Smart Grid
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Engineering
Mining Our Nation’s Scrap to Transform Our Electric Grid
Today’s demand for energy is extraordinary and expected to continue rising. The rapid growth of data centers, reshoring manufacturing operations and electrification of transportation has accelerated the market demands for electricity. Rethinking how industries use, and re-use materials is central to both the future of the electrified world and the work of Nucor, North America’s […]
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Trends
Why This Summer’s Heat Proved the Case for a Smarter Grid
The summer of 2025 pushed the U.S. electric grid to its limits. A brutal heat dome swept across the East Coast, while a powerful derecho tore through the Midwest, leaving more than 28,000 homes and businesses without power in Iowa alone. Demand surged to record levels. Yet despite the pressure, the grid avoided major blackouts. Smarter, more flexible systems are beginning to deliver results, but the need for faster transformation is undeniable.
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Research and Development
Laser Wireless Power Transmission Breakthrough Could Transform Remote Energy Delivery
NTT Inc. and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. (MHI) conducted an optical wireless power transmission experiment using a laser beam to wirelessly transmit energy over a distance of one kilometer. By irradiating a laser beam with an optical power of 1 kW, the team succeeded in receiving 152 W of electric power. This marks the world’s […]
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T&D
It’s Time to Listen to Transformers
A transformer fire at Heathrow Airport earlier this year triggered cascading power outages, cutting electricity to more than 66,000 homes, grounding more than 1,300 flights, and causing losses of up to £100 million. According to a recent report, the fire started because of a fault in a 50-year-old asset that subsequently led to short circuiting […]
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Data Centers
Why Forward-Looking Data Center Operators Are Taking Control of Their Own Grids
The Trump administration’s recent “AI Action Plan” to expand artificial intelligence (AI) and data center infrastructure in the U.S. highlighted the need to accelerate innovation, build cutting-edge infrastructure, and position the U.S. as a global leader in the industry. It also highlights a crucial detail: developing an electric grid that can match the pace of […]
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Data Centers
Data Centers Can Be a Flexible Power Load-Here’s Why That Matters
Across the U.S., new AI-driven data centers are causing a significant increase in power demand. Carbon Direct projects that data center capacity in the U.S. will grow from roughly 25 GW in 2024 to 120 GW in 2030, a nearly five-fold increase that could make data centers a double-digit percentage of national electricity demand. In […]
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Top Plant
Doubling Down on Reliability: Karachi’s Engineered Smart Grid Breakthrough
Faced with soaring demand and limited visibility into upstream grid assets, Karachi-based K-Electric engineered an in-house special protection system that delivers more than 600 MW of secure power imports to
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T&D
How Nation’s Largest Dynamic Line Rating Deployment Unlocked Nearly 50% More Transmission Capacity for Great River Energy
Great River Energy’s dynamic line rating (DLR) project is the largest DLR deployment to date in the U.S. based on the number of sensors installed. Early results identified a 48.92% increase in power carrying
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Hybrid Power
The White Island Goes Green: How Graciosa Became a Global Benchmark for Hybrid Renewable Power
A Portuguese island that once relied almost exclusively on expensive diesel fuel shipments to keep the lights on now runs entirely on wind and solar power for nearly half the year. Graciosa didn’t just
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O&M
Creating a Living Asset: The Role of AI-Enhanced Digital Twins in Autonomous Operations
The convergence of artificial intelligence and digital twin technology is emerging as a transformative solution, enabling power producers to shift from static control systems to dynamic, self-optimizing