POWER
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News
Groups Grapple with Labor Logistics as Energy Evolves
The continuing transition in the power generation sector means workers need new skills. The challenge for utilities and other power producers is finding the top talent at a time the labor pool is shallow
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Coal
Coal Will Remain Prominent for Decades Despite Growing Renewable Power Capacity
There are a lot of changes taking place in the world’s energy supplies. We seem to read announcements almost every day about coal plant retirements, and solar and wind farm installations. Yet, when you look
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News
Italian Group Taps CO2 for Energy Storage
New technologies for energy storage are being developed as the industry continues to mature. Energy Dome, an Italian energy storage technology company founded in 2019, recently announced it will use the
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Nuclear
China Starts Up First Fourth-Generation Nuclear Reactor
The first of two units at China’s much-watched high-temperature gas-cooled modular pebble bed (HTR-PM) demonstration project was successfully connected to the grid on Dec. 20. The achievement marks a major
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Gas
Rolls-Royce Sets Megawatt Milestone for Hybrid-Electric Aircraft System
Bracing for explosive growth in the electrification of mobility, UK-based engineering giant Rolls-Royce is developing various all-electric and hybrid-electric drive systems for aircraft. At one of its most
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Hydro
Blueprint Underway for Commercial Mine Energy Storage Facility in Sweden
A blueprint for what could become the world’s first commercial underground mine storage facility has garnered financial backing from Swedish Mining Innovation.
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Biomass
Biomass Power: Environmental Benefit or Numbers Game?
Many bioenergy industry proponents put forth carbon neutrality as a basis for their support. However, the claim may not hold up under scrutiny. By some accounts, biomass power plant emissions including those
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Point-Counterpoint
We Need Nuclear Energy as Part of the Energy Transition
Many people who believe we need a “Green New Deal” will say that Earth faces an existential catastrophe that could cut short the lives of young people who are living now. But if nuclear energy is mentioned
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Point-Counterpoint
New Nuclear Isn’t Worth Public Investment
Since the inception of the nuclear era more than 70 years ago, federal taxpayers have been bailing out nuclear power plants and keeping the industry afloat with endless, costly subsidies. Yet, the industry is
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Carbon Capture
Net-Zero Without Carbon Sequestration Is ‘Virtually Impossible’; Yet Site Acquisition and Permitting Hurdles Hinder Implementation
In a Flagship Report, the International Energy Agency said reaching net-zero carbon dioxide emissions is “virtually impossible” without carbon capture, utilization, and storage. Significant progress has
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Nuclear
District Heating Supply from Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear energy is competitive for urban district heating applications. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, about 43 nuclear reactors around the world—mostly in Eastern Europe and
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T&D
Improving Power Networks: How Smarter Grids and a New Generation of Electricity Can Prevent Blackouts
Power networks today face two major challenges: aging infrastructure and complex intermittent power flows caused by the worldwide transition from fossil-based fuels to zero-carbon resources. With some of the
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O&M
Four Key Allies for Keeping Powerhouses in Top Condition
Today, power generators often don’t have the same in-house capabilities that they did in years past. Therefore, managing operations and maintenance at many facilities has become more difficult. Here are some
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Commentary
Issues Abound in 2022 for Widespread EV Deployment
Even the most casual observers of the energy and automotive industries are aware that electric vehicle (EV) sales in U.S. markets are on the rise. Over the past 10 years, sales of plug-in EVs have steadily
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Solar
Lagunitas Brewing Co. Taps Big Savings Through Solar Conversion
By the time Lagunitas Brewing Co. began its conversion to solar power in 2017, it had grown to become one of the largest craft beer businesses in the U.S.—a far cry from the one-man, home-kitchen operation
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Instrumentation & Controls
How Measuring Total Gas Pressure Detects Transformer Air Leaks
From generation to transmission and distribution, the power industry is changing. With distributed energy resources (DERs) increasingly participating in wholesale capacity, energy, and ancillary services
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Commentary
The Developed World Must Turn Fossil Fuel Industries into Green Tech Powerhouses for Developing Countries
When environmental advocates implore less-wealthy countries to cease oil or gas investment and production because it is the cause of climate change, they are often branded as naive and ridiculous. Do we really
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Trends
POWER Digest [February 2022]
Once a Coal Generating Behemoth, TransAlta Achieves Full Phaseout of Coal Power in Canada. Canadian generator TransAlta, a company that derived 30% of its cash flow from coal generation just five years ago
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Nuclear
Optimism Is Warranted in the Power Industry in 2022 and Beyond
While some sectors of the power industry are struggling to stay relevant, there are many more segments that are thriving. As new technologies are developed and perfected, there is more reason than ever for
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Power
Power Sector Risks Loom Large Over the Energy Transition
The fog of uncertainty that hangs over the global power industry is getting larger and denser as generating companies and utilities navigate ever more complex challenges.
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Nuclear
Climate Ripe for Nuclear Advancements
Improvements in nuclear power technology are being driven by research into safer reactor designs and new fuel types, including smaller reactors that offer flexible siting options with modular construction
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International
Disorderly Transitions: Eight Enduring Global Power Sector Trends
While 2021 unfolded with some relief from the chaotic global pandemic that jolted the world in 2020, the year may be remembered for its extraordinary series of energy crises. After a cold snap prompted mass
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Coal
New Year’s Resolutions: 10 Ways to Improve Coal Power Plant Operations
The new year is obviously a time when many people reflect on the past and make resolutions for the future. Surveys have shown that exercising more, improving one’s diet, losing weight, and saving money are
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Gas
Long-Awaited FSRU Project Nears Operation in El Salvador
A years-long energy project in El Salvador recently reached a milestone, as technology company Wärtsilä in November announced the installation and successful operation of a floating storage and
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O&M
Utilities and Industry Continue Learnings Around Benefits of Heat Rate Improvement
For more than three decades, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has led the power industry in developing, advancing, and demonstrating cost-effective heat rate improvements via new technologies, hardware, software, and best operating/programmatic practices for enhancing efficiency at minimal cost and maximum reliability. As the power industry moves toward net-zero carbon emission goals, heat rate […]
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O&M
Water, Heat, Metal: A Crucial and Difficult Dance
Proper water chemistry has always been important for dependable steam plant operation, but it may be even more critical today due to changes in operating routines and increased plant cycling. Failure not only
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Commentary
Coal Is Still King
For all the talk about the demise of coal, it may be important to note that coal generated 35% of the world’s electricity in 2020, more than any other fuel. Even in the U.S., coal was expected to generate
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Coal
Phasing Out Coal by 2030 Is Critical for the Climate, and Key for Affordable and Reliable Energy
Phasing out all coal for electricity generation in the U.S. by 2030 is necessary both for averting the most dangerous consequences of the climate crisis, and for demonstrating international leadership to
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Commentary
The Energy Transition Will Require Staggering Growth in Electrification and Enabling Technologies
Rystad Energy, an independent energy research and business intelligence company that provides data, tools, analytics, and consultancy services to the global energy industry, organized and hosted the “Energy
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IIOT Power
Digital Twins and Remote Monitoring Address Changes in the Energy Industry—Quickly
Power producers today need to address multiple changes to the energy industry that are coming fast and furious. Among these changes are diversification of fleets, new power generating profiles, and drastic