Chattanooga Electrical Engineering News Blog
Topics Related to Electronics and Electrical Engineering
TVA.com: Scott Fiedler, Jennifer Thelen
TVA recently announced “that it has added 500 additional megawatts of electricity to their power grid – enough energy to power almost 300,000 homes.
With the completion of the 10 new aeroderivative gas turbines at Johnsonville Combustion Turbine Plant, west of Nashville, the Johnsonville site can now provide more than 1,200 megawatts to TVA’s grid, which provides electricity to more than 10 million people across seven states.”
FoxNews.com: Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report
Google recently signed its first ever energy power contract for nuclear fusion technology with Commonwealth Fusion Systems (CFS) in taking the next step forward in renewable clean energy. “CFS is an MIT spin-out working to build one of the world’s first commercial fusion reactors. This Google fusion deal marks a pivotal moment for the tech giant as it looks to secure reliable, carbon-free power for its growing AI operations.”
Google plans to purchase up to “200 megawatts of power from CFS’s planned ARC fusion power plant in Chesterfield County, Virginia, which will help power Google’s expanding network of AI data centers.”
EnergyCentral.com: Jason Huang & T&DWorld.com: Gene Wolf
Since aluminum conductor steel reinforced (ACSR) technology took over nearly all of power utilities’ transmission lines and overhead distribution lines, there has not been many advancements in newer and more feasible power delivery conductors. The ACSR technology has been around for over a century, but a new conductor technology is shaping up as an optimal replacement.
“AECC (Aluminum Encapsulated Carbon Core) technology represents a natural evolution that combines advanced conductor performance with traditional conductor safety and reliability. The design uses a pre-tensioned carbon fiber core protected by a seamless aluminum encapsulation layer, paired with annealed aluminum trapezoidal outer strands.”
“Advanced conductor technologies are gaining acceptance with utilities and grid operators. Reconductoring with advanced conductors can put a huge dent in the transmission capacity shortage”
Copper prices for all imported copper into the U.S. are expected to rise as much as 50% or more due to the threat of new tariffs that are expected to begin as early as August 2025.
The electric power and electronics industries will be impacted the most with paying nearly double for copper related materials needed for new construction, new assembly, power grid improvements, maintenance replacements, and necessary repairs.
DailyEnergyInsider.com: Kim Riley
“The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO)” recently awarded AEP of Ohio to partner with data center owners for “establishing financial obligations” to support electrical grid infrastructure improvements that directly accommodate them.
The ruling provides a huge win for AEP, reducing the need for other AEP rate payers to be partially expensed through gradual rate increases to fund AEP’s required energy grid upgrades for bringing new data centers online. New data center owners will be “required to pay a minimum of 85% of AEP’s energy they are subscribed to use to help cover the costs of bringing power to those facilities.”
