The POWER Podcast

Concentric Power, a California-based provider of high-efficiency energy modules for onsite refrigeration and electric power generation, recently launched a $100 million finance program for cogeneration and microgrid projects. "We are excited to create a new path forward in energy infrastructure financing and development," Brian Curtis, founder and CEO of Concentric Power, said in a press release. "The next 20 years will be transformative for how electric power is generated and consumed. Industrial and ag consumers see these shifts coming but would often rather invest capital in their core business rather than in plant utilities. Concentric's technology strategy and finance program enable customers to utilize third-party financing to roll out sustainable infrastructure." Concentric has already developed two significant projects: Taylor Farms in Gonzales, California, and True Leaf Farms in San Juan Bautista, California. Both are large agricultural processing facilities that require several MW of power and refrigeration to operate. Taylor Farms installed solar panels and a wind turbine to supply some of its power needs, but it needed a reliable backup to fill voids when the wind and solar couldn't meet the processing plant's needs. Concentric evaluated the situation and constructed a cogeneration plant to meet the facility's needs. The primary energy comes from a natural gas-fueled Caterpillar internal combustion engine. The heat in the engine's exhaust and water cooling jacket is used by an aqueous ammonia absorption refrigeration unit, which cools the processing plant. An advanced control system governs the operation, matching wind, solar, and engine generation with the plant's overall needs. Curtis spoke to POWER Executive Editor Aaron Larson about his company and the solutions it provides. You can hear their conversation in episode 11 of The POWER Podcast.

Cybersecurity threats have increased dramatically as sophisticated, nation-state developed hacking programs have been leaked to the general public. Now, common criminals have high-tech tools at their disposal with the capability to cause serious damage. As such, the power industry must take precautions and upgrade security to keep systems safe. While regulations provide a minimum security standard, companies that aren't going above and beyond the government's requirements are likely to be setting themselves up as "low-hanging fruit," that is, easy targets for hackers. In this episode of The POWER Podcast, Chris Grove, director of industrial security with Indegy, offers some tips for keeping bad actors out of power plants. Gaining visibility into systems is an important first step. Once companies understand what risks they're exposed to, getting a broad-based team of both information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) experts involved to develop solutions to mitigate the risks is a logical subsequent step. Investing in good security can pay dividends in the end.

Amir Adnani, CEO of Uranium Energy Corp., discusses the state of the nuclear industry, highlighting uranium production trends, new construction developments, and the lack of a nuclear vision in the U.S.

Ray Long, vice president of government affairs for NRG Energy, addresses the New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee concerning nuclear subsidies.

PSEG CEO Ralph Izzo addresses the New Jersey Senate Environment and Energy Committee concerning nuclear subsidies.

Hans Maghon, Siemens' program director for HL-class gas turbine development, explains some of the unique features of the HL design and how the company built on proven technology during the development phase.

Earlier this year, GE’s Power Services achieved a significant milestone with its 9EMax gas turbine upgrade solution. The 9EMax completed initial validation testing and was offered commercially to gas turbine customers around the globe. The first 9EMax unit was installed at a customer’s site in Asia. “First fire is a critical test where the gas turbine is switched on and runs on fuel at the site. We completed the ‘first fire’ milestone with the unit successfully reaching full speed at no load, and it proved to deliver significantly more power and efficiency compared to current 9E gas turbine operations,” Eric Gray, general manager of Gas Plant Solutions for GE’s Power Services, said in a press release announcing the occasion. During the tests, over 1,000 pieces of instrumentation were used to collect data and improve the performance of the machine. The sensors collected over 14 terabytes of data. The validation test monitored and mapped the unit’s behavior at typical operating parameters. Some of the conclusions included: • The turbine’s output was increased to 145 MW in simple cycle operation and to 210 MW in a combined cycle configuration. • It achieved up to 37% efficiency in simple cycle and up to 53.5% efficiency in combined cycle opertion. • It delivered maintenance intervals of up to 32,000 hours or 900 starts—equivalent to approximately four years of typical plant operation. • It offset as much as 2% to 3% of normal performance degradation between maintenance intervals in extreme ambient operating conditions. 9EMax can operate at partial loads, making it ideal for power producers looking to add renewables to their energy mix. It also includes an array of digital solutions to boost operational reliability, improve combustion operations, and manage emissions. In this episode of The POWER Podcast, Executive Editor Aaron Larson spoke with Gray about innovations incorporated into the 9EMax gas turbine.

The Connected Plant Conference will be held in Charlotte, N.C., February 26–28, 2018. The forum is designed for professionals in the power generation and chemical process industries who are leading digital adoption at all stages. Sessions are tailored to offer actionable information and strategies to maximize the use of data, analytics, and related technology to drive efficiency improvements, preventive and predictive maintenance programs, and staff safety. Jon Towslee, director of marketing and business development with ABB Inc., is scheduled to give a presentation during the event. He spoke with POWER Executive Editor Aaron Larson on December 6 during a power-industry conference in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can listen to the interview in the following POWER Podcast extra.

In December 2016, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPS) announced the introduction of its JAC gas turbine—a new air-cooled J-series model. The JAC has flexible ramping capabilities, an impressive 64% efficiency, 99.5% reliability, and a combined cycle output of 575 MW. Furthermore, the design has been thoroughly tested, with more than 14,000 operating hours at T-Point, MHPS’s validation facility. The combination of those factors led customers in Asia, the U.S., Mexico, and South America to technically select the M501JAC for projects 26 times in the past year, representing more than 14 GW of new power generation. In addition to the JAC technical selections, MHPS has 25 J-series gas turbines already in operation and 31 more units have been ordered. The platform has more operating hours than advanced turbine models offered by MHPS's two largest competitors combined. “The success of the JAC is no coincidence,” said Paul Browning, president and CEO of Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems America (MHPSA). “The company started on a journey in 2004 by setting a goal of 65% efficiency and has methodically pursued that goal." Browning gave a keynote presentation during a recent power-industry conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, and he spoke to POWER shortly after the session. During the interview, Browning provided highlights from his keynote address and touched on several other topics. Despite restructuring at GE and Siemens, Browning expressed optimism about the future of MHPS.

Exelon has been an early adopter of digital technology throughout its operations. Among the solutions implemented is GE's Predix platform. A group of Exelon leaders spoke in depth about the company's digital transformation.