Latest
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O&M
Design Tomorrow’s Combined Cycle Power Plant Using Previous Lessons Learned
Today’s construction boom in the combined cycle/cogeneration sector is great news for suppliers of gas turbines (GTs), heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), and engineer-procure-construct (EPC) services. But before this boom advances from artist’s sketches (Figure 1) to first fires, the designers of all those next-generation combined cycles should pause to reflect on the lessons learned […]
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Infographics
THE BIG PICTURE: Nuclear Financial Meltdown
Cheap natural gas, stagnant power demand, and power prices that have fallen significantly since 2008 have jeopardized the economics of about two-thirds of the nation’s 100-GW nuclear capacity, according to a working paper from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research. About 21 GW in merchant deregulated markets are […]
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O&M
The Importance of Maintaining Fly Ash Hopper Bin Level Monitoring
The power industry has a critical need to measure the bin level inside fly ash hoppers under electrostatic precipitators (ESPs). The inherent problem associated with these hoppers is that they are usually
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O&M
Closed Circuit Reverse Osmosis System Squeezes Money Savings Out of Water Management
In water-strapped California, managing power plant water usage is more important than ever. Southern California Edison implemented novel closed circuit reverse osmosis systems at five of its gas-fired
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O&M
Ameren’s TAC Microgrid Seamlessly Integrates Distributed Energy Resources
The microgrid installation at the Ameren Illinois Technology Applications Center (TAC) near the University of Illinois campus in Champaign—designed, engineered, and constructed by S&C Electric Co. of
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O&M
Collaboration and Innovation Produce a Powerful Microgrid Solution
The challenge was to take a facility that was far off the grid, and move it forward as an energy self-sufficient complex while also turning an idea into a commercially viable product. That was the impetus
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History
Microgrids: An Old Concept Could Be New Again
Self-contained, small islands of electric generation, storage and distribution inside the existing grid–microgrids–could be the next big thing in electricity. But some argue they may be just another
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Coal
Market Dynamics Are Complicated as Coal Battles Natural Gas
Several factors favor natural gas when it comes to the future of U.S. power generation. But other forces, such as power demand, energy efficiency, and the impact of renewables, make it a complex fray. Let’s
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O&M
Stepping Up Cybersecurity: Power Producers Move Ahead
The energy sector has been hit with almost one-third of the cyberattacks against U.S. industrial facilities in recent years. It is among the top issues, along with reliability, environmental regulations, and
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O&M
A Proactive Program to Mitigate Coal Dust Reduces the Risk of Explosions
Coal, by its very nature, is a dusty fuel. That poses a serious risk at coal-fired power plants, because coal dust can be highly explosive. However, actions can be taken to reduce the risk. Implementing strict