In This Issue
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WaterWater and Wastewater Treatment Technology Update
Water is the lifeblood of a thermal power plant. As such, obtaining clean and pure makeup water and dealing with wastewater has been a requirement since the first steam generating unit went into operation. As
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GeothermalMining for Lithium in Geothermal Brine: Promising but Pricey
Worldwide, the U.S. is the largest producer of geothermal power; however, geothermal energy provides less than 0.5% of total generation in the U.S. Given geothermal’s small piece of the U.S. electricity pie
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WaterFeedwater Chemistry Meets Stainless Steel, Copper, and Iron
Alloys found in the condensate and feedwater systems of power plants include carbon steel for piping, pumps, and in some cases heat exchangers. Many systems still have some copper-based alloys from admiralty
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EnvironmentalSave Power with Natural Cooling for Building Ventilation
With the final Clean Power Plan rule covering existing power plants scheduled for release this summer, and the amount of flexibility that has been afforded to the states to meet emissions targets, states have
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GeneralManufacturing Supercapacitors from Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide
Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) have developed a method to manufacture nanoporous graphene for use in supercapacitors from atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Graphene is a form of carbon that is
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GasProtecting Steam Cycle Components During Low-Load Operation of Combined Cycle Gas Turbine Plants
Originally, the modern combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) unit was developed to act as a largely baseload source of generation due to its high thermal efficiency and low initial capital cost. But as markets
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WindDOE Wind Forecasting Grant Goes to Finnish Firm
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded a $2.5 million contract to Finnish environmental and industrial data firm Vaisala to coordinate a study of methods to improve wind energy forecasting in complex
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GasAre Flexible Generation Plants Performing as Expected?
The Lodi Energy Center (LEC) is a 296-MW 1 x 1 combined cycle plant in Lodi, Calif., just north of Stockton and east of the San Joaquin River delta (Figure 1). From the outside, there’s little to distinguish
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RenewablesA Handheld Fuel Cell Generator
After decades of potential but limited deployment, fuel cells are beginning to carve out a role in grid-scale generation (see “59-MW Fuel Cell Park Opening Heralds Robust Global Technology Future” in the
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CoalSCR Reheat Burners Keep NOx in Spec at Low Loads
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) systems installed in steam generators for NOx reduction are ordinarily designed for full boiler load conditions, when SCR inlet temperatures normally exceed unit-specific
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CommentarySpeaking of Cuba, Change, and Coincidence
Sometimes, circumstances have a way of developing in such an unexpectedly serendipitous way that they practically force one to take notice. So it is with Cuba and its power sector. Coincidence It all started
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GeothermalNew Zealand Strives to Maximize the Value of Geothermal Wastewater
Geothermal resources have important strategic value for New Zealand, as they are able to directly supply both heat and electricity (see “New Zealand Geothermal Industry Is Poised for the Future” in this
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GasU.S., Netherlands Harness Waste Gases for Distributed Generation
Methane emissions are garnering increasing attention because of their potential impact on the climate. Though far less methane is released to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, methane has 20 to 25 times the
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NuclearNuclear Industry Pursues New Fuel Designs and Technologies
Late last year, Japanese engineers and technicians accomplished a major milestone nearly four years after the most damaging light-water reactor accident in history at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear station
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Legal & Regulatory
FERC’s Work on the Clean Power Plan
Cheryl A. LaFleur One of the most controversial issues facing the energy world today is how our electric sector will respond to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposed Clean Power Plan
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RenewablesNew Zealand’s Geothermal Industry Is Poised for the Future
Contact Energy fully commissioned New Zealand’s largest geothermal power plant last year, nudging installed geothermal capacity to a shade over 1 GW. Nearly 80% of the country’s electricity is sourced from
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CoalPower Shortages Challenge Eskom, Force Load Shedding in South Africa
The South African power system is severely constrained and will remain tight until at least the end of April, according to Eskom. The company generates approximately 95% of the electricity used in South Africa
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GasEntergy’s Ninemile 6 Plant Completes Construction
Entergy Louisiana’s two-unit, 560-MW combined cycle plant in Westwego, La., just outside New Orleans, completed construction on Dec. 26, both under budget and several months ahead of its original schedule
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HydroCambodia’s Largest Hydropower Plant Begins Operation
The 338-MW Russey Chrum Krom hydropower plant in southwestern Koh Kong province, Cambodia, was inaugurated on Jan. 12. The Chinese-built project is the largest hydropower station located in the Southeast Asian
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Renewables
POWER Digest (March 2015)
TIC to Build First U.S. J-series GT Plant. The Industrial Co. (TIC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kiewit Corp. ,was recently awarded an engineering, procurement, and construction contract to build a gas
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O&MAdvanced Bearing Technology Eliminates Subsynchronous Steam Turbine Vibrations
A facility’s steam turbine ranks at, or at least near, the top of the list of vital power plant equipment. Without it, the thermal energy in pressurized steam can not be converted to rotary motion, which is
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Legal & Regulatory
Cape Wind Finally Blows Out
If ever there were a case of winning all the battles and losing the war, it would be the saga of the long-delayed-and-now-probably-dead Cape Wind offshore wind project in Massachusetts. As I wrote last year