POWER Magazine

The South Korean government has pledged 4 billion Korean won (about $3.5 million) to support a blockchain-enabled virtual power plant (VPP) in Busan, the country’s second-most-populous city after Seoul. Busan officials said they have selected a project to build a VPP on a “citizens-shared” blockchain. Technology Aggregates Resources, Standardizes Transactions A VPP is a cloud-based […]The post Blockchain-Enabled VPP Planned for South Korea appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC, the Commission) took several actions in November to address impacts from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the Tax Act). FERC had previously issued a Notice of Inquiry seeking comments on how to address the impact of the Tax Act’s reduction in the corporate federal income tax (FIT) rate […]The post FERC Follows Up on Tax Reform Response appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A novel floating power plant that combines a 145-MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant and a battery energy storage system could begin operating in the Dominican Republic by early 2021. Siemens and the marine arm of Singapore-based ST Engineering on December 3 said they jointly received an order for a SeaFloat barge-mounted power plant from […]The post Dominican Republican to Get Floating Combined Cycle Gas Plant Outfitted with Battery Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Senate on a 50-49 party-line vote December 6 confirmed Bernard McNamee to a seat on the five-member Federal Energy and Regulatory Commission (FERC), despite questions about his independence from the Trump administration and his previous comments in support of a bailout of coal and nuclear U.S. power plants at the expense of renewable […]The post Senate Confirms McNamee as FERC Commissioner appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The two-unit Vogtle expansion in Georgia faces major challenges that are poised to derail its schedule and ramp up costs—and the project is already behind schedule, a consulting firm tasked with construction oversight of the project told regulators. In revealing testimony filed with the Georgia Public Service Commission’s (PSC’s) public interest advocacy staff on November […]The post Plagued by Grim Challenges, Vogtle Nuclear Expansion Lags Behind Schedule, Says Oversight Consultant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Fifteen notable industry groups have urged Congressional leaders to act on the federal used nuclear fuel program, noting no progress on the Yucca Mountain repository license application and consolidated interim storage is “untenable.” The broad coalition of labor unions, state public service commissioners, clean energy organizations, and energy trade associations told U.S. House and Senate […]The post Industry Groups to Congress: Inaction on Nuclear Waste Not an Option appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER-GEN International kicked off on December 4 with a keynote presentation focused on evolving power generation schemes and changing business models. Gregory Lee, commission president with Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), the municipally owned public utility that provides water and electric service to Orlando, Florida, and portions of other nearby areas, opened the conference by providing […]The post The Power Industry Is Transforming, One Municipal Utility Offers a Case in Point appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Xcel Energy has announced its plan to move to 100% carbon-free power generation by 2050, with the utility also saying it will reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2030, from 2005 levels. Xcel, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves customers in eight states and over the past two years has announced a significant number of renewable […]The post Xcel’s Latest Plan: Carbon-Free by 2050 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The real estate developer who has tried for more than two years to buy the assets of the canceled Bellefonte nuclear power plant project in Alabama has sued the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) after TVA last week pulled out of the deal to sell the plant. Attorneys for Franklin Haney, whose Nuclear Development LLC (NDLLC) […]The post Developer Sues TVA Over Cancellation of Bellefonte Deal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Average wind turbine capacity, rotor diameter, and hub height increased in 2017, continuing a long-term trend. One reason that wind producers choose bigger turbines is to optimize wind power project cost and performance, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Source: U.S. DOE, 2017 Wind Technologies Market Report, […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: Wind Turbine Trends appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Before industrial control systems (ICSs) were network-connected, operators had little to worry about in the way of cyber threats. But as industrial environments, such as energy utilities, become more connected, they’re exposed to vulnerabilities and attacks. ICSs are used in large amounts of critical infrastructure, including the electrical grid, transportation systems, and wastewater plants. How […]The post Three Things ICS Security Pros Can Do to Maximize Uptime appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s not particularly easy to find reliable and detailed statistics on the deployment of distributed energy systems. One reason is that a lot of distributed energy is installed behind-the-meter. As a resultThe post Distributed Energy: A Burgeoning Market appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Coal from domestic mines provides just more than 2% of Spain’s electricity generation, as the country has increasingly moved away from coal-fired power toward renewable sources. The administration of newThe post Spain Closing Mines in Transition Away from Coal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A 10-day reliability test for the 150-MW Noor Ouarzazate III thermoelectric solar plant in Morocco has wrapped up, demonstrating that the project can provide continuous rated power even in the absence ofThe post Moroccan Molten Salt Tower Project Clears Reliability Test appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Most operators know that air should be kept out of a heat exchanger’s cooling water supply line. Air can collect in pockets and block flow, increasing velocities, increasing system resistance, decreasingThe post Eliminate Transient Vacuums by Air Injection appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Victoria state in Australia continues to see dramatic growth in solar and wind power, as well as battery storage systems, as the region rapidly expands its power generation capacity, in large part to serve theThe post Australia’s Victoria State Ramps Up Renewables appeared first on POWER Magazine.

For decades, floating power plants have been used widely as a source of flexible, decentralized power generation for several reasons. Among them are that they can be built cost-effectively and rapidly; theyThe post Novel Floating Power Plants on the Horizon appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Veolia Hungary Creates VPP Portfolio. Veolia Hungary in October acquired a 51% ownership share in CHP Eromu Kft., the first step in a process for Veolia to create a virtual power plant (VPP) portfolio. TheThe post POWER Digest [December 2018] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

France will shut down 14 of its 58 nuclear reactors by 2035 as well its remaining four coal power plants by 2022, French President Emmanuel Macron said November 27 in a lengthy speech that sought to clarify the country’s future energy direction. According to the World Nuclear Association, France’s nuclear power share has steadily expanded […]The post In Energy Policy Pivot, France Will Shutter 14 Nuclear Reactors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Optimizing power plant control systems can be challenging, but new tools are available to simplify and improve the process. On this episode of The POWER Podcast, Executive Editor Aaron Larson spoke with Jon Towslee, digital engagement leader for ABB Inc.’s Industrial Automation Power Generation & Water business. Towslee explained how ABB Ability is focused on […]The post Power Plant Control Loop Tuning and Optimization [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Analysis based on testing mostly conducted by energy companies shows that water near all but two coal plants in Illinois is contaminated with toxic waste. The Chicago Tribune on November 28 reported that a compilation of industry-supplied data from 24 Illinois coal plants shows harmful levels of arsenic, chromium, lead, and other heavy metals in […]The post Contamination Found in Water Near Illinois Coal Ash Dumps appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Despite increased resilience actions, extreme weather events due to climate change are projected to increasingly threaten the nation’s energy infrastructure, and create fuel availability and demand imbalances, the Trump administration’s sprawling climate report released on November 23 suggests. The Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) released by the Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is clear in […]The post Eight Power Sector Takeaways from the Climate Report appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A research group that provides information to institutional investors said cost estimates to decommission U.S. nuclear plants fell in 2017 for the first time in a decade. The Callan Institute, headquartered in San Francisco, California, in its report said decommissioning cost estimates dropped by 2.5% last year, to $88.8 billion. Callan’s data shows costs estimates […]The post Data Shows Nuclear Plant Decommissioning Costs Falling appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a referendum held alongside local elections, the Taiwanese electorate voted overwhelmingly to abolish a stipulation in the country’s Electricity Act that called for all nuclear energy-based power-generating facilities to completely cease operations by 2025. Many experts considered it a surprising victory for pro-nuclear activists. In January 2016, Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party garnered widespread support […]The post Voters Back Nuclear Power, Phaseout by 2025 Nixed appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A new study from BloombergNEF (BNEF) says developing countries lead the way on new investments in clean energy, with those nations taking advantage of lower project costs for solar and wind power as they move away from fossil fuel-powered generation. Today’s report, from a survey by BNEF’s annual Climatescope project, says “emerging market nations … […]The post Developing Nations Driving Clean Energy Investment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A series of strikes at French nuclear plants owned by power giant EDF have caused fluctuating electricity supplies, prompting concerns as the country prepares for a prolonged cold snap. Workers are reportedly protesting wage negotiations and a possible plan by the French government to restructure EDF. The energy branch of French trade union CGT on […]The post Strikes, Outages, Slash French Output by 2.2 GW appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A newly introduced Senate bill aims to make federal loan guarantees available for new high-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) coal power plants in the U.S. Although it spearheads considerable research and development initiatives to advance coal technology, the nation’s pipeline of coal builds remains virtually vacant, and it now lags painfully behind Asia and Europe in demonstration […]The post Could High-Efficiency, Low-Emissions (HELE) Technology Revive U.S. Coal Power? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It’s been a tumultuous couple of years for GE. The company’s stock price has been decimated by the market, decreasing more than 75% from a high of nearly $32 a share as recently as December 2016. Dow Jones removed the company from its benchmark Industrial Average in June, and GE’s Board of Directors sacked CEO […]The post Business and Leadership Shakeups Continue at GE appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) wants public input as it considers closing two of the utility’s historic coal-fired power plants: its Bull Run plant in Tennessee, and the last coal-fired unit at its Paradise plant in Kentucky. The Bull Run Fossil Plant, near Oak Ridge, has been the only single-generator coal plant in the TVA […]The post TVA Ponders Closure of Iconic Coal Units appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Battelle Energy Alliance—the management and operating contractor for the Idaho National Laboratory (INL)—selected GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy’s (GEH’s) PRISM technology to support the U.S. Department of Energy’s Versatile Test Reactor (VTR) program. The VTR program is expected to accelerate the development of fuels and materials for U.S. advanced reactors, utilizing fast neutron spectrum technology. Rather […]The post Technology Selected for DOE’s Versatile Test Reactor Program appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Entergy Arkansas said it will close the state’s two largest coal-fired power plants, along with one gas-fired plant, by 2030 as part of a settlement with environmental groups that sued the utility in federal court for alleged violations of the Clean Air Act (CAA). The Sierra Club and the Washington, D.C.-based National Parks Conservation Association […]The post Utility Agrees to Close Arkansas’ Largest Coal Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

State-imposed standards and financial incentives such as those used to spur widespread adoption of renewables technologies offer a promising model to address challenges to commercialize small modular reactors (SMRs), says a report by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Nuclear Energy. But to make a meaningful impact, nearly $10 billion in incentives will […]The post DOE Considers Subsidies Modeled on Renewables for Small Modular Nuclear Reactors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has approved the use of Mitsubishi Electric Total Advanced Control (MELTAC) Nplus S digital safety system controllers in U.S. nuclear power plants. While new to the U.S. industry, Mitsubishi said the MELTAC system is already deployed in 38 nuclear power plants around the world, primarily in Japan and China. MELTAC […]The post New Digital Safety System Controller Approved for Nuclear Plants appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Taking another steep hit from its beleaguered nuclear business, Toshiba Corp. said it will withdraw from construction of the proposed 3.8-GW Moorside nuclear plant in the UK, a project expected to comprise three AP1000 reactors. The Tokyo-based conglomerate said on November 8 that it had also taken steps to “wind up” NuGeneration Ltd. (NuGen), […]The post Toshiba Scraps Massive AP1000 Nuclear Project in the UK appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A wireless charging breakthrough demonstrated by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) marks a leap toward allowing electric vehicles (EVs) to conveniently recharge within the same period that it typically takes to fill-up at a gas station. Researchers at the national laboratory at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, in October said they […]The post Researchers Demonstrate 120-kV Wireless Charging System for Electric Vehicles appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Office of Fossil Energy (FE) in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) this week said it will fund research and development (R&D) efforts “that will advance first-of-a-kind coal generation technologies.” The FE on November 13 said its Coal FIRST (Flexible, Innovative, Resilient, Small, Transformative) program “will develop the coal plant of the future needed […]The post DOE Office Will Fund R&D for ‘Coal Plant of the Future’ appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A Tennessee businessman now has until the end of November to finalize a two-year-old purchase agreement for the unfinished Bellefonte nuclear power plant in Alabama. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), which began building the plant in 1974 but ended construction in 1988 amid a downturn in the nuclear power industry, on November 9 said it […]The post TVA Extends Deadline for Bellefonte Nuclear Plant Deal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The midterm elections yielded mixed results for power-related matters across the U.S. Voters in Arizona shot down a measure that would have expanded the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 50% by 2030, but voters in Nevada overwhelmingly backed a similar measure, adding it to a growing list of states that have sought 50% RPS […]The post Midterms a Mixed Bag for State Energy Ballot Measures appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Residents of Texas living downwind of coal-fired power plants would be far better off today if regulators had focused on cutting particle-forming SO2 emissions rather than concentrating so keenly on ozone-causing emissions, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Rice University in Houston, Texas. The head of the study, environmental engineer Daniel Cohan, […]The post Particulate Matter Should Be Focus of Air Emissions Regulations appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Xcel Energy said it will buy a natural gas-fired power plant in Minnesota from Southern Power, a subsidiary of Southern Co. The $650 million deal for the Mankato Energy Center puts Xcel in charge of a facility from which it has purchased power since the plant’s first unit came online in 2006. A second unit […]The post Xcel Buys Minnesota Gas-Fired Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

FuelCell Energy has entered into a $37 million deal to acquire Dominion Energy’s 14.9-MW fuel cell project in Bridgeport, Connecticut, a project it developed and built, and has operated since it began operations in December 2013. The project, one of the largest of its kind in the world, is powered by five Direct FuelCell stationary […]The post Dominion Sells 14.9-MW Bridgeport Fuel Cell Facility appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Northern Indiana Public Service Co. (NIPSCO) last week told state regulators it plans to retire four coal-fired units at its Wheatfield plant by 2023, a coal-fired unit in Michigan City by 2028, and increase its generation from renewables as part of its “Your Energy, Your Future” initiative. The company’s latest Integrated Resource Plan filed on October […]The post Indiana Utility Will Close Coal Units, Transition to Renewables appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Fuel delivery systems in PJM Interconnection’s vast footprint can generally withstand an extended period of stress and remain reliable, though extreme scenarios could impact the grid, the nation’s largest system operator concluded in a high-profile study. PJM, whose system covers 13 states and 65 million people, launched the study this May as the federal government, […]The post PJM: Fuel Supply Resilience Is Sound—For Now appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Interest in small modular reactors (SMRs) has ramped up of late owing to applications in niche electricity or energy markets where large reactors would not be viable—such as for cogeneration in countries with small grids, remote and off-grid areas, and for nuclear/renewable hybrid projects. Modular attributes may also enable SMRs to target the economics of […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: Small Modular Reactors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

As the hubbub of interest and activity surrounds development of small modular reactors (SMRs) hovering between 60 MW and 300 MW, and medium-sized nuclear reactors of under 700 MW, several nuclear technologyThe post Big Gains for Tiny Nuclear Reactors appeared first on POWER Magazine.

If you look up the history of users’ groups, you’ll find that many early organizations focused on computers. While it’s hard to confirm all the details, at least one source suggested that the firstThe post Users’ Groups Provide Value to Plant Operators appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The challenges for Japan’s nuclear power industry have been many in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. Returning units to commercial operation requires meeting new government safety standards, along withThe post Takahama a Model for Japanese Nuclear Restarts appeared first on POWER Magazine.

South Korean legislators in September passed a law allowing the use of bio-heavy oil to generate electricity. The law, expected to be implemented at the start of 2019, is designed to use the oil, made fromThe post South Korea Adding Bio-Heavy Oil as Renewable Energy Resource appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Replacing two 40-year-old feedwater heaters at a plant of Oconee Nuclear Station’s size and age was fated to be a complicated project, but through meticulous modeling and planning, and seamlessThe post Precision and Partnership Spur Innovations for Nuclear Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.