POWER Magazine

Inspecting and monitoring long-distance transmission lines has always been both costly and dangerous for utilities. Networks that stretch across remote, rugged terrain make traditional methods like climbing towers, deploying helicopters, or sending out ground crews resource-intensive and risky for workers. Today, autonomous drones are changing this process by offering a faster, safer, and more cost-effective [...]The post The Role of Autonomous Drones in Long-Range Transmission Line Inspections appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Constellation Energy is evaluating specific regulatory pathways to enable potential deployment of advanced nuclear reactors at its Clinton Clean Energy Center. The measure could mark the first concrete steps toward next-generation nuclear development at the Illinois site now that the competitive generator has finalized a landmark 20-year agreement with Meta. Constellation disclosed on Tuesday that [...]The post Constellation Outlines Nuclear Expansion Plans at Clinton Site as Meta Partnership Strengthens appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has unveiled three more companies to which it will allocate high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) under conditional commitments in a bid to support advanced reactor development and domestic fuel production. The Aug. 26 announcement marks the second round of allocations under DOE's HALEU Availability Program but it links to two [...]The post DOE Allocates Second Round of HALEU Fuel to Three U.S. Nuclear Companies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The reeling offshore wind power market received another blow as Mitsubishi Corp. said it will end further development of three Japanese offshore wind power projects due to rising costs. Mitsubishi Chief Executive Katsuya Nakanishi on August 27 said cost increases for the installations had far surpassed the company's projections. The company said the price of [...]The post Mitsubishi Pulling Plug on Three Japan Offshore Wind Projects appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Germany-based TWAICE, a provider of predictive analytics software for battery energy storage systems (BESS), has announced a three-year partnership with independent power producer Fullmark Energy. TWAICE on August 27 said its Battery Storage Analytics platform will support four energy storage installations operated by Fullmark in Southern California. The sites will have a total capacity of [...]The post TWAICE, Fullmark Energy Partner on California Energy Storage Projects appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Global infrastructure group Ferrovial said the company is investing about $355 million to develop a new 250-MW solar photovoltaic (PV) facility in Milam County, Texas. Ferrovial will be responsible for the construction, operation, and maintenance of the facility, which will deliver electricity to the Texas grid. This project is a strong example of how infrastructure [...]The post Ferrovial Developing 250-MW Solar Project in Texas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

California-headquartered Renewable Properties, a developer and investor in small-scale utility, community solar, energy storage, and electric vehicle infrastructure projects, announced it has acquired a portfolio of 10 net energy metered (NEM) ground-mounted projects from Prospect14, a Pennsylvania-based solar energy developer. The projects in the Goldenrod Portfolio are located in counties of Clearfield, Centre, Greene, Berks, [...]The post Renewable Properties Acquires Pennsylvania Solar Power Portfolio appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Holtec International said the Palisades Power Plant, which was closed in 2022 and set for decommissioning, is now the first U.S. nuclear power plant to officially return to operations status. Holtec, which bought the Michigan-based plant to decommission it but instead decided the facility could be restarted, on August 25 said Palisades is now authorized [...]The post Palisades Nuclear Plant Moved to Operations Status, Ready to Receive Fuel appeared first on POWER Magazine.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, more than 70% of the nation's grid transmission lines and transformers are more than 25 years old, straining under the pressures of rising electrification and renewable integration. As power producers, utilities, and grid operators push toward decarbonization targets, the need for more intelligent, responsive, and resilient grid infrastructure [...]The post AI and the Grid: Smarter Paths to Renewable Integration and Grid Modernization appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For decades, fuel cell innovation has been guided by two main benchmarks: cost per kilowatt and stack durability. These remain important, especially in applications driven almost entirely by project economics. However, in many of the sectors where fuel cells are poised to make the biggest impact-including aviation, long-haul mobility, and distributed energy-traditional metrics no longer [...]The post Power Density, Not Just Cost, Will Define Next Generation of Hydrogen Fuel Cells appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Tigo Energy, a provider of intelligent solar and energy software solutions, has announced a manufacturing and marketing partnership with EG4 Electronics, an American provider of innovative solar solutions. The agreement announced August 25 will see EG4 produce Tigo optimized inverters and Module Level Power Electronics (MLPE) together with EG4 solar inverters in the U.S. Solar [...]The post Tigo Energy Initiates Manufacturing Partnership with EG4 Electronics appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As Labor Day beckons, the hottest conversation topic isn't a hit movie or summer pop anthem, but rather the widespread shock that ratepayers are seeing amidst unexpectedly high power bills. While widely predicted in the spring to those in the industry, this development is already causing headaches for operators and serving as an unpleasant surprise [...]The post High Power Prices Are Stoking a Grassroots Wildfire-Here's How to Respond appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An energy infrastructure company said it's moving forward with the GW Ranch project, an off-grid complex in Texas that will combine natural gas-fired generation and battery energy storage to provide nearly 7 GW of power in Pecos County. The campus, sited on more than 8,000 acres, is designed to support hyperscale data centers and the [...]The post Pacifico Energy Building Massive Gas, Energy Storage Project to Serve Texas Data Centers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A spokesperson for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) confirmed that about 600 of the utility's employees have taken buyouts. Some workers left the company starting in May, while others will exit by the end of September. The TVA on August 21 said the move is part of a plan to reduce costs as the federally owned utility tries to cut nearly $1 billion in spending by 2026.The post 600 Workers Take TVA Buyout as Utility Seeks to Cut $1 Billion in Spending appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A transformer fire at Heathrow Airport earlier this year triggered cascading power outages, cutting electricity to more than 66,000 homes, grounding more than 1,300 flights, and causing losses of up to 100 million. According to a recent report, the fire started because of a fault in a 50-year-old asset that subsequently led to short circuiting [...]The post It's Time to Listen to Transformers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Trump administration's recent AI Action Plan" to expand artificial intelligence (AI) and data center infrastructure in the U.S. highlighted the need to accelerate innovation, build cutting-edge infrastructure, and position the U.S. as a global leader in the industry. It also highlights a crucial detail: developing an electric grid that can match the pace of [...]The post Why Forward-Looking Data Center Operators Are Taking Control of Their Own Grids appeared first on POWER Magazine.

GridBeyond now offers revenue floor and toll contracts for selected power storage projects in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and California Independent System Operator (CAISO) markets. Backed by highly rated underwriting partners, these contracts provide project owners with new tools to de-risk their balance sheets or secure financing. Each contract is customizable, allowing [...]The post GridBeyond Expands Services with Revenue Floor and Synthetic Toll Contracts in ERCOT and CAISO appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Swedish utility Vattenfall has narrowed its smallmodular reactor (SMR) supplierselection to two finalists-GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy's (GVH's) BWRX-300 and the Rolls-Royce SMR-forpotential construction of newnuclear capacityadjacent to itsRinghals plantsite on Sweden's Varo Peninsula. The announcementrepresents a criticalstep in whatcould becomeSweden's first newnuclear build project in more than 40 years. While the utility ultimately intends [...]The post Vattenfall Narrows SMR Field to Two Finalists: GE Vernova's BWRX-300 and Rolls-Royce SMR appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Despite nuclear power's unmatched ability to produce reliable, carbon-free energy at scale, it is often dismissed by clean energy advocates in favor of renewable resources like wind and solar. Cost arguments and public misconceptions around safety and radioactive waste have kept it out of many mainstream climate strategies. But as Tim Gregory argues in his [...]The post Debunking Nuclear Power's Biggest Misconceptions and Why It's Needed Today appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The dual challenges of affordability and growing load demand are putting enormous stress on utilities, communities and households. Demand response, a key part of the solution, is falling short, but innovative payment plans can help fill the gap. Residential demand response (DR) is like the aerobic exercise of the electric utility industry. We all know [...]The post Extra Effort: Filling the Gaps in Demand Response appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In the past decade, we have seen once in a century storms" almost every year, flash floods wiping out entire towns, and extreme heat that melts shoes on pavement. Our climate is becoming more extreme, and we need to be proactive in preparing our infrastructure for more to come. The annual average for U.S. billion-dollar [...]The post Why Grid Hardening Is No Longer Optional appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Visual inspections of the power grid have traditionally relied on manual methods and reactive responses. These inspections, whether performed on foot, by helicopter or drone, often involve fragmented data systems and delayed reporting cycles. The approach worked for decades, but it is no longer sufficient. Utilities are now facing intensified pressure on several fronts. Infrastructure [...]The post From Static Maps to Smart Systems: How GIS, LiDAR and Geospatial AI are Reshaping Utility Inspections appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Midwest-based energy storage developer and independent power producer said it has brought the third project in a strategic collection of California energy storage facilities online. Fullmark Energy, headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, on August 20 announced the start of commercial operation for the company's 20-MW/40-MWh Ortega energy storage project in Lake Elsinore. Fullmark on Wednesday [...]The post Fullmark Energy Brings Another Energy Storage Project Online in California appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Advanced nuclear firm Aalo Atomics has secured new capital and regulatory backing to complete construction of its 10-MWe Aalo-X reactor at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The project, recently selected under the Department of Energy's (DOE's) new Nuclear Reactor Pilot Program, will demonstrate cold criticality by July 2026 in an unusually aggressive federal milestone for advanced [...]The post Aalo Atomics Secures Capital, Regulatory Backing for 2026 Modular Nuclear Project at INL, Eyes Potential First Data Center Pairing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Solar energy generation from a rooftop panel system can be monitored quickly and easily, an example of how artificial intelligence (AI) and digital tools are empowering businesses to optimize energy use and contribute to a decentralized, decarbonized grid. The energy transition is accelerating. Electrification is surging, renewable power generation is expanding and energy consumption patterns [...]The post AI and the Energy Transition: Building a Smarter, Decarbonized Energy System appeared first on POWER Magazine.

With billions of dollars pouring into the sector from power players like Google and Amazon, the data center industry is having a moment. But this surge in investment and interest has also brought up serious questions-particularly around how we are going to power these massive computing engines. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, data [...]The post Powering the Data Center Future: Understanding the Resurgence of Nuclear appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A major solar farm owner and operator is partnering with an electric cooperative to build a 100-MW solar power facility that will serve Meta's first data center in South Carolina. Meta, the parent of Facebook, Instagram, and other social media and communication platforms, is expanding its relationship with Silicon Ranch, a project developer and independent [...]The post Solar Farm Will Power Meta Data Center in South Carolina appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has signed a first-of-its-kind power purchase agreement (PPA) with advanced nuclear technology firm Kairos Power to buy power from the company's planned Hermes 2, a molten salt nuclear reactor in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The deal makes TVA the first U.S. utility to contract for electricity from a Gen-IV reactor. Under [...]The post TVA Inks First U.S. Utility PPA for Gen IV Nuclear Power in Landmark Three-Way Deal with Google, Kairos appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A California-based hydrogen production group said it has completed a funding round in support of the company's first 100-kilotonne carbon dioxide removal (CDR) commercial facility. Equatic, which is considered a pioneering company in combined carbon dioxide removal and green hydrogen production, on August 11 announced the successful closure of its Series A round, with Catalytic [...]The post Green Hydrogen Production Group Closes on Major Investment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Trump administration has announced another policy that will likely harm the U.S. renewable energy industry. New guidance from the Treasury Department announced August 15 will make it even harder for wind and solar power projects to take advantage of federal tax credits, which already were under fire from the White House. Friday's move is [...]The post Trump Administration Further Restricts Tax Credits for Solar and Wind Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Germany-headquartered company involved in the global hydrogen industry said it plans to abandon some of its projects in the U.S. due to actions from the Trump administration. Werner Ponikwar, chief executive of Thyssenkrupp Nucera, on August 13 said the company has been in discussions with stakeholders in its U.S. hydrogen projects and would cancel [...]The post Leading Hydrogen Producer May Abandon U.S. Projects Due to Trump's Actions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

OCI Energy and Sabanci Renewables jointly announced the successful closing of the sale of Project Lucky 7 Solar, a 100-MWac/130-MWdc installation located in Hopkins County, Texas, within the ERCOT-North market. The companies on August 15 said the project, which was developed by OCI Energy, will now move forward to construction and operation under the leadership [...]The post Texas Solar Projects Move Forward Under New Leadership appeared first on POWER Magazine.

President Trump has appointed David Rosner as chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), elevating the Democratic commissioner to lead the independent energy regulator after Republican Mark Christie stepped down from the position. Rosner has served as a FERC commissioner since June 2024 and officially assumed the chairman role on Aug. 13. The appointment [...]The post Trump Names Democrat David Rosner as FERC Chairman appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The power and utility sector underpins every part of modern life, from residential comfort to industrial productivity. Yet as the global energy landscape evolves, so must the internal operations that keep these organizations running. With total U.S. power use expected to reach around 4,189 billion kWh in 2025, and 4,278 billion kWh in 2026, energy [...]The post Transforming Energy Finance Through AI-Driven Processes appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is evolving, and so is the demand for the infrastructure behind it. However, for those looking to build a sustainably conscious system, this growth raises a crucial question: What does an energy-efficient data center system look like? While rightfully, much of the attention has focused on controlling energy usage of bigger systems [...]The post How Smarter Cooling Choices Can Cut AI's Energy Use appeared first on POWER Magazine.

One of Brazil's largest renewable energy developers, mostly known for its wind power projects, is adding significant solar power generation capacity to its portfolio. Casa dos Ventos, which has developed one of every four wind power facilities in Brazil and has about 35 GW of renewable energy deployed in the country, will utilize equipment from [...]The post Nextracker Supporting Major New Solar Power Projects in Brazil appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Regulators in North Dakota have given their approval for a 1,490-MW natural gas-fired power plant, a combined-cycle station that Basin Electric Power Cooperative officials said would provide the area with its first new baseload electric output in more than four decades. South Dakota utility commissioners, meanwhile, are set to consider an application for a smaller, [...]The post New Gas-Fired Power Stations Planned for North and South Dakota appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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Global energy giant BP said it would cut thousands more jobs by the end of this year, as the company continues to reduce its renewable energy plans to focus more on its longtime core business of oil and gas production. UK-based BP, which has its U.S. headquarters in Houston, Texas, has said it plans to [...]The post BP Cutting More Than 6,000 Jobs, and Thousands of Contractors, as Part of Cost Reductions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

More than 100 of the world's largest energy companies are betting that artificial intelligence (AI) will revolutionize how electricity gets made, moved, and managed. But they're not waiting for Silicon Valley to build it for them-they've taken matters into their own hands through an EPRI-led consortium. That initiative is the Open Power AI Consortium, which [...]The post Building ChatGPT for the Power Industry: EPRI Leads the Way appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An Arizona-based energy developer, owner, and operator of power generation projects said one of its major solar-plus-storage facilities has entered full commercial operation in California. Arevon Energy on August 7 held a ceremony to celebrate completion of the second phase of the Eland Solar-plus-Storage Project, located near Mojave in Kern County. The two-phase Eland installation [...]The post Arevon Brings $2-Billion California Solar-Plus-Storage Project Online appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Department of Energy released an $83.2 million loan disbursement to Holtec International on Thursday, bringing total federal funding to $335.1 million as the company moves toward completing America's first commercial nuclear reactor restart. The fifth installment under DOE's $1.52 billion loan guarantee follows key Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approvals that authorized Holtec to [...]The post DOE Approves Fifth Loan Disbursement to Holtec for Historic Restart of Palisades Nuclear Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Three groups active in the industrial infrastructure space have announced a collaboration that would create the largest data center campus in Utah and provide gigawatts of new power generation capacity to the state. Infrastructure company Joule Capital Partners, along with Caterpillar Inc., and Wheeler Machinery Co. on August 7 said they have an agreement to [...]The post Caterpillar Among Groups Working on Massive Utah Data Center Campus appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Trump administration has proposed new drone regulations that will eliminate case-by-case approval processes for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations, while Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy confirmed accelerated plans to deploy a nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Transportation Security Administration (TSA), and [...]The post Trump Administration to Overhaul Drone Rules, Fast-Track Nuclear Reactor Deployment on the Moon appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Texas-headquartered renewable energy group said it has started construction of two solar power projects in southern Oklahoma, expanding the company's solar portfolio in the state. Leeward Renewable Energy (LRE) recently announced it has broken ground for the Twelvemile Solar 1 & 2 projects, a combined 152-MW solar facility. The company in late July said [...]The post LRE Starts Construction of 152 MW of Solar Power in Oklahoma appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An agricultural farm in New York will add solar power at the site in a project designed to benefit both farmers and the solar energy community. Lightstar Renewables LLC on August 4 announced the launch of the Plains Road Agrivoltaics project, which integrates solar energy with agriculture on the DiMartino Farm in Montgomery, New York. [...]The post Lightstar Announces Agrivoltaics Project at New York Farm appeared first on POWER Magazine.

American Electric Power (AEP) subsidiary Indiana Michigan Power (I&M) has filed a special customer-specific contract with technology giant Google that could create a dual-purpose arrangement to address power capacity constraints in one of the fastest-growing digital infrastructure regions in the U.S. AEP on Aug. 4 announced that the two companies filed a petition to the [...]The post Google, I&M Strike Landmark Deal to Share Clean Capacity and Flex AI Load appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Arizona-headquartered Arevon Energy said it has started construction of the Nighthawk Energy Storage Project in Poway, California. The company on July 31 provided more details of the 300-MW/1,200-MWh installation that represents a $600-million investment. Arevon will own and operate Nighthawk. The company in 2021 signed a long-term contract under which the energy storage facility will [...]The post Arevon Starts Construction of $600-Million California Energy Storage Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Faced with soaring demand and limited visibility into upstream grid assets, Karachi-based K-Electric engineered an in-house special protection system that delivers more than 600 MW of secure power imports toThe post Doubling Down on Reliability: Karachi's Engineered Smart Grid Breakthrough appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Great River Energy's dynamic line rating (DLR) project is the largest DLR deployment to date in the U.S. based on the number of sensors installed. Early results identified a 48.92% increase in power carryingThe post How Nation's Largest Dynamic Line Rating Deployment Unlocked Nearly 50% More Transmission Capacity for Great River Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.