POWER Magazine

Electricity from a 5.76-MW solar farm in Massachusetts will be stored in an adjacent energy storage system as part of a plan announced October 4 by ENGIE North America (ENGIE NA) and Holyoke Gas & Electric (HG&E). The project is part of Massachusetts’ Peak Demand Management Program. HG&E, which received a $475,000 grant from the […]The post ENGIE, HG&E Team on Solar Energy Storage Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Peabody Energy on October 2 said several investors are interested in taking over the Navajo Generating Station in Arizona, a coal-fired power plant on tribal land whose current owners, including Salt River Project (SRP), voted earlier this year to close the facility. Peabody’s Kayenta Mine supplies fuel for the plant. Lazard Freres & Co., a […]The post Groups Interested in Keeping Navajo Coal Plant in Operation appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) set a three-week window for comment on the proposed Department of Energy (DOE) grid resiliency rule that 11 power trade groups—representing natural gas, wind, solar, public power, and power consumers—worry could have serious ramifications for competitive markets because it favors coal and nuclear. The groups filed a joint motion on […]The post Power Groups Unite to Block DOE Grid Resiliency Rule; FERC Sets Tight Window for Comment appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Less than a week after GE struck a $2.6 billion deal with ABB for GE’s electrification business, GE Power completed the $3.4 billion sale of its lucrative water and process technologies division to multinational water management firm SUEZ. The sale of GE Water & Process Technologies, a systems and services provider of water, wastewater and […]The post GE Power Sells Lucrative Water & Process Technologies Division to SUEZ in $3.4B Deal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

During its 135-year history, POWER magazine’s pages have reflected the fast-changing evolution of the technologies and markets that characterize the world’s power sector today. —Copy and artwork by Sonal Patel, a POWER associate editorThe post THE BIG PICTURE: The History of Power appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER magazine was launched in 1882, just as the world was beginning to grasp the implications of a new, versatile form of energy: electricity. During its 135-year history, the magazine’s pages have reflected the fast-changing evolution of the technologies and markets that characterize the world’s power sector today. The History of POWER is the History […]The post 135th Anniversary—The History of POWER magazine appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Trump administration unabashedly supports coal, and regulations designed to phase out its use in U.S. power production are being reviewed. But while other nations continue to rely on coal for much of their power, they also are increasing their use of natural gas and renewables, including heavyweight coal users such as China and India. […]The post The U.S.’s War on Coal Is Purported to Be Over—What About the Rest of the World? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER magazine—the oldest-running trade publication for power generators in the world—has since its establishment in 1882 been a valuable resource for business and technology developments. Here are compelling excerpts from the magazine’s voluminous pages over the 14 decades it has been published. Source: POWER magazine archives. All rights reserved. —Sonal Patel, a POWER associate editor […]The post 135th Anniversary—Excerpts from the pages of POWER (SLIDESHOW) appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Deployment of microturbine energy technology has been slow to develop, but analysts predict growth on the horizon as more businesses use the small units to power their facilities and reduce their carbonThe post Microturbine Market Ready to Expand appeared first on POWER Magazine.

POWER magazine was launched in 1882, just as the world was beginning to grasp the implications of a new, versatile form of energy: electricity. During its 135-year history, the magazine’s pages haveThe post History of Power: The Evolution of the Electric Generation Industry appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Recently, many articles in a variety of publications speculated on how the August 21, 2017, solar eclipse would impact the electric grid. Most utility people expected no serious outages or disruptions, andThe post Natural Gas Infrastructure Is Much More Concerning Than a Solar Eclipse appeared first on POWER Magazine.

If recurrent problems are occurring at your plant, it could be an organizational issue rather than an equipment design deficiency. There are a number of reasons that root causes are overlooked. UnderstandingThe post Why Recurrent Problems Persist: Getting to the Root Cause appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Electric generation and natural gas, both important to each other, have differing cultures, vocabularies, and histories, so making them work together has been a challenge. Glut. That word describes the stateThe post Gas and Electric: How Disparate Industries Are Working Together appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Given the opportunity to help India’s bread basket alleviate a chronic power shortage, a major engineering, construction, and manufacturing firm built its first 1,400-MW coal-fired power plant in just 54The post Major Engineering and Equipment Company Builds-to-Own Its First Coal Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in a statement that the “future of nuclear energy in the United States is bright” as his agency on September 29 announced another $3.7 billion in loan guarantees for continued construction of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle in Georgia. The Department of Energy (DOE) has guaranteed another $1.67 […]The post DOE Offers Another $3.7 Billion in Loan Guarantees for Vogtle Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) on September 29 directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to mandate that competitive power markets develop and implement market rules to “accurately price” what it calls “fuel-secure” generation. The DOE’s “Grid Resiliency Pricing Rule” directs FERC—an independent regulatory government agency that is officially organized as […]The post DOE to FERC: Force Competitive Markets to Value Coal and Nuclear Resiliency, Reliability Attributes appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Most large power plants have continuous vibration monitoring systems installed on turbine generators and other critical equipment. The systems have evolved greatly since the 1970s. In this episode of The POWER Podcast, Steve Sabin, SETPOINT product manager for Brüel & Kjær Vibro, offers some tips to get the most out of these systems. He talks […]The post Vibration Monitoring Best Practices [PODCAST] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Entergy Corp. will keep the Palisades nuclear power plant in Covert, Michigan, open until the spring of 2022, owing to a shortfall in recovery granted to Consumers Energy by state regulators. In a bid to actively exit the merchant nuclear power business, investor-owned Entergy had decided to shutter the 798-MW plant by October 1, 2018. […]The post Entergy Gives Palisades Nuclear Plant Five More Years to Run appeared first on POWER Magazine.

SCANA Corp. and Santee Cooper moved to cash in a $2.2 billion settlement with Toshiba—even though it will cost them $171 million—rather than risk collecting guaranty payments from the Japanese conglomerate over the next five years for the unfinished V.C. Summer nuclear expansion. Just days before the utilities decided to abandon the project, Toshiba on […]The post SCANA, Santee Cooper Monetize Settlement Payments from Toshiba to Minimize Risk appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Westinghouse Electric has asked a New York bankruptcy court to stop Georgia Power from terminating Westinghouse’s contract to continue construction of two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Waynesboro, Georgia. Westinghouse filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, in large part due to massive cost overruns from the Vogtle project and the V.C. Summer nuclear […]The post Westinghouse Asks Court to Stop Cancellation of Vogtle Contract appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Chinese coal-fired electricity generation is expected to flatten through 2040 as renewables fill the gap caused by increased energy demand, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) International Energy Outlook 2017. According to the study, coal accounted for more than 72% of China’s energy generation in 2015. By 2040, however, coal’s share of generation […]The post EIA: Chinese Coal Use Will Plateau as Renewables Gain appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The St. Johns River Power Park in Jacksonville, Florida, will close by early next year after the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) on September 25 approved a plan by the facility’s joint owners to shutter the plant. Florida Power & Light (FPL) spokeswoman Sarah Gatewood in a statement said “This has been a great plant […]The post FPL Will Close its Last Coal-fired Plant in Florida appeared first on POWER Magazine.

SCANA Corp.’s troubles concerning its decision to abandon the V.C. Summer nuclear expansion intensified again this week after South Carolina’s attorney general’s office and state lawmakers urged state law enforcement to conduct a criminal investigation on how it handled the project. The company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on […]The post S.C. AG, State Lawmakers Press for Criminal Investigation of SCANA’s Role in V.C. Summer Nuclear Expansion Collapse appeared first on POWER Magazine.

On Sunday, September 24, Germany finalized voting in its 2017 federal elections. Citizens were able to vote by mail ahead of Sunday’s election or they could chose to efficiently breeze through a voting center, make a physical “X” next to, first, the local direct candidate of their choice. And then make a second mark next […]The post Can Angela Merkel, the So-Called “Climate Chancellor,” Hold Germany to Its Greenhouse Targets? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a unanimous decision, the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on September 22 found that photovoltaic (PV) solar cells being imported into the U.S. are causing “serious injury, or threat of serious injury, to the domestic industry.” The decision comes in a highly contested case filed by bankrupt solar panel manufacturer, Suniva, and SolarWorld. The […]The post ITC: Imported PV Cells Hurting U.S. Solar Industry appeared first on POWER Magazine.

New report highlights criticality of utilities. As more and more industries increasingly rely on information technology (IT), the ability to ensure IT systems stay up and running is more critical than ever. But which industries absolutely, positively must stay up and running? Which industries are most critical? That’s the question answered by a team of […]The post Four Tips for Protecting Power within One of the World’s Most Critical Industries appeared first on POWER Magazine.

SCANA Corp. and Santee Cooper—utility partners that recently abandoned a two-unit expansion at the V.C. Summer nuclear plant—have received federal subpoenas for documents associated with a much-guarded February 2016 assessment report conducted by Bechtel, documentation of meetings with the firm, and documentation of site walk-downs and real-time observations at the half-built project. A copy of […]The post Feds Subpoena Documents Related to 2016 Bechtel Audit of V.C. Summer Nuclear Expansion appeared first on POWER Magazine.

California’s legislature last week wrapped up its 2017 session without authorizing the broad expansion of the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) into other Western states or passing a zero-carbon bill, which would have put the state on a path to 100% clean energy by 2045. It did, however, succeed in passing bills to encourage development […]The post CAISO Expansion, 100% Zero-Carbon Bids Flatline, But Bills for Energy Storage, DERs Thrive appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Three 55-MW oil-fired units at Dynegy’s Oakland plant in renewables-heavy California will be needed through 2018 to ensure reliability in a region served by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid entity has deemed. CAISO’s board of governors on September 19 extended a “reliability must-run” (RMR) contract for the three Oakland units. An RMR […]The post CAISO to Extend Contract for Oil-fired Units in Bid to Ensure Reliability appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The UK Supreme Court ruled unanimously in favor of E.ON in a long-running dispute over foundation problems identified at the 174-MW Robin Rigg offshore wind farm located between Scotland and England. The judges said Danish contractor MT Højgaard must bear the approximate €26 million cost of remedying failed grouted connections between monopiles and transition pieces […]The post UK Supreme Court Rules on Robin Rigg Wind Farm Case [Podcast] appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a split decision, the North Carolina Court of Appeals affirmed a decision of the North Carolina Utility Commission that an advocacy group has infringed on Duke Energy’s state-sanctioned monopoly on the sale of electricity. The September 19 decision concerns an agreement between the North Carolina Waste Awareness and Reduction Network (NC WARN) and a […]The post Appellate Court Decides in Favor of Duke in Rooftop Solar Case appeared first on POWER Magazine.

State regulators in Georgia could decide the future of the troubled Vogtle nuclear expansion project in February 2018, and have scheduled a series of hearings in December of this year to discuss spending for continued construction of two new units at the plant near Waynesboro, Georgia. The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) on September 19 […]The post Decision on Vogtle Project May Come in February 2018 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Chances that an 895-MW project to expand Sunflower Electric Power Corp.’s coal-fired Holcomb Station in Kansas will ever be completed are “remote,” a key project partner said. Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association—a Denver-based power generator owned by 43 electric cooperatives that partnered with Sunflower in 2005 to build the new unit—in an August 10-Q […]The post Long-delayed Expansion of Kansas Coal Plant Now Considered Unlikely appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Dubai’s government on September 16 said its state energy utility has awarded a $3.9 billion contract for construction of a 700-MW solar power plant at the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park. The government said the project includes an 850-foot-tall tower that will receive focused sunlight, the world’s tallest such structure in a solar […]The post Dubai Awards Contract for Phase 4 of Massive Solar Park appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The solar industry enjoyed its largest second quarter in history, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) announced, kicking off the annual Solar Power International (SPI) conference in Las Vegas. In the latest U.S. Solar Market Insight Report, GTM Research and SEIA found that in Q2 2017, the industry installed 2,387 MW of solar photovoltaics (PV), […]The post Solar Industry Celebrates Record Breaking Q2 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Hanging like a thick fog over the proceedings of the annual Solar Power International (SPI) conference in Las Vegas, an ongoing trade case cast uncertainty on the industry. The case, which pits two solar manufacturers against just about everybody else in the industry, was the focus of several panels and nearly all side conversation at […]The post Trade Case Causes Stir at International Solar Conference appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. House has introduced bipartisan legislation to promote the commercial deployment of technologies to capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from power plants and industrial facilities and use it for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) or geologic storage. The Carbon Capture Act introduced on September 13 by House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway (R-Texas) along with 29 co-sponsors […]The post House Introduces Bipartisan Bill to Expand Carbon Capture, EOR Tax Credits appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Steam electric power plants preparing to comply with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) effluent limitations guidelines (ELG) and standards as they concern bottom ash transport water and flue gas desulfurization (FGD) waste streams will get—for now—a two-year reprieve under a new rule the agency finalized on September 12. The ELG rule, which was finalized by […]The post EPA Postpones Compliance Dates for FGD, Bottom Ash Transport Requirements in ELG Rule appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Japan’s nuclear watchdog agency has given Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) conditional approval to restart two reactors at its Kashiwazaki-Kariwa plant. The units were taken offline after the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown in March 2011. The country’s Nuclear Regulation Authority (NRA) on September 13 said TEPCO could restart the units after it provides a detailed plan […]The post Japan Regulatory Group Gives Conditional Support for TEPCO Restart appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A man claiming to have explosives on September 12 drove past the entrance gate at the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in Pendleton, California, and into a restricted parking area, where he was arrested. The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said in a news release that 27-year-old Erik Jon Norman, the driver and sole occupant […]The post Man Claiming to Have Explosives Drives into San Onofre Nuclear Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

U.S. utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems have achieved the targets set by the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) SunShot Initiative three years early, the DOE announced on September 12 at the Solar Power International (SPI) conference in Las Vegas. The average cost of utility-scale solar is now 6 cents/kWh. The original 2020 goal of the SunShot Initiative […]The post U.S. Utility-Scale PV Meets Subsidy-Free Price Target Three Years Early appeared first on POWER Magazine.

An official with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on September 12 said as many as 15 million people in Florida lost power during Hurricane Irma, and said damage from the storm means “this will be a situation about rebuilding” power infrastructure, rather than repair.” Christopher Krebs, assistant secretary for Infrastructure Protection with DHS, said at […]The post Official Says 75% of Florida Population Lost Power During Irma appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will propose a replacement rule for the Clean Power Plan (CPP) this fall, according to a September 7 court document filed by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt. The document, filed with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, provides an update on the EPA’s efforts to develop […]The post Pruitt: EPA Will Have CPP Replacement Proposal in Coming Months appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Florida Power & Light (FPL), the largest utility in Florida, said September 7 it would shut down its Turkey Point and St. Lucie nuclear power plants in the hopes of limiting potential damage from Hurricane Irma. The facilities are the only operating nuclear plants in the state. FPL did not give specific timing for the […]The post Florida Nuclear Plants Will Shut Ahead of Irma appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is kicking off September with a couple of significant funding announcements. The department announced September 6 the selection of 16 projects to receive a combined total of more than $10 million in funding to advance solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology. That announcement was followed up September 7 with […]The post DOE Rolls Out Funding for Turbines, Solid Oxide Fuel Cells appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Sempra Energy’s proposed $9.45 billion acquisition of an 80% ownership interest in Oncor Electric Delivery Co. has been approved by a U.S. bankruptcy court. But the company still needs approval from Texas regulators, which have blocked two previous attempts by Oncor’s parent Energy Future Holdings to sell it. The U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District […]The post Sempra Gets OK from Bankruptcy Court for Acquisition of Oncor appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ohio-based FirstEnergy Corp. has dropped the price of several assets as it continues to work toward closing a deal to sell five of the company’s natural gas-fired power plants, along with a hydroelectric facility, to an equity group that specializes in energy investments. FirstEnergy this week said it had cut the price of the facilities […]The post FirstEnergy Cuts Sale Price in Revised Deal to Shed Assets appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A group has launched a new wave of cyberattacks aimed at severely disrupting operations in the European and North American energy sectors, IT security firm Symantec warns. Dragonfly, a group that has been in operation since at least 2011, has re-emerged over the past two years, the firm said in an official blog posting on […]The post Cyberattack Campaign Is Aimed at Disrupting Energy Sector Operations, Security Firm Warns appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Utility workers from across the country have been in Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, and crews are now staging in Florida in preparation for Hurricane Irma as the storm crosses the Caribbean, with officials expecting property damage and power outages from the massive tropical system. Crews from several areas are converging on the […]The post Utilities Prepare as Hurricane Irma Approaches Florida appeared first on POWER Magazine.