Tag: SCADA systems

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State regulators fine Xcel Energy $1M over dispute with solar developers

solar-farm

StarTribune – Minnesota utility regulators Thursday slapped Xcel Energy with a rare $1 million fine for a bevy of complaints over delays in connecting solar projects to the electricity grid.

Almost all of the roughly 120 complaints were filed by St. Paul-based All Energy Solar in 2019. A solar trade group said All Energy’s grievances reflect longstanding and costly interconnection problems with Xcel for the entire industry.

Minneapolis-based Xcel, the state’s largest electric utility, has acknowledged shortcomings. But it argues that the big batch of complaints should be rolled into one.

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC) unanimously disagreed with Xcel’s assertion but split on whether to immediately hit Xcel with the $1 million fine.

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Get Access to Free Online Electrical Engineering Calculator Tools at 3 Phase Associates

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Click the link here to access the free online electrical engineering calculator tools by 3 Phase Associates or click the individual tool below in order to perform basic electrical engineering calculations, like: transformer fault currents, short circuits, substation physical electrical clearances, voltage drop, power factor correction, motor full load, conductor ampacities, grounding, lighting design, solar power systems, etc.

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Elon Musk to offer $100 million prize for ‘best’ carbon capture tech

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Reuters – Tesla Inc chief and billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk on Thursday took to Twitter to promise a $100 million prize for development of the “best” technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions.

Capturing planet-warming emissions is becoming a critical part of many plans to keep climate change in check, but very little progress has been made on the technology to date, with efforts focused on cutting emissions rather than taking carbon out of the air.

The International Energy Agency said late last year that a sharp rise in the deployment of carbon capture technology was needed if countries are to meet net-zero emissions targets.

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Tunnel discovered on TVA land in Norris

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OakRidger – TVA has discovered a mysterious tunnel on its land in Norris.

Located at TVA’s Norris Engineering Labs, the previously hidden tunnel had been buried beneath the surface for decades with no records or indication of its existence until now. Found during routine work as part of the Norris consolidation and renovation, the tunnel measures 40-feet long and 10-feet wide, and is complete with spider webs, mice and dark creepy corners.

“Access to the tunnel is currently prohibited due to environmental, health and safety concerns; 

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Top 10 Construction Robots in Use Around the World

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EETimes & DesignLines – Construction: no matter if it is residential, commercial, or industrial — is one of the most labor-intensive jobs on the planet. It’s also the least automated, but that is rapidly changing as more robots are entering the field due to labor shortages and the pandemic. Adaptation has always been on the front lines when it comes to new technologies. Like with nearly every industry, automated robots are being deployed to construction sites all over the world.

As their name implies, construction robots are automated machines that assist with surveying, erecting buildings, or demolition. While there is some fear that robots will replace workers, these robots are designed to work with humans, making their jobs more manageable and less hazardous in some cases.

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Dominion files plans with federal regulators for 2.6 GW offshore wind project, largest in US to date

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UtilityDive – Dominion Energy has filed the construction and operations plan for its 2.64 GW offshore wind project, with construction expected to start off the coast of Virginia in 2024. The anticipated filing with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) was made after Dominion completed construction of a 12 MW pilot offshore wind project in Virginia — the first offshore wind turbines approved by regulators in federal waters. The company expects the BOEM review process for the largest offshore wind farm in the country announced to date to take about two years.

The offshore wind generation capacity is a large component of the utility’s clean energy plan, to meet the state’s rigid decarbonization standards in the Clean Economy Act passed earlier in 2020. Pending approval of the project by the State Corporation Commission and federal regulators, the project would provide renewable electricity to power up to 660,000 homes upon completion in 2026.

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