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8 Rivers Unveils 560 MW of Allam Cycle Gas-Fired Projects for Colorado, Illinois

April 18, 2021

The post 8 Rivers Unveils 560 MW of Allam Cycle Gas-Fired Projects for Colorado, Illinois appeared first on POWER Magazine.

8 Rivers Capital, inventor of a novel supercritical carbon dioxide (CO₂) cycle, plans to begin operating a 280-MW NET Power natural gas–fired plant within the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in southwest Colorado by 2025. The company on April 15 also said it will team with agricultural and processing firm Archer-Daniels-Midlands Co. (ADM) to locate a 280-MW NET Power facility in Decatur, Illinois.

The proposed projects are a giant leap forward for Durham, North Carolina- headquartered venture capitalist firm 8 Rivers, and NET Power, a firm it holds jointly with industry backers that is working to commercialize the Allam Cycle.

Despite intense interest from industry, NET Power has been quiet about developments surrounding the potentially revolutionary technology, including any achievements at a NET Power test facility in La Porte, Texas. The company marked its last substantial technology triumph in May 2018, when it achieved first-fire of a novel commercial-scale 50-MWth combustor at the La Porte facility. …

Self-Tuning Artificial Intelligence Improves Plant Efficiency and Flexibility

April 14, 2021

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The post Self-Tuning Artificial Intelligence Improves Plant Efficiency and Flexibility appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Flexible plant operations are highly desirable in today’s power generation industry. Every plant owner desires increased ramp rates and the ability to operate at lower loads so their plants will remain “in the money” longer in today’s competitive power markets. This goal, while laudable, remains elusive. The ADEX self-tuning artificial intelligence (AI) system allows plants to continuously optimize plant performance at any operating point rather than being constrained to a static “design point” commonly found in gas- and coal-fired plants. Better yet, no changes to the plant distributed control system (DCS) are required.

Renewable energy resources, coupled with internet technologies and emerging large-scale energy storage, fundamentally change the modern electricity markets. Wind and photovoltaic electricity resources have proved to be the most disruptive renewable energy technologies over the past few years and will continue to do so. The challenge for grid operators is managing these disparate electricity providers to match weather-dependent supply with consumers demanding more independence and flexibility to manage personal demand patterns.…

Vistra Backs Illinois Transition Measure to Keep At-Risk Coal Plants Online Through 2025

April 12, 2021

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The post Vistra Backs Illinois Transition Measure to Keep At-Risk Coal Plants Online Through 2025 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Bleeding financially from underperforming and legally burdened coal generation in downstate Illinois and elsewhere, Vistra, the nation’s largest competitive generator, has renewed its call for passage of the Illinois Coal to Solar and Energy Storage Act, a bill that could help keep 2.2 GW of existing at-risk capacity online through 2025 while the state expands its renewable and storage capacity.

The Irving, Texas–headquartered company said it renewed its support for the bill owing to “mounting financial and legal pressures that now come from operating coal plants.” The announcement came as the company accelerated the closure of the 1.2-GW Joppa Power Plant in September 2022—three years earlier than previously disclosed—to settle a complaint related to pollution exceedances in Illinois.

Vistra’s Heavily Burdened Coal Fleet

The Joppa plant, which opened in 1953, has six coal units with a combined capacity of 1 GW, as well as five natural gas units with a combined capacity of 239 MW.…

Solar Energy in the Sunshine State: FPL Leads the Way

April 10, 2021

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The post Solar Energy in the Sunshine State: FPL Leads the Way appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Florida is known as “The Sunshine State,” so it’s no surprise that solar energy is growing rampantly across the state. Among the utilities adding solar resources to their energy mixes is Florida Power and Light Co. (FPL).

FPL claims to be the largest energy company in the U.S. as measured by retail electricity produced and sold. The company serves more than 5.6 million customer accounts supporting more than 11 million residents across Florida. FPL—a subsidiary of Juno Beach, Florida-based NextEra Energy—says it operates “one of the cleanest power generation fleets in the U.S.”

“We are big fans of solar energy, and we’ve been working to advance solar in the state for more than a decade,” Jill Dvareckas, senior director of development with FPL, said as a guest on The POWER Podcast. “We currently have 37 solar energy centers in operation, with seven more under construction, which makes FPL the largest producer of solar power in Florida.”…

The Natural Gas Flame Continues to Burn Bright

April 6, 2021

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The post The Natural Gas Flame Continues to Burn Bright appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The natural gas sector is well aware of the challenges facing the fossil fuel industry, but analysts say gas has attributes that will keep it a big part of the U.S. and global energy mix.

Natural gas has moved to the front burner of power generation discussions. The fuel’s future has been a topic of debate for months, with the U.S. industry concerned about potential drilling limits from the Biden administration, and a move toward increased electrification in the U.S. and globally that could reduce demand for gas outside of the electricity sector.

The fallout from a severe winter storm that wreaked havoc on Texas’ gas supply in February, and left millions of Texans without power and heat, also raised questions about reliance on natural gas. That’s an issue raised by the Trump administration when it argued for propping up coal and nuclear power, saying the natural gas supply could be disrupted by external events.…