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What Is Siemens Energy? CEO Tells All

September 3, 2020

The post What Is Siemens Energy? CEO Tells All appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Siemens announced the spinoff of its Power and Gas division on May 7, 2019. It was part of the company’s Vision 2020+ strategy. On Sept. 1, Siemens Energy laid out its post-spinoff plans during a virtual capital market presentation.

Siemens Energy’s Portfolio

Leading up to the event, Christian Bruch, who was appointed CEO of Siemens Energy on May 1, 2020, offered power industry media insight on the company. During the August 27 video conference with reporters, he said, “For me, it’s important that people really understand what we put together here, because it’s a quite unique company in terms of what the portfolio is—what the business is. So, for me, it’s really putting together a leader in the energy industry, which cuts across really from conventional generation to renewables from generation of electricity over transmission to storage or green hydrogen. So, it’s quite a diverse picture.”…

Clean Energy Adds Jobs, but Pace Is Slow

August 16, 2020

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An analysis of federal labor data for the clean energy sector shows renewable energy and other industries are adding jobs after months of declines brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. But the gains in July were lower than those in June, signaling sectors such as solar, wind, energy storage, energy efficiency, and electric vehicles continue to struggle amid the COVID-19 outbreak.

The American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2), and other clean energy advocacy groups responded to a report from BW Research Partnership released August 12 that showed clean energy industries added 3,200 jobs in July, a far cry from the more than 106,000 jobs added in June. The groups, though, said the sectors’ combined unemployment is still about 15% below the levels from earlier this year, prior to pandemic-induced lockdowns that resulted in more than 620,000 lost jobs in the clean energy sector at the peak of job losses in May.…

[VIDEO] POWER Insights: Developing Reliable, and Efficient, Energy Solutions

August 7, 2020

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Ameresco has a 20-year history of providing energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for its customers across North America and the UK. The company works on upgrades of facility infrastructure, and develops, builds, and operates renewable energy plants.

The company also works with customers on tailored financial solutions to bring projects to fruition. Ameresco’s business engages with clients on both sides of the meter, with an eye toward reducing operating expenses, upgrading and maintaining facilities, stabilizing energy costs, and increasing energy reliability.

Ameresco was founded in 2000 by George Sakellaris, a pioneer in the energy service business. Much of the company’s recent work centers around microgrids, as Ameresco works to provide more reliable and resilient power both in support of the grid, and for installations off the grid. Among its projects is a comprehensive energy solution for the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island in South Carolina (Figure 1), and a microgrid at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine.…

Xcel Energy Approved to Run Two Coal Units on Seasonal Basis

July 20, 2020

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The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s request to offer two of its coal units into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator market on a seasonal basis. That means the company can idle the two units for six months of the year, which is expected to save customers money while also reducing air emissions.

“This is an important proposal and I appreciate Xcel Energy bringing it forward,” said Commissioner Matt Schuerger. “I think this highlights Xcel’s focus on saving their customers money, on meeting Minnesota’s environmental policies, and in being responsive to the investigation the Commission opened.”

Under the order, Xcel would be allowed to operate the Allen S. King Generating Station and Unit 2 of the Sherburne County Station (Sherco 2) from June through August and from December through February, while idling the units during the remaining six months, unless required to meet reliability needs.…

UK Energy Giant Will Cut 5,000 Jobs

June 12, 2020

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Centrica, the major UK utility and the biggest supplier of energy to British homes, on June 11 said it would cut 5,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting effort. CEO Chris O’Shea, who took over the company three months ago, said he also wants to simplify the utility’s business model.

The company Thursday said the changes would fast-track cost savings as part of its plan to cut $ 2.54 billion from the business by 2022. Centrica is the parent of British Gas, and the company in a February financial report said it lost £849m ($ 1.07 billion) in 2019. It blamed the loss on the UK’s cap on energy prices, and falling prices for natural gas. The government price cap weighed on the company’s profits, and many of the utility’s customers have left to find smaller and cheaper suppliers.

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EPA Curbs State Review of Energy Projects

June 2, 2020

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The Trump administration on June 1 moved to limit the ability of individual states to use provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) to block energy projects, a potential win for the power generation and other energy industry sectors that have battled lengthy licensing and permitting reviews and rejections based on climate change arguments.

The rulemaking is a setback for those who oppose the siting of oil and natural gas transportation pipelines, and power generation projects such as coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, and hydroelectric dams, the permitting of which has been among the biggest legal and political battlegrounds in recent years.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Monday signed a rule that restricts the scope of state reviews under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Wheeler defended the action in a call Monday with media, saying the EPA wants “to make sure we are limiting the 401 process just to water quality,” noting the rule excludes limits on state reviews of climate and air pollution impacts.…