POWER
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Carbon Capture
Carbon Capture: Perspectives on the State of Affairs
Carbon capture is an important means of addressing worldwide greenhouse gas levels, but where are we in terms of implementation? Carbon capture will play a key role in decarbonization plans for businesses
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O&M
Capturing the Opportunity: A Look at Carbon Capture and Utilization
An important part of the global effort to curb emissions of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is development of technologies to capture CO 2 , to design ways to store it, and to find beneficial ways to use it. Addressing
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Engineering
Engineering the Next Generation
Improving processes and unlocking future innovations relies on new ideas. Many of the engineers of tomorrow who will deliver these breakthroughs are currently learning their craft at universities around the
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Commentary
Why Solar Parks Are in Desperate Need of Good Publicity
Americans have much to gain from having a solar project installed in their local community, but their relationship with solar energy is hardly a love affair. The infamous NIMBY (not in my backyard) phenomenon
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Cybersecurity
Keeping the Lights On: How Plant Operators Manage Cyber Risk
Interrupting power grids is one of the most effective ways to cripple a town or a city. If a region can’t keep the lights on, pretty much everything must come to a halt until the issue is remedied. For this reason, the power and energy industry has become a prime target for cyberattacks on operational […]
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Energy Storage
Curtailment Challenge: How Long-Duration Energy Storage Improves Solar Utilization and Delivers Immediate Carbon Reductions
Most major utilities and energy generators have by now committed to cutting carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions in order to meet both government and corporate targets and ultimately avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Decarbonizing the energy sector, which contributes 35% of the world’s total emissions, is thus a critical aspect of […]
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Microgrid
Microgrids Can Provide Resiliency During Extreme Weather Events
Microgrids are small, self-sustaining local power systems that provide big benefits to the communities they serve. As extreme weather events become more common, microgrids will become more important not only
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Commentary
States Address EV Charging Infrastructure
In addition to affordability, range anxiety—the ability to access efficient and reliable vehicle charging—remains one of the largest barriers to electric vehicle (EV) adoption. At the federal level
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Trends
Grid Infrastructure and Renewable Energy Projects Thrive, Workforce and Supply Chain Issues Continue in 2023
The Inflation Reduction Act will spur growth in clean energy and upgrades to grid infrastructure, but workforce shortages and supply chain constraints are likely to challenge power companies for at least the
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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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Supply Chains
Power Sector Seeks Solutions for Supply Chain Issues
The pandemic exposed issues with the global supply chain that provides resources for power generation. The pressure of having enough equipment to meet industry needs has spurred an emphasis on domestic
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Energy Security
Enhancing and Hardening the U.S. Power Grid
It’s no secret that the U.S. power grid needs some work. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), nearly 70% of the nation’s grid is more than 25 years old. The DOE says the U.S. needs to expand
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Nuclear
Being Pro-Nuclear Won’t Be Enough—Here’s Why
Nuclear energy—not just nuclear power—is seeing a burst of innovation unlike anything seen since the 1950s. While the strong momentum for the dispatchable zero-carbon energy source is promising, prominent pitfalls threaten necessary progress.
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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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IIOT Power
Experts Explain: Digital Twins
In this fresh series, POWER’s editors choose a multifaceted topic that may have myriad applications or implications, and ask an array of key industry stakeholders for their perspectives. This month’s
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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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Commentary
Are We Headed for a Reliability Train Wreck?
So far, utilities have announced plans to retire some 93,000 MW (nameplate) of coal—almost half the existing coal fleet—by the end of this decade. Coal retirements combined with increasing penetration of
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Workforce
Three Ways Power Companies Should Plan Ahead to Integrate, Activate, and Retain Top Talent
Workforce issues are top of mind at many power companies. As workers become harder and harder to find, it’s important for leaders to implement proven strategies for recruiting and inspiring qualified team
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Renewables
Risk Mitigation: An Essential Prerequisite for Inflation Reduction Act Funding
The groundbreaking Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will put hundreds of billions of dollars toward renewables. As the most comprehensive energy policy in recent years, the IRA is already having a profound impact
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O&M
Water Chemistry Important to Avoid Equipment Damage
Technology advances for heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs) at power plants continue to provide higher efficiency, with major gains recognized in natural gas–fired and cogeneration systems in recent
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Legal & Regulatory
Identifying State-Focused Renewable Energy Tax Exemptions
President Joe Biden last year signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that, in addition to a number of other actions, extended and enhanced a number of green energy tax opportunities. Notably, it extended the
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Hydrogen
Should We Really Use Renewable Electricity to Make Green Hydrogen? Not Always
There’s a growing belief that hydrogen will play a key role in lowering CO 2 emissions. However, there are several caveats in realizing that vision, and in some cases, hydrogen may not be the right choice
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O&M
APM: Making It Easy to Maintain a Greener Grid
The Inflation Reduction Act gave the power generation industry the push it needed to go all in on renewable energy. In the short term, we’ll see more solar and onshore wind. In the long term, we’ll have
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Research and Development
Enterprise Asset Management: Empowering Stronger Vision for Net-Zero Reality
Managers are constantly battling to improve efficiency and become more sustainable. Having effective asset management tools can help decision-makers visualize what’s working well and what isn’t, so fixes
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Hybrid Power
Hybrids Combine Technologies to Enhance Electricity Production
Solar + wind, solar + storage, wind + storage—even fossil fuels combined with renewable energy—are supporting the growth of hybrid power plants that are breaking the norms of traditional power generation
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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
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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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Nuclear
War and Nuclear Power: Stakes Are High for People, Environment, and Industry
John Stevens Cabot Abbott, the 19th century American historian perhaps best known for writing History of Napoleon Bonaparte and History of the Civil War in America , is attributed with the quote, “War is the