reliability
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Energy Security
Dependable Backup Power System Provides Peace of Mind for Cheese Business
Cheese Merchants uses close collaboration with Charles Equipment to power its mission to deliver fresh, premium cheese products to vendors across the U.S. Volvo Penta’s D16 engine serves as a key ingredient for standby power systems designed to drive quality and customer service. Cheese Merchants has come a long way since Pasquale Greco founded the […]
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T&D
Harnessing Heat Vision for Smarter Substation Monitoring
As decision-makers look for practical and worthwhile ways to improve substation monitoring, they often turn to heat-vision applications, such as infrared thermography. Such methods allow people to use specialized equipment to see abnormal temperature patterns—such as hot spots or unusual coolness—within industrial assets. This approach supports substation reliability by reducing outages and warning people earlier […]
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Trends
Grids Brace for Solar Eclipse, Totality Poised to Test Ramping
Grid operators across the U.S. report they are largely prepared for the total solar eclipse that will pass over a large swath of North America on April 8, though they remain vigilant, monitoring for any unexpected shifts in power generation or demand that could test the power system’s resilience. The much-anticipated solar eclipse will begin […]
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O&M
Coastal Utilities Warned of ‘Potentially Explosive’ 2024 Hurricane Season
AccuWeather’s team of expert meteorologists is warning people and businesses to start preparing for a frenzy of tropical activity that could have major impacts on the U.S. this hurricane season. “The 2024 Atlantic hurricane season is forecast to feature well above the historical average number of tropical storms, hurricanes, major hurricanes, and direct U.S. impacts,” […]
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T&D
How Utilities Are Planning for Extreme Weather Events and Mitigating Risks
Scientists who maintain the world’s temperature records, which date back to 1880, calculate a global temperature anomaly each year to determine how much temperatures have changed compared to temperatures from 1951 to 1980. In mid-January, they announced that 2023 was the hottest year on record. Furthermore, they said every month from June through December 2023 […]
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Legal & Regulatory
EPA Drops Existing Gas-Fired Plants from Contentious Power Plant GHG Rule
(Updated March 7 with responses from EPA): The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will drop requirements covering existing natural gas-fired power plants in its final Section 111 rule regulating power sector greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is expected in April. EPA Administrator Michael Regan on Feb. 29 said in a written statement the agency’s rule—which the […]
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News
MISO Warns ‘Immediate and Serious’ Challenges Are Threatening Reliability
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) is warning reliability challenges have grown urgent as the nation’s power system grapples with a “hyper-complex risk environment.” The grid operator that serves 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba, in its updated Reliability Imperative report released on Feb. 22, flagged several critical challenges that the region […]
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Energy Security
TVA Urges Conservation as Cold Snap Sets All-Time Peak Demand Record
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has urged conservation as it grapples with record-high power demand amid extremely cold temperatures and near-zero wind chill over its seven-state region in the Southeast. The federal corporation, a major generator that serves as a regional reliability coordinator, on Jan. 16 said “heavy snow and bitterly cold temperatures” were expected […]
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Energy Security
ERCOT Warns of ‘Tight Conditions’ as Intense Freeze Grips Texas
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a conservation appeal as it braces for continued freezing temperatures, “very high” demand, and “unseasonably low wind” early in the morning on Jan. 15, just before the solar ramp-up. The grid operator on Sunday afternoon said it expects “tight grid conditions” as temperatures plunge, driven by […]
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Coal
PJM Urges Delayed Retirement of 840-MW Fossil Fuel Power Plant, Citing Reliability Impacts
PJM has urged Talen Energy to delay its deactivation of two of four units at the 840-MW coal, oil, and gas–fired Herbert A. Wagner Generating Station in Maryland until transmission upgrades are put into service around 2028. The nation’s largest regional transmission organization (RTO) on Jan. 10 said it informed Talen that the deactivation of […]