POWER Magazine

The post The POWER Interview: Designing a Net Energy Fusion System appeared first on POWER Magazine. Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS), a company commercializing fusion energy, recently announced a series of seven papers published and peer reviewed in a special edition of the Journal of Plasma Physics. The papers validate the company’s approach to commercial fusion energy. CFS said the papers, written in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT’s) Plasma […]The post The POWER Interview: Designing a Net Energy Fusion System appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post More Delays for Vogtle Plant Expansion appeared first on POWER Magazine. Georgia Power said it still expects to meet a state regulatory deadline for commercial operation of the first of two new reactors at its Vogtle nuclear plant expansion. The utility, though, on Oct. 22 acknowledged it has pushed back some aspects of the project, including delaying the loading of nuclear fuel for the first reactor […]The post More Delays for Vogtle Plant Expansion appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post PG&E Cutting Power Due to Wildfire Threat appeared first on POWER Magazine. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) said it could cut off power for nearly one million people across Northern California beginning Oct. 25, due to significant wildfire danger in its territory. Southern California Edison (SCE) also has warned of potential blackouts in its region due to forecasts of high winds. The utility last week was found […]The post PG&E Cutting Power Due to Wildfire Threat appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Energy Deals Shift to Renewables and U.S. Shale Bargains appeared first on POWER Magazine. At a time when deal activity in the energy and natural resources sector has slowed dramatically—down 26.2% globally year-on-year—one development in particular may define the industry’s near-term future. In mid-May 2020, French oil major Total opted not to pursue a deal, announced in 2019, to purchase the African assets of Anadarko Petroleum, a U.S. producer […]The post Energy Deals Shift to Renewables and U.S. Shale Bargains appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post New York Reforms Clean Energy Standard appeared first on POWER Magazine. An expansion of New York’s Clean Energy Standard (CES) approved by the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) adopts several measures that will help the state meet its new, more ambitious 70%-by-2030 renewable power target. In an Oct. 15 order, the PSC adopted several changes proposed by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority […]The post New York Reforms Clean Energy Standard appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Developing a Safer Lithium-Ion Battery appeared first on POWER Magazine. Most consumers know that lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries can get hot. People experience the phenomenon in devices such as cell phones and laptop computers. In extreme circumstances, the heat can cause fires with catastrophic consequences. One company that is working to remedy the problem is Burlington, Washington-headquartered LAVLE. The company’s COO Morten Pedersen and CTO Ben […]The post Developing a Safer Lithium-Ion Battery appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Commercial NuScale SMR in Sight as UAMPS Secures $1.4B for Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine. Buoyed by two major developments last week for prospective customers, NuScale Power is maintaining “strong program momentum” toward commercialization of its small modular reactor (SMR) technology, the company told POWER. On Oct. 16, the Department of Energy (DOE) approved a $1.355 billion award to fund the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), a potential 720-MWe NuScale […]The post Commercial NuScale SMR in Sight as UAMPS Secures $1.4B for Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Harvesting Near-Ground Winds with Advanced Compact Turbines appeared first on POWER Magazine. Compact (H-type) vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) are not as familiar as their horizontal-axis, propeller-type cousins. The two have their origins in the windmills of the 12th century, and even earlier, but the former has lacked financing, and research and development resources that have been poured into the latter to produce some of the lowest-cost energy […]The post Harvesting Near-Ground Winds with Advanced Compact Turbines appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Coal-Fired Power in 2021: A Recovery or a Reckoning? appeared first on POWER Magazine. This has been the year from hell for coal-fired power and the coal industry. If current projections hold, coal generation in 2020 will be 21% lower than last year and 62% lower than the 2007 peak. The coal share of the generating mix, which for decades hovered around 50%, will finish the year at 20%, […]The post Coal-Fired Power in 2021: A Recovery or a Reckoning? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Executives Tout Storage as Key for Distributed Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine. The growth of energy storage, along with deployment of new technologies, is at the heart of the future of distributed power generation. That’s according to industry executives participating in POWER’s Distributed Energy Experience. Woody Rubin, president of AES Distributed Energy, provided a keynote address on Oct. 20, talking about the rise of solar-plus-storage applications and […]The post Executives Tout Storage as Key for Distributed Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post What Will It Take to Make Offshore Wind Viable in the U.S.? appeared first on POWER Magazine. The benefits of offshore wind power have become indisputable. While it takes significant investment to bring these sources of power about, we can see that where offshore wind is being introduced, jobs are being created and clean, sustainable energy is being generated. Despite these clear and appealing benefits, however, only a handful of countries have […]The post What Will It Take to Make Offshore Wind Viable in the U.S.? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post AECOM Sells Power Business as Part of Restructuring appeared first on POWER Magazine. AECOM has announced the closing of the sale of its Power construction business to affiliates of CriticalPoint Capital LLC. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Los Angeles, California-based infrastructure consulting firm, which this month announced a restructuring plan, earlier this year closed on the $2.4 billion sale of its Maryland-based Management Services business—which […]The post AECOM Sells Power Business as Part of Restructuring appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Digital Applications, Data, and the Microgrid User Experience appeared first on POWER Magazine. EnTech Solutions, a sister company of Faith Technologies, was created to provide renewable, resilient energy solutions that enable its partners to control energy costs and reliability and minimize their environmental impact. EnTech utilizes microgrids that leverage proprietary power control hardware, energy management software, energy storage and other distributed energy resources (DERs) to consistently deliver high-value, […]The post Digital Applications, Data, and the Microgrid User Experience appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Duke Energy Pursuing Sweeping Changes to Generation Mix appeared first on POWER Magazine. Doubling down on its net-zero efforts, Duke Energy will retire all coal-only units in the Carolinas, multiply its renewable portfolio, and cease emitting methane in its natural gas business by 2030. The company made the announcements on Oct. 12 at its first environmental, social and governance (ESG) day, a virtual event geared toward its investors. […]The post Duke Energy Pursuing Sweeping Changes to Generation Mix appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Orlando Utility Pulling Plug on Coal-Fired Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine. The Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) said it plans to eliminate the group’s use of coal for power generation no later than 2027, including converting two coal-fired units at its Stanton Energy Center to run on natural gas. The Florida utility’s management on Oct. 14 made the recommendation as part of its Electric Integrated Resource Plan […]The post Orlando Utility Pulling Plug on Coal-Fired Generation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The POWER Interview: Importance of Tax Credits and Incentives appeared first on POWER Magazine. Tax credits and incentives, also known as C&I, have long been important to support the growth of energy technologies, from oil and gas exploration to solar and wind power. Federal tax credits have lifted the U.S. renewable energy industry over the past decade, leading to rapid growth in the sector. Laurence Sotsky is the CEO […]The post The POWER Interview: Importance of Tax Credits and Incentives appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post What’s Your Heat Exchanger Maintenance IQ? appeared first on POWER Magazine. Heat exchangers are at the heart of many critical industrial systems. From power plants to industrial chemical plants and everything in between, the heat exchanger in all its forms is a critical aspect of heat management systems. Therefore, organizations must take heat exchanger maintenance extremely seriously. A heat exchanger failure can be a potentially deadly […]The post What’s Your Heat Exchanger Maintenance IQ? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Natrium, Xe-100 Are DOE’s Picks for Advanced Nuclear Reactor Demonstrations appeared first on POWER Magazine. TerraPower and X-energy will each receive $80 million in initial federal funding under the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) to build their two distinct advanced nuclear reactors and begin operating them within seven years. Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette made the much-awaited announcement about the first ARDP awards in a brief Twitter […]The post Natrium, Xe-100 Are DOE’s Picks for Advanced Nuclear Reactor Demonstrations appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post GE Secures First HA-Class Hydrogen Gas Power Deal: Long Ridge Energy Terminal appeared first on POWER Magazine. Long Ridge Energy Terminal will transition a 485-MW combined cycle power plant that is under construction within its sprawling multimodal facility on the Ohio and West Virginia border with the capacity to run on a hydrogen blend when it begins operation in 2021, and eventually transition to 100% green hydrogen within a decade. Long Ridge, […]The post GE Secures First HA-Class Hydrogen Gas Power Deal: Long Ridge Energy Terminal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post West Virginia Natural Gas Power Project Shelved appeared first on POWER Magazine. A developer has shelved a 920-MW natural gas-fired power plant planned for Brooke County, West Virginia, citing “changing conditions in the energy and financial markets” and alleged coal industry interference. Energy Solutions Consortium (ESC), a single purpose entity engaged in developing natural gas-fired power plants in West Virginia and Pennsylvania that has been active since […]The post West Virginia Natural Gas Power Project Shelved appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post China Brings 2.2-GW Solar Park Online appeared first on POWER Magazine. A Chinese company announced it has brought the world’s second-largest solar farm into commercial operation. Sungrow, which supplies inverters for renewable energy projects, and the state-owned utility Huanghe Hydropower Development on Oct. 9 said a 2.2-GW capacity solar park in the northwest province of Qinghai is now online. The Qinghai project trails only the 2.3-GW […]The post China Brings 2.2-GW Solar Park Online appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The Energy-Sector Threat: How to Address Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities appeared first on POWER Magazine. Electric-power and gas companies are especially vulnerable to cyberattacks, but a structured approach that applies communication, organizational, and process frameworks can significantly reduce cyber-related risks. In our experience working with utility companies, we have observed three characteristics that make the sector especially vulnerable to contemporary cyberthreats. First is an increased number of threats and actors […]The post The Energy-Sector Threat: How to Address Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post DOE Has Chosen Advanced Nuclear Reactor Demonstration Winners appeared first on POWER Magazine. The Department of Energy (DOE) on Oct. 7 notified Congress that it has chosen recipients for its Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) and will make its selections public “next week.” The ARDP program, which the DOE officially launched on May 14, will essentially focus DOE and non-federal resources (through cost-shared agreements with industry) to enable […]The post DOE Has Chosen Advanced Nuclear Reactor Demonstration Winners appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Taking Lithium-Ion Batteries to the Next Level appeared first on POWER Magazine. Although the first lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery was conceived more than 50 years ago, the technology continues to be refined and improved today. Scientists and engineers are constantly modifying and testing electrolytes, anodes, and cathodes in an effort to make Li-ion batteries more energy-efficient, cost-effective, and safer. Chicago, Illinois-based NanoGraf Technologies is one company working to […]The post Taking Lithium-Ion Batteries to the Next Level appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post In Boost to Canada’s Nuclear Roadmap, OPG Advances Work with Three SMR Developers appeared first on POWER Magazine. Ontario Power Generation (OPG) took another step to bolster plans to deploy small modular reactors (SMRs) in Ontario, announcing it is advancing engineering and design work with three major advanced nuclear reactor developers: GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH), Terrestrial Energy, and X-energy. The announcement on Oct. 6 stems from a “due diligence” process OPG held […]The post In Boost to Canada’s Nuclear Roadmap, OPG Advances Work with Three SMR Developers appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post DOE Supports CCUS Retrofit for San Juan Coal Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has released a report that says retrofitting the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station (SJGS) in New Mexico with carbon capture technology would bring more jobs and tax revenue to the region than replacing the power plant with renewable energy. Deputy Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes presented the report’s findings […]The post DOE Supports CCUS Retrofit for San Juan Coal Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Mixed Reactions on Looming DOE NOPR for Bulk Power System Security appeared first on POWER Magazine. The Department of Energy (DOE) will issue a notice of proposed rule-making (NOPR) to implement President Trump’s broad bulk power system (BPS) security executive order (EO) “later this fall,” a DOE official confirmed to POWER on Oct. 5. Though the NOPR is delayed beyond the 150-day timeframe set by the EO, various BPS stakeholders are […]The post Mixed Reactions on Looming DOE NOPR for Bulk Power System Security appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Feb. 26 EPA and Utilities Are “On the Wrong Track,” Say Experts (AL) Feb. 5 NRC Completes Yucca Mountain Safety Evaluation Report (AL) Activists Show Up in Droves for EPA Ozone Hearing (AL) Jan. 29 New NRC Chairman Identifies Priorities and Challenges (AL) MIT Study: Carbon Sequestration May Not Work as Advertised (AL) Jan. […]The post POWERnews Stories [DO NOT PUBLISH] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The POWER Interview: Cleaning Up a Radiologically Contaminated Site appeared first on POWER Magazine. In the 1940s, the Oak Ridge Gaseous Diffusion Plant was built in unprecedented secrecy as part of the Manhattan Project. Its purpose was to provide enriched uranium for the world’s first atomic bomb, and it expanded operations during the Cold War, producing enriched uranium for defense and commercial purposes. Uranium enrichment operations were halted at […]The post The POWER Interview: Cleaning Up a Radiologically Contaminated Site appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Economics Drive Design of DER Systems appeared first on POWER Magazine. Distributed energy systems are transforming the way power is produced and distributed. The decentralized model of power generation, where energy is produced closer to where it will be used, rather than at a large plant elsewhere and sent through the traditional grid, has several advantages, including reducing transmission losses and lowering carbon emissions. An Oct. […]The post Economics Drive Design of DER Systems appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Integrating Battery Storage with Renewable Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine. Most new utility-scale renewable energy projects, such as installations of solar and wind generation, are now including battery storage. The growing trend of integrating storage is making such projects more financially attractive, as it enhances the generation profile of the installation. Storage helps smooth the power supply, enabling electricity to flow from a project even […]The post Integrating Battery Storage with Renewable Energy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Microgrids Increase Reliability, Resiliency appeared first on POWER Magazine. Increasing the reliability and resiliency of the electricity supply is a focus of today’s power generation industry. In concert with that, more and more utilities, companies, and institutions are establishing internal clean energy goals, wanting to reduce their carbon footprint while ensuring a consistent supply of power for their operations. An (date) session of Experience […]The post Microgrids Increase Reliability, Resiliency appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Utilities Challenged by Shortfall From Unpaid Bills appeared first on POWER Magazine. As many as 179 million Americans are at risk of losing utility services as the country heads toward winter, and electric and gas utility companies are looking at $24.3 billion in unpaid bills, according to an analysis released Oct. 1 by the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association (NEADA). Many utilities at the start of the […]The post Utilities Challenged by Shortfall From Unpaid Bills appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post It’s Fair to Say – New Plant Brings Benefits to Pennsylvania appeared first on POWER Magazine. Competitive Power Ventures is known for building efficient and technologically advanced gas-fired facilities. The company’s Fairview Energy Center is its latest achievement, transforming a brownfield siteThe post It’s Fair to Say – New Plant Brings Benefits to Pennsylvania appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Promising Power Plant Plots Province’s Future appeared first on POWER Magazine. The once coal-heavy Canadian province of Saskatchewan wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its power generation sector, and a new combined cycle natural gas-fired plant is a key part of that effortThe post Promising Power Plant Plots Province’s Future appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Global Offshore Wind Capacity Slated to Multiply Eight-Fold by 2030 appeared first on POWER Magazine. Offshore wind capacity is slated to surge to more than 234 GW by 2030—a remarkable boost when compared to the current 29.1 GW that was installed worldwide at the end of 2019, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) said in an August-released analysis of the sector. In the second edition of its Global Offshore Wind […]The post Global Offshore Wind Capacity Slated to Multiply Eight-Fold by 2030 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post THE BIG PICTURE [Infographic]: The LNG Trade Shakeup appeared first on POWER Magazine. In 2019, global liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports reached 482 billion cubic meters, up 13% from 2018, according to BloombergNEF figures cited in the International Gas Union’s August–released Global Gas Report 2020. Last year, the world also saw a definitive shakeup in rankings of importers and exporters. Compared to 2018, LNG imports by Japan and […]The post THE BIG PICTURE [Infographic]: The LNG Trade Shakeup appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post A Holistic Model for Industrial Gas Power: Dearborn Central Energy Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine. DTE’s new Central Energy Plant will energize a flexible and high-tech revamp of Ford Motor Co.’s Research and Engineering campus in Dearborn, Michigan. Because it goes beyond the envelope of modernThe post A Holistic Model for Industrial Gas Power: Dearborn Central Energy Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The 470-MW Floating Powership That Buoyed Ghana appeared first on POWER Magazine. Karpowership’s 470-MW floating power plant deployed at two locations in Ghana demonstrated how robust an impact the innovative “plug-and-play” electricity delivery model can have on a power-hungry country’s economy and society.The post The 470-MW Floating Powership That Buoyed Ghana appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Upgrades and Interconnection Make Gas-Fired Plant a Winner appeared first on POWER Magazine. The Termica Milazzo cogeneration combined cycle power plant completed an extensive upgrade and integration project with a nearby refinery in Sicily, Italy. The successful project, which spanned about threeThe post Upgrades and Interconnection Make Gas-Fired Plant a Winner appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Power Plant Decommissioning Tips to Save Time, Money, and Hassle appeared first on POWER Magazine. All power plants have a finite useful life. Thus, there will come a time at every facility when the unit must be retired and the decommissioning process undertaken. Decisions must be made on who will do theThe post Power Plant Decommissioning Tips to Save Time, Money, and Hassle appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Trump’s Drilling Ban Also Blocks Offshore Wind appeared first on POWER Magazine. President Trump’s action to ban oil and gas drilling off the East Coast and through much of the Gulf of Mexico also eliminates leases for offshore wind farms, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. Trump earlier this month issued two memos withdrawing the potential to lease land for oil and gas extraction on […]The post Trump’s Drilling Ban Also Blocks Offshore Wind appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Cultivating a Safety Culture Amid Constant Change appeared first on POWER Magazine. Developing a power plant safety culture takes time and constant effort, but the payoff is priceless, safety leaders at three major power companies said during a morning session at the Experience POWER virtual event on Sept. 30. Jeffrey Mullins, safety and health consultant for the 2.6-GW coal-fired Gavin Power Plant owned by Lightstone Generation, kicked […]The post Cultivating a Safety Culture Amid Constant Change appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post The POWER Interview: Are DERs an Opportunity, or Threat? appeared first on POWER Magazine. Distributed energy resources (DERs) are physical and virtual assets that are deployed across the power distribution grid. They are typically close to load, and though they initially began as behind-the-meter assets, today may be as likely to be deployed in front of the meter. DERs include renewable energy, and are the key component in microgrids, […]The post The POWER Interview: Are DERs an Opportunity, or Threat? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Key Challenges and Opportunities Facing Residential Clean Energy for the Rest of 2020 appeared first on POWER Magazine. Asia now accounts for the most growth in renewable electricity generation, at a whopping 40% of the global production, while Europe and North America are each at 20%, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Particularly, solar power was at its peak at the start of 2020, with a record-breaking first quarter in the […]The post Key Challenges and Opportunities Facing Residential Clean Energy for the Rest of 2020 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post How to Effectively Manage Power Plant Maintenance appeared first on POWER Magazine. If you’ve worked in the maintenance department at a power plant, you know how important planning and scheduling are to success. There’s an old saying that goes, “plan the work, and work the plan.” Effective teams do that well, but it’s not easy. “Planning drives scheduling, not surprisingly, but planning is not scheduling,” Keith Berriman, […]The post How to Effectively Manage Power Plant Maintenance appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Vistra Shuttering More Coal, Adding Solar and Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine. Vistra has announced seven new renewable energy projects that will add about 1,000 MW of solar and energy storage to the company’s generation fleet. The company also said it would retire its coal-fired power plants in Illinois and Ohio as part of an effort to reduce carbon emissions as it established new long-term emissions reduction […]The post Vistra Shuttering More Coal, Adding Solar and Storage appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Leveraging the Benefits of Microgrids and DERs appeared first on POWER Magazine. The digitalization of power generation includes many new technologies, all designed to increase efficiency, along with reliability and resiliency. A group of energy industry experts came together Sept. 30 at Experience POWER, the virtual event supported by POWER magazine, to discuss “Microgrids and DERs—Leveraging the Benefits.” The session explored how data analytics and the Industrial […]The post Leveraging the Benefits of Microgrids and DERs appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Cubicle Inspection and Repair Safety Device Is a Winner appeared first on POWER Magazine. A team of innovators from Consolidated Edison (ConEd) took home the Real-World Safety Solutions award during the Experience POWER event on Sept. 28. The invention the group created is called a Cubical Inspection and Repair Safety (CIRS) device. The team that designed and developed the solution includes Eric Fell, senior safety specialist with ConEd; Joe […]The post Cubicle Inspection and Repair Safety Device Is a Winner appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Despite Dead DOE Rule, Grid Resiliency Persists as a Major Concern appeared first on POWER Magazine. The U.S. power industry lacks forward-looking ways to measure grid resiliency and traditional reliability metrics could become irrelevant as more intermittent generation inundates the bulk power system. But rather than continually looking backward to learn from ever-increasing emergencies or close-shaves, power system operators must work to cultivate a balanced portfolio that considers all aspects of […]The post Despite Dead DOE Rule, Grid Resiliency Persists as a Major Concern appeared first on POWER Magazine.