POWER Magazine

The post FERC Regains Full Five Members as Regulatory Fights Loom appeared first on POWER Magazine. The U.S. Senate on Nov. 30 confirmed Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) nominees Allison Clements and Mark Christie, filling out all five seats at the helm of the federal energy regulator with a bipartisan panel for the first time in nearly two years. Clements, a Democrat, replaces former Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur for a term that […]The post FERC Regains Full Five Members as Regulatory Fights Loom appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Designing for Safety: A New Approach to Belt Conveyors appeared first on POWER Magazine. Conveyors are among the most dynamic and potentially dangerous areas of equipment at a coal power plant. Even though their safety and performance are critical to the operation’s success, the impact of their contribution to overall efficiency is often unrecognized by management and workers alike. Operational basics of belt conveyor systems are too often a […]The post Designing for Safety: A New Approach to Belt Conveyors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Vineyard Wind Puts 800-MW Offshore Project on Hold appeared first on POWER Magazine. Officials with Vineyard Wind said they are temporarily withdrawing the group’s application for federal approval to build the first large U.S. offshore wind farm, saying more time is needed to conduct a final technical review after announcing a change in the turbines expected to be used in the project. Vineyard Wind, a joint venture between […]The post Vineyard Wind Puts 800-MW Offshore Project on Hold appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post GE Hitachi Hits Milestone for SMR Design appeared first on POWER Magazine. Another small modular reactor (SMR) design is moving closer to commercial operation after achieving a licensing milestone. GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), which is designing the BWRX-300 SMR, on Dec. 1 said the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has issued a final safety evaluation report for the first of several licensing topical reports (LTRs) submitted […]The post GE Hitachi Hits Milestone for SMR Design appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post DOE Initiative Honors Women in Clean Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recognized nine women for their achievements and leadership in clean energy, as part of the agency’s U.S Clean Energy Education & Empowerment (C3E) Initiative. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette recognized the winners of the 2020 U.S. C3E Awards on Dec. 1. The nine women will be honored at […]The post DOE Initiative Honors Women in Clean Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post THE BIG PICTURE: EPA Regulatory Roundup appeared first on POWER Magazine. Over its 50-year history, several rules issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have reshaped the power sector. But for at least a few modern rules, the road has been full of turns. Notes: CAA = Clean Air Act; BSER = best system of emission reduction; CO2 = carbon dioxide; GHG = greenhouse gases; […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: EPA Regulatory Roundup appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The Bittersweet Power of Hybrids appeared first on POWER Magazine. A quest for reliability and flexibility is driving significant interest in hybrid and co-located resources, but their widespread integration could hinge on how they are defined and valued in wholesaleThe post The Bittersweet Power of Hybrids appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post New Technology Keeps Solar on Track appeared first on POWER Magazine. Researchers continue to work on improvements in solar power, developing better cells, using new materials in panels, and focusing on improving efficiency while lowering cost. The solar power industry hitThe post New Technology Keeps Solar on Track appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post A Half Century of Environmental Progress appeared first on POWER Magazine. In the late 1960s, the U.S. was facing an environmental crisis. Air pollution was a serious problem in cities across the country, industrial activities and the widespread use of hazardous pesticides wereThe post A Half Century of Environmental Progress appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Five Emerging Risks That Could Hamper Energy Transitions appeared first on POWER Magazine. At the virtual 2nd Global Ministerial Conference on System Integration of Renewables on Oct. 27, several high-ranking policymakers pointed to a number of localized challenges affecting their countries’The post Five Emerging Risks That Could Hamper Energy Transitions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post India Expects to Double Power Consumption appeared first on POWER Magazine. Global energy demand has waned in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The lingering impacts of COVID-19 are expected to continue into 2021, but energy industry experts predict the world’s need forThe post India Expects to Double Power Consumption appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post South Korea Joins Japan and China with Carbon-Neutral Pledge appeared first on POWER Magazine. South Korea, Japan, and China, countries that rely heavily on coal power generation to fuel their economies, separately announced ambitious goals to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within theThe post South Korea Joins Japan and China with Carbon-Neutral Pledge appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post POWER Digest [December 2020] appeared first on POWER Magazine. Norwegian Group Buying Vietnam Wind Farm. Norway’s SN Power AS in November agreed to purchase 100% of the shares in the 39.4-MW Dam Nai Wind Power project in Vietnam from Mekong Wind Pte. Ltd., a group ownedThe post POWER Digest [December 2020] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Projected Development of Renewables in Cuba appeared first on POWER Magazine. As part of Cuba’s National Economic and Social Development Plan for 2030, the country aspires to increase the share of renewable energy on its electric grid to 24%. To accomplish this objective, theThe post Projected Development of Renewables in Cuba appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post BWXT: 3D Printing Breakthrough Could Speed Advanced Nuclear Reactor Development appeared first on POWER Magazine. BWX Technologies (BWXT) on Nov. 23 said it has demonstrated the ability to additively manufacture nickel-based super alloys and refractory-metal-based alloys for use in nuclear components. The company also said it has “accomplished component-level qualification, leading to a more efficient certification of nuclear materials configured in complex geometries.” The 3D printing breakthroughs achieved through a […]The post BWXT: 3D Printing Breakthrough Could Speed Advanced Nuclear Reactor Development appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post A Hopeful Narrative for the Nuclear Industry appeared first on POWER Magazine. Although there is only one nuclear power plant construction project in progress today in the U.S., that doesn’t mean the nuclear industry has gone dormant. A lot of research and development are ongoing, and the federal government is putting millions of dollars behind some of the efforts. The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program “The Department of […]The post A Hopeful Narrative for the Nuclear Industry appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Invenergy Unveils Plan for Largest U.S. Solar Project appeared first on POWER Magazine. A handful of well-known companies, along with three cities in Texas, have contracted to receive electricity from what would be the largest solar farm built to date in the U.S. Invenergy, a Chicago, Illinois-based energy company, said the Samson Solar Energy Center is scheduled to come online in 2023. The facility is under construction in […]The post Invenergy Unveils Plan for Largest U.S. Solar Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post How to Successfully Complete Projects with Advanced Work Packaging appeared first on POWER Magazine. Just as products are packaged so that they can be contained, handled, made mobile, and have their use sequenced, “packaging” work can bring the same benefits. To package work, planners create detailed workflows in advance rather than allowing construction to unfold in a self-assembling, freeform, decentralized way. Capital project construction can rely on a project […]The post How to Successfully Complete Projects with Advanced Work Packaging appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The Cost of Turbine Modifications on HRSG Tubing appeared first on POWER Magazine. Turbine modifications will shorten the life of heat recovery steam generator (HRSG) tubing, but the most dramatic reductions may not be where you expect. Combined cycle power plant gas turbine and steam turbine modifications can provide sizable economic gains. But these improvements often come at the cost of the serviceable (useful) life of the high-temperature […]The post The Cost of Turbine Modifications on HRSG Tubing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post UK Undergoing ‘Remarkable Shift’ in Power Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine. Natural gas-fired generation continues to provide much of the electricity in the UK, but renewable power in total at times has taken the lead spot in the country’s generation mix over the past several months. The country has moved almost entirely away from coal, which a decade ago teamed with natural gas to provide three-quarters […]The post UK Undergoing ‘Remarkable Shift’ in Power Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post ROI Is the Secret Sauce for Sustainable Digital Transformation appeared first on POWER Magazine. “Digital Transformation” is a broad term that can mean vastly different things to different people. Within a given company, it’s easy to gain consensus that such a thing is necessary to stay competitive, but it’s tremendously difficult to define what it looks like in practical terms—much less where to start. Of course, it wouldn’t be […]The post ROI Is the Secret Sauce for Sustainable Digital Transformation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Securitization a Useful Financing Tool for Transition From Coal appeared first on POWER Magazine. By Brad Handler and Morgan Bazilian Nearly 75% of electricity generated from coal in the U.S. could be produced more cheaply with renewables, strengthening the environmental arguments to accelerate the retirement of coal plants. Yet such transitions to renewable sources have to factor in the costs—incremental, stranded and most pressingly, societal—of shutting down existing plants, […]The post Securitization a Useful Financing Tool for Transition From Coal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Battle Brewing About California’s Role in Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Retirement appeared first on POWER Magazine. An assortment of entities have sought to intervene in a complaint alleging that the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and California state agencies violated bulk power system reliability standards when they approved retirement of the 2,240-MW Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP) by 2025. Before the comment deadline on Nov. 16, at least 15 entities sought intervention […]The post Battle Brewing About California’s Role in Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant Retirement appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Boost Advanced Nuclear, Preserve Existing Nuclear appeared first on POWER Magazine. Legislation introduced on Nov. 17 by a bipartisan group of senators on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) will seek to strengthen the nuclear fuel supply chain, help incentivize commercial deployment of new reactor designs, and create a credit program to preserve existing nuclear reactors at risk of premature shutdown. The American […]The post Bipartisan Legislation Introduced to Boost Advanced Nuclear, Preserve Existing Nuclear appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Could Geothermal Energy Become the ‘Sexy’ Renewable? appeared first on POWER Magazine. Geothermal is an often-overlooked and even disregarded renewable energy resource. While new wind and solar energy projects garner headlines nearly every day, geothermal is rarely sighted in news feeds. That could change in the future. In a report issued last year, the U.S. Department of Energy said geothermal electricity generation could increase more than 26-fold […]The post Could Geothermal Energy Become the ‘Sexy’ Renewable? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Organic Technology New Paradigm for Power appeared first on POWER Magazine. A Florida-based company that touts what it calls a scalable organic energy-based power technology has launched operations in North America, and said it is making its technology available across several markets including for transportation and commercial buildings. GO-OPV, LLC on Nov. 17 announced its ORENgE organic technology will be used in a 120,000-square-foot commercial property […]The post Organic Technology New Paradigm for Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Solar Farms Would Replace New Mexico Coal-Fired Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine. A U.S. subsidiary of one of France’s largest providers of solar power has given New Mexico officials more detailed information about the company’s plans for developing a series of solar projects. The installations would help offset the loss of generation from retiring coal-fired power plants in the state, including the San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) […]The post Solar Farms Would Replace New Mexico Coal-Fired Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post How to Plan a Successful Energy Construction Project appeared first on POWER Magazine. These Ten Steps May Help Power Companies Avoid Headaches, Delays, Higher Costs, and Legal Complications Jacqueline Greenberg Vogt, Esq. and Robert C. Epstein, Esq. The International Energy Agency projects the rapid growth of renewables, with solar at the center of this new constellation of electricity generation technologies. Hydropower remains the largest renewable source of electricity, […]The post How to Plan a Successful Energy Construction Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post NuScale Boosts SMR Module Capacity; UAMPS Mulls Downsizing Nuclear Project appeared first on POWER Magazine. In a breakthrough that could improve the economics of NuScale Power’s small modular reactor (SMR) technology—and reshape a project under development by its first potential customer, the Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS)—the Portland, Oregon-based company on Nov. 10 said it has determined its NuScale Power Module (NPM) can generate 25% more power per module. […]The post NuScale Boosts SMR Module Capacity; UAMPS Mulls Downsizing Nuclear Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Siemens, Toshiba Pulling Out of Coal-Fired Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine. Toshiba Corp. and Siemens Energy are the latest major power industry companies to move away from coal. Toshiba on Nov. 11 announced it will stop taking new construction orders for coal-fired power plants, and Siemens on Nov. 10 said it will stop selling turbines for new coal-fired facilities. The two energy giants join General Electric […]The post Siemens, Toshiba Pulling Out of Coal-Fired Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post IEA: Renewables Will Lead Global Generation in 2025 appeared first on POWER Magazine. The world’s power generation is about to become even more green, according to a new publication from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The group on Nov. 10 published its “Renewables 2020″ report, and highlighted how generation capacity from both wind and solar will double across the next five years and surpass global generation from both […]The post IEA: Renewables Will Lead Global Generation in 2025 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The POWER Interview: A Virtual Approach to Factory Acceptance Testing appeared first on POWER Magazine. Traditional in-person factory acceptance testing, also known as witness testing, is a challenge during a pandemic. To keep projects moving, power management company Eaton developed a virtual method to help utilities verify the capabilities of their complex equipment before it arrives onsite. This virtual solution can provide important advantages compared to traditional witness testing, including […]The post The POWER Interview: A Virtual Approach to Factory Acceptance Testing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post AEP Will Shutter Nearly Half its Giant Coal Power Fleet—5.6 GW—by 2030 appeared first on POWER Magazine. American Electric Power (AEP) will shut down or refuel 5.6 GW of its 2020 coal-fired power fleet by 2030 to comply with environmental rules—including recent revisions governing federal coal ash and effluent limitations—and rebalance its portfolio in a bid to meet ambitious climate goals. The move is bold for the Columbus, Ohio-based generating giant, which […]The post AEP Will Shutter Nearly Half its Giant Coal Power Fleet—5.6 GW—by 2030 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Belarus Brings Country’s First Nuclear Plant Online appeared first on POWER Magazine. The first reactor of the first nuclear power plant in Belarus was connected to the grid on Nov. 3. The Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant, also known as the Astravets plant, will have two operating reactors with a total 2.4 GW of generation capacity when completed in 2022, according to its current timeline. The plant has […]The post Belarus Brings Country’s First Nuclear Plant Online appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Clean Energy Tech Company Offers Customers Renewable Options appeared first on POWER Magazine. There is a growing trend toward clean energy around the world. A number of high-profile companies, including Google, Apple, Walmart, and more than 260 others, have set 100% renewable electricity goals, and power companies, too, have joined in the movement, with many targeting net-zero emissions in coming decades. However, most consumers have found it more […]The post Clean Energy Tech Company Offers Customers Renewable Options appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Is Vehicle-to-Grid Technology the Key to Accelerating the Clean-Energy Revolution? appeared first on POWER Magazine. Neil Wright Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology is not new, but it is extremely nascent. To many, it is the natural progression from “smart charging,” whereby electric vehicles (EVs) are only recharged at the best time for the network, to a more holistic grid scheme. But V2G trials are unfolding slowly, as finding the right business model […]The post Is Vehicle-to-Grid Technology the Key to Accelerating the Clean-Energy Revolution? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post How Biden’s Presidency Could (Further) Transform the Power Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine. Joe Biden on Nov. 7 clinched the 270 electoral votes needed to win the presidency, barring Donald Trump’s prospects for a second-term. Almost immediately, reactions from various parts of the power sector streamed in, highlighting possibilities and pitfalls of Biden’s wide-ranging energy and environment agenda. Energy, and its implications on the environment, figured prominently as […]The post How Biden’s Presidency Could (Further) Transform the Power Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post FERC Opens Electricity Markets to Distributed Resource Aggregators appeared first on POWER Magazine. By Bud Earley and Mark Perlis, Covington & Burling LLP The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Sept. 17, 2020, approved a final rule that will enable distributed energy resource aggregators to compete in organized wholesale electricity markets. Distributed energy resources (DERs) are located on the electric distribution system or behind the customer meter and […]The post FERC Opens Electricity Markets to Distributed Resource Aggregators appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post How the Power Sector Can Leverage Private Mobile Broadband Networks appeared first on POWER Magazine. By Mark Bole, CEO, Quortus There has been a sharp increase in the number of enterprises across the world looking to build private mobile broadband networks—2G, 3G, LTE, and 5G—over the past few years. Put simply, this has seen enterprises buy up radio spectrum to provide organizations with the freedom to create dedicated, optimized and […]The post How the Power Sector Can Leverage Private Mobile Broadband Networks appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post 2020 Voters Cement Nevada’s 50% RPS, Shakeup of Energy Oversight in New Mexico appeared first on POWER Magazine. Though vote-counting continued in the tight presidential race on Nov. 5, voters in Nevada and New Mexico appear to have made headway on crucial energy initiatives on the ballot. Nevada Approves a 50% by 2030 RPS In Nevada, the presidential race remained closely contested on Thursday morning with pundits predicting that a victory there for […]The post 2020 Voters Cement Nevada’s 50% RPS, Shakeup of Energy Oversight in New Mexico appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Developments in Offshore Wind Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine. By some estimates, offshore wind energy has the potential to deliver 18 times the current global electricity demand. The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said offshore wind power could develop into a $1 trillion industry over the next two decades, so there’s obviously a lot of growth potential around the world. While the cost for […]The post Developments in Offshore Wind Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Renewables Group Lambasts Labor Department’s ‘Anti-ESG’ Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine. A pan-renewables organization has chastised the Department of Labor (DOL) for fast-tracking a new rule it has said is a “transparent attempt to slow the growth” of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing. According to the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE)—a group that represents a wide range of renewables stakeholders including some of the […]The post Renewables Group Lambasts Labor Department’s ‘Anti-ESG’ Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Thermal Coal—Now and Next appeared first on POWER Magazine. Joe Mease and Bryan Benoit, Grant Thornton LLP After serving as a primary source of electrical power generation for the last half-century, bankruptcies throughout the American coal mining industry in 2020 serve as the proverbial canary in the mine for the once dominant black nuggets found across the U.S. from the Appalachians to the Powder River Basin. […]The post Thermal Coal—Now and Next appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Consistent Excellence Makes Byron Nuclear Plant Special appeared first on POWER Magazine. A focus on continuous improvement has helped the nuclear power industry shine in recent years. The U.S.'s fleet of nuclear reactors has achieved average capacity factors of more than 92% over the past fiveThe post Consistent Excellence Makes Byron Nuclear Plant Special appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The POWER Interview: Financial Benefits of Energy Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine. Speakers at POWER’s recent Distributed Energy Experience were unanimous in their agreement that energy storage is a game-changing technology for the power generation sector. Storage provides for more reliability and resilience, and already is proving its importance to supporting the growth of solar and wind power. Utilities are incorporating storage into their generation portfolios. It […]The post The POWER Interview: Financial Benefits of Energy Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Darlington’s First Refurbishment: A Model for Nuclear Construction appeared first on POWER Magazine. The successful refurbishment of Unit 2 at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station marked a pivotal milestone for Ontario Power Generation’s 10-year, C$12.8 billion overhaul of the plant’s four CANDUThe post Darlington’s First Refurbishment: A Model for Nuclear Construction appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Analysts: Storage a Matter of Dollars and Sense appeared first on POWER Magazine. More developers are adding energy storage to their power generation plans as they recognize how the technology improves a project’s economics. Solar and wind power project developers are recognizing theThe post Analysts: Storage a Matter of Dollars and Sense appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post How the Clean Energy Transition Is Intensifying the Energy-Water Nexus appeared first on POWER Magazine. Decarbonization is posing a fundamental dilemma that could have widespread serious implications for the power sector: the clean energy transition, if not properly managed, could increase water stress, or beThe post How the Clean Energy Transition Is Intensifying the Energy-Water Nexus appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Follow the Money—Considering Climate in Energy Investment appeared first on POWER Magazine. Arguments continue about the impacts of climate change, but there’s little debate when it comes to where banks and other investors are putting their money. Shareholders and institutional investors areThe post Follow the Money—Considering Climate in Energy Investment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Australia Launches Gas Strategy to Revitalize Power Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine. In a bid to spur economic activity and thwart a COVID-19–related downturn, Australia’s government in September set out a strategy to reset domestic power and gas priorities to tamp down power prices andThe post Australia Launches Gas Strategy to Revitalize Power Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine.