POWER Magazine

U.S. wind power is becoming more widespread and costs are generally on the decline, but the sector is troubled by policy uncertainties, a new report from the Energy Department says. After a lackluster year in 2013, wind power capacity additions in the U.S. rebounded nearly 8% in 2014, driven by recent improvements in the [...]The post DOE Report Highlights Triumph, Trouble for Wind Power Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The attorneys general of 17 states are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for invalidating agency-approved state implementation plans (SIPs) governing emissions from power plant startup, shutdown, and malfunction (SSM) operations. The states have asked a federal court to review the EPA’s June-issued final rule, which deems SIP provisions concerning SSM operations in 36 states [...]The post Seventeen States Sue EPA for Mandating SIP Startup, Shutdown, Malfunction Changes appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will issue revised Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS) and legally required cost-benefit analyses by April 15, 2016, court documents show. In an Aug. 10 motion filed with the D.C. Circuit for White Stallion Energy Center v. EPA (12-1100), the EPA said it intends to seek remand without vacatur (which would [...]The post Committed to “Ambitious Schedule,” EPA Wants to Reissue MATS Rule by April 2016 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

On August 3, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a much-anticipated suite of regulations, featuring the final Clean Power Plan’s guidelines for carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from existing power plants under Clean Air Act section 111(d). This package has sparked great interest, and early reactions run the gamut from enthusiastic support to entrenched opposition. [...]The post The Clean Power Plan Is Final: Time to Find the Candles? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Nearly two years after Japan’s last nuclear power plant was shut down for safety checks, Kyushu Electric Power Co. has started up the 890-MW Sendai-1. The event marks a significant milestone for the country’s nuclear sector, which was crippled by the Fukushima disaster in 2011. Kyushu started up Sendai-1 at 10:30 a.m. local time and [...]The post Sendai-1 Reactor Restart Marks Japan’s Nuclear Rebirth appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Though most power generators and states might have preferred to not deal at all with a new rule regulating greenhouse gas emissions, the final Clean Power Plan (CPP), released August 3, gives most of the power industry most of what it asked for in terms of revisions to the 2014 proposed plan. In any regulatory [...]The post Power Industry Wins with Final Clean Power Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

According to data compiled and reported by Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme ISE—a German-based solar energy research institute—from July 1 through August 5, solar and wind energy produced 6.24 TWh and 7.09 TWh of electricity respectively, compared to 5.94 TWh of nuclear power generation in Germany. Although it’s not the first time wind production has exceeded [...]The post Solar and Wind Power Each Surpass Nuclear Generation in Germany Since Mid-Year appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a deal said to be the largest ever involving electric cooperatives, a group of 12 cooperatives completed the purchase of Alliant Energy’s electric service territory in southern Minnesota, which serves more than 43,000 customers. The agreement was signed in September 2013 between Interstate Power and Light Co. (IPL)—Alliant’s Iowa utility—and Southern Minnesota Energy Cooperative [...]The post Alliant Energy Sells Minnesota Electric Service Territory to 12 Cooperatives appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Furthering efforts to encourage clean energy innovation, the Energy Department released a funding opportunity announcement (FOA) to support the research, development, and demonstration of advanced reactor concepts. The announcement represents an early step in increasing investment in nuclear advanced reactor technologies, which have the potential to provide substantially enhanced operational performance, safety, security, economics, and [...]The post Energy Department to Invest in Advanced Reactor Concept Development appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Reaction from utilities, environmental groups, and governmental leaders following the August 3 release of the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) final Clean Power Plan rule was mixed. Some, such as Duke Energy CEO Lynn Good, pointed to the progress that has already been made in recent years to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, noting that the [...]The post Reactions to Clean Power Plan: From Excitement to Anger appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Editor’s note (Aug. 3): Adds compliance cost details, key changes The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) final Clean Power Plan will seek to tamp down the nation’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the power sector by 32% from 2005 levels by 2030—about 9% more ambitious than its original proposal. The first-ever final national standards to limit [...]The post [UPDATED] EPA Issues More Ambitious But Flexible Final Clean Power Plan appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post THE BIG PICTURE: Targeting Renewables appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s not often that a power plant upgrade improves both the environment and the bottom line. Needing to come up with a new source of cooling water for Polk Power Station, and faced with mostly expensive, environmentally questionable options, Tampa Electric came up with a solution that both secured the plant’s water supply for the [...]The post Tampa Electric Co.’s Polk Power Station Reclaimed Water Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Two of the most important elements in any construction or upgrade project are safety and speed of completion. While one way to increase safety is to eliminate hot work whenever possible, the reality is that welding is necessary for many tasks around a power plant. However, one area where welding may not always be required [...]The post Grooved Mechanical Piping Offers a Versatile Pipe-Joining Alternative appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Looking to ensure reliable power for a critical facility—as well as move the needle on microgrid technology—Texas’s largest transmission company went all-in on a state-of-the-art demonstration project that sets a new standard for future smart grid deployments. Having a 100% uninterruptible power supply for a commercial facility is far from a unique requirement. Traditionally, meeting [...]The post Oncor’s System Operating Services Facility, Lancaster, Texas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Courtesy: Colorado Energy Nations, GDF SUEZ Energy NA, and Behrent Engineering POWER’s 2015 Reinvention Award (formerly known as the Marmaduke Award) goes to an industrial cogeneration plant that reinvented its largest unit for greater fuel and operating flexibility. This project is exemplary for the owner’s foresight, maximizing local engineering resources, a stellar safety record, and [...]The post Colorado Energy Nations Boiler 5 Upgrade Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Despite wind power’s going “mainstream,” original equipment manufacturers and end users struggle to pin down quality standards for ever-evolving wind turbine component technologies. As more utilities embrace wind power, the U.S. wind turbine market has expanded tremendously over the years. It has proliferated into numerous facilities that specialize in the roughly 8,000 component parts that [...]The post The Wind Sector’s Elusive Quest for Quality appeared first on POWER Magazine.

I’ve got some good news and some bad news. The good news is that, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of occupational fatalities resulting from exposure to electricity has decreased steadily during the past 10 years (Figure 1). The bad news is that 141 people died on the job in the [...]The post Electrical Arc Flash Protection Solutions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Standards and regulations may change, but the danger associated with arc flash hazards remains. Analyzing potential incident energy correctly and understanding what personal protection equipment is required can help workers stay safe and avoid painful, or even life-threatening, injuries. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) have both [...]The post Making Sense of New Arc Flash Protection Rules appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Courtesy: SaskPower There was no debate among our editorial team when it came to selecting the most interesting and worthy project worldwide for this year’s top award. Boundary Dam Power Station Unit 3 is the world’s first operating coal-fired power plant to implement a full-scale post-combustion carbon capture and storage system. It did so more [...]The post SaskPower’s Boundary Dam Carbon Capture Project Wins POWER’s Highest Award appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Exelon’s Quad Cities nuclear plant in Illinois will not be economically viable despite changes in the PJM capacity market, and the company has to make a decision on closing it before the Illinois legislature can act on possible measures to save it, CEO Chris Crane said in Exelon’s second-quarter earnings call on July 29. Along [...]The post Quad Cities Nuclear Plant May Be Retired appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Broad, bipartisan energy legislation that would allocate federal funding to grid technology research and demonstration along with a number of other initiatives, including cybersecurity and the energy-water nexus, has cleared the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee with an 18–4 vote. The committee’s chair, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), and Ranking Member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) [...]The post Broad Energy Policy Modernization Bill Clears Senate ENR Committee appeared first on POWER Magazine.

France’s state-owned utility EDF will snap up between 51% and 75% of troubled nuclear giant AREVA’s reactor business in a possible $2.96 billion deal. While the French government owns about 87% of AREVA and 85% of EDF, the utility that operates the nation’s aging 58-reactor fleet, it has pledged to look at all options to [...]The post EDF Moves to Rescue AREVA, Will Buy Majority of Nuclear Reactor Business appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Though the U.S. Senate voted 64–29 this week to renew the charter of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im), the House may adjourn for its summer break without taking action on the issue. Congress let the Ex-Im bank’s charter lapse for the first time in its 81 years of continuous operation on June [...]The post Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization Stalled, Even as House Prepares to Adjourn appeared first on POWER Magazine.

With the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) expected to issue its final rule on power plant greenhouse gas emissions under the administration’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) early next week, reports strongly suggest the revisions will extend compliance deadlines in response to power sector complaints about a too-aggressive schedule in the proposed rule. A July 28 report [...]The post Power Sector Braces for Final Clean Power Plan Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As part of a remedy package to appease the European Commission, Alstom will accept $331 million less than the original $13.63 billion purchase price offered by General Electric (GE) to close the deal. The much-anticipated deal has come under close scrutiny by the European Commission, which opened a full-scale antitrust investigation into the deal on [...]The post Alstom Offers Discount to Seal GE Acquisition Deal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) inspectors reported that the Tennessee Valley Authority’s performance during a recent assessment conducted at Watts Bar Unit 2 indicated that the plant is ready to startup and conduct power operations. The news was conveyed at a public meeting hosted by the NRC on July 27 in Athens, Tenn., to review results [...]The post New U.S. Nuclear Plant, Watts Bar Unit 2 Is One Step Closer to Startup appeared first on POWER Magazine.

NextEra Energy’s $4.3 billion bid to buy Hawaiian Electric Industries faces big, perhaps insurmountable, obstacles before the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, which opened the record on the deal last week. The commission published the public filings in the case, which were overwhelmingly negative. Hawaii’s governor, David Ige, panned the deal in a press conference on [...]The post Hawaiian Electric, NextEra Merger Faces MajorTroubles appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. House of Representatives on July 23 passed by a 258–166 vote a coal ash bill that industry and states say is much-needed, but which the White House has threatened to veto. The Improving Coal Combustion Residuals Regulation Act of 2015 (H.R. 1734) sponsored by Rep. David McKinley (R-W.Va.) seeks to implement standards finalized [...]The post Coal Ash Bill Clears U.S. House appeared first on POWER Magazine.

When a large electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or geomagnetic disturbance (GMD) event occurs—which, according to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), there is “100% certainty” will happen at some time in the future—as many as 9 out of 10 people in the U.S. could die. Johnson, chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, [...]The post Expert: 90% of U.S. Population Could Die if a Pulse Event Hits the Power Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Obama Administration on July 21 threatened to veto a coal ash bill that is currently pending in the House and Senate, saying it would undermine protections in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) recently finalized rule on disposal of coal combustion residuals (CCR). The EPA rule, issued in December 2014, drew mixed reactions from the [...]The post Obama Administration Threatens Veto of House Coal Ash Bill appeared first on POWER Magazine.

AES has begun construction of what will be the largest energy storage project in Europe when it comes online later this year in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. The 10-MW/40-MWh Kilroot Advancion Energy Storage Array is being added to the AES UK & Ireland Kilroot Power Station in County Antrim along the country’s east coast. The grid-connected [...]The post Europe’s Largest Energy Storage Project Begins Construction appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Renewables giant SunEdison will acquire emerging distributed energy firm Vivint Solar’s 523-MW rooftop solar portfolio in a $2.2 billion acquisition deal that signals momentum for the business model that has challenged the bottom lines of traditional utilities. SunEdison and Vivint Solar signed a definitive merger agreement on July 20. It will involve the acquisition of Vivint [...]The post SunEdison to Acquire Vivint Solar’s 523-MW Rooftop Solar Portfolio appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Senators John Hoeven (R-N.D.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) have introduced a much-awaited coal ash bill in the Senate that they say will provide more certainty than will the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) final rule alone. The bill introduced on July 17 is companion legislation to a measure introduced by Reps. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) and David McKinley [...]The post New Coal Ash Bill Unveiled in the Senate appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Emerging energy technologies such as rooftop solar, microgrids, and distributed generation could adversely affect reliability of the nation’s grid, a new report from the Electric Markets Research Foundation (EMRF) warns. The non-profit research entity whose mission it is to fund studies on significant electric market issues notes in its report, “Changing Uses of the Electric [...]The post Report: Distributed Generation, Energy Storage, Microgrids Pose Grid Reliability Risks appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Interstate Power and Light (IPL) will be forced to spend $620 million to retire 10 coal-fired units and retire, refuel, or install pollution controls at several others in Iowa under a settlement reached with the federal government. The Alliant Energy subsidiary has long anticipated the settlement announced on July 15 by the Environmental Protection Agency [...]The post IPL to Retire or Repower Coal Units in Iowa Under PSD Settlement With Feds appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a report released this week, M.J. Bradley & Associates found that in 2013 power plant SO2 emissions were 80% lower and NOx emissions were down 74% compared to releases in 1990—the year Congress passed major amendments to the Clean Air Act. The report, Benchmarking Air Emissions of the 100 Largest Electric Power Producers in [...]The post Report: Power Plant Air Emissions Continue Steady Decline appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Seven gasification projects will receive about $7.5 million in funding from the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) National Energy Technology Laboratory. The projects will reduce the cost of coal conversion and mitigate the environmental impacts of fossil-fueled power generation, the DOE said in a statement on July 14. The projects fall under two subtopic areas: development [...]The post DOE Funds New Gasification Projects As Existing IGCC Projects Face Turmoil appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A cyber attack on the U.S. power grid could potentially destroy dozens of generating units, leave 93 million people without power for weeks, and result in nearly $250 billion dollars in economic damage, according to a new report from Lloyd’s of London. Prepared to enable insurers to gauge and prepare for potential risks, the report [...]The post Cyber Attack on U.S. Grid Could Destroy Dozens of Plants, Cost Billions, Report Says appeared first on POWER Magazine.

King Coal has lost his crown—at least temporarily. Electricity generation data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) for April 2015 showed the U.S. generated 92.5 TWh from natural gas and 88.8 TWh from coal, the first time the nation has gotten the largest share of its power from anything other than coal. That represents a [...]The post Gas Passes Coal as Top U.S. Power Source appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has suspended funding for the Hydrogen Energy California (HECA) polygeneration clean coal plant, saying the company has failed to meet required milestones, according to a report in E&E Greenwire on July 10. The HECA project, in development since the late 2000s, is intended as a next-generation integrated gasification combined cycle [...]The post DOE Suspends Funding for California Clean Coal Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Many of the dangers existing at conventional power plants also threaten personnel in the wind and solar energy sectors. All workers can benefit by reviewing lessons learned and implementing corrective actions to improve health and safety performance. The expanding wind and solar energy sectors are not immune to industrial hazards affecting all energy generation markets. [...]The post New Renewable Projects Face Old Safety Hazards appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The nation’s 99 nuclear plants produce about 19% of the country’s power, but they also contribute about $60 billion annually to gross domestic product (GDP), a new Brattle Group report finds. The report, “The Nuclear Industry’s Contribution to the U.S. Economy,” prepared for pro-nuclear group Nuclear Matters says, “Several factors are at play that may [...]The post Report: Losing Nuclear Would Blight Economy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Gina McCarthy remains firm in her resolve to create a landmark rule to reduce carbon emissions from power plants later this year. Speaking at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C., during an event sponsored by AREVA and hosted by The Christian Science Monitor, McCarthy said, “Last week’s ruling will [...]The post McCarthy: Supreme Court Decision on MATS Won’t Affect the Clean Power Plan Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Mississippi Power must rebate $281 million in funds collected since 2013 for rate increases related to the lignite-fired power plant under construction in Kemper County, the Mississippi Public Service Commission (MPSC) ordered on Tuesday. The state regulatory body also ordered the company and its parent company Southern Co. to stop collecting Kemper’s rate on customer [...]The post Regulator Orders Mississippi Power to Issue Kemper IGCC Rebates appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Five of Germany’s largest lignite power plants will be mothballed to allow the country that is already phasing out nuclear power to meet ambitious climate goals by 2020. In what it called a “milestone decision,” the government on July 2 agreed to scrap plans to impose a controversial—and by some accounts, illegal—climate tax for conventional [...]The post Germany Moves to Idle Coal Plants, Set up “Capacity Reserve” appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals surprising aspects about how federal subsidies for electricity have been distributed, how the power generation mix has shifted, and how consumption has transformed since 2001. The June 29–released report, “Generation Mix has Shifted, and Growth in Consumption has Slowed, Affecting System Operations and Prices,” responds [...]The post How the Power Sector Has Changed Since 2001 appeared first on POWER Magazine.