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Darlington Nuclear Plant Will Get a BWRX-300 SMR as GE Hitachi Bags Lucrative OPG Selection

December 3, 2021

Ontario Power Generation (OPG) will build a GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) BWRX-300 small modular reactor (SMR) at its Darlington Nuclear Station in Clarington, Ontario, marking a major triumph for the nuclear vendor in a stiff competition for the much-watched utility-scale project.

OPG announced the selection of the GE Hitachi BWRX-300 SMR over competitors X-energy and Terrestrial Energy in a live stream on Dec. 2. The utility said it will now work with GE Hitachi on the SMR engineering, design, planning, preparing the licensing and permitting materials, and performing site preparation activities. The companies are targeting a “mutual goal of constructing Canada’s first commercial, grid-scale SMR, projected to be completed as early as 2028.”

Site preparation, which will include “installation of the necessary construction services,” is slated to begin in the spring of 2022, pending appropriate approvals. OPG additionally said it will apply to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) for a License to Construct the SMR by the end of 2022.…

New Materials, Efficiency Upgrades Advancing Solar Technologies

December 1, 2021

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The growth curve for solar power continues its upward trajectory, thanks to technologies such as perovskites, heterojunction solar cells, and energy storage systems designed to complement rooftop solar. New inverters and racking solutions are making solar installations more efficient, helping extract more energy from the sun’s rays.

There is no shortage of technological advancements in the solar power sector, contributing to renewed growth in the industry after the coronavirus pandemic paused several projects. More countries are turning to solar as they establish decarbonization targets, more companies are setting sustainability goals, and the push for home improvements—an offshoot of the pandemic—has supported residential rooftop solar.

Researchers have continued to develop more-efficient solar energy equipment, and the market is supporting innovation. A two-year extension of the 26% Investment Tax Credit (ITC) for solar power, passed by the U.S. Congress earlier this year, has provided more impetus for homeowners and businesses interested in adding solar.

And an important factor in the growth of solar power may not be a better solar panel or inverter, but rather deployment of energy storage to support solar development.…

More Than 20 Coal-Fired Plants Will Close in Wake of Wastewater Rule

November 29, 2021

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A new wastewater rule authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) earlier this year is leading several coal-fired plants to announce closure plans, according to an analysis of state regulatory filings by the Sierra Club.

The group said at least 26 plants in 14 states have said they will stop burning coal, with 21 facilities closing and another five switching to natural gas-fired generation, according to a report published Nov. 22 by the Associated Press. The EPA has said it expects the rule would impact about 75 coal-fired plants across the country.

The EPA in July announced it would reinstate Obama-era regulations on wastewater that were rolled back by the Trump administration. The new wastewater rule requires power plants to clean coal ash and toxic heavy metals such as mercury, arsenic, and selenium from plant wastewater before it is discharged into streams and rivers.

Coal-fired power plants had an October deadline to tell their state regulators how they planned to comply with the rule.…

Could Fusion Energy Transform the Power Industry By 2035?

November 27, 2021

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Fusion occurs when two atoms slam together to form a heavier atom, such as when two hydrogen atoms fuse to form one helium atom. A tremendous amount of energy is released in the process.

This is the same process that powers the sun. In the sun’s core, where temperatures reach 15,000,000C, hydrogen atoms are in a constant state of agitation. As they collide at very high speeds, the natural electrostatic repulsion that exists between the positive charges of their nuclei is overcome and the atoms fuse. Without fusion, there would be no life on Earth.

Significant research has been done to better understand the fusion process since the concept was first theorized in the 1920s. Scientists have answered most of the key physics questions behind fusion. Today, in southern France, 35 nations are collaborating to build the world’s largest tokamak—a magnetic fusion device designed to prove the feasibility of fusion as a large-scale and carbon-free source of energy.

The ITER project (Figure 1), as it is known, is expected to be the first fusion device to produce “net energy,” which is the term used when the total power produced during a fusion plasma pulse surpasses the thermal power injected to heat the plasma.…

NERC Issues Grim Outlook for Bulk Power System Winter Reliability

November 21, 2021

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The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) is warning that much of the central U.S.—a region that stretches from the Great Lakes into southern Texas—may face critical power deficiencies during extreme winter weather conditions over the next three months. Natural gas supply disruptions and low hydropower conditions could also imperil power reliability in New England and the West, it said.

In its Nov. 18–issued 2021–2022 Winter Reliability Assessment, the nation’s designated Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) urged generators across the U.S. to take proactive steps to prepare for an eventful winter and keep communications open with grid operators.

NERC also called on grid operators to prepare and implement cold weather operating plans, conduct drills, and poll generators for fuel and availability status. Load-serving entities should review critical loads to prevent disruptions, and regulators should support requested environmental waivers, it said.

A Cold, Hard Outlook

The ERO’s dire report echoes its May-issued summer assessment, when it warned of “elevated risks” for energy emergencies in Texas, New England, in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) territory, and parts of the West.…

The Middle Ground: The Role of CCS After COP26

November 17, 2021

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We hear calls for the “elimination of fossil fuels” as the primary solution to climate change, those calls coming from investors, institutions, governments—and from many world leaders and others gathered at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.

COMMENTARY

As we begin to experience the outcome of recent energy policies that focus on the buildout of renewables capacity, while actively discouraging oil and gas production and development of energy infrastructure such as pipelines, and also advocating for nuclear power shutdowns, greenhouse gas emissions are likely to increase dramatically alongside energy and food prices.

As the energy demands from a global population of more than 7.7 billion people relentlessly increase, dangerous shortages of energy are developing, and gaps in supply will be met with increased use of coal, which is the most carbon-intensive energy source.

Understanding fundamental truths about energy and carbon emissions is critical; ignoring or wishing away the challenges will result in energy crises, higher emissions, social challenges and ultimately, no policy durability.…