POWER
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Commentary
Renewable Energy Insurers Trying to Limit Coverage for Severe Convective Storms
Severe convective storms, also known as severe thunderstorms, may not generate the same headlines as hurricanes, but these storms can pose a greater threat to inland solar and wind energy projects. The
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IIOT Power
Dynamic Innovators: 2023 Connected Plant ‘Game Changers’
Along with technology and process, this year’s Connected Plant Conference (CPC) spotlights the people driving digitalization, the holistic transformation of business models and operations into a more connected, data-driven, versatile, and efficient environment. The 7th annual conference, which took place June 25–28, 2023, in New Orleans, Louisiana, in an award ceremony, celebrated the achievements of several […]
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Trends
Dynamic Innovation in Power Sector Digitalization
The power industry’s rapid adoption of digitalization is a striking example of its dynamic innovation—the continuous development and introduction of new ideas, products, or processes to meet shifting
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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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Coal
A Long Time Coming: Rawhide Unit 1 Is Coal Users’ Group Plant of the Year
After years of upgrade and retrofit projects, and a keen focus on safety and continuous improvement, the Coal Users’ Group board of directors selected Platte River Power Authority’s Rawhide Unit 1 as the
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T&D
Improving the U.S. Electric Power Grid: Mitigating Vulnerabilities and Enhancing Operation
The U.S. power grid has many vulnerabilities, but power companies, with additional support from the government, are investing in the system and enhancing its operation through new innovative technology. The
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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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Wind
New Tech Highlights Innovation, Spurs Growth in Wind Energy
Onshore, offshore, and up in the air—the power of wind is evident in the changing energy landscape. Advancements in wind power technology are many, with developers in both the onshore and offshore sectors
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T&D
Inertia and the Power Grid: Should We Be Worried About System Stability?
One concern some observers raise about the growth of inverter-based resources, such as solar, wind, and battery storage, supplying the power grid is that they don’t provide inertia. Inertia has historically
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Coal
Reducing Operational Constraints and Emissions by Increasing Flexible Energy Capacity
Today, modern network technology can transform commercial and industrial facilities into power sources that generate, store, and trade clean energy, allowing owners to increase cash flow, achieve
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IIOT Power
New Technologies Are Making Nuclear Energy Safer and More Efficient
It’s been nearly seven decades since the first nuclear power station began operating. Thanks to digital transformation, this form of energy generation has never been safer—or more efficient. While the
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Sustainability
Five Reasons Why Power Plant Owners Should Consider Repurposing Their Assets
Aging power plants are not necessarily liabilities. Owners must consider all of their options for both sites and equipment before they inadvertently discard valuable assets. The shift toward renewable energies
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Gas
Restoring Power Plants to Dependable Peak Efficiency
Two peaker plants in the southern U.S. found the experience and know-how of a seasoned rotating equipment services provider indispensable during a control system upgrade and a generator rewind project. Every
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News
To Repower or Not to Repower? That’s the Question; Here’s How Asset Owners Can Answer It
Photovoltaic (PV) systems eventually lose their ability to generate power, leaving asset owners with a major decision on what to do next. Whether it’s outright damage from extreme weather events or expected
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Legal & Regulatory
FERC Can Support Hydrogen by Taking Jurisdiction Over Interstate Pipelines
As the U.S. moves toward decarbonization, hydrogen is expected—in its green, blue, and grey varieties—to increasingly be an alternative to conventional fossil fuels. It can be produced in abundance from
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Energy Security
Rethinking Energy Reliability with Modern Power Systems
As the energy transition to inverter-based resources continues, reliability risk increases and requires additional investment to mitigate threats. But what measures should be put in place, what are the
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Offshore Wind
Domestic Manufacturing of Export Cables Key for U.S. Offshore Wind Industry
The demand for electricity generated from renewable sources is increasing rapidly as the world transitions to cleaner energy sources. The Energy Information Administration earlier this year said about 21.5% of U.S. power generation comes from renewable resources, with wind accounting for about 10.2% of that total, followed by hydropower (6.2%) and solar (3.4%). Wind power, […]
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O&M
Solenoid Valves: Choosing the Right Option for Power Generation Applications
Solenoid valves play a crucial role in power generation applications, providing reliable and efficient control over fluid and gas flow. Their ability to operate quickly and precisely makes them indispensable in power plants, ensuring seamless operations and enhanced safety. In this article, we will look into the fundamentals of solenoid valve operation, explore their significance […]
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Power
Fusion Energy Reaches Prime Time
Over the last three years, electricity generation from fusion has moved from the realm of science fiction to the brink of serious development. A lot has happened, but challenges remain before fusion arrives on
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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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Nuclear
Searching for Advanced Nuclear Power Technology? Look to Idaho
It might surprise many people to learn that nearly every operating reactor in the world has technological roots in Idaho. The fact is, the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), which was known as the National
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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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Connected Plant
Utilizing Data Is Key for Top Grid, Power Plant Performance
The wealth of data available for today’s power generators is supporting more efficient electricity production, and more reliability and resiliency for the grid. There are many reasons utilities and power
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History
Enduring Value: Entergy’s More Than 100-Year-Old Story
One man’s ambition to electrify the Middle South and improve its economic outlook 110 years ago evolved from a handshake for steam from a boiler powered with waste sawdust into Entergy Corp., a
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Fiction
Marnie Surfaceblow: An Engineer Never Sleeps, She Waits (for the Next Problem)
Every power plant requires diligence for safe, efficient, reliable, and economic operation—especially when you mix old and new technologies. Never neglect showing care and respect toward even your “old
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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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Sustainability
Why Energy Efficiency Should Be a Priority for Every Manufacturer
Manufacturing is among the most energy-intensive industries in the U.S., making sustainability efforts all the more important, and potentially impactful. Businesses looking to run and maintain their facilities more sustainably have a few options, some of which offer an almost immediate impact. Manufacturers should consider the path toward sustainability as a series of steps, focusing […]
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Solar
Effects of Evolving NatCat Risks on Reliability and Insurability of Renewable Assets
News on extreme weather events in the U.S. report an increase in both frequency and size over the last couple of years, including thunderstorms, tornadoes, convective storms, flash floods, hurricanes, and winter storms. This has a massive impact on a renewable energy asset’s reliability and insurability; there have even been cases where lenders won’t approve […]
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Hydrogen
Overcoming Green Hydrogen’s Major Operational Cost: Electricity
There are many ways to create hydrogen from renewable energy resources. The challenge is to reduce the cost of such fuel production, in order to position green hydrogen as a viable option to support