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3 weeks ago | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
Did you ever think there would be a time when wind and solar generation produced more electricity than coal-fired power plants? That’s what happened last year and many experts say this event represents critical breakthroughs for wind and solar technologies, but it shouldn’t be surprising. In 2023 a report from Energy Innovation found that 99% of the U.S. legacy coal-fired plants were more expensive to keep operating than replacing them with new wind or solar generation.
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2 months ago | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
I know artificial intelligence (AI) has not been widely accepted and many want it ban altogether, but that’s not going to happen. AI is here to stay, and we really do need it in today’s data intensive world. It’s estimated that over 400 million terabytes of data are produced every day globally, and there’s no way to extract useful information from mega-data without AI.
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2 months ago | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
The power delivery system is being challenged from all quarters and it’s a little overwhelming. Load demand is projected to increase by more than 10% by 2030 while dealing with extreme weather impacts. Hyperscale datacenters have growing energy needs. Exacerbating the problem is an industry transitioning from fossil-fuel generation to clean energy. Also there’s the insufficient transmission capacities to deliver the customers’ electric-power. There’s more, but this gets the point across.
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2 months ago | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
Over the last couple of decades, electricity consumption has been fairly steady, but in 2024 it jumped about 2%, and that upswing is expected to continue. The figures differ based on the authorities discussing the issue, but it’s going up. One of the better dialogues comes from the Department of Energy (DOE) who has estimated the U.S. will need about 200 gigawatts of additional resources by 2030.
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Feb 27, 2025 | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
There’s a great deal of attention on the need for more transmission lines worldwide, but the U.S. seems to be in the target’s center lately. My inbox has been getting a steady stream of emails about the dismal situation. The current interest stems from dismal predictions that hyperscale datacenters are sucking up all the available electricity.
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Feb 25, 2025 | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
Are we getting accustomed to the smart equipment and apparatuses that make up the smart grid? Are we indifferent about amazing systems that monitor, control and manage the power delivery system? It’s easy to be either way. Digital technology has been with us for decades. Each generation of these smart grid systems and schemes have brought improvements and increased capabilities. Smart grid technology has been modernizing the power grid’s infrastructure with a virtual infrastructure.
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Dec 4, 2024 | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
TwilightEye / E+ / iStock/Getty Images PlusElectric Utility OperationsWi-Fi 7 and the Digital Era: How Emerging Tech is Shaping the Future of Work and ConnectivityIt's a good time to be working with emerging digital technologies. For those who have come to terms with the digital era, it’s best to stay on the high-side of the learning curve. I read many reports, studies, and white papers in the course of researching for this monthly segment on trending digital technologies impacting the power grid.
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Nov 21, 2024 | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
There’s a transition taking place in the power grid. Actually there are a number of transitions taking place and it’s a normal continuous process. Some are in the foreground while others are in the background, but there are many occupying the middle ground quietly shaping the grid. That takes a lot of time and effort to keep up with it all and stay current.
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Oct 25, 2024 | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
Several months have passes since I started thinking about what to write about for the 75th anniversary of T&D World, and now I better get started. There is no shortage of topics. The problem is narrowing the field, so a visit to the archives seemed like a good idea. The 50th anniversary issue was published in November 1999 with a wealth of fascinating articles, but it was the advertisements and photos in the articles that proved invaluable.
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Oct 25, 2024 | 
tdworld.com | Gene Wolf
It’s the 75th anniversary of T&D World and it has been an amazing ride chronicling the technological history, trends, and transitions that got us here. Twenty-five years ago we marked the occasion with our 50th anniversary of T&D World. The first 50 years was an amazing time with some advancements in technology that changed our industry. The next 25 years are equally interesting. There are so many technological advancements that took place between the 50th and the 75th issues.
