In This Issue
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HistoryTHE BIG PICTURE: A Gas Trade Transformation (Infographic)
According to the International Energy Agency, global natural gas trade has grown by more than 40% over the past 15 years. Over the next five years, current trade flows are expected to significantly diversify, boosted by development of liquefied natural gas (LNG) infrastructure. LNG trade, which grew by 11% in 2017 to 391 billion cubic […]
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O&MSmall Modular Reactors: ‘Sealing’ the Deal
Small modular reactors (SMRs), defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as a reactor less than 300 MW, are fast emerging as a promising option for nuclear energy. They offer flexible power
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O&MClinging to Power: Why Extending Transformer Life Is Key
Through much of the developed world, we have come to rely on a steady flow of electricity just as we have a steady flow of air. Power outages are still disruptive, but they are few in number, and we have
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CommentaryWhat is ‘Resilience’, and Do We Need It?
U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry last year petitioned the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to craft policies to provide for “resilience” in the nation’s generation resource mix. He wrote
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CoalA Captive Power Plant’s Quest for Reliability
An aluminum smelter in Odisha, India, built a 900-MW coal-fired captive power plant for its own power consumption. Though the plant features new generation turbogenerator sets, it was completed on time and on
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Legal & RegulatoryExtensive Planning, Innovative Work Strategies, Teamwork Combine for Successful SCR Project
A coal-fired plant in Colorado needed to further reduce its emissions to comply with more-stringent regulations. The work presented several challenges, and the owner and contractors worked together to complete
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Legal & RegulatoryDry Fork: A Model of Modern U.S. Coal Power
Dry Fork Station began commercial operation as a swath of older, less-efficient U.S. coal plants contemplated retirement amid a flood of environmental rules. Designed with foresight, this quintessential modern
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CoalSouth Korean Plant Finds Flexibility with Advanced CFB Technology
The Samcheok Green Power Plant requires less maintenance and is more cost-effective than conventional coal plants, and more environmentally friendly with its use of once-through ultrasupercritical boilers
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CoalClean Air Program Makes Shawnee Power Plant a Winner
Emissions standards have changed a lot since the Shawnee Fossil Plant entered service during President Eisenhower’s second term in office, but the Tennessee Valley Authority has done its part to help the
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Distributed EnergyEVs Offer Significant Growth Opportunity for Power Utilities
Do you drive an electric vehicle (EV)? If you answered yes and live in the U.S., you’re among the roughly 1% of drivers doing so in this country. If not, how soon do you think it will be before you become
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Legal & RegulatoryNatural Gas: Clear Skies, Some Clouds on the Horizon
Horizontal drilling technology and fracking techniques have created a natural gas revolution in the U.S. The future looks bright for gas-fired power generation but there are three potential storm clouds that
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Legal & RegulatoryWater Use Down Drastically at U.S. Power Plants
Water withdrawn by U.S. steam-driven power generators fell 18% in 2015 compared to 2010, owing largely to plant closures, coal-to-gas fuel switching, and the use of more water-efficient cooling system
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NuclearFluidized Bed Steam Reforming Technology Reduces Volume of Radioactive Waste
A patented Fluidized Bed Steam Reforming (FBSR) technology uses superheated steam—instead of an open flame—and mineralizing additives to treat and immobilize radionuclides in a water-insoluble matrix
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RenewablesPOWER Digest [August 2018]
Large Energy Storage System Commissioned in Germany. NEC Energy Solutions (NEC) in late June said it had commissioned the largest energy storage system in Europe for Germany-based EnspireME, a joint venture
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T&DBenefits of High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission Systems
High-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology offers several advantages compared to alternating current transmission systems. For example, it allows more efficient bulk power transfer over long distances
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Connected PlantGE Power Launches Advanced Management System in Delhi
Maintaining a reliable supply of power in Delhi, India, has been a major issue for the area as local demand for electricity continues to increase. The city in June repeatedly set new records for electricity
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RenewablesFloating Offshore Wind Farms Exploit a Great Energy Resource
Wind farms are not all created equal. During the previous 12 months ending February 2018, the average capacity factor for U.S. wind turbines—virtually all of which were located on land—was 36.9%. Danish
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Energy StorageGrid-Scale Liquid Air Energy Storage Plant Is Launched
The world’s first grid-scale demonstration of a liquid air energy storage (LAES) plant was officially launched in June. UK-based long-duration energy storage firm Highview Power developed the 5-MW/15-MWh
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HistoryFusion Power: Watching, Waiting, as Research Continues
Cheap and abundant electric power from nuclear fusion—power “too cheap to meter”—has been a dream for more than a half-century. But as time passes, practical fusion appears to be moving further into
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RenewablesMore Solar Power Comes Online in Mongolia
The Mongolian government in late June commissioned the country’s second photovoltaic (PV) solar power plant, a 15-MW facility in the province of Dornogovi, in an “economic development zone” of
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Press ReleasesEquipment Showcase: Mobile Technologies
Mobile technologies have numerous applications in commercial power plants and for the power generation industry. Mobile devices help provide communications and data transfer within facilities, along with
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NuclearAgreements Sealed for the World’s Biggest Nuclear Plant
The massive project to build six EPR reactors at the Jaitapur site in Maharashtra, India, received a significant boost in late June as GE and French utility EDF signed a strategic cooperation agreement that
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Distributed EnergyEV Batteries Repurposed for Energy Storage
Daimler, the German automotive company best-known for the Mercedes-Benz line of vehicles, obviously knows a bit about cars. So perhaps it’s no surprise its subsidiary, Mercedes-Benz Energy, is using vehicle
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CommentaryRaising the Next Generation of Energy Leaders
As the electric power industry moves forward with new technology, the workforce that is needed to design, build, and manage the next generation of systems will undergo an equal if not greater transformation