Global Monitor
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Renewables
Uganda Ready to Double Generation with More Hydro Projects
Ugandan officials said they want to double the country’s installed power generation capacity over the next two years, primarily with the construction of hydropower projects. However, those same officials
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Coal
Beleaguered Eskom Starts Up Kusile’s First Supercritical Coal Unit
Africa’s first major coal-fired power unit to implement flue gas desulfurization (FGD) has been completed nearly a year earlier than expected. South Africa’s state-owned utility Eskom brought Kusile 1
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Nuclear
China Advances HTGR Technology
China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Corp. (SNPTC) has completed the installation of its high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR) project, the joint venture told the International Atomic Energy Agency
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Renewables
POWER Digest [November 2017]
Giant UK Tidal Lagoon Project Secures Grid Connection Deal. Tidal Lagoon Power’s project to build a full-scale 3.2-GW tidal lagoon power plant in the Severn Estuary in Swansea Bay to harness strong tides on
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Coal
Scotland to Press Ahead with CCS in Response to UK Inaction
The UK dropped the ball on carbon capture and storage (CCS) development and Scotland intends to pick it up, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced in early September. In the government’s program
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Coal
Poland Will End Coal Investments, Move Toward Nuclear
Poland’s energy minister in September said the country was ready to shift away from coal-fired power, which provides about 90% of its electricity. Krzysztof Tchorzewski, speaking at the Krynica-Zdroj
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Renewables
As Gas Power Generation Jumps in the EU, Bloc Guards Against Supply Disruptions
Banking on natural gas as it moves away from coal, the European Union (EU) in September adopted new rules that require member states to help neighbors affected by supply disruptions. The new rules adopted by
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History
THE BIG PICTURE: The History of Power
During its 135-year history, POWER magazine’s pages have reflected the fast-changing evolution of the technologies and markets that characterize the world’s power sector today. —Copy and artwork by Sonal Patel, a POWER associate editor
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Coal
POWER Digest (October 2017)
Construction Scheduled for Hydrogen Fuel Cell Plant in South Korea. Hanwha Energy on August 25 approved formation of a subsidiary, Daesan Green Energy , to build a 50-MW hydrogen fuel cell plant in the
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Nuclear
Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Experiment Underway in the Netherlands
Scientists at the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG) in Petten, Netherlands, have commenced the world’s first thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR) experiment in more than 45 years (Figure 1). The
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Renewables
OPG, First Nations Group Partner on Ontario Hydro Project
A partnership between Ontario Power Generation (OPG) and Coral Rapids Power, a wholly owned subsidiary of Taykwa Tagamou Nation (TTN), a Cree nation in northeastern Ontario, in late August announced the
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Renewables
Heterojunction Solar Technology Being Deployed at Siberian Site
A joint venture of two Russian companies is building a solar power project in southern Siberia based on heterojunction technology (HJT), which is touted as a high-efficiency solar cell concept. Researchers
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Renewables
Green Climate Fund Makes Largest Investment Yet
In its largest investment to date, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) is teaming up with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to contribute $1 billion to the Egyptian Government’s
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O&M
Novel Power Converter Integrating Multiple Power Sources Could Replace Diesel Generators
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have developed a unique large-scale power converter that can swiftly switch between multiple energy sources to help
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Environmental
Reports: Electric Vehicles Are Poised to Reshape Global Power Consumption
The rapid adoption of electric vehicles (EVs)—both battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)—is expected to transform global electricity consumption through 2040, three
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Renewables
POWER Digest (September 2017)
Canadian Solar Expands Solar Power in Japan. Canadian Solar in July started commercial operation of its latest group of photovoltaic solar power plants in Japan as it continues to build its solar presence in
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Nuclear
TVO Gets Good News in Ongoing Dispute with Areva
Finnish power company Teollisuuden Voima Oyj (TVO) in July celebrated another win in ongoing legal proceedings with French nuclear company Areva. The two companies have been at odds for years concerning cost
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Renewables
Tesla to Install World’s Largest Lithium-Ion Battery Storage Project
A lithium-ion battery under development by Tesla in South Australia (SA) will be the world’s largest of its type when completed by the end of the year. Through a competitive bidding process, Tesla was
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Renewables
UK Power Group Set to Phase Out Coal
The Drax Group operates the UK’s largest power station, and in a country where government leaders have said all coal generation needs to be retired by 2025, Drax is moving forward with plans to convert its
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Renewables
Integrated Solar-Hydro Project Takes Float
The combination of solar power and water is in use around the world, with various solar arrays placed on lakes to provide renewable energy from the sun. However, a project in Portugal has found a new way to
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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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Renewables
China Connects Panda-Shaped Solar Plant to the Grid
In late June, Panda Green Energy Group Limited connected the first-ever panda bear-shaped solar plant to the grid. The plant, which is currently in its testing phase, is only the beginning. “This is the
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O&M
Three Companies Evaluate Natural Gas Unit Conversion to Hydrogen for Carbon Capture
Three major firms want to evaluate the possibility of converting a natural gas–fired power plant in the Netherlands into a hydrogen-powered plant to possibly capture its carbon emissions. Statoil
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Gas
Iran Puts CHP Plant, Transmission Line into Service
Iran on July 12 began operating its first combined heat and power (CHP) plant, a 14.4-MW facility in the Yazd Province in central Iran. The managing director of Yazd Regional Electricity Co., Mohammad Hassan
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Coal
Canadian Carbon Price Hits a Wall in Saskatchewan
If the province of Saskatchewan does not join Canada’s carbon pricing scheme, it will be unable to benefit from the nation’s recently announced Low Carbon Economy Fund. Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall said
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Renewables
POWER Digest (August 2017)
Rosatom Gets Approval to Proceed with Turkish Reactors. Turkey’s energy watchdog EPDK in mid-June gave Russia’s state-owned nuclear entity Rosatom the green light to proceed with construction of the $20
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Coal
South Korean President Details Phase-out of Coal, Nuclear Power
During his electoral campaign, South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed to end the country’s reliance on coal and also said the nation would move away from nuclear energy. He took a major step in that
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Renewables
Researchers Develop Hybrid Salinity Gradient Power Technology
A hybrid technology created by researchers at Penn State University could be the breakthrough needed to advance efforts to produce power based on the salt concentrations between two water sources. Researchers