In This Issue
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News
Carbon Goes Subprime
European Union (EU) carbon trading proponents are finding support for their market-based emission trading scheme (ETS) in freefall like the market price of carbon in the EU. This unanticipated consequence of the ETS really should not have come as a surprise. Free Allowances The ETS, often described by EU regulators as the world’s most advanced […]
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Hydro
Saving the Dead Sea
If measures aren’t taken immediately to replenish the rapidly shrinking Dead Sea, the very salty body of water in the Middle East will shrivel up within 50 years — and that could pose an environmental calamity, experts have warned.
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Business
POWER Digest (March 2009)
News items of interest to power industry professionals. RWE and E.ON to partner on new UK nuclear capacity. German giants RWE AG and E.ON AG on Jan. 14 said they would partner to develop new nuclear power stations in the UK. The 50:50 joint venture will have a long-term focus on seeking secure sites being […]
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Hydro
International Organization to Push Renewable Energy
Seventy-five countries from around the world joined a new political agency dedicated to the acceleration of green energy this January, but several notable nations — including the U.S., Canada, Australia, UK, Japan, and China — were not among them.
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Legal & Regulatory
Generators Propose a Plan for Carbon Pricing
With the U.S. economy currently in a free fall, some utility industry leaders and elected officials argue that carbon cap legislation should be put on hold while the country recovers financially. However, President Barack Obama has a different game plan.
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O&M
Best Management Practices for Coal Ash Ponds
The unfortunate coal ash spill at the Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA’s) Kingston Fossil Plant that occurred on December 22 has heightened national awareness of the problems associated with utilities’ coal ash surface impoundments if they are not properly maintained.
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Coal
Polish Plant Beats the Odds to Become Model EU Generator
Once a Soviet satellite, Poland is now transforming into a thoroughly modern nation. To support its growing economy, this recent European Union member country is modernizing its power industry. Exemplifying the advances in the Polish electricity generation market is the 460-MW Patnów II Power Plant — the largest, most efficient (supercritical cycle), and environmentally cleanest lignite-fired unit in the country.
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O&M
Reduce Costs with Wireless Instrumentation
New wireless technologies for power plant instrumentation offer significant cost savings when compared to traditional wired networks. The value of this cost savings is especially relevant in the highly competitive power industry, where aging facilities are common and upgrades are an expensive necessity. Modern wireless networks offer a reliable upgrade path that even provides some unexpected benefits when compared to traditional copper networks.
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Water
Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater Treatment Primer
Purge water from a typical wet flue gas desulfurization system contains myriad chemical constituents and heavy metals whose mixture is determined by the fuel source and combustion products as well as the stack gas treatment process. A well-designed water treatment system can tolerate upstream fuel and sorbent variation over time and consists of multiple process treatment steps arranged in just the right order to produce wastewater acceptable for discharge.
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News
Temperature Detectives
Wahl Instruments’ two newly released digital resistance temperature detectors (RTD) — the DST500 Temperature Indicator and the DSX500 Transmitter Thermometer (shown here) — feature high-precision temperature measurement technology and a 1-inch LCD display. The units are available in a variety of standard and custom-built probe configurations, including mercury-in-glass (MIG) standard tapered bulb for drop-in direct […]