Reliability

Midwest ISO Commits $6.5 Billion For 215 New Transmission Projects

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As renewable power crowds the electricity grid with growing force, transmission operators are upping the stakes for supportive infrastructure.

On Thursday, Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator (MISO) announced its annual expansion plan, which included a $5 billion addition to its traditional $1.5 billion annual expansion plan. The additional money will allow the regional transmission operator (RTO) to create an improved “electric grid superhighway” that includes 215 construction projects. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 8, 2011 at 12:55 PM

Is Nuclear Power Being Phased Out?

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Nuclear is not so hot these days.

The percentage of nuclear electrical generation worldwide is shrinking as countries slow or halt new construction and in some cases even close existing plants in favor of other types of power, according to the latest Vital Signs Online (VSO) report released by the Washington DC-based think tank Worldwatch Institute. Although nuclear provided 6% of the world’s energy in 2001, it constituted only 5% of the world’s energy portfolio in 2010. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 8, 2011 at 6:00 AM

The Future Of The Electric Grid May Be More Costly And Less Reliable

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We’re not in 1930 anymore.

The US electric grid of 2030 will confront emergent technology including remote renewables, microgrids and rooftop solar, fleets of electric vehicles and cyber attack threats. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 7, 2011 at 3:15 PM

EPA Rules Won’t Hurt Electric Reliability: Department of Energy

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New environmental rules will not cause rolling blackouts or hinder electricity reliability, the Department of Energy said, responding to warnings from owners of impacted coal-fired power plants.

In a 33-page report, the DOE said it had considered ‘stringent’ conditions under which power generators would have to comply with the Environmental Protection Administration’s Cross-State Air Pollution rule and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards as well as other emissions-control measures. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 5, 2011 at 3:30 PM

Electrification As An Economic Megatrend: AOL Energy Week In Review

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Debates that have preoccupied and in some cases paralyzed growth in the US energy sector could be overshadowed by the development of a single megatrend at the heart of the global economy: the transition to electric drives in machines of all kinds.

While electric vehicles are the most visible aspect of that change, and with roughly 250 million cars on the road any switch from gasoline to electric is significant, the switch from motors driven by their own internal combustion devices to significantly more efficient electric systems is already occurring in many parts of the economy where the infrastructure and the focus on cost reduction already exists. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 2, 2011 at 2:30 PM

Nuclear Power In 2012: Challenge Of Complacency

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US nuclear plant operations, while still very good, are trending in the wrong direction, says Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko, and complacency from years of safe operations, combined with overload from backlogged and new safety requirements, could mean trouble ahead in 2012.

Speaking to nuclear CEOs at their annual Institute of Nuclear Power Operations meeting in November, Jaczko fingered what he fears are declining performance trends. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 2, 2011 at 6:00 AM

Rolling Blackouts To Come From EPA Rule Schedule, Claim Power Companies

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Power companies threatened US power regulators with the potential of rolling blackouts and unreliable electricity supply if they are forced to comply with what they claim are tight deadlines for meeting new emissions rules.

The companies told a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission hearing they need more time to comply with new environmental regulations that would require the retirement or retrofit of hundreds of coal-fired plants. Emissions of mercury and other pollutants from those units would exceed the new standards. Keep reading →

 /  Published December 1, 2011 at 11:00 AM

Nuclear’s Annus Horribilis

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For the nuclear industry, 2011 was Biblical.

Earthquakes. Tsunamis. Tornadoes. Floods. Fires. 2011 had everything but plagues of locusts. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 30, 2011 at 2:30 PM

Duke Energy Requests $310 Million Increase In Customer Electricity Rates

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North Carolina residents may see a bump in their electricity bills this spring.

Duke Energy announced today that it reached a preliminary agreement with North Carolina Public Utility Commission staff on an approximately $310 million increase in the customer base rates, about a 7.2% increase. If approved by the North Carolina PUC, the rate increase–based on 10.5% return on equity (ROE) and 53% equity component of capital structure–will take effect February 2012. Keep reading →

 /  Published November 23, 2011 at 11:30 AM

Fracking Safety Depends On An Old Technology

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The hydrofracking that has opened up America’s enormous natural gas resources is a marvel of modern technology, but keeping gas and flowback water from those wells from seeping into drinking water depends on a far more mundane science: cementing.

Cementing is used to seal well bores on- and off-shore, in all types of oil and gas wells, and integrity standards are well established. But those standards “are often difficult to attain,” said James Saiers, a professor of hydrology at Yale University, speaking at a Resources for the Future (RFF) forum on “Managing the Risks of Shale Gas.” Keep reading →

 /  Published November 22, 2011 at 11:45 AM
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