POWER Magazine

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The post Tesla, Mining Companies Look for Advancements in Lithium Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine. Advancements in battery technology are critical to continuing growth in the energy storage market, and energy industry analysts say those advancements also are needed to move e-mobility forward and combatThe post Tesla, Mining Companies Look for Advancements in Lithium Technology appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post THE BIG PICTURE: Net-Zero Ambitions Tracker [Infographic] appeared first on POWER Magazine. Despite rollbacks of federal carbon reduction goals, the U.S. power industry is firmly entrenched in the decarbonization movement. As of November 2020, at least 58 power companies or utilities across the U.S. have publicly unveiled carbon or emission reduction goals. Responding to a global imperative to limit potentially catastrophic global warming to 1.5 degrees C […]The post THE BIG PICTURE: Net-Zero Ambitions Tracker [Infographic] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post JERA Planning to Shift Coal Power Fleet to 100% Ammonia appeared first on POWER Magazine. Japanese firm JERA, a joint venture between TEPCO and Chubu Electric, on Oct. 13 issued a roadmap to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2050. The move is notable for the company whose business includes a sizableThe post JERA Planning to Shift Coal Power Fleet to 100% Ammonia appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post FirstEnergy Fires CEO as Nuclear Bailout Probe Continues appeared first on POWER Magazine. FirstEnergy Corp. President and CEO Charles “Chuck” Jones was fired late Thursday after an internal review found Jones and two other company executives violated company policies in connection with an alleged bribery scheme. The case is connected to a legislative bailout of the state’s nuclear power plants that occurred in 2019. The law, known as […]The post FirstEnergy Fires CEO as Nuclear Bailout Probe Continues appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Black & Veatch: No More Coal Construction appeared first on POWER Magazine. Black & Veatch is ending the company’s participation in coal-based power market design and construction, saying it will allow the company to focus on clean energy technologies. The engineering and construction giant’s announcement Oct. 29 comes just more than a month after another major energy company, General Electric, said it would exit the new-build coal […]The post Black & Veatch: No More Coal Construction appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Shakeup for 720-MW Nuclear SMR Project as More Cities Withdraw Participation appeared first on POWER Magazine. At least eight cities have now dropped shares in the Carbon Free Power Project (CFPP), a 720-MWe NuScale Power small modular reactor (SMR) project proposed by Utah Associated Municipal Power Systems (UAMPS). Despite the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oct.16–announced $1.4 billion, 10-year award to fund one-time costs for the first-of-a-kind project, four Utah cities withdrew […]The post Shakeup for 720-MW Nuclear SMR Project as More Cities Withdraw Participation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Fusion Power May Be Closer Than You Think appeared first on POWER Magazine. Fusion research and development have been ongoing for decades, and many people probably believe a fusion power system will remain out of reach for decades longer. But the truth is that more than 100 tokamaks have been constructed and the science behind fusion is well-understood. What has been elusive is generating net energy from a […]The post Fusion Power May Be Closer Than You Think appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Vineyard Wind Secures Transmission Agreement With ISO-NE appeared first on POWER Magazine. Vineyard Wind has announced a transmission agreement with ISO New England (ISO-NE) to deliver power to the system operator’s grid when the Vineyard Wind 1 project comes online. The 800-MW offshore wind farm, located about 15 miles off the cost of Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, is expected to be the first commercial-scale offshore wind farm […]The post Vineyard Wind Secures Transmission Agreement With ISO-NE appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Japan’s Carbon-Neutrality Pledge a Fundamental Shift on Coal Power appeared first on POWER Magazine. Japan, an island nation that is currently heavily reliant on coal and gas power, will be carbon neutral in 2040, the country’s newly appointed prime minister Yoshihide Suga pledged in an Oct. 26 speech. The announcement by Suga in his first major policy speech to the national Diet was not unexpected for the nation […]The post Japan’s Carbon-Neutrality Pledge a Fundamental Shift on Coal Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The post Technology for Advanced Asset Inspections appeared first on POWER Magazine. Netze BW GmbH is the largest distribution system operator (DSO) in Baden-Württemberg, which is the third-largest state in Germany. Netze BW is responsible for high-, medium-, and low-voltage networks across the state. Its power lines stretch over 100,000 kilometers (more than 62,000 miles), and like all power utilities, it faces a constant challenge of monitoring, […]The post Technology for Advanced Asset Inspections appeared first on 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.