POWER

Recent shale gas development, resulting in cheap natural gas in the U.S., has opened the debate about whether or not to export some of that energy—mainly as liquefied natural gas (LNG). As the U.S. considers

In 2009, when the first borehole in a series of wells was drilled as part of the Icelandic Deep Drilling Project (IDDP) in Krafla, northeast Iceland (Figure 5), it unexpectedly penetrated into magma with a

This has not been the best of times for state regulators trying to control the future of their regional power markets. In September, a federal court in Maryland shot down that state’s attempt to force the

The future is looking bright for AES Huntington Beach Power Generating Station. Renderings of a proposed new look for the power plant—located steps from the beach on the Pacific Coast Highway—include

This is the story of a power plant like no other. The facility runs primarily on coal, but it can utilize petcoke and biomass when available. The front end resembles an integrated gasification combined cycle

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) set limits on the emissions of mercury (Hg) and other pollutants for coal-fired power plants. Many plant operators have

The history of power plant emissions regulations and control technologies is largely one of preventing elements that are bad for the environment or human health—including sulfur dioxide, particulate matter

A little over five years ago, on the night of Dec. 22, 2008, the residents of Kingston, Tenn., were devastated when a dike holding back an 84-acre ash pond broke loose. The ash pond servicing Tennessee Valley

Mike Duncan Coal is currently the feedstock for nearly 40% of America’s baseload electricity supply, and in communities and states where coal has the highest utilization, utility bills are the lowest. With

The gas sealing systems used on rotary, regenerative air preheaters (APHs) have evolved little from the metal strip configuration used on the first Ljungström preheaters nearly a century ago. Metallic strip

That question isn’t as flippant as it may sound. If you look at the type of plant that’s familiar to the generation of power industry personnel who have retirement within view and compare it with the sort

Currently accounting for over 16% of global energy production, and with an expected growth rate of 3% per year for the next quarter century, hydroelectric power generation continues to grow as the front runner

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) and Southern Co. have completed the initial demonstration phase of a carbon capture and storage (CCS) test at the Plant Barry power station in Mobile, Ala. The companies

There may be few things about power plant management less exciting than its supply chains. But few things can gum up a plant’s operations more completely than mismanaging supplier relationships, parts

The increasing penetration of intermittent renewable generation, smart grids, demand response, and other emerging technologies has underscored the need for power plants with greater flexibility and

The 16th annual ELECTRIC POWER Conference & Exhibition takes place in New Orleans this year, and it’s a fitting place to be discussing the many persistent and new challenges facing the power generation

In a ruling that could have reverberating implications for nuclear generators, Germany’s highest administrative law court upheld a lower court’s finding that declared unlawful the State of Hesse’s

Increasing Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) restrictions pertaining to emissions from coal-fired power plants, the increasing cost of coal operations, and the decreasing cost of natural gas provide strong

Power produced by South Africa represents 40% of Africa’s total—yet that country is facing a crippling supply shortfall. Emergencies are offset with imports from its neighbors in southern Africa, some of which are electricity poor, and others that are latent supply giants. “Power Africa,” the recently announced U.S. initiative that earmarks $7 billion in public […]

Fire protection for power plant turbine rooms has typically been a game of tradeoffs. Enclosure integrity issues in older facilities can render CO2 and halon systems ineffective. In new and old facilities

Roughly five years ago, the power industry readily embraced the new Alloy 2205 metal as a more lightweight and cost-effective substrate for the construction of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) absorbers and

In power plants with drum-type boilers and constant-speed main boiler feed pumps, the feedwater control valve (also referred to as the drum level control valve) provides the means for controlling flow to the

A year ago, on Feb. 12, 2013, President Obama issued Executive Order 13636, titled “Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity.” The Executive Order instructed the National Institute of Standards and

You’ve no doubt heard that U.S. power plant emissions have been dropping overall and that one of the reasons has been decreased thermal generation resulting from essentially flat demand. As of Jan. 1 this

In 2010, intent on continuing its commitment to energy efficiency and preventing climate change, Japan enacted its second Basic Energy Plan. The new policy document, revising the first, from 2003, called for

Mexico’s much-awaited constitutional energy reform, passed on Dec. 12 by the federal congress and a week later by the required majority of state congresses, could spark increased private participation in

The RCTrms-3ph current transducer from Power Electronic Measurements offers a relatively convenient, safe, and accurate solution for measuring current in three phases. It has a thin, clip-around, flexible

EU’s Highest Court Says French Onshore Wind Tariff Is Illegal. The Court of Justice of the European Union (EU) ruled on Dec. 19 that a French regulatory mechanism allowing network distributors—namely

On Feb. 2, 2011, a winter storm gripped the Lone Star State, bringing freezing temperatures and heavy ice loads onto the state’s electric infrastructure. Texas experienced a series of unexpected rolling