Industry News | EnergyNorthwest.com

The POWER Interview: What Is Big Data?

December 22, 2019

The post The POWER Interview: What Is Big Data? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

The term “Big Data” is used frequently by tech-savvy power industry professionals, but what does it really mean. To get an insider’s perspective, POWER posed the question to Akshay Patwal, strategic business manager with Siemens Energy. Patwal leads the development and commercialization of digital business transformation projects, using big data platforms and analytics to create data-driven services, so he has a wealth of knowledge on the subject.

Akshay Patwal is strategic business manager with Siemens Energy. Courtesy: Siemens

POWER: What does Big Data mean to you?

Patwal: Big data in power generation refers to the large amounts of data being obtained from various sources in the power plant. The magnitude we are looking at here would be in terabytes of data or even more. The big data has the following characteristics:

A huge volume of data is expected and so would be the storage space needed for it.

…

Hitachi Exiting MHPS; MHI Will be Venture’s Sole Owner

December 18, 2019

| No Comments

| Industry News

The post Hitachi Exiting MHPS; MHI Will be Venture’s Sole Owner appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Japanese technology conglomerate Hitachi will withdraw from Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS), a joint venture it established in 2014 with another power equipment giant, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), over a dispute stemming from construction of two massive defect-ridden coal plants in South Africa.

Under a Dec. 18-announced settlement reached by MHI and Hitachi, Hitachi will pay MHI 200 billion yen ($ 1.8 billion) in March, and transfer its 35% stake in MHPS to MHI, which currently holds the remaining 65%. Hitachi will also request the Japanese Commercial Arbitration Association, the entity tasked with deciding the dispute, to immediately stop the progress of arbitration, while MHI will do the same after it receives Hitachi’s payment and shares.

The extent to which the changes will impact MHPS’s operations are unclear. Hitachi suggested it will withdraw completely from management from MHPS, though it will continue to work with MHI on maintenance services of existing thermal power plants.…

The POWER Interview: New Directions for GE Digital

December 16, 2019

| No Comments

| Industry News

The post The POWER Interview: New Directions for GE Digital appeared first on POWER Magazine.

In a recent conversation with POWER, GE Digital CEO Pat Byrne discussed why GE made key changes to the lucrative business, streamlining it to focus on four key markets, including electric utilities and power generation.

(To learn more about how digitalization is transforming the power industry, register now to attend POWER and Chemical Engineering’s upcoming Connected Plant Conference, which will be held Feb. 25–27, in Atlanta, Georgia.)

GE has been at the forefront of the innovation in the energy sector since Thomas Edison formulated the essential requirements for an electrical distribution system and formed the Electric Light Co. in 1878. Leveraging foundational technology changes that have characterized modern history, and driven by material value creation and a sustained competitive advantage, the company has shaped some of the basic machines and components that power plants house today.

That’s why it is no surprise that by the start of 2010s, the company was already contemplating how the age of industrial internet of things (IIOT) would reshape key markets.…

Ownership Shakeup at Colstrip Coal Power Plant

December 14, 2019

| No Comments

| Industry News

The post Ownership Shakeup at Colstrip Coal Power Plant appeared first on POWER Magazine.

NorthWestern Energy said it will file an application with the Montana Public Service Commission for pre-approval to acquire Puget Sound Energy’s (PSE’s) 25% interest in Colstrip Unit 4, which is a 740-MW coal-fired boiler. The price? $ 1.

“Securing more capacity for only a $ 1 investment is a unique opportunity that helps give us the time to continue transitioning to an even cleaner energy future without putting either our customers’ safety or their ability to pay their energy bills at risk,” Bob Rowe, president and CEO of Sioux Falls, South Dakota-headquartered NorthWestern Energy, said in a statement.

NorthWestern Energy serves electric and natural gas customers in three states: Montana, Nebraska, and South Dakota. In what appeared to be an effort to fend off criticism for adding more coal-fired generation to its portfolio, NorthWestern also announced it is committing to reduce carbon intensity of its energy generation in Montana by 90% by 2045.…

Canada Plan to Store Nuclear Waste near Lake Huron Draws U.S. Ire

December 10, 2019

| No Comments

| Industry News

The post Canada Plan to Store Nuclear Waste near Lake Huron Draws U.S. Ire appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A group of U.S. lawmakers has asked Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reconsider that country’s proposed plan to store its nuclear waste at a site near Lake Huron, northeast of Detroit, Michigan.

The site, at Huron-Konloss/South Bruce, in Bruce County, Ontario, is one of two communities chosen by the Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO), which consists of Canada’s nuclear power generating companies and includes Ontario Power Generation, New Brunswick Power Corp., and Hydro-Quebec. The NWMO was established by Canada’s parliament in 2002, and is responsible for designing and implementing the country’s plan for the long-term management of used nuclear fuel.

Bruce County is home to Ontario Power Generation’s Bruce Nuclear Generation Station, the country’s largest nuclear power plant with more than 6 GW of generation capacity. The station, known as Bruce Power, has eight reactors, the most of any operating nuclear station worldwide.…

Connecticut Gives Go-Ahead for 804-MW Offshore Wind Project

December 8, 2019

| No Comments

| Industry News

The post Connecticut Gives Go-Ahead for 804-MW Offshore Wind Project appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Vineyard Wind’s 804-MW Park City project was given the go-ahead by Connecticut officials on Dec. 5, with regulators saying Vineyard’s bid in an offshore wind solicitation was “lower than any other publicly announced offshore wind project in North America.”

Vineyard Wind competed against other groups in the bidding, including developers backed by Ørsted and Shell. The company now will negotiate contracts with the state’s two major utilities, Eversource and United Illuminating Co.

The Park City development is considered the largest renewable energy project in Connecticut history. State officials said it could provide about 14% of the state’s electricity. The project’s turbines would be located south of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, and would not be visible from Connecticut’s shoreline.

The project includes redevelopment of port facilities in Bridgeport Harbor. Vineyard Wind CEO Lars Thaaning Pedersen in a conference call on Thursday would not disclose the project’s cost, but the price for a similar Vineyard Wind project off the Massachusetts coast is about $ 3 billion.…