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  • DOE Picks Three Offshore Demonstration Projects to Proceed to Phase II

    The Department of Energy (DOE) on Wednesday selected three projects to proceed to the second phase of its offshore wind advanced technology demonstration initiative: Fishermen’s Atlantic City Windfarm, Principle Power’s Oregon project, and Dominion Virginia Power’s Virginia Beach project.  Assistant Secretary of the DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) David Danielson revealed […]

  • [UPDATED] Fire at Coal Power Plant Takes Facility Out of Service Indefinitely

    [Update May 13] A serious fire at the Martin Drake Power Plant in downtown Colorado Springs will leave the facility offline for an indefinite period of time. The fire began at approximately 9:40 a.m. on May 5. The first firefighters arrived on the scene within five minutes and faced a difficult decision on how to […]

  • Manpower Report: Power Industry Faces Talent Shortage

    A report released on May 5 by staffing firm Manpower suggests that utilities are under a “double squeeze”—a shortage of skilled workers at both the entry and senior level—caused by an aging workforce, advances in technology, and a breakdown in the educational system. In its report, “Strategies to Fuel the Energy Workforce,” Manpower noted that […]

  • The Pluses and Minuses of Data Diodes

     
    Over the past few years data diodes have received a lot of attention due to their ability to assist plants in defending against cyber security threats. A traditional diode allows current to flow in only one direction in an electrical circuit. Similarly a data diode ensures unidirectional communication from high to low security areas of a

  • Obama to Nominate LaFleur as FERC Commissioner

    On May 1, President Obama announced his intention to nominate Cheryl A. LaFleur for a second term as commissioner at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). LaFleur was first nominated to serve as a member of FERC in 2010. She became the acting chairman in November 2013 following Jon Wellinghoff’s resignation. Her term is slated […]

  • Coal and Nuclear Nearly Invisible at Platts Global Power Markets

    Gas, wind, and solar are it for any new generation in North America for the next five to 10 years (with a few one-offs), speakers at this year’s Platts Global Power Markets conference agreed. The annual event for those involved in power project development, financing, and litigation was held in Las Vegas Apr. 7 to […]

  • Energy Storage Technologies Primer

    Though often lumped together under the term “energy storage,” the field is in fact a wide range of technologies ranging from well established to speculative, each with different functions, advantages, and drawbacks. The discussion below focuses on existing grid-scale (greater than 1 MW rated power) projects and is generally ordered by level of deployment. Pumped […]

  • Are Large Dams Unviable?

    After a lull that spanned nearly two decades, a hoard of new massive hydropower projects are being developed around the world. Some, like the 11.2-GW Belo Monte dam in Brazil, the 4.5-GW Diamer-Bhasha project

  • POWER Digest (May 2014)

    Netherlands to Ban Financing of Coal Plants Abroad. The Netherlands on Mar. 24 joined an initiative of the U.S., the UK, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden to reach a global climate change agreement

  • 59-MW Fuel Cell Park Opening Heralds Robust Global Technology Future

    The 59-MW Gyeonggi Green Energy fuel cell park (Figure 3) in South Korea’s Hwasung City—one of the world’s largest fuel cell facilities—began operation in February. The five-acre facility built by