[VIDEO] POWER Insights—Bringing Electricity to Underserved Areas

July 8, 2020
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The post [VIDEO] POWER Insights—Bringing Electricity to Underserved Areas appeared first on POWER Magazine.

More than half of the population of Africa, or about 640 million people out of about 1.2 billion, does not have access to energy. It’s the lowest access rate for electricity worldwide.

Bringing power to those people is important work, being led by people such as Damien Simon,  marketing and strategy director for Paris, France-based Nexans, a company that develops energy projects around the globe. Simon’s focus is on building power infrastructure in Africa, and the electrification of areas previously without access to energy.

Simon recently joined POWER associate editor Darrell Proctor for a conversation as part of the POWER Insights series, video interviews with important players in the power generation sector. He noted that in Africa, “not only do the power generation assets need to be considered, but so do the necessary transmission and distribution networks and revenue collection processes,” because it’s important that the energy generated can be paid for.…

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German Lawmakers Sign Off on Phase-Out of Coal

July 6, 2020
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The post German Lawmakers Sign Off on Phase-Out of Coal appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Germany’s plan to end coal-fired power generation in the country is now official, as both houses of the German parliament approved the plan to shut down the last coal units by 2038.

Lawmakers signed off on the deal July 3. Environmental groups have supported the measure, though some say it does not go far enough to protect the environment and more quickly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Supporters of a free market for German energy say it’s not necessary, and is a waste of taxpayer money, including its compensation plan for coal companies.

A major part of the strategy approved Friday is its promise to pour about €40 billion ($ 45 billion) into regions impacted by the closure of coal plants and coal mines to prop up local economies and retrain workers.

The plan is part of Germany’s “Energiewende,” the country’s effort to reduce reliance on thermal power generation and generate all the nation’s power from renewable resources.…

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Hitachi Absorbs ABB Power Grids in New $10B Joint Venture

July 2, 2020
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The post Hitachi Absorbs ABB Power Grids in New $ 10B Joint Venture appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Hitachi on July 1 commandeered a majority share of ABB’s lucrative Power Grids business and officially launched a joint venture company—Hitachi ABB Power Grids. The new company, which already has a volume of about $ 10 billion, is expected to provide financial muscle to support ambitious projects and new business opportunities as the sector embraces decentralization and digitalization.

Japanese technology conglomerate Hitachi holds a 80.1% ($ 6.85 billion) stake in Hitachi ABB Power Grids, while Zurich-based ABB will hold the remaining 19.9% stake. ABB also holds a pre-defined option to exit the retained 19.9% shareholding three years after closing, and it is likely it will be bought out by Hitachi, which has said it will consider acquiring ABB’s share to make it a wholly owned subsidiary after 2023. 

But for now, Hitachi ABB Power Grids will be headquartered in Switzerland and employ approximately 36,000 people in 90 countries.…

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Waste-to-Hydrogen Project Set for California

June 30, 2020
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The post Waste-to-Hydrogen Project Set for California appeared first on POWER Magazine.

A California company that produces renewable hydrogen has joined with a Louisiana construction group on a project to build a modular waste-to-hydrogen production facility.

Ways2H, based in Long Beach, California, and Ford, Bacon & Davis, a Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based engineering, procurement, and construction firm, on June 30 announced a joint effort to design and build a California facility by the end of 2020, “with a pipeline of additional projects to follow in 2021.”

The companies on Tuesday said the California project will be the first U.S. modular waste-to-hydrogen production facility; Ways2H also has a project underway in Japan. The companies said they will produce renewable hydrogen fuel for the power generation and transportation sectors, while offering alternative disposal options for waste processing and waste disposal companies.

The California Energy Commission in a June report said a lack of existing renewable hydrogen production is creating a gap with fast-growing demand for the fuel.…

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$122 Million Earmarked for Coal ‘Innovation Centers’

June 28, 2020
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The post $ 122 Million Earmarked for Coal ‘Innovation Centers’ appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette said the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is ready to make about $ 122 million available to establish what the DOE calls “innovation centers” for coal. Brouillette and the DOE on June 26 said these centers will focus on the manufacturing of value-added, carbon-based products from coal. The facilities also would work on developing new methods to extract and process rare earth elements and critical minerals from the fuel.

“It’s vitally important that America develop a viable domestic supply of rare earth elements, critical minerals, and other valuable products from our vast coal resources,” said Brouillette on Friday, as he toured a Pennsylvania coal mine operated by Consol Energy. “This effort moves us closer to that goal. The Trump administration has been aggressively investing in research and development for novel uses of coal that have the potential to create new markets for coal and coal byproducts.…

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