In This Issue
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Legal & RegulatoryMexico’s Electricity Sector Reform in Perspective
Much has been made recently of Mexico’s energy sector reforms, and because those reforms are still in being implemented, it can be useful to compare their progress with the outcome of previous reforms in Latin America. (A condensed version of this material appears in the January 2015 print issue of POWER: “Can Mexico’s Electricity Reform […]
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RenewablesThe Outlook for Small Hydropower in China
As the global electric power industry continues to develop clean, high-quality energy capacity for sustainable development, the position of small hydropower has changed. In the past few decades, small hydropower development in China has experienced positive momentum, but there are still problems to be solved. To solve these problems, various relationships within the small hydropower […]
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CoalThe Urge to Merge, or Vice Versa?
The urge to merge, a key feature of the power industry for the past 20 years or so, showed no signs of slowing in 2014. Major players sought to beef up their asset portfolios and diversify their generating
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NuclearSmall Modular Reactors Speaking in Foreign Tongues
Almost a year ago, workers began pouring concrete for the basemat of the first small modular reactor (SMR) in the western hemisphere. Despite the hype over SMRs in the U.S., with hundreds of millions of
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Legal & RegulatoryReducing Weather-Related Risks in Renewable Generation
The Black Oak Wind Farm project is an 11.9-MW wind facility under development in Tompkins County, N.Y., a few miles west of Ithaca. For the most part, Black Oak is unremarkable—the community-owned facility
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Instrumentation & ControlsUtilizing 3-D Virtual Reality Visualization for Efficient Power Projects and Training
The global power industry is becoming increasingly complex. Trends toward greater amounts of variable renewable energy are changing the requirements for conventional power plants. Energy market policies are
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CoalChoosing an ESP Power Supply for Improved Particulate Control
The particulate matter (PM) requirements of the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) require filterable PM emissions less than 0.03 lb/MMBtu, which will demand greater particulate removal efficiency from
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O&MPrimer on Fuel Quality Analysis
Back in the “good old days” of the power industry, fuel was cheap, fuel supplies were fairly constant, air emissions regulations were loose, and power plant coffee was as dark as sin and worse for you
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Cybersecurity
Don’t Ignore Cyber Threats to Power Infrastructure
Over the last few years, it has become increasingly clear that a massive cyber-attack on the North American electric grid represents a serious threat to U.S. national security. Over time, a string of senior
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RenewablesPilot Launched to Convert Olive Oil Waste to Power
A pilot plant in Andalucía, Spain, built by a consortium of multinational European partners, is converting toxic waste from olive oil production into electricity using an innovative three-part process
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Legal & Regulatory
Pacific Northwest Moving Ahead with Climate Change Policy?
Oregon and Washington State are examining new policies to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. We expect to see extension of Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program at the top of the 2015 legislative agenda and
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Renewables
POWER Digest (January 2015)
Candu Wins China’s Backing to Develop AFCR Projects. Candu Energy and the China National Nuclear Corp. on Nov. 10 signed a framework joint venture agreement to build Advanced Fuel CANDU Reactor (AFCR)
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CoalFuel Economics Will Drive 2015 U.S. Power Markets
Energy market dynamics in the U.S. continue to evolve. Regulatory developments, advancements in power plant technology, and fuel dynamics are transforming the industry. Although the outcome of these
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CoalAlstom Reports Major Boost for Advanced Ultrasupercritical Technology
The trial operation of a steam loop for more than 17,000 hours at temperatures exceeding 760C (1,400F)—the highest ever tested at a pulverized coal plant—have wrapped up at Plant Barry Unit 4 in Alabama
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Commentary
Power Industry Sees Pigs Fly
“When pigs fly” is a figure of speech used to express disbelief that a particular situation will ever come to pass. For the power industry, several recent and emerging developments are the equivalent of
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RenewablesOutlook Foresees World Wind Market Revival
Through 2014, 47 GW of new wind power capacity will be installed in China, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, and other emerging markets, marking a sharp recovery for the global wind industry after four years of
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Legal & Regulatory
Small Hydropower Advances and Challenges in China
In China, small hydropower (SHP) development not only provides power, especially to rural areas, but it also plays an important role in developing local economies and human capacity building. Regions, rather
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RenewablesIEA: Renewables Will Overtake Coal’s Share in World Power Mix by 2040
Renewables’ share of the global power mix is slated to overtake coal to become the largest source of electricity by 2040, the International Energy Agency (IEA) projects in its 2014 edition of the World
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Coal
Opportunities to Thrive in Evolving Power Market
The power generation market continues to evolve due to fundamental changes in market forces. Ongoing opportunities exist to partner with utilities to support this evolutionary process. Leadership Is Key for
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Gas
Can Mexico’s Electricity Reform Deliver on Its Promise?
In 2013 the Mexican government passed historic reforms that eliminated the state’s monopoly on the energy sector in an effort to attract private investment. In the electricity sector, reform was sold on the
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Gas
Labor Crunch Complicates the Gas Turbine Arms Race
The rate of introduction of new gas turbine products has accelerated, and the speed of change creates challenges for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractors who are also coping with a
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O&MGlobal Water Outlook for Power Generation
Water and energy are intimately linked. Water is necessary for the production, distribution, and use of energy. Energy is needed for the withdrawal and delivery of water. The two are inseparable. Several
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Legal & RegulatoryHow U.S. Power Generators Are Preparing for 2015
In mid-November, members of the POWER Generating Company Advisory Team responded via email to the following set of questions. Their comments have been edited for style. POWER: What changes in your fleet’s