In This Issue
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HistoryNew Era for NextEra: A Utility Spotlight
Since its inception as Florida Power & Light Co. in 1925, NextEra Energy has transformed into the world’s largest utility company. The company’s history is symbolic of the growth and uncertainty that has characterized the history of power.
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NewsGroups Grapple with Labor Logistics as Energy Evolves
The continuing transition in the power generation sector means workers need new skills. The challenge for utilities and other power producers is finding the top talent at a time the labor pool is shallow
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CoalCoal Will Remain Prominent for Decades Despite Growing Renewable Power Capacity
There are a lot of changes taking place in the world’s energy supplies. We seem to read announcements almost every day about coal plant retirements, and solar and wind farm installations. Yet, when you look
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NewsItalian Group Taps CO2 for Energy Storage
New technologies for energy storage are being developed as the industry continues to mature. Energy Dome, an Italian energy storage technology company founded in 2019, recently announced it will use the
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NuclearChina Starts Up First Fourth-Generation Nuclear Reactor
The first of two units at China’s much-watched high-temperature gas-cooled modular pebble bed (HTR-PM) demonstration project was successfully connected to the grid on Dec. 20. The achievement marks a major
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GasRolls-Royce Sets Megawatt Milestone for Hybrid-Electric Aircraft System
Bracing for explosive growth in the electrification of mobility, UK-based engineering giant Rolls-Royce is developing various all-electric and hybrid-electric drive systems for aircraft. At one of its most
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HydroBlueprint Underway for Commercial Mine Energy Storage Facility in Sweden
A blueprint for what could become the world’s first commercial underground mine storage facility has garnered financial backing from Swedish Mining Innovation.
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BiomassBiomass Power: Environmental Benefit or Numbers Game?
Many bioenergy industry proponents put forth carbon neutrality as a basis for their support. However, the claim may not hold up under scrutiny. By some accounts, biomass power plant emissions including those
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Point-CounterpointWe Need Nuclear Energy as Part of the Energy Transition
Many people who believe we need a “Green New Deal” will say that Earth faces an existential catastrophe that could cut short the lives of young people who are living now. But if nuclear energy is mentioned
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Point-CounterpointNew Nuclear Isn’t Worth Public Investment
Since the inception of the nuclear era more than 70 years ago, federal taxpayers have been bailing out nuclear power plants and keeping the industry afloat with endless, costly subsidies. Yet, the industry is
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Carbon CaptureNet-Zero Without Carbon Sequestration Is ‘Virtually Impossible’; Yet Site Acquisition and Permitting Hurdles Hinder Implementation
In a Flagship Report, the International Energy Agency said reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions is “virtually impossible” without carbon capture, utilization, and storage. Significant progress has
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NuclearDistrict Heating Supply from Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear energy is competitive for urban district heating applications. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, about 43 nuclear reactors around the world—mostly in Eastern Europe and
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T&DImproving Power Networks: How Smarter Grids and a New Generation of Electricity Can Prevent Blackouts
Power networks today face two major challenges: aging infrastructure and complex intermittent power flows caused by the worldwide transition from fossil-based fuels to zero-carbon resources. With some of the
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O&MFour Key Allies for Keeping Powerhouses in Top Condition
Today, power generators often don’t have the same in-house capabilities that they did in years past. Therefore, managing operations and maintenance at many facilities has become more difficult. Here are some
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CommentaryIssues Abound in 2022 for Widespread EV Deployment
Even the most casual observers of the energy and automotive industries are aware that electric vehicle (EV) sales in U.S. markets are on the rise. Over the past 10 years, sales of plug-in EVs have steadily
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SolarLagunitas Brewing Co. Taps Big Savings Through Solar Conversion
By the time Lagunitas Brewing Co. began its conversion to solar power in 2017, it had grown to become one of the largest craft beer businesses in the U.S.—a far cry from the one-man, home-kitchen operation
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Instrumentation & ControlsHow Measuring Total Gas Pressure Detects Transformer Air Leaks
From generation to transmission and distribution, the power industry is changing. With distributed energy resources (DERs) increasingly participating in wholesale capacity, energy, and ancillary services
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CommentaryThe Developed World Must Turn Fossil Fuel Industries into Green Tech Powerhouses for Developing Countries
When environmental advocates implore less-wealthy countries to cease oil or gas investment and production because it is the cause of climate change, they are often branded as naive and ridiculous. Do we really
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TrendsPOWER Digest [February 2022]
Once a Coal Generating Behemoth, TransAlta Achieves Full Phaseout of Coal Power in Canada. Canadian generator TransAlta, a company that derived 30% of its cash flow from coal generation just five years ago