Designing the Transformers of the Future
As methods of energy generation and distribution change, transformer design and manufacturing must adapt to meet evolving global standards, reduce coil losses and improve transformer performance. Transformer design today is affected by a number of changing conditions in our electricity distribution network. Energy generation, for example, is increasingly being generated through renewable sources like wind and solar power, replacing more traditional forms of energy generated through power plant...
Department of Energy Advances $32 Million in Funding for Advanced Technologies
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced up to $32 million in funding for 16 projects as part of two new Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) programs: ENergy-efficient Light-wave Integrated Technology Enabling Networks that Enhance Datacenters (ENLITENED) and Power Nitride Doping Innovation Offers Devices Enabling SWITCHES (PNDIODES). “The ENLITENED and PNDIODES programs demonstrate ARPA-E’s unique approach to advancing the development of energy tec...
Wind and Solar in March Accounted for 10% of U.S. Electricity Generation for First Time
For the first time, monthly electricity generation from wind and solar (including utility-scale plants and small-scale systems) exceeded 10% of total electricity generation in the United States, based on March data in EIA’s Electric Power Monthly. Electricity generation from both of these energy sources has grown with increases in wind and solar generating capacity. On an annual basis, wind and solar made up 7% of total U.S. electric generation in 2016. Electricity generation from wind and so...
Global High Voltage Switchgear Market to Approach $16 Billion by 2021, says GlobalData
The global high voltage (HV) switchgear market is set to rise from $11.6 billion in 2016 to just under $16 billion in 2021, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData. The company’s latest report states that in growing economies such as Asia-Pacific (APAC) and the Middle East, the rise in electricity demand is driving the HV switchgear market, with substantial new capacity addition in the generation and transmission sectors....
Bayernwerk Receives Innovation Award from Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure
Huntsville, Alabama – Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure presented Bayernwerk with an Icon Award for Bayernwerk’s efforts to improve the management of its vast electric and gas network. Announced at HxGN LIVE, Hexagon’s annual conference, the Icon Awards are Hexagon Safety & Infrastructure’s highest customer award, presented for visionary use of software to significantly benefit customers and communities. Bayernwerk is the largest electric and gas distribution network operator in Bavaria and one...
The Results are in: These are the Most Energy-Efficient Utilities in the US
Our first-ever scorecard of US utilities, released today, reveals striking regional differences and the best — and worst — performers on energy efficiency. The 2017 Utility Energy Efficiency Scorecard looks at the performance of the 51 largest electric utilities in the United States and highlights cutting-edge efforts. Topping the list are Eversource Massachusetts and National Grid Massachusetts, which both earned the same score. Rounding out the top five are Pacific Gas & Electric, Baltimore Ga...
NERC’s Summer Reliability Assessment Highlights Seasonal Electricity Reliability Issues
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation's (NERC) recent 2017 Summer Reliability Assessment finds that there are enough resources to meet this summer's projected peak electricity demand in all areas of the country. Anticipated reserve margins, the amount of expected unused electric generating capacity at the time of peak load, range from slightly less than 15% in New England to almost 29% in New York. In the absence of cost-effective, large-scale electricity storage,...
Three Mile Island is the Latest Nuclear Power Plant to Announce Retirement Plans
At the end of May, Exelon, the owner of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in southeastern Pennsylvania, announced its intention to retire the plant in 2019 unless the company is given assistance by the state to help keep the plant financially viable. Exelon’s announcement marks the sixth announced nuclear retirement in the past seven years. Currently, 99 nuclear reactors at 60 nuclear power plants operate in the United States. Since the first commercial U.S. nuclear reactor cam...
Urban Solar Lands UL Approval for Entire Product Line
BEAVERTON, OR - Urban Solar is proud to announce that all of our solar powered LED systems are now UL Listed. This listing covers all transit-related lighting products as well as all commercial solar LED lighting systems for applications including pathways, roadways, parking lots, and general illumination. Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a global independent safety science company with more than a century of experience testing, reviewing, and innovating safety solutions to help customers m...
The Project to Turn Alaska Nuclear
ALASKA – Galena, Alaska, has a population of less than 500 people. But, the little, bush town near the Arctic Circle made big headlines when it was targeted to build a nuclear plant by the TOSHIBA Corporation. In “The Galena Nuclear Project: Pursuing Low-Cost Energy in Bush Alaska,” former city manager Marvin L. Yoder describes the journey to get power to his small town, off the electrical grid. “We were generating power from diesel engines,” Yoder said. “We needed to find a low-...