POWER
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Marmaduke
Marnie Surfaceblow—Once an Engineer, Always an Engineer: Don’t Let Technology Hide Simple Problems and Their Solutions
When facing the unknown, power professionals must use their skills, draw from their experience, and think creatively. Marnie and Maya do just that while off the clock at Marnie’s high school reunion. “Hi
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Climate change
Shoring Up the Grid for Extreme Weather and Climate Change
The threat of climate change is no longer a threat—it’s here and it’s impacting everyone. However, in New Jersey, 10 years after Superstorm Sandy, communities are better prepared than ever to handle
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Nuclear
Excellent Planning and Focus on Safety Lead to Successful Feedwater Heater Replacement Project
Nuclear power plant outages are filled with intense work and tight schedules. A feedwater heater replacement project at Duke Energy’s Oconee station in South Carolina shows how teamwork coupled with
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Microgrid
Propane a Clean, Reliable Option for Microgrid Applications
Power outages have increased as the U.S. places growing demands on a century-old electric grid. In fact, the U.S. endures more blackouts than any other developed nation. And according to federal databases at the Department of Energy (DOE) and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the number of U.S. outages lasting more than an […]
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O&M
2022 Experience POWER, Distributed Energy Conference, and HydrogeNext Show Preview
Again, this year, Experience POWER will be co-located with the Distributed Energy Conference (DEC) and HydrogeNext, giving attendees the opportunity to learn from and network with trailblazers from the power industry, who are leading the way in the world’s energy transition. These three events cover the full energy value chain for the power industry, delivering […]
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Microgrid
Benefits of a Synchronous Generator in a Microgrid
As more renewable energy sources and battery storage units are specified and incorporated into power systems, consultant specifying engineers are faced with many challenges that could impact the overall design and performance of these solutions. Today, power consumers can become power producers as roof-top solar, behind-the-meter generators, and battery energy storage systems become more economical […]
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O&M
How to Defeat Dew Point Corrosion in Heat Recovery Steam Generators
The experience of South Humber Bank Power Station in the UK is just one example of overcoming corrosion challenges at power generation facilities. Facing issues during routine maintenance shutdown of heat recovery steam generators (HRSGs), South Humber began using VCI (Vapor Corrosion Inhibitor) technology to solve their dew point corrosion problem in 2009. Although it […]
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News
Power System Planners Must Account for Climate and Extreme Weather
Climate and extreme weather are increasingly impacting energy systems around the world. Heat waves have spread across the U.S. from coast to coast this summer, and many parts of Europe have also felt the
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Legal & Regulatory
Avoiding Costly Litigation—How Utilities Should Approach Property Owners When Seeking to Acquire Land
Like it or not, property acquisition for utilities, especially through eminent domain, is changing. What once was an easy, efficient process is now being met with more frequent resistance from property owners
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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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News
How Digital Technology Can Help Lower Carbon Footprint
As owners and operators of fossil fuel plants navigate through the energy transition, digital technology offers the opportunity to perform while transforming, balancing the energy trilemma of providing a
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Infographics
THE BIG PICTURE: Momentum for CCS
While only one commercial power plant equipped with carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains in operation today, the momentum for CCS appears to have picked up dramatically over the past year. According to a database curated by the Global CCS Institute, more than 30 power generation CCS projects are under construction or in various stages […]
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Coal
A Japanese Project Demonstrates a Carbon Neutrality Pathway for Coal Power
Osaki CoolGen Corp.’s complex three-phase demonstration project in Hiroshima Prefecture seeks to achieve highly efficient coal-fired power generation with near-zero emissions by integrating carbon
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Top Plant
Shanghaimiao Part of China’s Push for More Efficient Coal Plant Designs
China’s rapid buildout of new power plants, needed to satisfy the country’s increasing demand for electricity, includes several gigawatts of coal-fired generation. The first 1-GW unit of an eventual 4-GW
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History
Southern Company: A History of a Prolific Power Technology Pioneer
Atlanta-based energy giant Southern Co. has rapidly evolved to keep in step with the evolution of power. As part of its corporate growth, the company has notably pioneered technologies that have reshaped
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Nuclear
Spent Nuclear Fuel: A Valuable Resource—Not a Waste
Did you know that more than 90% of the potential energy that exists in fuel rods when they’re loaded into commercial nuclear reactors still remains in the fuel after five years of operation? Well, that’s
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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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Marmaduke
Marnie Surfaceblow—Combined Cycle Plants: Know Your Limitations and Keep Your Plant Both Online and Operating Efficiently
Steadily increasing demands leading to excessive cycling and starts/stops can cause heat rate loss, poor unit performance, and increased plant outages. See as Marnie and Maya demonstrate that even relatively
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Coal
Station Life Extension Through Coal-to-Gas Conversion
A project executed from conception through commissioning with the ideals of shared risk and shared success offers a unique approach to project execution, which could be replicated to keep other power plants in
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Legal & Regulatory
‘Major Questions’ Impacts Energy Regulation
On the final day of the Supreme Court’s term, the Court ruled in favor of West Virginia and other petitioners challenging the claimed regulatory authority that underlaid the Clean Power Plan (CPP)—the
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Point-Counterpoint
Even California’s Governor Realizes Nuclear Power Is Key to a Clean Energy Future
California in the not-so-distant past was a consistent top 10 state for nuclear power in terms of net generation. It was even known as “a pioneer in harnessing nuclear energy.” Today, though, the state has
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Point-Counterpoint
Keeping Diablo Canyon Running Past 2025 Is Not the Answer to California’s Energy Future
The 2018 agreement to close the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant by 2025 is being undermined by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, and the pro-nuclear community. They falsely claim the energy
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Technology
Innovating Grid Resilience from the Outside In
Operational innovation—creating new ways of performing core business functions like grid asset management—can provide reliable, relatively low-cost transformation for electric utilities. One area for
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Technology
The Role of Videoscopes in Gas Turbine Inspections: Insights from the Field
Traditional gas turbine inspections can be time-consuming and expensive. However, a remote visual inspection can be an effective alternative to tearing equipment apart to get a look inside. Advanced
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O&M
How Thermal Imaging Improves Early Warning Fire Detection for Battery Storage and Handling
From toothbrushes to automobiles, earbuds to mobile devices, and toys to semi-trucks, lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery technology is finding its way into just about everything. As the demand for battery-powered
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Waste to Energy
Waste-to-Energy Plants Suffer from Unplanned Shutdowns Caused by Boiler Failure
A 2021 Prewin Network unplanned shutdown survey revealed that equipment failures in waste-to-energy (WtE) and biomass plants were responsible for a total of 22.9 days of unplanned shutdowns in 2021. It also found that 43% of equipment failure classifications were boiler related (Figure 1). Furthermore, boilers alone were responsible for an average of 9.9 days […]
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Waste to Energy
Small-Scale Biodigesters Are Getting a Big Improvement in Thermal Control
As the world looks to increase the usage and production of renewable energy, improving efficiency while lowering energy costs is vital to the adoption of renewable sources. Biodigesters (also known as anaerobic digesters) are a source of renewable energy and act as both an effective waste management solution and a source of biogas, a methane-dense […]
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Waste to Energy
The Power of Cow Manure: How Farms of the Future Are Transforming Waste-to-Energy Operations
The use of renewable energy in the agriculture industry is an exciting new frontier that—with the right partners—can bring environmental and economic benefits to farmers, surrounding communities, and the
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Connected Plant
How Private Wireless Solutions Enable Digital Power Plants’ Transformation
Digital transformation is key to making industries more agile, resilient, and sustainable. These are essential qualities if businesses are not only to survive but thrive in the Industry 4.0 era—and the energy industry is no exception. With price volatility set to continue in the natural gas and carbon energy markets, and growing pricing pressure coming […]