GAS POWER Direct

There’s plenty of uncertainty in gas-fired power these days, with low prices and impending coal plant retirements. Even so, many generators are forging ahead with some ambitious projects and plans for the future.

That natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel isn’t news. But recent scientific studies are showing that it’s also a key tool in the efforts to reduce climate change.

Gas production by hydraulic fracturing has upended the global energy markets, and talk of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports has major producers astir. But on the horizon is another game-changer: enormous floating LNG platforms that could again reset the equation. 

Science costs money, and someone has to pay the bill. When that someone is a corporation or industry group, certain hackles get raised. But does “industry-funded” research really deserve the condemnation it gets? The answer isn’t a simple yes or no.

These are heady days for gas-fired power, as record low prices have turned natural gas from an also-ran into possibly the leading source of electricity generation. But lurking in the background is a potential roadblock—the pipelines that bring gas to the plants, which have lagged behind in capacity. 

Gas is up and coal is down. The why of it is not so clear, nor is the degree to which it’s likely to continue. Here’s a review of the nuts and bolts, which suggests coal may be poised for a comeback.

Building almost any kind of power plant takes a lot of careful public relations. But NRG Energy has traveled a long and winding road in its attempts to replace a coastal plant in Southern California.

Incremental advances in gas turbine technology have made these industry workhorses bigger, more efficient, and more powerful. But some developments on the horizon suggest the industry is now poised to make some major leaps forward. 

When Verbund Thermal Power needed reliable and flexible condensate pumps for its new combined heat and power plant in Mellach, Austria, it used a new type of self-regulating centrifugal unit. 

In an exclusive interview with GAS POWER, International Energy Agency Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven explained how natural gas is poised to revolutionize the world’s energy business—but only if producer and policy officials make the right choices.

A review of the global gas power industry shows solid growth in gas-fired generation. Here’s a snapshot of who’s doing what, and where.

Not all is well in the realm of PJM, as several states in its jurisdiction have chafed under perceived roadblocks for expanding generation capacity. In April, Maryland fired a shot across the ISO’s bow, as its Public Service Commission ordered the construction of a new gas-fired plant.

Municipal landfills across the country have been quietly harnessing their methane emissions for years. But as the appetite for natural gas grows and the price of oil skyrockets, some creative sanitation departments are starting to make some real noise.

The failure of cap and trade seemed to have doomed the U.S. to missing greenhouse gas emissions cuts it committed to at the 2009 Copenhagen conference. But a funny thing happened on the way to the hothouse.

There are legitimate concerns with the effects hydraulic fracturing can have on health and the environment, but the discussion is in need of some perspective.

Do we really have only a decade of gas left? Or a century? Or more than that? The answer requires agreement on some definitions, and a solid grip on the big picture.

New federal regulations promise to change the fracking landscape in the coming years, perhaps substantially. But technology may be running ahead of the law, as improvements in the fracking process threaten to make some of the new rules unnecessary.

All but unthinkable a decade ago, the U.S. gas industry is gearing up for a major shift toward export of liquefied natural gas. Across the country, projects are afoot that could make the U.S. a serious LNG exporter within the next decade. GAS POWER reviews some of the major players and issues.

A lot goes into the decision to upgrade a simple-cycle plant to combined cycle. Careful planning and analysis can make the difference between a profitable, successful switch and an expensive hassle.

New regulations from the EPA have created alarm in some corners of the electricity sector. A fair review of the state of the industry indicates that most stakeholders are well-positioned to comply without sacrificing reliability.

The gas business and electric business have been joined at the hip for decades, despite numerous artificial barriers preventing an efficient coordination of resources. It’s past time to rethink the relationship.

Lower emissions from U.S. power plants in 2009 were driven by competitive pricing of natural gas versus coal.

However bright the future of gas-fired power may appear to be, the industry still needs good leadership to get there. It’s not clear we’re getting it, at least from Washington.

A fast-growing population means skyrocketing electricity demand for the desert Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The government is trying to meet this demand head-on with a massive build-out of gas turbine generation capacity, but long-term success will hinge on its ability to produce reliable domestic supplies of natural gas—a problem for a country whose existence has long been tightly tethered to crude oil production.

The Lower Colorado River Authority (LRCA) is slated to replace an aging gas-fired thermal plant outside Austin with a modern combined cycle facility. It’s an upgrade sure to be welcomed as the Texas electric market faces an increasingly murky future.

Once primarily deployed for peaking and industrial use, gas-fired combustion engines are becoming an increasing part of the baseload fleet because of their flexibility and ease of operation. Wärtsilä’s latest engine offers a new level of power and efficiency that can compete with gas-fired combustion turbines in baseload operations.

A mild winter and surging shale production have gas inventories at record highs. Absent major production cutbacks, the industry is facing the near-certain prospect of major amounts of gas being dumped on the market later this year.

The explosion of public attention directed at hydraulic fracturing in 2011 has led to heightened regulatory scrutiny. This year will likely see a range of new regulations rolling out at the federal, state, and local levels. Will this new oversight help clean up the industry—or choke it off?