In This Issue
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Renewables
Shining a Light on South Africa’s Power Plans
South Africa’s critical power situation has been the subject of much talk and speculation since 2008, when the country experienced its first electricity crisis after enjoying a surplus of cheap electrcity since the 1980’s. Download the report.
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Commentary
Who’s Talking About Climate Change?
Everyone, it seems. From Bloomberg Businessweek to Rolling Stone, from ELECTRIC POWER (EP) to Platts Global Power Markets conferences, this spring everyone was talking about climate change. The topic is no
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Renewables
The Word for Gas Is “Flexibility”
With the gas-fired power sector in continual flux, blessed by plentiful gas supplies but faced with uncertain fuel costs and competition from intermittent renewable generation, plant owners must make
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NuclearChina Starts Construction of HTR Demonstration Plant
Construction of China’s first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTR) demonstration plant kicked off this April after pouring of concrete for the basemat of the Generation IV reactor was completed. Though
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O&MFuel Flexibility Is the Gift That Keeps Giving
All power plants must continually strive to control operating expenses, but it is particularly important for coal-fired facilities to cut costs these days to stay competitive while meeting ever-more-stringent
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Legal & RegulatoryEurope Moves to Phase Out Renewable Subsidies
New rules adopted by the European Commission (EC) in April will gradually phase out renewable energy subsidies that currently bolster the European Union’s (EU’s) €48-billion-a-year clean energy
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RenewablesHECO Successfully Cofires Biofuel as No. 6 Oil Substitute
All states were not created equal, particularly when it comes to indigenous reserves of fossil fuels. North Dakota is experiencing a boom in oil production, which has increased almost 10-fold since 2005, and
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Coal
POWER Digest (June 2014)
Australia Releases Emissions Reduction Fund White Paper. Australia’s Ministry of Environment on April 24 released its Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) White Paper, formally setting out the final design of the
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HRNew Technology Is Key to Recruiting New Power Workforce
It is an exciting time to be a part of the energy industry. New technology is being developed in almost every sector of the business. The coal industry is working on carbon capture and storage solutions
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WaterPower Sector Link to Water Is Deep, Complex
The interlinkages between water and energy are complex and run deep, warns a United Nations (UN) World Water Development water and energy–themed report released this March. As global water demand (in terms
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O&MMISO Prepares for Hurricane Season
Todd Hillman As hurricane season begins this year, utilities across the Gulf Coast will have a new partner as they work to keep the lights on after extreme weather events. Starting in late 2013, the
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Smart GridNYISO Opens Smart Control Center
The New York Independent System Operator (NYISO) this April replaced its 44-year-old primary power control center with a state-of-the-art facility in Rensselaer County that is outfitted with digital monitoring
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CybersecurityJust Hop on the Bus, Gus: 13 Ways to Hack a Power Plant
Forty years ago, musical genius Paul Simon outlined “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.” In New Orleans in early April at the ELECTRIC POWER Conference, Mike Firstenberg of Waterfall Security Solutions laid out
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RenewablesThe Dynamic Challenge of Integrating Variable Resources
The share of non-hydro renewables in total U.S. power generation shot up to 6.5% in 2013 from 2.4% in 2003, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The past five years alone have been
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O&MNew Enclosure Solution Enables Remote Monitoring of Battery Backup Systems
With 4.4 million customers and nearly 46 GW of generating capacity, Atlanta-based Southern Co. has doubled the size of its supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system in the past three years and
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HRVeterans Bring Needed Skills to the Utility Industry
We all know someone who either is, or was, in the military. In fact, many utility industry professionals were once in the military themselves. Personnel learn many valuable lessons in the armed forces
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O&MRobust Bearings Tested for Brazil’s Belo Monte Hydro Project
Brazil’s Belo Monte hydropower project includes a complex of dams, numerous dikes, and a series of canals supplying two different power stations with water. With a rated capacity of 11,233 MW, it will be the
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Legal & RegulatoryLessons in Resiliency and Risk
Climate change is changing the odds of extreme weather events, Entergy’s Rod West told the audience at the opening keynote session of ELECTRIC POWER 2014. West, who serves as Entergy’s executive vice
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Coal
FERC Takes First Steps in Harmonizing Gas and Electricity Markets
After two years of work, about a dozen conferences and meetings, and multiple rounds of comments, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) announced on Mar. 20 that it was ready to begin the process of
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O&MSite-Specific Factors Are Critical for Compliance with Final 316(b) Existing Facilities Rule
On May 16, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is scheduled to release its long-delayed final 316(b) rule for existing facilities. The rule—which was supposed to have been issued Apr. 17 after
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CybersecurityIntroduction to NERC CIP Version 5
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) standards Version 5 represents the first major change in requirements and approach since its predecessor, Urgent
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CybersecurityIdentifying CIP Version 5 Assets in Generation
Generators of electric power face a big effort to comply with the upcoming North American Electric Reliability Corp. Critical Infrastructure Protection (NERC CIP) Version 5 (V5) cybersecurity standards
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Cybersecurity
When Old Systems Meet New Realities: Adding Security Controls to Generating Plants
On August 14, 2003, large parts of the Northeast and Midwest of the U.S. and the Canadian province of Ontario experienced one of the largest blackouts in history: 61,000 MW of electric load were lost
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O&MManaging the Changing Profile of a Combined Cycle Plant
With the growing need for operational flexibility across the power industry, the combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) fleet is increasingly being subjected to load-following and cyclic operation. This change in
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GasRecent Innovations from Gas Turbine and HRSG OEMs
There is no hotter market in power generation than gas. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the U.S. is projected to add just under 60 GW of new generating capacity between 2013 and 2017
