POWER Magazine

The post Mammoth 1.1 GW/2 GWh Solar+Storage Project Takes Shape in California appeared first on POWER Magazine. California is set to host one of the world’s largest standalone renewable hybrid projects. Slated to come online in the fourth quarter of 2022, the Edwards & Sanborn project in Kern County will feature 1,118 MW of solar and 2,165 MWh of energy storage. Renewable developer Terra-Gen on Dec. 10 announced an agreement with engineering […]The post Mammoth 1.1 GW/2 GWh Solar+Storage Project Takes Shape in California appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Vogtle Receives First Shipment of Nuclear Fuel appeared first on POWER Magazine. The two-unit expansion of the Vogtle nuclear power plant in Georgia reached another milestone as Georgia Power received the first shipment of nuclear fuel for Unit 3 of the project. The utility on Dec. 9 said receipt of the fuel follows completion and inspection of several construction areas at the site in Waynesboro, Georgia. Those […]The post Vogtle Receives First Shipment of Nuclear Fuel appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Economic Factors Drive Wind and Solar Growth appeared first on POWER Magazine. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) have found that a combination of lower capital, operating, and finance costs, in addition to better equipment performance, and longer useful lives, have driven power purchase agreement (PPA) prices and the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for utility-scale wind and solar projects to all-time lows. The findings were […]The post Economic Factors Drive Wind and Solar Growth appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post GE Will Pay $200M Penalty for Power Business Violations appeared first on POWER Magazine. General Electric (GE) has agreed to pay a $200 million penalty to settle claims by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that the company misled investors when it failed to disclose material information related to its power and insurance businesses. In an order on Dec. 9 capping an investigation that the SEC opened in […]The post GE Will Pay $200M Penalty for Power Business Violations appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Partnership’s New Charge—Pair EVs with Utilities, Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine. Integrating electric vehicles (EVs) with the power grid has become a focus for utilities, particularly in areas with large concentrations of EVs. It also is another way for utilities to expand their business models, as they partner with companies involved with charging stations and residential energy storage applications. EnergyHub, a distributed energy resources (DERs) management […]The post Partnership’s New Charge—Pair EVs with Utilities, Grid appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post IEA/NEA: Renewables, Nuclear, Hydrogen Gaining Cost Competitiveness appeared first on POWER Magazine. By 2025, the economics of low-carbon generation technologies are poised to disrupt conventional fossil fuel generation so dramatically, onshore wind could have the lowest levelized costs of electricity (LCOE) on average, and nuclear power could emerge as the dispatchable low-carbon technology with the lowest expected costs. Those are key findings in the Dec. 9-issued 2020 […]The post IEA/NEA: Renewables, Nuclear, Hydrogen Gaining Cost Competitiveness appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post EPA Retains Soot Standards; Drastic PM Reductions Already Achieved, Industry Says appeared first on POWER Magazine. In a significant but controversial final action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Dec. 7 retained its existing National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for both fine and coarse particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10). While the EPA said the decision came “after careful review and consideration of the most recent available scientific evidence and technical […]The post EPA Retains Soot Standards; Drastic PM Reductions Already Achieved, Industry Says appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Companies Announce New Residential VPP for California appeared first on POWER Magazine. A distributed energy power plant, designed to help bring more reliability to California’s power grid, is being developed by a company whose investors include Alphabet, the parent company of Google. The project when fully developed would be the world’s largest residential virtual power plant (VPP). Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), a group that builds, owns, operates, […]The post Companies Announce New Residential VPP for California appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Green Power Enables Green Hydrogen and Zero-Emissions Mobility appeared first on POWER Magazine. Wuppertal, in the German state of Nordrhein Westfahlen, is the home to the Schwebebahn. This suspended railway (Figure 1) is unique in Germany and passengers use the transportation system for 25 million journeys per year. Today, 120 years after Wuppertal’s Schwebebahn opened, the city is still innovating. Green hydrogen produced from power generated by incineration […]The post Green Power Enables Green Hydrogen and Zero-Emissions Mobility appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Continued Toll on Coal; More Companies File Bankruptcy appeared first on POWER Magazine. The struggling U.S. coal industry, decimated by falling demand for the fuel from the power generation sector, and hit hard by low prices during the coronavirus pandemic, saw two more mining companies declare bankruptcy this week. White Stallion Energy, which operates in Indiana and Illinois, and Lighthouse Resources, a coal company with mines in Wyoming […]The post Continued Toll on Coal; More Companies File Bankruptcy appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post How to Monitor Assets Remotely Today appeared first on POWER Magazine. As long as products have had ethernet ports, people have been asking for remote access to them. They believed they could just plug the devices into the internet, and it would all work. At first, there wasn’t necessarily a clear path to making this dream a reality without assistance from the user’s IT department. IT […]The post How to Monitor Assets Remotely Today appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Engineering Technicians and Technologists Are an Important Industry Pillar appeared first on POWER Magazine. According to Cheryl Farrow, CEO of the Ontario Association of Certified Engineering Technicians and Technologists (OACETT), there are three basic pillars that make up the engineering field. They are licensed engineers, technicians and technologists, and skilled trades. “We can’t be successful without all three of these pillars working together effectively,” Farrow said as a guest […]The post Engineering Technicians and Technologists Are an Important Industry Pillar appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post RWE’s 300-MW ‘Grid Stability’ Gas Plant Will Debut GE LM2500XPRESS Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine. RWE Generation will install 11 units of GE Gas Power’s freshly launched LM2500XPRESS power plant technology to provide a critical gas-power reserve in Germany’s reliability-challenged southern region. The project will debut GE’s LM2500XPRESS, a “plug-and-play” power plant model it launched in January 2020 that features pre-packaged LM2500 aeroderivative gas turbines. Delivered in a simplified set […]The post RWE’s 300-MW ‘Grid Stability’ Gas Plant Will Debut GE LM2500XPRESS Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post NAESB’s First Move to Set Energy Digitalization Standards Heavily Focused on Blockchain, Cybersecurity appeared first on POWER Magazine. The North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB), a wholesale and retail natural gas and power industry forum comprising 300 corporate members, will initially focus its standards development to support cybersecurity and blockchain out of 11 digital technologies it identified that are quickly transforming the energy space. The board’s April 2019–formed Digital Committee, which comprises 16 […]The post NAESB’s First Move to Set Energy Digitalization Standards Heavily Focused on Blockchain, Cybersecurity appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Bipartisan Bill to Preserve Existing Nuclear Plants Clears Senate Committee appeared first on POWER Magazine. The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) has approved the American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020 (ANIA), just two weeks after it was introduced. Among the bill’s major provisions are that it will seek to strengthen the nuclear fuel supply chain, help incentivize commercial deployment of new reactor designs, and create a credit […]The post Bipartisan Bill to Preserve Existing Nuclear Plants Clears Senate Committee appeared first on 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.