Indonesia’s efforts to decarbonize the country’s power generation sector took a major step on Feb. 22 as the government launched the first phase of mandatory carbon trading for coal-fired power plants. Officials in the capital of Jakarta have said they want to increase electricity production from renewable energy resources and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2060. Coal-fired power generation accounts for more than half of […]
Biden Administration Announces First Offshore Wind Lease Sales for Gulf of Mexico
The Biden administration on Feb. 22 announced the first-ever lease sale for offshore wind power development in the Gulf of Mexico. The Dept. of the Interior, through its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), said it would open more than 300,000 acres in the Gulf, an area that long has been a major part of U.S. exploration for crude oil and natural gas. Wednesday’s announcement […]
DOE Breaks Ground on Next-Generation Concentrating Solar Power Pilot
The Department of Energy (DOE) has broken ground on the Generation 3 Particle Pilot Plant (G3P3), a novel concentrating solar power (CSP) facility at Sandia National Laboratory that will use sand-like ceramic particles instead of molten salt to produce and store high-temperature energy. When completed in 2024, the “multi-megawatt” solar thermal pilot project will utilize an existing heliostat field at Sandia’s National Solar Thermal Test Facility (NSTTF) […]
Major Offshore Wind Array Planned off Iberian Peninsula
The joint venture (JV) of an Irish energy developer and two Spanish companies has announced its second large floating offshore wind project. IberBlue Wind, a JV created to develop gigascale arrays in waters near the Iberian Peninsula, on Feb. 17 said it would build a 990-MW project off the coast of Figueira da Foz. IberBlue, which took shape last year and includes Ireland’s Simply Blue […]
The POWER Interview: Challenges, Opportunities for Energy Storage
The market for energy storage projects continues to grow as utilities recognize the benefits of storage for demand response, along with the integration of renewable energy resources to the power grid. Incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) for standalone storage provide even more support for the sector. Storage companies are growing, and more deals are being completed for projects serving utilities and commercial and […]
Addressing Cybersecurity Concerns During the Grid Modernization Process
The aging energy grid is in need of an upgrade. Converging challenges, such as distributed energy resources, electric vehicles and frequent extreme weather events, are pushing our infrastructure—some of which is over a half a century old—to the limit. As grid modernization efforts move full steam ahead to meet these challenges, security implications are often top of mind for utility executives. While cybersecurity has long […]
European Project Launches to Demonstrate High-Volume Hydrogen Gas Turbine Combustion
Ansaldo Energia and partners have kicked off the FLEX4H2, a four-year project to design, develop, and validate a highly fuel-flexible gas turbine combustion system based on Ansaldo’s sequential combustion technology that will be capable of operating with up to 100% hydrogen. The FLEX4H2 (or Flexibility for Hydrogen) officially began on Jan. 1 and will run until December 2026. During that time, the €8.7 million ($9.3 […]
Vogtle Unit 3 In-Service Date Slides to May or June
Southern Company said in its annual report filing issued on Feb. 16 that remediating certain equipment and component issues will force the projected in-service date for Plant Vogtle Unit 3 to be pushed out to May or June 2023. “The projected schedule for Unit 3 primarily depends on the progression of final component and pre-operational testing and start-up, which may be impacted by further equipment, […]
The POWER Interview: Physical Attacks on the Grid Soared in 2022. What Can Be Done?
Physical security at power plants has received renewed concern of late, owing to a spate of gunfire vandalism events in the U.S. However, power plants have long-fielded several other physical security risks, including from terrorism, sabotage, natural disasters, insider threats, and physical breaches. Power plants have typically employed a set of physical security tools, such as perimeter fencing, access control, surveillance systems, and security personnel. […]
Major Solar and Storage Projects, EVs and More Featured at California Event
A diverse mix of companies and experts in the solar power and energy storage sectors are in Long Beach, California, this week for the annual Intersolar North America (ISNA) and Energy Storage North America (ESNA) conference. The event, which is supported and attended by POWER, provides a look at the latest innovations in solar and storage from more than 350 exhibiting companies, including equipment designers […]