POWER Magazine

Renewable energy’s share of U.S. power generation continues to rise, and the percentage of electricity produced by burning natural gas and coal continues to fall, according to the latest “Short-Term Energy Outlook,” or STEO, from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA on Jan. 18 said it expects U.S. power generation from renewables—mostly solar […]The post Renewables’ Share of U.S. Power Will Keep Upward Trajectory appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The world is changing rapidly as technology advances at breakneck speed. From the fourth industrial revolution and virtual reality to 5G and artificial intelligence (AI), our society is on the brink of tremendous technological upheaval. Although many industries evolve alongside innovations, some, such as utilities, have not moved at the same pace. This is in […]The post Predict, Optimize, Synchronize, Control: How AI Can Fulfill the Promise of Sustainable Energy Resources and Reshape the Future of Utilities appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Japan is furnishing $500 million (59.8 billion yen) to much-watched projects that will develop and demonstrate 100% fuel ammonia combustion technology for gas turbines and 50% co-firing at coal boilers, as part of an effort to build out the nation’s supply chain for fuel ammonia. The country’s national research agency New Energy and Industrial Technology […]The post Japan Bolsters Fuel Ammonia Combustion at Gas Turbines, Coal Boilers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is pushing forward with offshore wind energy environmental assessments (EA) for coastal areas in California and the Gulf of Mexico. This week, it also set a wind auction date for the New York Bight, an area comprising more than 480,000 acres offshore New York and New Jersey. The Department […]The post BOEM Launches Offshore Wind Actions for California, Gulf Coast, New York Bight appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), which calls itself “the Nation’s Scorekeeper in terms of addressing severe weather and climate events,” reported that there were 20 “weather/climate disaster events” with losses exceeding $1 billion each that affected the U.S. in 2021. These events included one drought event, two […]The post 20 ‘Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters’ Hit U.S. in 2021 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Texas-based renewable energy company has completed a $180 million solar power project that it said is the largest array by generation capacity in the state of Indiana. EDP Renewables North America on Jan. 13 said the 200-MW Riverstart Solar Park in Randolph County, about 80 miles northeast of Indianapolis, is now fully operational, with […]The post Largest Capacity Solar Farm in Indiana Begins Operation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

New distributed energy resources (DERs) are being added to the power grid every day. However, DERs don’t automatically provide owners with the greatest value possible. In many cases, that requires the help of an aggregator, that is, a company that specializes in managing DERs owned by a pool of clients and optimizing performance of the […]The post A Win-Win-Win Solution for DER Owners, the Power Grid, and the Environment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) said it has dismissed a license application for one of the first advanced nuclear reactor designs to be considered by the agency. The NRC on Jan. 6 said it could not make a judgment on the merits of the design of Oklo Inc.’s 1.5-MW advanced fission power system, known […]The post NRC Dismisses Application for Oklo Advanced Nuclear Reactor appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Evergy, a Kansas City, Missouri–headquartered energy provider serving about 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri, announced plans on Jan. 5 to build a 10-MW solar array at the company’s Hawthorn power plant. “Our Hawthorn power plant is a prime location to showcase Kansas City’s commitment to renewable energy and our city’s forward-thinking progress,” said […]The post Evergy to Build Solar Array at Kansas City Coal Power Plant Site appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As New York this year readies to build the 132-MW South Fork Wind Farm—its first offshore wind project—the state will dedicate $500 million in funding to enable offshore wind manufacturing and supply chain infrastructure. The investment announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul as part of New York’s 2022 State of the State plan is just one […]The post Readying for First Offshore Wind Farm, New York Launches New Procurement, Infrastructure Investments appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ethiopia is reportedly gearing up to begin testing hydropower generation at its flagship 5.2-GW Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), despite a continued diplomatic row about its potential implications on water consumption on the Blue Nile. Citing unnamed project sources, Capital, a weekly Ethiopian business newspaper, reported this week that work to begin test power generation […]The post Ethiopian GERD Mega-Dam Readying to Test Power Production appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Engineering designs for functional safety systems used in the process industry sector are typically thorough, detailed, and follow a stringent safety life-cycle process. In a non-digitized execution model, the valuable information needed to enable an efficient safety process is not always readily available. Consider the following example: A refining plant has had an unplanned trip […]The post How to Enable the Protection of Your Safety Life-Cycle Systems appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A company active in the hydropower sector is working on a new project to build a pumped-hydro storage facility at the site of a former coal mine in Kentucky. Boston, Massachusetts-based Rye Development, which has a current in-design or operational portfolio of 25 projects in 10 states, on Jan. 4 announced it was developing the […]The post Former Coal Mine Will House New Pumped-Hydro Storage Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A leaked draft of the European Commission’s proposal to label some natural gas and nuclear power plants as “transitional” or “green” investments has prompted pushback from some European Union (EU) members. Criticism is also mounting in South Korea, where liquefied natural gas (LNG) was included in its new green taxonomy guidelines—but nuclear was left out. […]The post Nuclear and Natural Gas Taxonomy Battles Brewing in Europe and S. Korea appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Behind the digital tools that make the industrial internet of things (IIOT) in the power generation and chemical process industries are people. The 2021 Connected Plant Conference in Austin, Texas recognized the achievements of several individuals and companies who are fast risers in the field. Through insight and experience, these “Game Changer” champions have contributed […]The post 2021 Connected Plant Conference Game Changers Award Winners appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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 forThe post Optimism Is Warranted in the Power Industry in 2022 and Beyond appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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. The post Power Sector Risks Loom Large Over the Energy Transition appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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 constructionThe post Climate Ripe for Nuclear Advancements appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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 massThe post Disorderly Transitions: Eight Enduring Global Power Sector Trends appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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 areThe post New Year’s Resolutions: 10 Ways to Improve Coal Power Plant Operations appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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 andThe post Long-Awaited FSRU Project Nears Operation in El Salvador appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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 […]The post Utilities and Industry Continue Learnings Around Benefits of Heat Rate Improvement appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Water and steam are the lifeblood of a power plant, but contamination in a water system can lead to corrosion, scaling, and pitting on critical equipment including turbines, boilers, pipes, and heat exchangers. Controlling high purity water treatment requires accurate analytical measurements of a wide range of analytics, including conductivity, dissolved oxygen, sodium, silica, and […]The post Test Your Knowledge: Water & Steam Cycle Chemistry Monitoring appeared first on POWER Magazine.

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 onlyThe post Water, Heat, Metal: A Crucial and Difficult Dance appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The end of the year will bring the end of power production for three of Germany’s final six operating nuclear power plants. The 1,410-MW Brokdorf unit in Schleswig-Holstein, the 1,360-MW Grohnde unit in Lower Saxony, and the 1,288-MW Gundremmingen C unit in Bavaria will all be permanently taken off the gird on Dec. 31. That […]The post Three Nuclear Plants Close in Germany, Final Three to Be Retired in 2022 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

While 2021 kicked off short on optimism given chaos from the COVID-19 pandemic, the year was characterized by an extraordinary series of critical energy crises. Power blackouts, brownouts, interconnection mismatches, severe fuel shortages, and near-misses affected nearly every region in the world. Here’s a brief look back at some of the events that characterized 2021. […]The post 2021: A Dark Year for Electricity Security, Reliability appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) first conditional loan guarantee offered to a non-nuclear project since 2016 will finance the expansion of a pioneering commercial-scale “turquoise hydrogen” and carbon black production facility in Nebraska. The agency’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) on Dec. 23 offered a commitment to guarantee a loan of up to $1.04 billion under […]The post DOE’s First $1B Loan Guarantee in Years Seeks to Bolster Turquoise Hydrogen Process appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s been another news-filled year in the power industry. The following stories were the top 10 traffic-getters posted in 2021 on POWER’s website. Did you see them all as they were released? 10. Mitsubishi Power Developing 100% Ammonia-Capable Gas Turbine Mitsubishi Power is developing a 40-MW class gas turbine that can directly combust 100% ammonia […]The post Top 10 Power Industry News Stories of 2021 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Chinese power company said the first of four 1,000-MW units at a new coal-fired power plant in a northwestern region of Inner Mongolia has entered operation. The Guodian Power Shanghaimiao Corp., part of the state-owned China Energy Investment Corp., on Dec. 28 said Unit 1 of the Shanghaimiao plant is online after a 168-hour […]The post First 1-GW Unit of Major China Coal-Fired Plant Comes Online appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Solar power paired with energy storage is expected to lead capacity additions in the U.S. power generation sector over the next two years, according to the latest Electric Monthly Update from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA in its December report, which includes data through October 2021, said it projects the U.S. will […]The post Solar+Storage Will Lead New U.S. Generation Capacity appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The power and energy sector is one of the most critical areas of our country’s infrastructure, making it a prime target for cybercriminals increasingly looking for ways to infiltrate and disrupt the sector and ultimately the national grid. In fact, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report in early 2021 that found the […]The post What History Tells Us About the Future of Cyber Vulnerabilities in the Power Industry appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As required by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on Dec. 21 launched a new office—the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations—to “supercharge” its work to demonstrate hydrogen, carbon capture, energy storage, and advanced nuclear technologies. The new office will leverage $21.5 billion of the combined $62 billion allocated to the DOE […]The post Infrastructure Act Power Technology Demonstrations DOE’s Newly Dedicated Office Will Manage appeared first on POWER Magazine.

About six years ago, I was excited and eager to have regular opportunities to get out from behind my computer-aided design (CAD) workstation and visit our utility’s substations, transmission line right of ways (ROWs), and telecom sites throughout our service area in Texas. Most of us engineers and technicians looked forward to these inspections as […]The post The Case for Lightweight Flame-Resistant Clothing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Earlier this month, AES Corp. unveiled Atlas, a first-of-its-kind solar installation robot. The cutting-edge, artificial intelligence–enabled technology behind Atlas is a major advancement for the industry, making it faster, more efficient, and safer to construct new solar facilities, the company said. The innovative robot was designed by AES through a multi-year process and built in […]The post Robots and Modular Designs Lead to Faster and Safer Solar Farm Construction and Maintenance appeared first on POWER Magazine.

What is a microreactor and why would you want one? The definition could be debated, but nuclear reactors in the 1 MW to 20 MW range generally fit the bill, and there are countless possible applications for the technology. “This could be used for disaster relief. This could be used for mines, remote communities—on a […]The post How Microreactors Could Change the Nuclear Power Industry (and the World) appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Netherlands is set to install that country’s largest energy storage system in an effort to support power grid stability. Technology group Wärtsilä on Dec. 20 said it will supply a 25-MW/48-MWh storage system to GIGA Storage BV, a Netherlands-based energy storage company with multiple projects under development, including several hybrid renewable energy-plus-storage systems. The […]The post Netherlands Will Install Country’s Largest Energy Storage System appeared first on POWER Magazine.

If you’ve paid attention to the cleantech news cycle this year, you know it’s been a roller-coaster ride. I’ve been in the cleantech/energy transition sector for 20 years and wrote the first history on the term cleantech 15 years ago. I’ve seen the many ups and downs surrounding the industry. Today’s current playing field is […]The post Was 2021 the Year of EVs, Hydrogen, or Energy Storage? And What to Expect in 2022 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy (DOE) has issued a request for information (RFI) on a planned temporary federal program to ensure enough high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU) will be available to jumpstart deployment of a new fleet of advanced nuclear reactors. Comments received over the next month in response to the DOE’s Dec. 14–issued RFI will inform […]The post DOE Begins Fleshing Out Availability of Advanced Nuclear Reactor Fuel appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Nuclear power remains one of the cleanest forms of energy available to us. Unfortunately, current challenges in measuring nuclear power plant waste and contamination levels make it difficult to manage. The inability to effectively measure these levels makes it difficult to validate nuclear power, and in some cases, is even causing some political tensions. Machine […]The post How Machine Learning Improves Visibility into Nuclear Power Plant Waste and Contamination Levels appeared first on POWER Magazine.

2021 was a boom year for solar as a record number of new projects were registered with ANEEL, Brazil’s electricity industry regulator. Now, new distributed generation legislation is in the offing, and, when ratified, it will introduce gradual charges for use of transmission networks through distribution system use tariffs (TUSD). The legislation proposes a 10-year […]The post Key Trends Point to Strong Growth for Brazil’s Renewable Energy Landscape in 2022 and Beyond appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a Dec. 14 filing with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, Ameren Missouri announced its intent to retire two 600-MW units at the Rush Island Energy Center 15 years earlier than previously planned due to “changed circumstances since the Remedy Ruling.” The court’s remedy ruling, delivered on Sept. 30, 2019, […]The post Ameren to Close 1.2-GW Coal Power Plant by March 2024, 15 Years Early appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A leading company in the design of technology for a variety of industries is part of an effort to advance carbon capture from power plants, along with providing a solution to emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial facilities. Honeywell, the Charlotte, N.C.-based conglomerate known for products from residential thermostats to advanced aerospace applications, on […]The post Honeywell, UT-Austin Join on New Carbon Capture Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Recent reports from groups analyzing U.S. power generation note how states near the nation’s largest shale plays are expected to bring significant new natural gas-fired generation online over the next few years, despite concerns about recent market volatility that sent gas prices to their highest levels in more than a decade. With a long-term outlook […]The post More than 32 GW of New Gas-Fired Power Plants in U.S. Pipeline appeared first on POWER Magazine.

President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act on Nov. 15, which allocates $550 billion in new spending over the next five years to improve U.S. infrastructure, including critical investments in the energy sector. These investments will cover power grid infrastructure, electric vehicles (EVs) and charging stations, renewable energy, nuclear power, hydropower, and […]The post The Billion-Dollar Bet on Electric Vehicles appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The events of the past year and a half have irrevocably changed the way we live, especially at home. Pandemic-related restrictions and lifestyle changes have greatly increased the amount of time Americans spend at home—at one point, more than 50% of the population spent more than 18 hours in their homes. Rising energy costs and […]The post Homeowners Learned a Lot in 2021; Here’s What They’re Looking For in 2022 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

New England faces a precarious fuel supply risk that could necessitate emergency actions if a severe prolonged cold snap hits the region this winter, ISO New England (ISO-NE) has warned. The regional grid operator expects power demand will peak at 19,710 MW during average winter weather conditions of 10F, but if temperatures plunge below 5F, […]The post ISO-NE Warns Fuel Supply Issues May Threaten Winter Power System Reliability appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Despite exacting a heavy environmental and financial toll, routine flaring remains a persistent practice in the oil and gas sector. This gas could be captured and used for productive purposes, but a lot of it simply isn’t. While flaring levels are down 5% from 2019, this is still a huge amount—142 billion m3/yr in fact. […]The post Overcoming the Top Three Hurdles to Eliminate Flaring appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Many critical infrastructure sites contain areas that are classified as hazardous due to a high risk of explosion. What makes most of these locations dangerous is the presence of flammable materials such as liquids, gases, vapors, and dust. In these areas, the use of network cameras can significantly improve the overall health and safety posture […]The post The Benefits of Explosion-Protected Cameras in High-Risk Environments appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The optimal grease to use in power plant equipment is rarely contemplated by people other than truly dedicated operations and maintenance managers, and the workers on their teams who feel the pain when a piece of equipment breaks down due to inadequate lubrication. Yet, for those individuals, the choice of which grease to use in […]The post The Benefits of Synthetic Greases: Improved Efficiency, Reduced Maintenance appeared first on POWER Magazine.

GE Digital has announced a partnership with UK Power Networks (UKPN) for the launch of a smart substation project designed to support renewable energy power generation across the United Kingdom. The agreement announced Dec. 9 involves the installation of powerful computers in a series of substations. The project, known as Constellation, will leverage advances in […]The post GE Digital Announces UK ‘Smart Substation’ Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.