Great Winter Storm of 2021 Will Live in Grid History

February 20, 2021
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The post Great Winter Storm of 2021 Will Live in Grid History appeared first on POWER Magazine.

It will be some time before we know every detail that aligned to cause the tremendous number of sustained power outages in Texas, or the spiking power prices across all markets in the central states.

Some things we do know. Some natural gas supply was frozen in. Some wind turbines froze up, and ice damaged some power lines and caused congestion. 

COMMENTARY

Even coal and nuclear were not immune to the carnage. Some units cycled down on Feb. 15 and have been slow to recover. During the early hours of the storm’s approach, all 254 counties in Texas, and all 77 counties in Oklahoma, were under winter storm warnings.

With the winter storm bearing down on Texas, record peak demand was forecast for the early morning hours of Feb. 16, exceeding 76 GW. With the generators already shutting down, power output fell to around 45 GW and remained at about that level. During…

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Dirty Electricity, but Not the Kind You Think

February 18, 2021
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The post Dirty Electricity, but Not the Kind You Think appeared first on POWER Magazine.

renewable-energy-storage

When most people hear the term “dirty electricity,” they probably think of power generated from sources considered more-polluting, such as coal, natural gas, or other fossil fuels. However, Satic Inc., an electronics manufacturer and professional engineering firm based in Missoula, Montana, says electricity in homes and businesses is filled with “electrical pollution” that is not necessarily associated with dirty fuels. In fact, the company claims solar power is one of the main sources of dirty electricity.

“Dirty electricity specifically comes from three different main culprit places. Number one, it’s delivered to our panel. Number two, we make it with our electronics—our solar inverters, our LED lighting, our DC devices. And, the wiring in our home—maybe half a mile of high-quality copper wiring—acts as a super antenna. So, that’s how we get dirty electricity into our house. What defines it specifically is, it’s electricity that has distortion or interference, low power factor, etcetera, on it,” B.D.…

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Is Nuclear Power Poised for a Resurgence?

February 14, 2021
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The post Is Nuclear Power Poised for a Resurgence? appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Byron-nuclear-power-plant

Since 1990, nuclear power has consistently supplied about 19% to 20% of the electricity used in the U.S. However, very few nuclear plants have been added to the U.S. fleet over that time. Currently, the only new nuclear project in the U.S. is Southern Company’s Plant Vogtle expansion, which is expected to add two new reactors to the grid by the end of next year. Still, there are 50 reactors under construction around the world—12 of them in China—and several countries are considering adding more.

“There has been a fundamental shift in the thinking around the world. As climate change has become front and center as the number one issue globally—environmental issue and societal issue—the recognition that nuclear can and should play a part in helping us overcome the climate change problems has shifted a lot of thinking in governments that I talk to around the world, but also even with people that are environmental-minded—people that have been, in the past, anti-nuclear—and start seeing that nuclear now is and should be part of the solution.…

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