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Digital Digest: Monthly Digest of Insights Shared by Your Peers in the Energy Central Intelligent Utility Network – August 3, 2022

August 3, 2022

Welcome to the Intelligent Utility Network roundup, Digital Digest. As always, your fellow network members are paying close attention to digital utility and mobile workforce trends and sharing their insights. This month’s selection includes information about the need for many entities to work together to develop EV charging infrastructure, new developments in digital twin technology, and..
Energy Central…

Transforming Vegetation Management at FPL: A Conversation with Iliana Rentz [Recognizing One of the 2022 Energy Central Innovation Champions: Iliana Rentz]

May 25, 2022

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Earlier this year, Energy Central dispatched our annual call for nominations for power professionals leading the way in Innovation, and we're proud to announce the 4 winners and 2 honorable mentions, which you can read about here. This week, we'll be spotlighting each of those 4 winners after conducting interviews to learn more about their great work. Please help us..
Energy Central…

Optimism Is Warranted in the Power Industry in 2022 and Beyond

January 4, 2022

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While some sectors of the power industry are struggling to stay relevant, there are many more segments that are thriving. As new technologies are developed and perfected, there is more reason than ever for people in the power industry to be optimistic about the future.

Opportunities are everywhere in the power industry these days. Not only are wind and solar energy seeing explosive growth, but also several other technologies are showing real signs of promise. Battery energy storage systems and microgrids have become mainstream grid components. Advanced nuclear power designs and hydrogen-based energy schemes have progressed beyond concepts and into real brick-and-mortar projects. The worldwide focus on climate change has developers of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies licking their chops, with serious deployment of CCS systems almost assured if the world is to meet goals aligned with the Paris Agreement.

The movement to electrify everything also provides opportunity for power companies having the proper vision to capitalize on the trend.…

Three Nuclear Plants Close in Germany, Final Three to Be Retired in 2022

December 31, 2021

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The end of the year will bring the end of power production for three of Germany’s final six operating nuclear power plants. The 1,410-MW Brokdorf unit in Schleswig-Holstein, the 1,360-MW Grohnde unit in Lower Saxony, and the 1,288-MW Gundremmingen C unit in Bavaria will all be permanently taken off the gird on Dec. 31. That will leave three nuclear reactors in operation in Germany—the 1,335-MW Emsland unit in Lower Saxony, the 1,410-MW Isar 2 unit in Bavaria, and the 1,310-MW Neckarwestheim 2 unit in Baden-Württemberg. All three of the remaining units are slated to close by the end of 2022.

The nuclear phaseout in Germany has been planned for more than a decade. In May 2011, Germany’s then-Chancellor Angela Merkel officially endorsed the idea. Merkel had been a nuclear power supporter and actually overturned a phaseout policy enacted by a previous administration, but after the Fukushima disaster, her position changed. The decision to phaseout nuclear kicked the country’s Energiewende (or energy transition) into high gear.…

Homeowners Learned a Lot in 2021; Here’s What They’re Looking For in 2022

December 13, 2021

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The events of the past year and a half have irrevocably changed the way we live, especially at home. Pandemic-related restrictions and lifestyle changes have greatly increased the amount of time Americans spend at home—at one point, more than 50% of the population spent more than 18 hours in their homes. Rising energy costs and worsening weather patterns caused by climate change have also sprung a new set of challenges on homeowners, and their impacts will only continue to increase in the coming year.

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These changes are likely here to stay, and the next year will see American homeowners continue to adapt and adjust their lifestyles to meet these new challenges. As we look toward the new year, there are a few changes we predict homeowners will likely make to save energy, reduce energy costs, and increase their safety while at home.

Energy Resiliency is Now a ‘Must’

There has been a fundamental shift in the meaning of home. Weather continues to become more extreme and unpredictable and, as a result, power outages will increase.…

Testing Problems Push Vogtle Start to 2022

May 22, 2021

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The post Testing Problems Push Vogtle Start to 2022 appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Southern Co. has moved the startup date for the first unit of its two-reactor expansion at the Vogtle nuclear power plant to the first quarter of 2022, citing problems found during testing. The company on May 18 notified Georgia state regulators of the delay. Analysts with Mizuho Group, an investment banking company, on May 21 said Southern interrupted “hot functional testing” of Unit 3 at Vogtle due to vibration of the plant’s pressurizer.

Executives with Southern Nuclear, the nuclear arm of Southern Co., and local utility and Southern subsidiary Georgia Power told the Georgia Public Service Commission they now are planning for the first of the two new 1,100-MW AP1000 reactors to enter operation at some point in the first three months of 2022.

Southern just two months ago announced a delay in testing of Unit 3, but at that time said the project remained on track for a November 2021 startup.…