Wind

  • Much-Watched Reciprocating Engine Hydrogen Pilot Kicks Off at Michigan Power Plant

    A landmark project to test fuel blends of up to 25% volume of hydrogen mixed with natural gas in reciprocating internal combustion engines (RICEs) has launched at WEC Energy Group’s 56-MW A.J. Mihm power plant in Michigan. If successful, the pilot—one of the first of its kind in the U.S.—could provide key insight into how […]

  • The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Energy Trilemma

    The Fourth Industrial Revolution is arriving in a most timely manner to help resolve the world’s energy trilemma—the transition to net-zero, energy security, and energy affordability. For many years, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has been at the forefront of discussions on climate change and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Below, I outline our key takeaways […]

  • Reliability, Resiliency, Cost, and Climate Driving C&I Power Systems

    Commercial and industrial (C&I) entities want to ensure they have electricity when they need it. Businesses also are looking at sustainability, decarbonization, and control of their energy costs as factors

  • Vermont and ISO-New England Provide an Interesting Renewable Energy Transition Case Study

    Vermont doesn’t get a lot of attention outside of Bernie Sanders, but the state’s power system is worth taking a look at as it has undergone a notable shift toward renewable energy. About 80% of

  • Nuclear, Hydrogen, CCUS Part of at Least 42 Country Ambitions

    At least 42 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) submitted under the Paris Agreement as of December 2021 indicate governments plan to utilize carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen and ammonia, and

  • Morocco Project Could Support UK’s Renewable Goals, Hydrogen Economy

    A project to bring solar and wind energy from a 10.5-GW project in Morocco to the UK will feature what is likely the world’s longest subsea, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables. The importation of

  • POWER Digest [June 2022]

    Twenty20 Energy Will Build Gas-Fired Plant in Papua New Guinea. Singapore-based Twenty20 Energy Systems in April announced it would design and build a new gas-fired power plant in Hela province, Papua New

  • Solving the Intermittency Problem with Battery Storage

    The perfect storm of crises and policy directives have converged to create the energy storage moment. Between the drive to reduce carbon output to “net zero” over the coming decades and the commodity crisis created by the conflict in Ukraine (including its impact on the supply and price of oil and natural gas), the pressure […]

  • NERC Warns of Mounting Reliability Risks, Urges Preparation for Challenging Summer

    An unprecedented array of risks—ranging from capacity shortfalls, extreme weather, extended drought, supply chain issues, cybersecurity, solar PV tripping, fuel constraints, to wildfires—could imperil the reliability of nearly every North American bulk power system (BPS) region west of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) this summer, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) warned in […]

  • How Developments in Electrical System Design Are Helping to Tackle the Challenges of Wind

    As a clean and renewable power source, wind offers massive potential for alleviating some of the growing challenges that countries worldwide are looking to address through the development of new forms of energy generation. At ABB, we look at how developments in electrical system design are helping to turn wind into a major source of […]

  • California, Again Facing Summer Supply Vulnerabilities, Eyes 20-GW Offshore Wind Goal

    The California Energy Commission (CEC) is mulling a preliminary planning goal for 3 GW of offshore wind by 2030 and potentially expanding it to 10 GW to 15 GW by 2045. If finalized, California’s offshore wind goals would be the most ambitious in the U.S., surpassing even New York’s, which calls for 9 GW by […]

  • Clearway Cuts Ribbon at Black Rock Wind Farm, West Virginia’s Newest Power Plant

    SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (May 6, 2022) – Clearway Energy Group (“Clearway”) hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the commencement of commercial operations for the newly-constructed Black Rock, a 115-megawatt (MW) wind farm that spans West Virginia’s Grant and Mineral counties. Black Rock is contracted under long-term power purchase agreements with customers Toyota Motor North America […]

  • ERCOT, MISO Warn of Potential Power Supply Shortfalls

    (Updated—May 6, 2022) The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) over the past week separately expressed concerns about power supply uncertainties in the face of upcoming warmer-than-normal temperatures. MISO raised an alarm on April 28 when it said that it projects “insufficient firm resources” to cover the summer […]

  • Greenbacker acquires 55-MW operating wind project in New York

    NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 5, 2022) — Greenbacker Renewable Energy Company LLC (“GREC” or “Greenbacker”), a leading owner and operator of sustainable infrastructure and energy efficiency projects, announced today that, through a wholly owned subsidiary, it has purchased Howard, a 55.4 MW operating wind project from the BlackRock Global Renewable Power Fund II (“BlackRock”). The […]

  • The POWER Interview: Importance of Pricing Data for Renewable Energy

    The highs and lows of markets for renewable energy are driving more interest in granular pricing data. Any company embarking on a new project must do its research to ensure that it calculates the proceeds based on the right financial information. With so much data now readily available, it’s more important than ever to use […]

  • History of Power: Duke Energy’s Century-Old Legacy

    Duke Energy, one of the largest energy companies in the world, grew out of a system of lakes and dams along the Catawba River to generate power for the Piedmont Carolinas. While the company has sustained a

  • There’s Value in Old Power Generation Components

    Equipment from both renewable and thermal energy power plants is finding new life in the recycling market. The market for recycled power equipment components is getting a boost due to ongoing global supply

  • Dramatic Innovation-Driven Ramp Up of Floating Offshore Wind Anticipated by 2030

    A drumbeat of floating offshore wind–related developments this year suggests the pipeline for the long-nascent wind technology sub-sector may be finally beginning to grow. While floating wind’s current

  • POWER Digest [May 2022]

    Czech Republic Chooses Site for SMR Development. CEZ Group, a major conglomerate in the Czech Republic, in late March said it had set aside an area at the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant as a possible location for

  • BlackRock-led Group Invests $525M Toward India Renewable Energy

    A group considered the world’s largest asset manager has joined with a United Arab Emirates (UAE) wealth management fund to support an investment in renewable energy development in India. A consortium led by New York-based BlackRock, along with UAE sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co., on April 14 said it would pay $525 million for […]

  • Grid Interconnection Queue Filled with Solar and Energy Storage Projects

    A study conducted by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) shows more than 1.1 TW of solar and energy storage capacity were in the U.S. power grid’s interconnection queue at the end of 2021. Notably, that total is more than the currently existing capacity in the U.S. power fleet. Additionally, Berkeley Lab researchers found […]

  • Major Wind Power Producer Sentenced in Wind Farm Eagle Deaths

    A Wyoming court on April 5 sentenced NextEra Energy Resources affiliate ESI Energy to five years of probation and fined the wind power developer more than $8 million for three counts of violating the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). The violations include alleged failures to apply for “eagle take permits” (ETPs) at facilities in Wyoming […]

  • Distributed Renewables’ Cyber Resilience

    The benefits of renewable energy continue to grow, with wind generation supplying 9.2% of generation in the U.S. and up to 22.6% in other western countries like Germany. Solar is at 2.8% in the U.S. (for utility-scale installations) and near 10% in Germany. Through diversification and greater distribution system integration, the application of renewable energy […]

  • How Ammonia Could Help the World Transition to Clean Energy

    Hydrogen is widely seen as a vital component in efforts to decarbonize the world’s power supply. One example of this is a strategy being piloted by at least a couple of major gas turbine manufacturers, which involves storing “green hydrogen” produced through electrolysis using excess wind or solar power when renewable energy supplies exceed grid […]

  • Vestas Cutting Jobs Despite Leading Wind Installations

    Vestas occupies the top spot when it comes to market share among global wind turbine manufacturers, according to a new analysis, but the Danish business is not immune to the challenges facing several of the leading companies in the wind power sector. Supply chain issues are buffeting wind energy, as they have other industries. Though […]

  • GE Exec Expects Rebound for Renewables

    The leader of General Electric’s (GE’s) global energy business said the company expects its power and renewable energy units should be profitable in 2023, and experience even more success in 2024, after it weathers market headwinds that present challenges this year. Scott Strazik, speaking at the company’s March 10 investor day event, said GE is […]

  • Direct Pay Proposals in the Build Back Better Act and Observations from Industry Insiders

    Under current law, there are significant tax benefits for renewable energy projects in the United States. These benefits include nonrefundable ITC and PTC tax credits and depreciation deductions.  From the perspective of a renewable energy developer, however, such tax benefits may be difficult to use effectively.  Currently, ITC and PTC tax credits are nonrefundable, meaning that […]

  • The Hydrogen Rainbow Is So 2021—It’s Time to Get Over It

    When it comes to hydrogen energy, the industry typically differentiates the final product in classes that correspond to the carbon intensity with a focus on “the colors of the rainbow,” such as gray, green, purple, and blue. According to The New York Times, the oil and gas industries are promoting blue hydrogen because (at the […]

  • Renewable Energy Ready to Deliver Despite Continued Uncertainty

    Notwithstanding the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, in 2021 the deployment of solar, solar + storage, stand-alone storage, wind, and other renewable energy technologies continued to rapidly expand across the U.S

  • Largest U.S. Wind Project Online in New Mexico

    A wind farm comprised of four projects in central New Mexico, serving areas of that state and California, is now online and takes the title of the largest wind power installation in the U.S. Pattern Energy Group, among the world’s largest privately-owned developers and operators of wind, solar, transmission, and energy storage projects, on Feb. […]