Latest
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Interview
The POWER Interview: Solar Powers Onward
Solar power led all generation sources in terms of added generation capacity in 2020, with the U.S. adding a record 19.2 GW of capacity last year, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA). The SEIA said that was a 43% jump from 2019, with utility-scale installations experiencing a 65% increase last year compared to […]
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Hydrogen
Hydrogen from Nuclear Power Test Set at Idaho Lab
A California company that introduced a new electrolyzer technology last year has announced an agreement with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) to test how nuclear energy can create clean hydrogen using the product. San Jose-based Bloom Energy on May 18 said INL will use the company’s solid oxide, high-temperature electrolyzer to produce carbon-free hydrogen through electrolysis, […]
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Coal
How Innovative Technology Is Making Waves in the Power Generation Industry
Is dual-containment pipe leak detection or effluent compliance keeping you awake at night? There are smart, sustainable solutions to save time and money. Regulators, investors, media, and the general public—as well as the power generation industry itself—are all keenly aware of protecting health and safety in the process of generating power. Coal ash contains toxins, […]
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Connected Plant
Big Data Rewrites the Rule Book on Power System Risk Analysis
Extreme weather patterns, net zero acceleration, and shifting regulatory regimes demand a new methodology to assess and mitigate network challenges across both the immediate and long term. The integrity, performance, and flexibility of energy networks have become progressively more important in the face of rapid technological, economic, and environmental change. And the challenges in maintaining […]
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News
Coal Shipments to Power Sector at Lowest Level in 14 Years
Shipments of coal to U.S. power plants in 2020 fell 22% year-over-year, according to data released May 13 by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The agency said the U.S. power sector received 428 million short tons (MMst) of coal last year, the lowest amount since the EIA began publishing shipment data in 2007. The […]
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Cybersecurity
Biden Takes Executive Action to Strengthen National Cybersecurity, Secure Supply Chains
The Biden administration this week issued a new spate of actions to bolster the nation’s cybersecurity, though details of its 100-day plan issued last month to address risks to the U.S. bulk power system (BPS) remain scant. In a May 11 notice, the president said his administration would continue, for one year, a national emergency declared […]
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Workforce
Five Ways Utilities Can Leverage Data to Build a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce
Utilities represent one of the least diverse industries in the U.S. today, being 85% white and 80% male, according to a 2020 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics survey. The clarion call from policymakers, shareholders, and communities for significant social change has driven many U.S. utilities to create diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) goals in response. […]
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Plant Design
Critical Juncture: Collaboration Fast-Tracks New Madrid Power Station Plant Upgrade
The New Madrid Power Plant is an important facility in the Associated Electric Cooperative’s portfolio of assets and is fundamentally important to the company’s mission to provide affordable and reliable power to member systems. The plant and grounds cover about 3,900 acres on the Mississippi River, where approximately 175 people are employed. Originally built in […]
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Climate change
Germany Shifts Net-Zero Target to 2045, Sets Tougher Limits for Energy Industry
Germany has moved its climate neutrality target up from 2050 to 2045 and adopted new interim binding targets that will require greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions of 65% by 2030 and 88% by 2040, compared to 1990 levels. After 2050, notably, the country—which is Europe’s biggest economy—envisions it will achieve negative GHG emissions. Germany’s federal […]
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News
Carbon Capture Eyed for New Scottish Gas-Fired Plant
Two major European energy companies said they will jointly develop a new natural gas-fired power plant that features carbon capture technology. The 900-MW Peterhead CCS Power Station would be built as part of Scotland’s Net Zero Infrastructure program. SSE, a British utility, and Norwegian energy firm Equinor announced the new plant on May 11. The […]