Global Monitor
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Trends
THE BIG PICTURE: Global Coal-to-Gas Switching
The Global Energy Monitor (GEM), an organization dedicated to enhancing understanding of climate change data, in a recent report, estimated that about 89.6 GW (or 13%) of the 692 GW of global gas-fired capacity in development are coal-to-gas conversions or replacements. East Asia has the most coal-to-gas conversions or replacements in development (29.6 GW). By […]
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Solar
Major Energy Players Seal Big Deals for Renewables
The world’s oil and gas majors, along with some of the largest utility companies, continue to invest in renewable energy as they develop diversified power generation project portfolios. Among the latest is
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Hydrogen
Projects Underway as Part of UK’s Hydrogen Plan
The UK has a broad plan to develop a hydrogen economy as a feature of its commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Energy analysts have said hydrogen not only could fuel the country’s
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O&M
POWER Digest [December 2022]
Qatar Inaugurates the Country’s First Utility-Scale Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant. With Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari, president of Qatar General Electricity & Water Corp. (Kahramaa); Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi
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Hybrid Power
Mini-Grids Powering Energy Access in Africa
Governments and power generators continue to work to improve access to electricity on the African continent. Engie Energy Access, a subsidiary of French energy major Engie, recently signed a $60 million
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Nuclear
China Approves Commissioning of Thorium-Powered Reactor
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment on Aug. 2 gave Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (SINAP) the green light to commission the experimental 2-MWth thorium-based molten salt reactor (TMSR-LF1) at
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News
Storage-as-Transmission Project Announced for Germany
A project known as Netzbooster, or Grid Booster, is being deployed in Germany, designed to improve the efficiency of the country’s existing power grid infrastructure. Fluence Energy GmbH, a subsidiary of
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Trends
European Energy Crisis Prompts Utility Takeovers in Germany, France
With winter fast approaching, and the dreaded effects of extreme natural gas price levels and volatility looming, together with unprecedented uncertainty of fuel supply, governments in Germany and France have
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Trends
POWER Digest [November 2022]
JX Nippon Acquires NRG’s Share of Petra Nova Carbon Capture Plant for $3.6 Million. ENEOS Group, a Japanese energy and non-ferrous metals business group that owns JX Nippon Oil and Gas Exploration, will
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Gas
Europe Turns to LNG to Avert Energy Crisis
European nations are looking at ways to increase their imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), including from Russia, as concerns about a shortage of natural gas across the European Union (EU) continue ahead
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Trends
Can Power Plant Wastewater Be Valuable?
The rise and rapid adoption of the circular economy—a systems solution framework that seeks to keep materials, products, and services in circulation for as long as possible—is triggering an interesting
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History
The Big Picture: Power Plant Additions Over the Decades [Infographic]
The deployment of new power plants in the U.S. over the past 14 decades has hinged on policies, markets, technologies, and new industry players. Every decade has presented its own state of multidimensional, multivariate complexity. The ongoing “energy transition,” which has been characterized by the addition of smaller, carbon-free resources, marks another pivotal period in […]
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Trends
POWER Digest (October 2022)
Saft Installs Batteries on Italian Islands. Saft, a subsidiary of TotalEnergies, has installed seven maintenance-free Flex’ion lithium-ion battery systems supporting a microgrid with solar plants on the
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Solar
Australia Taking ‘Renewable’ Approach to Decommissioning Coal Plants
Australia stands at a crossroads when it comes to its energy strategy. On the one hand, the country has moved to embrace clean energy in the past few years, with renewables growing to 29% of total generation
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Offshore Wind
Rapid Progress for Japan’s Offshore Wind Ambitions
Japan’s ambitions to install up to 10 GW of offshore wind power by 2030 have made rapid progress over the past month, driven partly by accelerated action to address a supply and demand mismatch. Weeks after
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Hybrid Power
‘Superhybrid’ Projects Support Hydrogen Production in Australia
An Australia-based company is designing a project that combines multiple power generation technologies into a system that not only creates electricity but also can result in production of hydrogen. Sunshine
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Infographics
THE BIG PICTURE: Hydropower’s Climate Risks
While hydropower provides about 16% of global electricity generation today, climate change is predicted to drive various changes in hydrology that could translate into a spectrum of risks for hydropower production. A recent study published in the journal Water estimates 61% of all global hydropower dams will be in basins with very high or extreme […]
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Trends
POWER Digest [September 2022]
New Transformer Improves Power System Reliability for Zimbabweans. An Emergency Power Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project funded by ZimFund reached the last leg of implementation on July 10 with the delivery
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T&D
Upgrades to Line Sensors Support Reliability of the Power Grid
New technologies to monitor power lines are emerging worldwide, part of continuing efforts to harden the power grid and increase reliability and resiliency. Utilities and other operators of electricity
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Coal
Holtec Unveils Green Boiler Designed to Repurpose Coal Plants
Holtec International, an equipment provider that specializes in the design and manufacture of parts for nuclear reactors, in May unveiled a “green boiler” technology that is designed to repurpose existing
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Coal
POWER Digest [August 2022]
Emerson Involved in Coal-to-Biomass Switch. Albioma, a French independent energy provider, is working with Emerson, a global technology and software company, on the transition of the Bois Rouge 108-MW
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Hydrogen
RWE to Take Over Vattenfall’s 1.4-GW ‘Hydrogen-Ready’ Dutch Gas-Fired Plant
German energy giant RWE will in September acquire Vattenfall’s 1.4-GW Magnum combined cycle gas-fired power station, a project in the Netherlands where work is underway to explore converting one of the three
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Solar
Floating Solar Project Supports Portugal’s Decarbonization Strategy
The largest floating solar farm in Europe, located on the reservoir for a hydroelectric dam in Portugal, is expected to begin producing power this month. The July startup of the Alqueva installation (Figure
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News
POWER Digest [July 2022]
Large-Volume Ammonia Co-Firing Demonstration at JERA Coal Plant to Begin a Year Earlier. Japanese firms JERA—a joint venture between Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) and Chubu Electric—and IHI Corp. on May
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Hydrogen
Nuclear, Hydrogen, CCUS Part of at Least 42 Country Ambitions
At least 42 nationally determined contributions (NDCs) submitted under the Paris Agreement as of December 2021 indicate governments plan to utilize carbon capture and storage (CCS), hydrogen and ammonia, and
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Renewables
Morocco Project Could Support UK’s Renewable Goals, Hydrogen Economy
A project to bring solar and wind energy from a 10.5-GW project in Morocco to the UK will feature what is likely the world’s longest subsea, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables. The importation of
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International
POWER Digest [June 2022]
Twenty20 Energy Will Build Gas-Fired Plant in Papua New Guinea. Singapore-based Twenty20 Energy Systems in April announced it would design and build a new gas-fired power plant in Hela province, Papua New
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Offshore Wind
Dramatic Innovation-Driven Ramp Up of Floating Offshore Wind Anticipated by 2030
A drumbeat of floating offshore wind–related developments this year suggests the pipeline for the long-nascent wind technology sub-sector may be finally beginning to grow. While floating wind’s current
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Legal & Regulatory
UK Leans Heavily on Nuclear in Bold New Energy Strategy
A long-awaited energy strategy published by the UK government on April 6 lays out bold commitments that tackle Great Britain’s multi-pronged challenges, including achieving net-zero carbon emissions while
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Trends
POWER Digest [May 2022]
Czech Republic Chooses Site for SMR Development. CEZ Group, a major conglomerate in the Czech Republic, in late March said it had set aside an area at the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant as a possible location for