Power

Countries’ timelines to becoming energy secure and reaching net-zero targets have shortened. Major contributing factors include COVID-19’s impact on supply chains and the war in Ukraine. Alongside this are external influences such as COP27, or the landmark U.S. Climate Bill, which will direct almost $370 billion toward rapidly scaling renewable energy production and reducing emissions. Already, intergovernmental […]

U.S. scientists reportedly have carried out the first nuclear fusion experiment to achieve a net energy gain. The Department of Energy (DOE) is expected to announce the breakthrough on Dec. 13, according to news reports late Sunday. The nuclear power industry has pursued fusion technology for decades, with a renewed emphasis for those efforts in […]

In 2023, U.S. utilities have a multipronged ambition to realize: how to provide customers with reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy, and safe water. However, increased pressure around decarbonization and the adoption of cleaner energy sources, electrification, and related infrastructure needs, and customer-driven disruption will make this energy trilemma even more difficult to balance. Management at […]

Many experts believe small modular reactors (SMRs), which are generally classified as nuclear power reactors with an electrical output of 300 MW or less, offer great promise for supplying the world with carbon-free energy. Several SMR designs are under development by companies around the world including NuScale Power, GE-Hitachi, Terrestrial Energy, TerraPower, Toshiba, X-energy, and […]

GE Gas Power announced on Dec. 6 that it has deployed an “innovative technical solution” on four TM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines at the California Department of Water Resources’ (DWR’s) sites in Yuba City and Roseville, California (Figure 1). The solution reportedly reduced nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions by more than 90%, surpassing […]

Two countries seeking to expand development of their nuclear power programs have announced new projects. Iranian officials on Dec. 3 said construction of what would be that country’s second nuclear power plant has begun. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s government on Dec. 4 said it is looking for investors to support development of what would be the country’s […]

Mitsubishi Power is expanding its geothermal infrastructure in Indonesia. The company has received an order from PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), a subsidiary of the state-owned oil and gas group PT Pertamina, for construction of a 55-MW unit at the Lumut Balai Unit 2 geothermal power station. The order is for a steam turbine, generator, […]

According to Elon Musk, solar and batteries go together like peanut butter and jelly. The sustainability of renewable energy relies on the deployment of energy storage systems for the storage of energy harnessed by renewable sources. The reduction in the cost to manufacture battery energy storage systems (BESSs) has catapulted the use of these types […]

Solar + wind, solar + storage, wind + storage—even fossil fuels combined with renewable energy—are supporting the growth of hybrid power plants that are breaking the norms of traditional power generation

The Japanese have been hesitant to re-embrace nuclear power following the triple reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011, but there are indications that nuclear power could ramp up again in

The world’s oil and gas majors, along with some of the largest utility companies, continue to invest in renewable energy as they develop diversified power generation project portfolios. Among the latest is

John Stevens Cabot Abbott, the 19th century American historian perhaps best known for writing History of Napoleon Bonaparte and History of the Civil War in America , is attributed with the quote, “War is the

The UK has a broad plan to develop a hydrogen economy as a feature of its commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Energy analysts have said hydrogen not only could fuel the country’s

GE has been operating a monitoring and diagnostics center for the power generation sector for more than 25 years. From modest beginnings, the facility now monitors about 1,000 power plants around the world

It’s always difficult to select winners from the field of nominations submitted to POWER for its annual awards, and this year was no exception. The Wudongde Hydropower Station was the big winner, while

Qatar Inaugurates the Country’s First Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant. With Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari, president of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corp. (Kahramaa); Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi

Working with and around electrical distribution system poles is dangerous. Georgia Power has taken a proactive approach to reducing the risk, keeping safety first in its operations. In the electric utility

Identifying areas in your plant where insulation is inadequate and fixing the problem can save significant amounts of money, eliminate safety hazards for workers, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It’s a

Advanced nuclear energy can, and should, play a major role in meeting the societal goal of 100% clean energy by mid-century. Advanced nuclear energy would complement other energy sources like wind and solar

Industry trends toward bigger and heavier modules, along with greater adoption of bifacial technology, are changing the way designers of solar power sites are thinking about tracking systems. Distributed

Thermal power generation has to adapt new methods to thrive as renewables transform dispatch. Now used more often as a bridge source of power rather than the main source of power, many fossil fuel plants

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) includes the largest clean energy incentive effort in U.S. history. It builds on the energy initiatives included in 2009’s American Reinvestment Recovery Act

Coal ash, or coal combustion residuals (CCRs), is the second-largest waste material in the U.S., just behind household garbage. The safe and sustainable management of coal ash poses one of the most complex

Even more than technology and processes, power and utilities leaders must focus on that most timeless of resources—people—to be successful against a landscape of ever-evolving cybersecurity threats. Users

Two Chinese companies announced production of the largest offshore wind turbine built to date, a 16-MW unit developed by China Three Gorges (CTG) and Goldwind. The groups on Nov. 24 showed off the turbine at a factory in Fujian province. The turbine has a 252-meter rotor diameter, with a 50,000-meter sweep area. The hub height […]

Uranium has been one of the best-performing asset classes in 2022, according to data supplied by HANetf’s Sprott Uranium Miners UCITS ETF (URNM). In fact, the uranium spot price has increased 24.12% during the year through Oct. 31, according to the fund. October was a particularly strong month for uranium oxide (U3O8), which is used […]

Energy storage systems (ESS) are expanding far beyond the batteries being deployed at power plants, at substations, in microgrids, or at locations along the power grid to support the electricity transmission and distribution network. Systems for commercial and industrial enterprises, and increasingly by homeowners for residential use, are helping lead the expansion of energy storage. […]

Hurricane Ian, which struck Florida in late September last year, was a devastating storm and a harsh reminder of the impact of Mother Nature’s wrath. Unfortunately, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and powerful, and our aging grid is struggling to keep up. COMMENTARY Sanibel Island on Florida’s west coast, for example, lost power […]

Officials from Russia and Egypt marked another milestone in construction of the latter’s first nuclear power plant, with a ceremony Nov. 19 to announce pouring of the “first concrete” for Unit 2 of the El-Dabaa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). Saturday’s event came three weeks after a construction permit was issued for that unit by the Egyptian […]

The National Reactor Innovation Center (NRIC) is a national Department of Energy (DOE) program led by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) that allows collaborators to harness the world-class capabilities of the U.S. National Laboratory System. NRIC supports the construction and demonstration of advanced reactor systems through a suite of services and capabilities. “Our vision is […]