Bechtel, US Department of Energy Set Path to Complete Key Nuclear Facility

The U.S. Department of Energy authorized Bechtel to resume engineering work on a facility at the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant--a facility that will treat some of the nation's liquid radioactive waste. The resumption comes after progress toward resolving technical matters for the High-Level Waste Vitrification Facility, where the most radioactive of the stored liquid will be processed. The government contracted Bechtel National to build the multi-facility complex at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington.

SaskPower Launches World’s First Commercial CCS Process

The world's first commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) process on a coal-fired power plant officially opened at Boundary Dam Power Station in Estevan, Saskatchewan. When fully optimized, SaskPower's new process will capture up to a million tons of carbon dioxide annually. The captured carbon dioxide will be used for enhanced oil recovery, with the remainder stored safely and permanently deep underground and continuously monitored.

NRG Energy Acquires Pure Energies Group

NRG Energy acquired Pure Energies Group, a residential solar industry leader in the critical area of web-based customer acquisition. Pure Energies completes the residential solar capabilities NRG has been working to assemble and complements NRG’s acquisition earlier this year of Roof Diagnostics Solar. Pure Energies and its proprietary customer acquisition process will help NRG Home Solar reduce customer acquisition costs while providing a simplified solar adoption process.

Energy Storage Surges Ahead

Energy storage is charging ahead, thanks in no small part to the work of Duke Energy and Southern California Edison, with each optimistic that its investment will pay off.

Energy storage is charging ahead, thanks in no small part to the work of two utilities, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy. Duke Energy and Southern California Edison are now operating two of the biggest such projects in North America, with each optimistic that its investment will pay off.  

Digest (Oct 2014)

Vattenfall awards Siemens Energy contract for wind turbines; Minnesota Power to build solar energy array at Minnesota National Guard Camp Ripley; Echelon agrees to sell grid operations to S&T AG; DTE Energy teams with Ford Motor Company to build Michigan’s largest solar array.

From Coal to Gas

Regulatory and environmental challenges for power plant conversions under the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.

Converting a power plant from coal to natural gas triggers a host of environmental challenges and regulatory issues. Operators could be trading one set of regulatory obligations, liabilities, and costs for another, equally problematic, set of liabilities and costs.

Unleashing Energy Efficiency

The Best Way to Comply with EPA’s Clean Power Plan

A framework for measuring the resource value of energy efficiency – touted as the best way for states to comply with the EPA’s Clean Power Plan.