Latest
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Coal
American Electric Power: A Coal Powerhouse Repositions Itself
American Electric Power, one of the premier generating utilities in the U.S., is caught between a deregulated rock—wholesale competitive capacity markets that don’t, in the company’s opinion, value solid equipment over ephemeral demand response—and a regulatory hard place of increasing federal government rules that devalue on-the-ground coal-fired generation. Add the competitive challenge of cheap natural […]
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O&M
Operational Considerations When Burning Higher-Chlorine Coal
An increasing supply of low-cost higher-chlorine coal is prompting many U.S. generators to give the fuel serious consideration in spite of its reputation for causing corrosion. Though corrosion can be a consideration, it’s not always caused simply by the fuel switch. Understanding the various chemical interactions, as well as operational and emissions pros and cons, […]
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O&M
Understanding Coal Power Plant Heat Rate and Efficiency
Proposed U.S. standards for reducing carbon emissions from existing coal-fired power plants rely heavily upon generation-side efficiency improvements. Fuel, operations, and plant design all affect the overall efficiency of a plant, as well as its carbon emissions. This review of the fundamentals of coal plant efficiency, frequent problems that reduce efficiency, and some solutions for […]
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Commentary
Coal Ash Association Welcomes EPA Final Rule
Thomas H. Adams The American Coal Ash Association (ACAA) welcomed the publication on Dec. 19 of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Final Rule regulating coal ash disposal as a “non-hazardous”
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Solar
DOE Announces $59 Million for Small Solar and Solar Manufacturing
The Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the availability of more than $59 million in funding to support solar energy innovation. Of that total, $45 million is intended “to quickly move innovative solar manufacturing technologies to market” and more than $14 million is designated for 15 new projects to help communities develop multi-year solar deployment […]
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Legal & Regulatory
NRC Completes Yucca Mountain Safety Evaluation Report
More than six and a half years after the Department of Energy (DOE) submitted its license application seeking authorization to build a geologic repository, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) staff published the final two volumes of the safety evaluation report (SER) on the Yucca Mountain site. Released on Jan. 29, Volume 2 covers repository safety before […]
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Coal
MIT Study: Carbon Sequestration May Not Work as Advertised
According to a study funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and conducted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers, a smaller portion of carbon dioxide (CO2) that is injected into the ground may be converted into rock than was previously presumed. The team, working in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric and […]
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Nuclear
Blizzard Takes Down Pilgrim Nuclear Plant [Updated]
A powerful blizzard packing hurricane-strength winds that hit the northeast U.S. yesterday and dropped as much as two feet of snow in some areas forced the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station offline after the distribution lines taking its electricity failed. According to a spokesperson with Entergy, Pilgrim’s owner, the plant shut down safely around 4 a.m. […]
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Nuclear
U.S., India, Reach Breakthrough on Nuclear Impasse
The U.S. and India announced on Jan. 25 that negotiators had reached an agreement resolving the impasse over India’s nuclear liability law that had prevented U.S. companies from supplying reactors to India out of fear of potentially unlimited liability in the case of an accident. Details of the agreement, which would create a government-sponsored insurance […]
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Partner Content
QbD1200 Datasheet
The Hach QbD1200 takes the pain out of TOC analysis and lowers your total cost of ownership.
Do you want to reconsider your painful TOC analysis? The Hach QbD1200 TOC Analyzer takes the pain out of your TOC analysis by dramatically simplifying the setup process, improving reliability of your results, and reducing overall cost of ownership.Want