Global Monitor
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Nuclear
Czech Republic Expanding Nuclear Power Program
The Czech Republic is looking to expand its use of nuclear power, with utility CEZ launching another tender looking for companies to bid on construction of new reactors and generators at the country’s two
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Hydrogen
POWER Digest [August 2023]
Colombian Dam Site of Major Floating Solar Project. A new solar power system that will float on the reservoir at the Urrá Dam in Colombia is designed to demonstrate that hydroelectric stations dealing with
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Energy Security
Thermal Power Plants in Cuba Struggle to Meet Demand
Since 2021, Cuba has been going through a complex situation in its national electrical system. Blackouts have been increasing, with higher incidence in recent months. Although projections predicted an
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Electrification
Space Solar Power Prototype Beams First Power to Earth
California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech’s) first space-borne prototype launched into orbit has demonstrated the ability to wirelessly transmit power in space and beam detectable power to Earth. The
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Trends
Integration of Hydropower and Hydrogen Gains Momentum
In May, U.S. national laboratories Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) partnered with regulated utility Idaho Power to determine the viability of integrating
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Nuclear
Dutch Officials Set Funding for Nuclear Power Program
Government officials in the Netherlands have earmarked more than $350 million to fund further development of nuclear energy in the country, including extending the operating license of the 485-MW Borssele
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Full Coverage
OTEC, a Long-Stalled Baseload Ocean Power Technology, Is Seeing a Swell
A project to deploy a 1.5-MW commercial-scale ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) platform in the African island nation of São Tomé and Príncipe by 2025 has gained a key design certification. The crucial
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Nuclear
POWER Digest [June 2023]
KEPCO Wants to Extend Operations of Two Reactors. Japanese utility Kansai Electric Power Co. (KEPCO) in April asked Japan’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) for permission to extend the lifespan of Units 3
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Solar
Europe Ramps Renewables, Looks for New Gas to Reduce Reliance on Russia
European countries have moved quickly to adopt new energy sources after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Governments have reduced imports of Russian-produced energy, with demand for natural gas
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Geothermal
Canada Starts Up First Geothermal ‘Co-Production’ Power Project at Active Legacy Oil Field
A pioneering 21-MW power project that economically produces geothermal power with co-produced hydrocarbon fluids from an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operation is now commercially operating in Alberta, Canada
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Trends
POWER Digest [May 2023]
European Grid Operator Secures 22 GW of HVDC Projects. European transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT will lead a charge to install 11 2-GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems by 2031. A long-term
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Nuclear
India Eyes Major Expansion of Nuclear Power
India’s government is pushing for construction of more nuclear power plants as the country looks to increase its supply of cleaner energy. Officials have made some ambitious pronouncements, calling for as
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Hydrogen
Successful Test of Hydrogen in Gas Turbine Driving a Natural Gas Compressor in Germany
A project led by two major European gas transmission system operators (TSOs) has successfully tested blending rates of up to 25% hydrogen on a Titan 130 SoLoNOx Solar Turbines gas turbine, which serves as a
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Coal
India Commissions First Supercritical Coal Plant Equipped with Air-Cooled Condenser
NTPC, India’s largest energy conglomerate and its largest coal generator, in March commissioned the country’s first supercritical coal-fired plant equipped with an air-cooled condenser (ACC). The effort
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Gas
POWER Digest [April 2023]
New Natural Gas–Fired Plant Approved for Philippines. San Miguel Consolidated Power Corp. (SMCPC), a wholly owned subsidiary of SMC Global Power Holdings Corp., said it received environmental approval to
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Hydro
Trial Operation of Innovative Horizontal Pelton Hydropower Turbine Underway in Austria
A pioneering horizontal, six-nozzle Pelton turbine developed by Voith Hydro at the 326-GWh Gerlos 1 pumped storage facility in the Ziller Valley, Austria, is setting new benchmarks for the 140-year-old
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Coal
South Africa Energy Crisis at Critical Stage as Load-Shedding Continues
The energy crisis in South Africa has prompted continued calls for government action, and officials in January said an energy action plan announced last year is starting to be implemented. The plan was laid
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Solar
Solar Power/Hydrogen Project Underway in DRC
Hydrogène de France (HDF Energy) has entered into a partnership with the government of Kinshasa, a city-province and capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in Africa, for construction and operation
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Trends
POWER Digest [March 2023]
Pakistan Begins Commercial Operation of 1.3-GW Coal Plant. Pakistan on Feb. 7 began commercial operation of a 1.3-GW coal-fired power plant in the Thar Desert in Sindh province, southern Pakistan. The project
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Infographics
THE BIG PICTURE: U.S. Combined Heat and Power and Microgrids
As of December 2022, the Department of Energy (DOE) CHP Installation Database recorded 4,674 combined heat and power (CHP) installations in the U.S., with a combined capacity of 80.4 GW. Installations were all sizes, from large industrial systems that are hundreds of megawatts to small commercial microturbine and fuel cell systems that are tens of […]
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Trends
Floating Nuclear Power Buoyant on New Prospects
In July 1968, the U.S. Army sent the world’s first floating nuclear power plant, the Sturgis, to the Panama Canal to help overcome a regional hydroelectric power plant shortage, which was driven by a severe
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Biomass
Researchers Exploring Ways to Expand Use of Biomass
A resurgence in the use of biomass to produce energy is underway, in part as a way for countries to continue the transition away from fossil fuels for electricity production. Groups are working on ways to burn
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Infographics
The Big Picture: Off-Grid Power [Infographic]
An estimated 91% of the world’s population had access to electricity in 2020, marking substantial progress toward goals to ensure universal access to power. Still, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), 733 million people remain unserved. Off-grid and decentralized energy systems may be emerging as an alternative to facilitate energy access and resilience, […]
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Energy Security
2022 Set a Global Record for Coal Generation
The recent shake-up in natural gas markets and their ensuing impact on energy security, and geopolitical tension, dramatically altered the trajectory of global coal-fired generation, sending it soaring to
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Coal
POWER Digest [February 2023]
Geothermal Plant Planned in Colombia. Colombian petroleum company Ecopetrol in December announced plans to build a 250-kW geothermal power plant in the Apiay oil complex in Meta, Colombia. The power plant will
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Trends
10 Near-Term Global Power Sector Trends
While 2021 provided its own share of extraordinary energy debacles, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022 cascaded into full-blown energy turmoil. This year will begin with the world “in the midst of
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News
Egypt Uses COP27 to Announce Large-Scale Renewable, Hydrogen Projects
The recent United Nations (UN) COP27 climate conference in Egypt was host to several announcements of large-scale renewable energy projects, including one of the world’s largest wind farms, along with an
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Renewables
Global Market for PPAs Supports Renewable Energy Projects
Large global corporate groups continue to buy stakes in major renewable energy projects and sign power purchase agreements (PPAs) designed to provide long-term electricity for their operations. Some
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Trends
POWER Digest [January 2023]
Brazil Formally Restarts Construction of Angra 3 Nuclear Reactor. Eletronuclear, a mixed-ownership subsidiary of Brazilian state-run power group Eletrobras, has resumed construction of Angra 3, a 1.4-GW
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Nuclear
Nuclear Power Is Finally Poised to Ramp Up Again in Japan
The Japanese have been hesitant to re-embrace nuclear power following the triple reactor meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011, but there are indications that nuclear power could ramp up again in