear
Group Touts Milestone for Hydrogen-Boron Fusion Power
A California-based group said it has completed the first-ever hydrogen-boron fusion experiments to produce a sustainable fuel for utility-scale fusion power. TAE Technologies on Feb. 28, in a peer-reviewed paper published by the scientific journal Nature Communications, said its research supports the path to providing electricity from nuclear reactors fueled with hydrogen-boron, also known as […]
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Hydro
Madagascar Ready to Ramp Up Hydropower Projects
Madagascar has significant hydropower potential, but to date less than 20% of the country’s energy comes from hydroelectric facilities. The Economic Development Agency of Madagascar (EDBM) estimates the island nation, located in the Indian Ocean off the cost of Southeast Africa, could produce as much as 7.8 GW of power from hydro resources, but at […]
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Coal
China Approves 106 GW of New Coal-Fired Capacity
A new report from a two global energy research groups found that China last year approved its most new coal-fired power generation projects since 2015. The report from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) and Global Energy Monitor (GEM) shows the Chinese government approved permits for 106 GW of new coal-fired […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Chemistry Crucial for Global Growth in Energy Storage
The global market for energy storage is driven by several factors, with power producers continually looking for ways to improve their storage systems and enhance performance. Battery technologies for energy storage are becoming more important as project developers look for ways to control costs and optimize battery energy storage systems (BESS). Advancing technology supports lowering […]
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Gas
Dominican Republic Adds to Power Capacity With New Gas-Fired Plant
The first phase of a new natural gas-fired power plant has been brought online in the Dominican Republic (DR), a project designed to support demand for electricity across the island nation. The SIBA Energy plant, located in Boca Chica in Santo Domingo province, is owned by a consortium led by SIBA Energy Corp. The group […]
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Challenges, Opportunities for Energy Storage
The market for energy storage projects continues to grow as utilities recognize the benefits of storage for demand response, along with the integration of renewable energy resources to the power grid. Incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for standalone storage provide even more support for the sector. Storage companies are growing, and more deals […]
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Cybersecurity
Addressing Cybersecurity Concerns During the Grid Modernization Process
The aging energy grid is in need of an upgrade. Converging challenges, such as distributed energy resources, electric vehicles and frequent extreme weather events, are pushing our infrastructure—some of which is over a half a century old—to the limit. As grid modernization efforts move full steam ahead to meet these challenges, security implications are often […]
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Power
Vogtle Unit 3 In-Service Date Slides to May or June
Southern Company said in its annual report filing issued on Feb. 16 that remediating certain equipment and component issues will force the projected in-service date for Plant Vogtle Unit 3 to be pushed out to May or June 2023. “The projected schedule for Unit 3 primarily depends on the progression of final component and pre-operational […]
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Hydro
IRENA Says Hydropower Capacity Must Double by 2050 to Meet Climate Goals
A new report issued this week by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) says hydropower, which is already the largest source of renewable electricity in the world, must double in capacity if the world is to meet the climate goals outlined in the Paris Agreement by 2050. The report says installed hydro capacity must reach […]
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Solar
Major Solar and Storage Projects, EVs and More Featured at California Event
A diverse mix of companies and experts in the solar power and energy storage sectors are in Long Beach, California, this week for the annual Intersolar North America (ISNA) and Energy Storage North America (ESNA) conference. The event, which is supported and attended by POWER, provides a look at the latest innovations in solar and […]
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Gas
Iran Brings More Natural Gas-Fired Units Online
Two more units at a natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant in Iran are producing electricity for the country’s national grid. The Mahtab Kavir plant in Zarand County in Kerman Province now has total power generation capacity of 484 MW after the two new 162-MW units were synchronized with the grid on Feb. 9. The […]
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Nuclear
GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 Small Modular Reactor Gets Another Win
Fermi Energia, a privately held company formed to develop a small modular reactor (SMR) in Estonia, announced that it has selected GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GEH’s) BWRX-300 design for deployment. Kalev Kallemets, CEO of Fermi Energia, said in September last year that the company’s nuclear technology selection process had begun in 2019, with a mapping […]
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Solar
Large Solar-Plus-Storage Project Underway in California Desert
Construction of a major solar-plus-storage installation in California has been approved by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The Desert Quartzite project, sited on about 3,000 acres near Blythe in eastern Riverside County, will feature a 300-MW solar array along with 600 MWh of energy storage. Desert Quartzite, being developed by EDF Renewables North […]
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Power
Accelerating the Transition to Green Energy with Product Lifecycle Management
Rising concerns over climate change have caused a major shift in the energy ecosystem, away from fossil fuels and toward renewable, clean, and sustainable energy. Currently, the earth is about 1.1C warmer than in the late 1800s. As outlined in the Paris Agreement, the goal is to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, limit global warming […]
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Renewables
DOE, NREL, EPRI Announce Program to Support Grid Integration of DERs
The U.S. Dept. of Energy (DOE) has announced a new competition designed to support the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) into the nation’s power grid. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm unveiled the program Feb. 7 during a presentation to attendees of the DISTRIBUTECH 2023 event at the San Diego Convention Center in California. The program […]
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O&M
Cutting Costs with Technology-Driven Improvements
If you’ve been in the power industry workforce for any significant length of time, you may have asked your supervisor at some point “Why am I doing this?” regarding a task that you were assigned, only to have them respond, “We’ve always done it this way.” That’s because the power industry has a reputation for […]
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Nuclear
Pakistan Inaugurates Third Reactor at Karachi Nuclear Plant
The third unit of the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant (KANUPP) in Pakistan was inaugurated by Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Feb. 2, adding another 1.1 GW of power generation capacity to the country’s national grid. Pakistan, like other countries, is battling an ongoing energy crisis with a lack of generation capacity to meet current […]
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Gas
Texas Utility Will Add More Peaking Power
The Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) said it will build a new 190-MW peaker power plant in central Texas to provide additional dispatchable power to the state’s electric grid. A peaker plant is one that is typically used only for brief periods during times when the demand for power approaches or surpasses the amount of […]
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Commentary
Energy Trilemma: A Case for Africa Power Utilities
A trilemma is a situation that presents three possible choices to a complex challenge. Due to mutual exclusivity of the available choices, achieving them simultaneously is always a daunting task. The overarching objective is to achieve the three possible solutions in a balanced manner. Energy trilemma refers to the need to find a balance between […]
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International
Distributed Generation in Cuba: Present and Future
Distributed generation stands out in the Cuban power system, where there are hundreds of units dispersed throughout the country. In times of contingency, and as usually happens when a hurricane hits the country, distributed generation ensures the vitality of electrical service through interconnected systems in the form of “islands.” Of the slightly more than 6,000 […]
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Solar
New Rules, Incentives Shaping Solar-Plus-Storage Market
An evolving regulatory environment, expanded tax credits, and moves for more reliability and resilience in the power space are impacting the growth of solar-plus-storage installations. Several state utility
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Research and Development
What Will a Fusion Power Plant Look Like?
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced on Dec. 13 “the achievement of fusion ignition.” The milestone is a major scientific breakthrough, decades in the making. Fusion, of course, is the process by
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Trends
Floating Nuclear Power Buoyant on New Prospects
In July 1968, the U.S. Army sent the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, the Sturgis, to the Panama Canal to help overcome a regional hydroelectric power plant shortage, which was driven by a severe
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Workforce
Power Industry Jobs Outlook and How to Find the Best Talent
The number of power plant operator jobs is shrinking, but paradoxically, the number of job openings in the field is growing. Managers have their hands full finding and retaining the people they need. In this
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Biomass
Researchers Exploring Ways to Expand Use of Biomass
A resurgence in the use of biomass to produce energy is underway, in part as a way for countries to continue the transition away from fossil fuels for electricity production. Groups are working on ways to burn