POWER Magazine

Patrick Lee, who founded and leads PXiSE Energy Solutions, a subsidiary of San Diego, California-based Sempra Energy, is a proponent of energy sharing. His company builds enhanced grid management systems, using data, insights, and algorithms “to maximize efficiency and reliability of all DERs [distributed energy resources] as one system.” In other words, a PXiSE-supported microgrid […]The post The POWER Interview: Technology Helps Integrate Renewables to the Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.

XENOTIME, a cyberthreat activity group thought responsible for TRISIS/TRITON malware attacks on safety instrumented systems (SIS) at an oil and gas Middle Eastern facility in 2017, has been probing power company networks in the U.S. and elsewhere, new intelligence from industrial control systems (ICS) security firm Dragos shows. “In February 2019, Dragos identified a change in […]The post TRITON/TRISIS Cyberattacker Has a New Target: Power Sector appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The natural gas industry is doing quite well and the future looks bright to many observers. “We’re at a really great moment for the natural gas industry in the U.S. Production is growing dramatically. Shale continues to provide tremendous improvements technologically, bringing the cost down and growing the production, extending access to U.S. gas. At […]The post Future May Not Be as Rosy as It Seems for Natural Gas [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Hurricane season is underway and summer heat already has arrived in many areas, which again puts the spotlight on utilities, the power grid, and disaster response plans after a series of major weather events and wildfires caused outages and other disruptions in the U.S. and Caribbean in recent years. “We’re seeing these events occur, and […]The post Energy Insiders Say Tech, Collaboration Key to Utility Storm Prep appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Through a series of incentives and mandates, New Jersey is planning to produce 100% of its power from carbon-neutral sources, electrify its vehicle fleet and building sectors, and set mandatory efficiency standards for electric utilities by 2050, an energy blueprint released by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) suggests. The June 10-released “Draft 2019 Energy […]The post New Jersey’s 100% Clean Energy Goal Imperils Gas Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Talen Montana—part-owner and operator of the Colstrip Steam Electric Station—announced that Units 1 and 2 at the coal-fired power plant will be retired by year-end, well ahead of a previously announced July 2022 closure date. “The decision to retire Colstrip Units 1 and 2 comes after extensive review and exhaustive efforts over the last few […]The post In a Surprise Announcement, Colstrip Units 1 and 2 to Close by Year-End appeared first on POWER Magazine.

General Electric (GE) has rolled out a new portfolio of predictive analytics that could allow utilities to use data from transmission and distribution networks to achieve better operational efficiency as more distributed assets are introduced to the grid. The company on June 11 unveiled three new grid analytics—for storm readiness, network connectivity, and effective inertia—that […]The post GE Launches New Analytics Technologies to Boost Grid Efficiency appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry said coal and nuclear power must be part of the nation’s “all of the above” energy strategy, but the Department of Energy (DOE) does not have the “regulatory or statutory ability” to establish economic incentives for struggling U.S. coal and nuclear plants. Perry, who addressed the Edison Electric Institute’s (EEI’s) annual […]The post DOE’s Perry: Coal, Nuclear Must Be Saved appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Utilities need to adapt as businesses continue to focus on sustainability, looking for cleaner energy sources and viewing such measures as an opportunity to create value, according to a Deloitte study released June 11. What’s less-focused is residential consumers willingness to adopt sustainability improvements, with cost and convenience playing a large role in their choices, […]The post Deloitte Survey: Businesses Back Sustainability, Decarbonization appeared first on POWER Magazine.

India is striving to conserve coal and slash its carbon emissions. The country which depended on coal for 56% of its total capacity of 356 GW as of May 2019, wants to reduce coal’s share to 45% of a planned capacity expansion to 480 GW by the end of 2022. During that period, it will […]The post India’s Coal Future Hinges on Advanced Ultrasupercritical Breakthroughs appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In China, though specific achievements are hard to pinpoint owing in part to a dearth of public or internationally available information, coal technology developments appear to be advancing more rapidly than anywhere in the world. China’s efforts to foster technology advancements are in the country’s national interest, said Mi Shuhua, executive vice president of China […]The post How China Is Improving Coal Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. is investing heavily to ensure its future coal-fired power fleet will be cleaner, more efficient, and more flexible, experts said at the 9th International Conference on Clean Coal Technologies in Houston on June 4. The conference—which is taking place this week in the U.S. for the first time—is spearheaded by the IEA Clean […]The post How the U.S. Is Investing in Advanced Coal Technologies appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Increased power generation from renewable resources such as wind and solar also has created a growing market for energy storage. Generators want to harness that power and have it available when it’s needed, whether or not the wind is blowing or the sun is shining. Rob Allerman, senior director of Power Analytics for Drillinginfo, which […]The post The POWER Interview: State of the Wind, Solar, Storage, and Hydro Markets appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The first independent combined cycle power project in the emirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is taking shape after $1 billion in financing was recently secured from GE Energy Financial Services (EFS) and its partners. The plant, featuring three combined cycle blocks, is expected to have 1.8 GW of generation capacity. The […]The post Financing Secured for GE’s UAE Combined Cycle Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The head of GE’s operations in France told a Paris newspaper that a French factory targeted for more than 1,000 job cuts will not close. GE last week said it wanted to make its operations in France more efficient and said changes would come at the Belfort plant in eastern France, which handles technology for […]The post POWER Notebook: GE Plant in France, Targeted for Job Cuts, Will Not Close appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An estimated 5 million U.S. workers wear respirators. Employers are required to provide National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)-certified respirators using a written respiratory protection program enforced by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Design and manufacturing focus on fit, comfort, and ease of use across product lines incorporating advanced technologies, such […]The post The Future Direction of Respiratory Protection appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens AG, the global technology conglomerate that today has headquarters in both Berlin and Munich, in May 2019 announced it will spin off its energy units to focus on its digital “core.” The news has stunned many in the power sector, where Siemens has clenched a formidable presence since 1866. But restructuring at Siemens is […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: Siemens’ Corporate History appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Household batteries could contribute to making the grid more cost effective, reliable, resilient, and safe—if retail battery providers, utilities, and regulators can resolve delicate commercial, operational, and policy issues. The growth of battery storage in the power sector has attracted a great deal of attention in the industry and media. Much of that attention focuses […]The post How Residential Energy Storage Could Help Support the Power Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ansaldo Leads Research Initiative for Low-NOx High-Hydrogen Retrofit Solution. The Dutch government has awarded six partners—Ansaldo Thomassen, Delft University of Technology, OPRA Turbines, VattenfallThe post POWER Digest [June 2019] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The first solar power plant licensed to operate in Vietnam came online in late April, another signal of the country’s increasing reliance on renewable energy. But analysts forecast that coal-fired powerThe post Vietnam Supports Solar and More Coal Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s no secret that the power industry workforce is aging and managers are struggling to find qualified candidates interested in filling open positions. In my April column, I referenced aThe post How to Hire the Best Talent appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Swedish power company Vattenfall is testing a technology that stores energy in salt, with a goal of proving whether the process would be useful for storage of renewable energy such as from wind and solarThe post Storing Energy in Salt—Vattenfall Testing Technology at Berlin Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A blockchain pilot wrapped up by European transmission operator TenneT and storage solutions provider sonnen Group this May showed “tremendous potential” when used to network decentralized home storageThe post Blockchain Pilot Shows Promise for Grid Balancing appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Department of Energy (DOE) in March 2018 released a 52-page report outlining its multi-year strategy to improve cybersecurity. In the report’s introduction, Assistant Secretary Bruce J. Walker noted thatThe post Strengthening the Energy Sector’s Cyber Preparedness appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Since the 1940s, when General Electric (GE), launched its gas turbine operations, the company has pioneered and commercialized a lengthy list of gas turbine technologies, large and small. As the decarbonization movement gains pace and more renewables flood the landscape, the company’s gas turbines have taken on new crucial roles to provide dispatchability and flexibility. […]The post The POWER Interview: GE Unleashing a Hydrogen Gas Power Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) and Magnum Development, the owner of a large and geographically rare underground salt dome in Utah, have teamed to develop a massive project that could store up 1,000 MW of renewable energy year-round and provide it to variability-challenged Western power markets. The companies this week signed a memorandum of understanding […]The post MHPS, Magnum Will Build 1-GW Renewable Energy Storage Facility in Utah appeared first on POWER Magazine.

“Without action to provide more support for nuclear power, global efforts to transition to a cleaner energy system will become drastically harder and more costly,” Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), wrote in his foreword to the IEA’s recently released report titled Nuclear Power in a Clean Energy System. The report […]The post Nuclear Power Needed for Clean Energy Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Illinois on May 27 became the third state in the nation to pass legislation requiring coal ash protections beyond federal requirements. The state’s House passed the Coal Ash Pollution Prevention Act (SB 9) in a 77-36 vote on Monday, only weeks after Senate passage of the bill in a 39-9 vote on May 9. The […]The post Illinois Passes Landmark Coal Ash Legislation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The power industry is changing and power companies must evolve to stay competitive. Many businesses are transitioning from vertically integrated, centralized utility structures to more-distributed models. JEA offers a good case in point. JEA is a not-for-profit, community-owned utility located in Jacksonville, Florida. It serves an estimated 466,000 electric, 348,000 water, 271,000 sewer, and 11,000 […]The post Power Company Business Models Are Evolving [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A wholesale power provider in Colorado wants to supply the state’s largest electric cooperative with power from mostly renewable sources, saying it will pay Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to retire its coal-fired plants in Colorado and New Mexico. Tri-State, at least for now, said it will not consider the offer. Denver-based Guzman Energy on May […]The post Power Marketer to Tri-State: We’ll Buy and Close Your Coal Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Swedish utility Vattenfall will take up deployment of the massive 12-MW Haliade-X offshore wind turbine in Europe, marking a major milestone for GE Renewable Energy’s effort to boost sales of the largest turbine currently on the market. The two companies agreed to cooperate after a year of “intensive exchanges during which Vattenfall conducted an in-depth […]The post GE Gains Vattenfall’s Backing for Massive 12-MW Offshore Wind Turbine appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will act on a spate of power plant rules over the next year, its newly released agenda of regulatory and deregulatory actions shows. The May 23-released “Spring 2019 Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions” lists 35 new actions, along with 57 actions that it considers “deregulatory.” The list includes new […]The post [UPDATED] EPA Sets Schedules for Long List of Power Plant Regulatory Actions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Saudi Arabian Oil Co., better known as Saudi Aramco, on May 22 signed a 20-year agreement to buy liquefied natural gas (LNG) from a Texas export terminal being developed by California-based Sempra Energy. The two companies confirmed the deal is a sale-and-purchase agreement for 5 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) of LNG, which is equal […]The post Sempra, Saudi Aramco Have 20-Year Deal for LNG appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Xcel Energy on May 20 announced it would close its two remaining coal plants in Minnesota over the next decade, and the utility said it also wants to operate its Monticello nuclear plant in the state until at least 2040. Xcel, which is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and serves electricity and natural gas customers in […]The post Xcel Sets Closure of Minnesota Coal Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Commercial and industrial (C&I) sites increasingly are looking for ways to increase the reliability and resiliency of their power supply, along with controlling their energy costs. These C&I projects include distribution centers, data centers, office parks, hospitals, college campuses, and also military bases. CleanSpark, a San Diego, California–based technology company which specializes in the optimized […]The post The POWER Interview: CleanSpark’s Bryan Huber Talks Microgrids, C&I Installations appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A federal judge this week ruled the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) must continue to honor an agreement to sell the unfinished Bellefonte Nuclear Power Plant to a real estate developer who has said he would complete construction of the long-idled project. U.S. District Court Judge Liles C. Burke, in a 17-page opinion issued after a […]The post Judge: TVA Deal for Bellefonte Nuclear Plant Stays in Place appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Sub-Saharan Africa’s power generation capacity is projected to surge 4% annually through 2040, and its current energy mix—which is today dominated by hydro and coal—will likely be more diversified as interest rises in renewables such as solar and wind, General Electric (GE) said in a white paper surveying market opportunities in the region that it […]The post GE Is Banking on Africa’s Burgeoning Power Market appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The fight about who owns equipment at the now-abandoned V.C. Summer 2 and 3 AP1000 reactors in South Carolina intensified on May 14, as key stakeholder Santee Cooper sued lead contractor Westinghouse for certification documentation related to that equipment. The lawsuit filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of South Carolina, Charleston Division, […]The post Dispute Flares About Equipment at Abandoned V.C. Summer Nuclear Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

When it comes to gas turbines, size matters. Although the market for large, heavy-duty gas turbines has been challenging in recent years, demand for industrial gas turbines—generally units with output ranging from about 5 MW to 100 MW—has been growing, according to Reed Lengel, product line manager for SCC-800 solutions with Siemens Energy. “When you […]The post Industrial Gas Turbine Demand Grows [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

General Electric, Siemens, and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems confirmed their gas turbine sales for the year’s first quarter, with GE taking the top spot with six orders for its advanced HA-class unit. The three companies on May 14 confirmed the numbers to Reuters. GE, which had no sales in the same period a year ago, […]The post GE Tops MHPS, Siemens in 1Q Turbine Orders appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A utility industry coalition that has often challenged stricter air pollution and climate rules for power generation said it will dissolve. The Utility Air Regulatory Group (UARG), which has been under investigation from the House Energy and Commerce Committee due to its relationship with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) top air policy official and his […]The post Utility Group Under Congressional Investigation Will Disband appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In the days following its May 7 announcement that it will spin off its Gas and Power business, Siemens has fleshed out how and when the carveout will occur, laid out its reasons for lumping its energy businesses together, and put forth a market case for why a business separation may be a “win-win” situation […]The post Insights Into Siemens’ Stunning Gas and Power, Renewables Shakeup appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The percentage of coal-fired generation in the U.S. electricity mix will continue to decline, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) said May 9, with gas-fired generation accounting for at least 40% of the nation’s power this summer and output from renewables continuing to rise. EIA’s latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO) said coal-fired units will produce only […]The post EIA: Gas, Renewables Outpacing Coal for Power Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has issued a fresh warning that continued “above-normal” growth in electric demand could require it to enter Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) status to maintain system reliability this summer. As it released its final Seasonal Assessment of Resource Adequacy (SARA) for the upcoming summer season (June to September), a preliminary […]The post ERCOT Warns of Summer Emergency Conditions as Demand Continues to Soar appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Combined heat and power (CHP), also known as cogeneration, is the concurrent production of electricity or mechanical power and useful thermal energy (heating and/or cooling) from a single source of energy. Although it may not be widely recognized outside of industrial, commercial, institutional, and utility circles, CHP has been providing highly efficient electricity and process […]The post Control Your Own Destiny with Combined Heat and Power Systems [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The remaining nuclear reactor at the Three Mile Island Generating Station (TMI) in Pennsylvania will shut down by the end of September. Exelon made that official May 8, setting the closing date for Unit 1 at the financially struggling plant that it first announced it would shutter two years ago. Exelon in 2017 said the […]The post Last Reactor at Three Mile Island Will Shut by End of September appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The UK has gone a week without using electricity from coal-fired generation, according to the National Grid Electricity System Operator (NGESO), which oversees the power network in England, Wales, and Scotland. Government officials said it’s the first time the UK has gone without coal in a week-long period since 1882, when a coal-fired plant opened […]The post UK Milestone: One Week Without Coal-Fired Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens will spin off and give up its majority stake in its lucrative Gas and Power division—comprising its conventional power generation, power transmission, oil and gas, and related services businesses—and transfer its current majority 59% stake in Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE) to the new business. The company’s supervisory board announced the spinoff on May 7 […]The post Siemens Will Exit Power, Gas, Renewable Businesses appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to take final action to repeal the Clean Power Plan in June 2019, a federal court filing shows. The agency told the D.C. Circuit—in a May 6 status report—review of the Obama-era rule that sets the first carbon dioxide limits for existing power plants “continues to be a high […]The post EPA Will Issue Final Carbon Rules for Power Plants in June appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Depending on the hazard field, electromagnetic pulses (EMPs) resulting from detonation of a nuclear weapon at high altitude or in space could cause significant damage to electronics on the bulk power system and even prompt a regional voltage collapse, the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) says in much-anticipated findings from its three-year study on high-altitude […]The post EMP Threat Real but Limited, EPRI Says in Much-Anticipated Report appeared first on POWER Magazine.