Latest
-
T&D
Benefits 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
-
Renewables
Floating 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
-
History
Fusion 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
-
Press Releases
Equipment 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
-
Commentary
Raising 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
-
Legal & Regulatory
Losing Regulatory Approval Gamble, AEP Scraps $4.5B Wind Project
American Electric Power (AEP) has abandoned its mammoth $4.5 billion Wind Catcher project, one of its largest planned investments, and a key part of its strategy to tamp down carbon emissions by 2030. Under AEP subsidiary Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)’s proposed Wind Catcher project, AEP would have acquired a 2-GW wind farm—under construction in […]
-
Nuclear
Plan in Works to Finish Bellefonte Nuclear Plant in Alabama
It’s been 30 years since the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) called a halt to construction of the Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant in Alabama. Details of a deal to finish the plant and its two Babcock & Wilcox pressurized water reactors were announced at a news conference near the idled project July 30. Business executives and […]
-
Renewables
Large Solar-Plus-Storage Projects Planned Near Las Vegas
Two planned solar projects in Nevada would be the first in that state to include battery storage, part of an increasing trend toward such projects to help mitigate issues with integrating renewable energy into the larger transmission grid. Both projects are scheduled to begin construction next year pending regulatory approval, with the Bureau of Land […]
-
Nuclear
Duane Arnold Nuclear Plant Will Close in 2020
NextEra Energy Resources, the wholesale power generating subsidiary of Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc., announced it has struck a deal to shorten its power purchase agreement (PPA) with Alliant Energy and will retire the Duane Arnold Energy Center (DAEC)—a 615-MW nuclear power plant located in Palo, Iowa—before the end of 2020. DAEC’s reactor is licensed with […]
-
Coal
High Summer Temperatures Send CAISO and ERCOT Scrambling to Maintain Grid Reliability
California and Texas—two regions where summer reliability concerns were forecast earlier this year—are suffering extreme temperatures and are scrambling to relieve stress on the grid. The California Independent System Operator (CAISO)—the grid operator that serves about 80% of California—on July 24 and 25 issued statewide Flex Alerts, calling for voluntary electricity conservation during peak afternoon […]