In This Issue
-
NewsTHE BIG PICTURE: Japan’s Nuclear Comeback
After the Great Tohoku Earthquake and tsunami, and ensuing crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in March 2011, Japan issued stringent safety regulations and reviews that affected its entire 50-reactor fleet. It meant that as each Japanese nuclear reactor entered its scheduled maintenance and refueling outage, it could not returned to operation until restart […]
-
CommentaryShould a Power Company Be Held Responsible for Wildfires?
If you’ve been following the news, you know that Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (PG&E) recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because it is facing tens of billions of dollars in liability for
-
NewsSolving Renewable Transmission Constraints with Water Infrastructure
One of the largest hurdles to delivering substantial amounts of renewable energy is transmission constraints. Los Angeles’ current in-basin transmission infrastructure is based largely on delivering power
-
NewsPOWER Digest [March 2019]
The Distribution System Is Newest Energy Transition Frontier in Europe. The European power sector is urging member states and regulators within the European Union (EU) to speed up development of
-
NewsEquipment Showcase: Diesel and Gas Generators
The market for mobile and smaller-scale power generation continues to grow. Commercial and industrial sites are using generators to produce their own power, often to ensure a constant flow of electricity in
-
NewsUAE Adds Gas Power to Its Mix and Renewables Abroad
The January agreement between GE and Japan’s Sumitomo Corp. for a 1.8-GW combined cycle power plant in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is part of the country’s commitment to increasing its power generation
-
WindThe Fallacy of Wind Power Generation
The source of energy for driving wind turbines is the wind, and in this context, it is important to remember the first law of thermodynamics, which states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only
-
HistoryRussia Sets New Domestic Nuclear Generation Record
Rosenergoatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear plant owner and operator, said it set another nuclear power production record in 2018. The company generated 204 TWh from its 35 reactors—1.4 TWh more than in
-
NewsGermany’s Coal Exit Bound to Be Complicated
Eight years after Germany decided it would halt nuclear power production by 2022, the country that relied on lignite and hard coal for 38% of its generated power in 2018 will phase out coal by 2038 or earlier
-
NewsKazakhstan Adds New Solar Plant to Growing Renewables Capacity
The SES Saran solar power plant entered commercial operation in late January in Saran, in the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan, an area long known for its coal production. Government officials said the plant is
-
NewsImprove Baghouse Performance with Custom Filtration Media
Dust collection plays a vital role for safe and efficient power plant operation. There are a number of dust collection options available to plant designers, and baghouses have gained wide acceptance. The
-
CommentaryHow Existing Technology and Market Updates Lead to More Affordable, Reliable, Clean Power
America’s energy mix is undergoing a period of rapid change. The way we generate electricity in this country looks dramatically different than it did just a decade ago, as wind and solar have matured and
-
Plant DesignCombined Heat and Power: A Sleeping Giant May Be Waking
One of the oldest energy efficiency ideas—combined heat and power—is prospering in the U.S. and looks promising elsewhere as the world searches for low-cost energy by increasing efficiency while lowering
-
Plant DesignBuilding Puerto Rican Resiliency with LPG-Fueled Engines
After Hurricane Maria left the island of Puerto Rico in ruins, the ProCaribe liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) hub continued to operate, ensuring vital energy resources were available even in the wake of this
-
NewsRapid Advancements for Fast Nuclear Reactors
Fast neutron reactor systems have the potential to extract 60 times more energy from uranium compared to existing thermal reactors, and they contribute to a significant reduction in the burden of radioactive
-
Carbon CaptureThe Pursuit and Advancement of Carbon Capture and Storage
As the world grapples with climate change concerns, carbon capture and storage could be the holy grail for continued fossil fuel use. Projects have come online that prove its feasibility, but costs can be
-
NewsEnergy at a Cellular Level: Battery Storage Shows Plenty of Power
Battery storage technology has moved in fits and starts, but today experts note that rapid advances make it difficult for safety standards to keep pace. Developers of storage systems are designing projects to
-
GasMicroturbines Useful in Commercial and Industrial Applications
Gas turbines come in a variety of sizes. While large combustion turbines seem to get the bulk of the publicity, with the likes of Siemens, GE, and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems making the most noise
-
SolarCost-Effective Solutions for Boosting Solar Farm Production
It makes sense that solar panels would perform better when positioned to capture more direct sunlight, but the cost of adding tracking systems has not always penciled out. Costs have come down, however, and
-
NewsHigh-Purity Boiler Water pH Measurement
Water quality monitoring and control are two of the most critical operations that power plants employ to protect assets, such as boilers and steam turbines, from corrosion by assuring the correct addition of