Solar power is having a moment. While rooftop solar technologies have been around for decades, consumer demand, urgent climate change concerns, and competitive price points have coalesced, creating historical interest in solar power, including 700,000 homeowners installing solar panels in 2022 alone. COMMENTARY The industry is expected to grow by up to 30% this year, and the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis has […]
NRC Issues License for Holtec’s New Mexico Consolidated Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Facility
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has granted Holtec International a license to build and operate a consolidated interim storage facility (CISF) for spent nuclear fuel in southeastern New Mexico, despite the state’s opposition. Granted on May 9 after an eight-year process, the NRC’s license allows Holtec to “receive, possess, transfer, and store” 500 canisters holding about 8,680 metric tons of commercial spent nuclear fuel for […]
X-Energy, Dow Unveil Texas Site for ARDP Nuclear Demonstration
X-energy and Dow will site a proposed four-unit 320-MWe Xe-100 advanced nuclear reactor facility at Union Carbide Corp. Seadrift Operations, a sprawling Dow chemical materials manufacturing site in Seadrift, Calhoun County, Texas. The companies on May 11 said the small modular reactor (SMR) project, part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP), will provide the energy-intensive manufacturing site with carbon-free […]
Microsoft Has Deal to Buy Fusion Power from Helion
Software giant Microsoft on May 10 announced it has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with nuclear fusion startup Helion Energy to buy electricity from Helion as soon as 2028. Andrew Holland, CEO of the Fusion Industry Association, said Microsoft’s deal is the first time a fusion company has signed a deal to sell electricity. Fusion power for decades has held promise as a source […]
Patent Filings Provide Clues to Future of EV Batteries
We are in the preliminary stages of an historic transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). The transition will be expensive and difficult in many ways. Innovation should ease this transition. Recently filed patent applications may provide clues about the direction of BEV innovation. COMMENTARY Most U.S. patent applications are published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) soon […]
New York Group Acquiring More Than 2.1 GW of Texas Gas-Fired Capacity
New York-based energy investment firm LS Power on May 8 said it has reached an agreement with Brazos Electric Power Cooperative to acquire 2,145 MW of natural gas-fired power generation in the ERCOT North region of Texas. The deal comes six months after a federal bankruptcy court judge approved Brazos’ reorganization plan, which includes a settlement with ERCOT partly funded by proceeds from Brazos’ selling […]
Westinghouse Unveils the AP300—A Miniaturized AP1000 Small Modular Nuclear Reactor
Westinghouse has officially unveiled the AP300, a “downsized” version of the company’s flagship AP1000 Generation III+ pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology. While the small modular reactor (SMR) will enter a nuclear market already rife with development, the AP300’s “nth-of-a-kind” basis positions it as a strong competitor, the company told POWER. The 300-MWe/900-MWth AP300, launched on May 4, is a compact single-loop version of Westinghouse’s 1,100-MWe AP1000 reactor. […]
Hitachi, Quanta Will Build Major U.S. Transmission Line
A massive wind power project in New Mexico will include a transmission line to deliver the installation’s electricity across the southwestern U.S. Pattern Energy Group, a California company that develops renewable energy projects globally, on May 4 said it has chosen Hitachi Energy and Quanta Services to build the SunZia Transmission and Wind project, which will provide access to more than 3,500 MW of wind […]
Israel Adding Energy Storage to Support Grid Integration for Renewables
Israel’s governmental energy agency said the country plans to build four major battery energy storage system (BESS) projects in the northern Gilboa mountain region. The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure on May 2 said the projects are the first step in a “program of great importance for the energy sector.” The program is designed to support construction of large-scale energy storage facilities along the power […]
The POWER Interview: A Snapshot of the Energy Storage Market
Energy storage continues on an upward growth trajectory, with new projects seemingly being announced every day. POWER looked at advancements in battery energy storage technology, and trends in the sector, in the March 2023 issue. A number of experts within the energy storage industry provided their views on the issues impacting storage. Among those experts is Kevin Kohlstedt, director of Business Development at California-based Energy […]