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Podcasts

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Buster Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss ammonia. 

TurboTime Podcast: Ammonia with the Myth Busters

This episode of the TurboTime podcast features an onsite interview from our Turbo Tour of EthosEnergy’s Light Gas Turbine and Performance Center Facility in Houston. Assistant Editor James Cook talks with Daniel Tegtmeier, Director of EthosEnergy's Performance Center, about remote monitoring and operations, the changing energy landscape, and the benefits of remote start/stop and virtual capabilities.

Q: How does remote monitoring keep simple-cycle assets viable in a market focused on renewable energy?

 If you think about a machine built 20+ years ago and its efficiency, it still has a place in the market when competing with renewables. It’s not like it used to be though—these units used to run wide-open, 24/7. They’re now intermittent assets competing with renewables and zero-cost fuels, but once the wind stops blowing and the sun stops shining, that load is gone.

These are simple-cycle configurations, so they can come online quickly and be at 100 - 120 MW in less than an hour. So, you’re going to staff a facility 8,000 hours per year in case they call you up? That’s part of what we do and the justification for remote operations—you need the intermittent load from simple-cycle assets in rapid fashion, but you can’t afford to staff these places full-time.

Q: In addition to that justification, are there any safety improvements delivered through remote start/stop and control capabilities?

 Economics seems to drive most decision processes behind whether you’re remotely operating a facility or not; however, there’s a huge safety aspect. You don’t need people there 24 hours a day around equipment with a lot of pent-up energy, so exposure levels drop dramatically. For the most part, these machines are designed so well and over-engineered from day one that they’re conducive to [remote monitoring].

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Daniel Tegtmeier, Director of EthosEnergy’s Performance Center, talks about remote operations and monitoring. 

TurboTime Podcast: Remote Monitoring with EthosEnergy

In this episode of the TurboTime Podcast, we talk with Giuseppe Tilocca, Scientific Officer at ETN Global, a non-profit member association in the gas turbine technology space. ETN Global’s recent global report, 

Decentralized Energy Systems: Toward Carbon-Neutral Energy Solutions for Gas Turbines

, compares decentralized systems to centralized heat and power units and highlights its advantages—including modularity, the possibility to exploit waste heat avoiding energy transmission losses, and reducing energy distribution costs. Tilocca reviews these advantages in detail, as well as trends and emerging market opportunities, and he dives into gas turbines and how they fit into decentralized energy systems.

“Considering this specific report, we all know that the energy sector is transforming very quickly, and it's mainly driven by the increasingly high share of renewable energy sources,” Ticolla said. “In this scenario, which is dominated by variable sources whose daily, weekly, and seasonal flexibility are set to go dramatically, to meet the system requirements while accomplishing the ambitious decarbonization goals, we need to support traditional centralized generation with a mix of the centralized components.”

So, how does ETN Global define decentralized energy systems, and what are their advantages?

“Historically, we established centralized energy systems, meaning large plants located far from consumers,” Tilocca explained. “The reason behind it is merely economy of scale and efficiency, so it is cheaper to have one big plant than many small ones; however, with the increasing integration of variable renewable energy sources, which are inherently decentralized, we now need to adapt our infrastructure and incorporate technologies that are traditionally used for centralized energy. By definition, a decentralized energy system is located close to the consumption nodes—so on the end user side of the network—and therefore it's connected to the distribution grid rather than the transmission grid. The advantages of a decentralized energy system are mainly modularity, the possibility of exploiting waste heat, and a positive contribution to stability. In particular, one of the main advantages of being close to consumption nodes is avoiding transmission and distribution losses and also costs compared to centralized generation. Centralized energy systems are pivotal in meeting the pillars of the energy trilemma, which stress the principles of affordability, security, and climate neutrality and hence it aligns with the requirements for the transition toward 2030 but also 2040 and 2050.”

ETN Global’s Scientific Officer, Giuseppe Tilocca, talks about the association’s recent report on decentralized energy systems—their advantages and challenges, trends, and where and how gas turbines fit in.  

TurboTime Podcast: Decentralized Energy Systems with ETN Global 

In this episode of the TurboTime Podcast, the Myth Busters discusses the role of turbomachinery in energy transport and storage, including how gas turbines maximize energy density. They dive into various forms of energy storage—including batteries, hydrogen, and mechanical and thermal energy—for various energy sources such as wind, solar, fossil fuels, etc., and more.

During the energy transport and conversion processes, for example in the case of hydrogen, there are significant energy losses. The lowest losses are with coal, then oil and fossil fuels. As a result of these losses, “Hydrogen is a viable solution for storage, but it’s not a great solution to power a large-scale electric power plant by itself,” Kurz said.

Really, energy comes down to sustainability, affordability, and sustainability of supply – and in this equation, renewables are typically intermittent and not a reliable full-time source of energy.

So where does turbomachinery fit into all of this?

“From a turbomachinery perspective, if you exclude electric—because as Rainer said, it's not always applicable, as you can’t transport energy from Venezuela to Florida along an electric line—then you have to convert your energy stored material, be it natural gas, oil, coal, or from an alternative source then you have to convert it into hydrogen or ammonia or something else, and then transport it,” Brun explained. “All these convergent processes utilize turbomachinery. We have maybe 100 years of experience transporting oil in pipelines and ships and trucks and that involves a lot of pumping—we're very good at pumping – it’s very efficient. We also have about a similar amount of time compressing natural gas, which over the last 40 - 50 years we've used a lot more centrifugal compressors for transporting natural gas. Now we're running into the challenge of sustainable alternative energies where basically you're saying, ‘OK, I'm going to take my wind and solar electric and convert them to let's say hydrogen or ammonia or dimethyl ether or methanol—there are a lot of fluids that you can make from electricity that are energy carriers—but then they have to be transported. Hydrogen is the lightest gas (We had a previous podcast where we talked about the challenges of 

). Similarly, ammonia is a liquid that has to be transported at slightly refrigerated temperatures, and it brings its own challenges because it's highly poisonous and very corrosive to a lot of materials. Dimethyl ether is not that hard to transport—it’s similar to diesel—but it's very expensive to make. Methanol is also highly poisonous. So there are a lot of other challenges that you now face with these energy carriers that you worry about when transporting your original form of energy to the end user.”

Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz dial into energy storage and transport—why they are necessary, how turbomachinery fits into these processes, and more. 

TurboTime Podcast: Energy Transport and Storage with the Myth Busters 

This episode of the TurboTime podcast dives into carbon capture and storage (CCS) with Spencer Schecht, the Senior Business Development Lead at the Global CCS Institute. We discuss how these facilities are at an all-time high, the role of carbon capture networks and hubs, and some of the challenges and hurdles it’s facing.

, said that CCS has ramped up to an all-time high— a 102% increase in scheduled deployments since 2022—due to supportive and enabling policy, as CCS is becoming a more prominent feature of public policy.

“At a high level, we need CCS and CO2 removal to meet our climate targets to achieve climate neutrality,” Schecht said. “So, while we require an all-of-the-above portfolio of climate technologies and solutions, it is the versatility of CCS—the fact that it enables both emissions mitigation and removal—that makes it such a unique and important resource in our climate toolkit. For example, CCS can be applied across emissions-intensive industries, including hard-to-abate sectors such as steel, cement, chemical production, and power production, to achieve decarbonization that is not otherwise technically nor economically possible. This enables the reduction of low-carbon hydrogen, and it can also be retrofitted on fossil-fuel power plants or incorporated in the design of new power plants providing baseload low-carbon dispatchable electricity. And when combined with bioenergy or direct air capture, with permanent geologic storage, CCS is an enabler of delivering negative emissions, and we need negative emissions to scale massively in the years ahead. This lays out a very clear picture that CCS and CO2 removal must scale up to gigatons, which is billions of tons per year, to achieve our climate targets.”

Check out the Global CCS Institute’s insights in 

Turbomachinery International’s May/June cover story

Carbon capture and storage’s versatility enables both emissions mitigation and removal, making it a unique and important resource as a climate solution.

TurboTime Podcast: Carbon Capture and Storage with the Global CCS Institute 

Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz join the TurboTime podcast to chat about additive manufacturing. They dive into its history in the industry, its advantages as a viable technology, its limitations, and new advancements that could drive the technology further.

Brun explained: “About 40 years ago, additive manufacturing technology started coming out based on using materials such as polymers and resins that were heated up and layered on top of each other using some kind of robotic arm or plotter that in the 3D space. It wasn’t all that relative from a turbomachinery perspective at the time because yes, you could use that to make a mold for a cast, but other than that, it wasn’t realistic. About 20 years ago, we started seeing additive manufacturing using metals. There are a number of techniques, but the most popular ones are direct metal sintering or selective metal-laser sintering—these techniques are when you have a layer of metal and a heat source, and you put the heat source on the powder-metal layer to create a 3D geometry in 3D space. That technique has developed over the last 20 years—it came out with lots and lots of promises, some of which held up while other promises didn't hold up."

“From a turbomachinery perspective, there are many parts in a compressor, for example, or a gas or steam turbine, that are relatively standard pieces; you would probably not use additive manufacturing for those pieces because they're always the same, so you would cast them or quickly machine them. But then there are certain pieces that are either very intricate in geometry, so they require many smaller pieces to be put together or that are customized like impellers for centrifugal compressors. So here, theoretically, additive manufacturing should have an advantage because additive manufacturing provides you with the potential to build customer parts.” 

What’s the history of additive manufacturing, how is it used to manufacture turbomachines, and does it really have a future in the turbo industry? Find out more from the Myth Busters in this episode of the TurboTime Podcast. 

TurboTime Podcast: Additive Manufacturing with the Myth Busters 

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, we talk about geothermal power generation with Joseph Bonafin, sales and business development manager at Turboden, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group. We dive into the history of geothermal power, how it’s grown over the past 20 - 25 years, and how it fits into the decarbonization journey. We also look at what’s next for geothermal power generation.

Bonafin said there are several innovations in the pipeline for Turboden and geothermal power: “The integration of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology with other innovative geothermal technologies, such as enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), closed-loop geothermal systems, and lithium extraction from geothermal brine, can improve efficiency, sustainability, and economic viability.

“EGS generates electricity from hot dry rock locations, enhancing the heat exchange by circulating clean water through artificially engineered fractures. This efficiently converts moderate temperature into electricity, expanding the geographic applicability of ORC projects to previously inaccessible heat sources, especially for large-scale projects.

“Closed-loop geothermal systems provide environmentally friendly alternatives by creating a thermosyphon effect by drilling multiple lateral wells underground. Integrating ORC with closed-loop systems minimizes the environmental impact and reduces water consumption,” he continued.

“Lithium extraction from geothermal brine, crucial for electric batteries, is a sustainable source. ORC technology works as a cooler for the lithium extraction process in the shared infrastructure, contributing to a more economically viable and environmentally friendly process. Sale of electricity is added on top to the additional revenue stream coming from lithium extraction, promoting a cleaner and more profitable energy supply chain.

“In summary, the amalgamation of ORC technology with EGS, closed-loop systems, and lithium extraction from geothermal brine creates a holistic approach to geothermal energy production. This synergy enhances diverse resource utilization, promotes environmental sustainability, and contributes to the production of rare materials required for emerging technologies. This integrated approach underscores geothermal energy's potential in a sustainable and diversified global energy portfolio.”

Joseph Bonafin, sales and business development manager at Turboden, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, joins the TurboTime podcast to discuss geothermal power generation.  

TurboTime Podcast: Geothermal Power Generation with Turboden

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, we are featuring part of an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Goldmeer, the Global Hydrogen Value Chain Leader at GE Vernova, recorded at POWERGEN 2024 with our assistant editor, James Cook. Dr. Goldmeer discusses the many pathways to decarbonization, including next-generation combustors that support hydrogen and ammonia.

Below is a quick snippet of the interview with GE Vernova's global hydrogen leader:

 In the United States, in the South and Southwest, there are only approximately 1,600 miles of hydrogen-ready pipeline. Why is there a lack of hydrogen infrastructure in the United States, and are there roadblocks for hydrogen development in other areas of the country?

 When you say lack of infrastructure, if you're here in the Gulf Coast, where most hydrogen in the United States is consumed and produced, I don't think they would tell you they have an infrastructure issue. What we're talking about is a future where we might see the production and use of hydrogen more decentralized, across the United States. So that might imply maybe there's a lack of infrastructure in those places, but those places today don't have large-scale hydrogen production and consumption, So, I don't think it's a lack of infrastructure; I think that we haven't developed the hydrogen ecosystem in those locations. Now that's not to say that hydrogen isn't produced locally and used locally around the world, even in the United States—I think about companies that are producing hydrogen to use in fuel cells and forklifts. but they're producing it and transporting it by truck because they don’t have the volume of needing a pipeline.”

 featuring more content from our interview with Dr. Goldmeer.

This episode of the TurboTime podcast features an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Goldmeer, the Global Hydrogen Value Chain Leader at GE Vernova. 

TurboTime Podcast: Hydrogen, Ammonia, Decarbonization with GE Vernova

In this episode of the TurboTime Podcast, Chris Quijano, the Director of Operations at IHI Power Services, discusses the state of the biomass industry, the challenges of working with biomass, and where the industry is headed.

Quijano breaks down the woody biomass industry in California: “California has the majority of the woody biomass power plants in the nation; currently, there are 23 operational biomass power plants in the state. This industry has been around since the 80s, and there are three different types of woody biomass that we use at the plants. Urban material is your green garbage cans and branches that tree services remove. Agricultural material comes from the orchards in the Central Valley—those orchards only produce fruit for so many years and they have to knock them down. That material can be used at biomass plants to make energy. And then there is forest material—when I say forest we aren't going out there and cutting down healthy trees just to make power. This is a low-value material that has no other real use. For example, a sawmill company comes in and takes down a number of trees and the merchantable lumber out of that, then we get the flash, i.e., the smaller tree limbs, the smaller branches, the material that they don’t use and has no other use. We are not taking healthy wood and putting it into our boilers to make power. It doesn't make sense financially. This material can sit in a dump or a landfill somewhere, or they open burn it, which releases emissions, or it’s left in the forest to rot, which also releases greenhouse gases and isn’t healthy for the forests.”

This episode of the TurboTime Podcast takes a deep dive into the biomass industry with Chris Quijano, the Director of Operations at IHI Power Services. 

TurboTime Podcast: Biomass Power Plants with IHI Power Services 

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz close out our two-part discussion on compressor drivers. Brun and Kurz talk about gearboxes—their advantages and disadvantages, and why are engineers afraid of them. They also discuss dual-drive compressors and compressors with both drivers and generators in a string—when are they used, and where they fit best.

In Part II of our TurboTime podcast on compressor drivers, the Myth Busters discuss gearboxes and dual-drive compressors.

TurboTime Podcast: Part II: Gearboxes + Dual Drives

The commissioning of Kuo Kuang 2 replaces older, CO2-intensive plants on the grid, emitting up to 66% less greenhouse gases than coal- or oil-driven power.

Siemens Energy Delivers Gas Power to Taiwan Plant, Drives Energy Transition

Cosmo Oil will combine its expertise in plant operations, fuel quality control, and logistics with Mitsui's capabilities in ethanol procurement to develop the project.

Mitsui, Cosmo Oil to Leverage LanzaJet’s Ethanol-to-SAF Technology

Combining 3D laser scanning and generative AI automates inspection processes, enhances service quality, and expedites equipment overhauls.

Digitally Transforming Compressor Inspection and Repair

Fuel cells allow Equinix to generate on-site power at its data centers, with almost no air pollution or water usage compared to typical grid-delivered energy.

Bloom Energy Supports Additional Capacity at Equinix’s IBX Data Centers

The company is working with partners to increase the feed-in of renewable electricity for the Friedrichshafen, Augsburg, and Aiken/USA plants and their local grids.

Rolls-Royce Purchases Hydropower-Generated Electricity to Reduce Plant Emissions

Jeffrey Benoit, Vice President of Clean Energy Solutions at PSM - a Hanwha company, and Bobby Noble, Senior Program Manager, Gas Turbine R&D – EPRI, spoke to

at PowerGen 2025 in downtown Dallas. The duo discussed roadblocks with lower-carbon fuel supply, how technology is not standing in the way of advancing gas turbines in the new energy era, and, as Noble said, “Carbon capture is just another tool in our toolbox” of developing a cleaner energy landscape.

TURBO: Are there any policy- or technology-related roadblocks for gas turbines during the clean energy transition?

 When we think about roadblocks, there are technical aspects and certain limitations for as-found gas turbines. But then, of course, there's the entire supply chain for the hydrogen. Where is hydrogen or ammonia or other low-carbon/no-carbon fuel coming from? Those are challenges that are being addressed by other parts of the industry. As we focus on the gas turbine itself, it's really just the continual development of capabilities.

 One of the great things that we're focused on is we, from a technology standpoint, don't see any significant barriers. It is simply a just a matter of putting the pedal to the metal and getting these technologies into products, validated, not only in 10th full-pressure, full-condition test rigs but also into gas turbines that are operating in a commercial environment and finding that partner with an operator—that is part of the DNA of PSM. A lot of our capabilities and products have been done with these true innovators looking to put first-of-a-kind types of technology. So, when it comes to fuel flexibility and optionality, this is an area we are very focused on. It's just a matter of focusing on it and getting it done. We know the hydrogen economy; the ammonia economy is coming; we want to be right there and make it as seamless as possible for the end users, particularly those in power, to take advantage of this.

TURBO: How does carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) fit into this developing energy landscape?

 Carbon capture is another tool in our toolbox. So, when we think about options, this is yet another option. As Jeff and some of our other panelists pointed out this morning, as we're looking at 

the role of the gas turbine in the future

, we think about a base-loaded combined cycle unit that may not be the ideal place to utilize hydrogen or ammonia, simply because of the sheer amounts of fuel needed for those gas turbines. So, if this unit is a unit that will be base-loaded, carbon capture can play a crucial role in ensuring that that unit becomes a carbon-free asset that we need for the future. At EPRI, we're doing a lot of work in the space of CCS. We've been involved in a couple of demonstrations, particularly right now a lot of the work full-scale-wise has been around coal units. But we're continuing to move in and looking at opportunities for gas turbines and to continue to push the capabilities there further, so as we see this continuing to progress as in parallel, we're progressing the capability for utilizing low-carbon fuels.

Check out Benoit and Noble's video interview,

 Gas Turbines are Centerstage in the Energy Future

Jeffrey Benoit of PSM says there are no big technical barriers, “it’s a matter of getting these technologies into products and commercially operated gas turbines.”

Gas Turbines Don’t Suffer from Technical Roadblocks, Just To Market 

Conference Coverage

Gas Turbines Evolving to Reduce Technical Barriers, But Go-to-Market Challenges Remain

With POWERGEN 2025 concluding last week in Dallas, 

 caught up with Kevin Clark, Senior Content Director at Clarion Events, to glean more insights into the show’s performance and post-pandemic growth, hot industry topics, and what’s coming down the pipeline for next year. He said POWERGEN 2025 saw a resurgence in traditional power generation topics, specifically for gas turbines. 

TURBO: What are you most excited about in the industry?

You can say that power generation is having its day again. After a couple decades of flat demand, we’re seeing utilities beef up their projections in response to increased demand from data centers, onshoring from manufacturing, and increased electrification. There’s still a mission to decarbonize, but the wrinkle is maintaining reliability.

There’s a lot of interest in gas turbines for flexibility, as well as continued renewables growth. Utilities and industrials are exploring the prospect of nuclear energy through reviving previously retired plants or building smaller, modular ones. There are many micro-trends in the space and it’s a really exciting time.

TURBO: What is planned for POWERGEN 2026? Will there be a new theme?

We’re looking forward to hearing feedback from exhibitors and attendees following the show—we already had a lot of great feedback onsite. We’ll continue to focus on end-user content and bringing that to the floor. We’re also bringing along our HYDROVISION audience, so I’ll expect to see more of those attendees and exhibitors. We’ll also be back in Texas, which is a great setting for all the developments happening in the industry.

Kevin Clark of Clarion Events says, "Power generation is having its day ... again," with data centers, onshoring manufacturing, and electrification beefing up demand.

Kevin Clark Shares Post-POWERGEN Conference Insights, Industry Microtrends

Kevin Clark of Clarion Events says, "Power generation is having its day ... again," with data centers, onshoring manufacturing, and electrification beefing up demand. 

At POWERGEN 2025, Billy Sanez, Director of Global Marketing at SpotSee, spoke with 

about protecting aerospace components, turbines, and other power generation equipment during transport with impact and temperature monitors. The risks during transport are high, but machines may be identified and addressed if operators know where to look.

Impact and temperature fluctuations are major transport-related risks, and Sanez speaks a bit about SpotSee’s monitoring capabilities that allow end-users to deploy maintenance teams for exact fixes.

According to Sanez: “When it comes to the transportation of turbines and transformers, you must be very careful when you ship them. There are some components inside that, when they break, it becomes very expensive to monitor. We bring impact monitoring, the moment it happens, to the end-user so they can find a solution quickly.”

“Temperature fluctuations can have a huge impact on transformers or electronic components, so you need to make sure temperature is maintained,” said Sanez. “If you do not have an active monitoring system, we have Thermax labels, which are irreversible temperature indicators. If a threshold temperature is hit, it gets recorded.”

Billy Sanez of SpotSee also explains how temperature fluctuations may damage transformers, steam turbines, and other power generation equipment during transport.

Impact Recorders Identify Damage During Power Generation Equipment Transportation

At POWERGEN 2025, Scott Hunnewell, VP of the New Nuclear Program at the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), shared how nuclear stands out from other carbon-free energy sources, how U.S. policy is advancing nuclear buildout, and differentiates advanced nuclear from traditional nuclear.

TURBO: How can nuclear power enhance the U.S. energy landscape compared to other forms of power generation?

Nuclear power is carbon-free, but it's reliable and dependable; it's 24/7 power. Solar and wind are also carbon-free, but they're not baseload, and they're not dispatchable—if the sun's not shining and the wind's not blowing, they're not producing electricity. And last time I checked, everyone gets upset if they flip their light switch and the lights don't come on.

TURBO: How is U.S. policy accelerating the buildout of next-generation nuclear energy?

There are several things that the U.S. government has done through the Department of Energy (DOE). The Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP) grants through the DOE have advanced TerraPower’s Natrium reactor and research on other reactors. And there's currently a grant that's under evaluation by the DOE for $800 million that TVA, along with several partners, has applied for, and if we're successful in obtaining that grant, we believe that it will reduce our timeline for the potential deployment of a nuclear reactor our Clinch River Nuclear Site in Oak Ridge, Tennessee by two years.

Tennessee Valley Authority’s Scott Hunnewell discusses nuclear’s reliability as a carbon-free energy source and its increased safety due to passive safety systems.

New Nuclear, U.S. Policy Boost Safety, Buildouts

During our visit to PowerGen 2025 in downtown Dallas, 

Jeffrey Benoit, Vice President of Clean Energy Solutions at PSM - a Hanwha company

, and Bobby Noble, Senior Program Manager, Gas Turbine R&D at EPRI, about gas turbine-equipped power plants, hydrogen- and ammonia-fueled 

, and other updates and advancements in the industry.

TURBO: With increasing renewable energy penetration, how will existing gas turbine-equipped power plants be modified to support an intermittent grid?

 With the increased penetration of renewables, one thing we have to continue to focus on is the resiliency and reliability of the grid. Anytime you put an asset onto the grid that is not dispatchable and to the controls outside of your home, there are challenges. So, one of the things for gas turbines is filling that dispatchable need and being flexible and able to respond.

 For me, my company is responsible for retrofits, conversions, and upgrades for the installed fleet of gas turbines. So, one of the things that we're doing, and being asked for by our customers, is how to improve operational flexibility, how to improve efficiency, how to provide peaking power while maintaining emission compliance. All these technologies that we have can be manifested in products that can be easily dropped into these gas turbines, and you need that resiliency and the ability to modify the operational profile to balance renewables.

TURBO: What role will hydrogen- and ammonia-fired gas turbines play in a decarbonized future? What are the latest developments in these fields?

 Hydrogen and ammonia add to our optionality, which is going to be key as we look at the needs for decarbonization. These fuels act not only as fuel and a potential fuel replacement for gas turbines but also as an energy-storage mechanism. Coupled with energy storage and the energy released at dispatchable opportunities, these will continue to be an avenue to help us have that resilient and reliable future.

 Fuel flexibility with hydrogen, refinery off-gas, or ammonia is just a natural extension of the flexibility inherent in the gas turbines. We are focused on combustion retrofits that allow hydrogen consumption up to 100%. So, think about this: meeting emissions requirements, with the ability to operate on 100% natural gas all the way with a variable blend up to 100% hydrogen—these are products that we've spent years and years developing in our test facility in Germany to make sure that we're not going to cause any issues with the operation of the power plant. Of course, the other side of the equation is where is the hydrogen or ammonia going to come from?

Jeff Benoit and Bobby Noble discuss the reliability and flexibility of gas turbines and how they satisfy many needs within power generation. 

Gas Turbines are Centerstage in the Energy Future 

At POWERGEN 2025, Scott Hunnewell, VP of New Nuclear Program of the Tennessee Valley Authority, spoke with 

 about the latest trends and advancements in new demonstration reactors, the biggest hurdles or policy constraints in the way of U.S. nuclear buildout, and about shutdowns and license renewals.

TURBO: What are the latest trends and advancements in new demonstration reactors?

The latest trend that you're seeing is an actual movement from a lot of talk about nuclear to actually building nuclear. Kairos Power in Oakridge, Tennessee has their construction permit, and they've broken ground on their Hermes test reactor. Then you TerraPower’s natrium reactor—they’ve submitted a construction permit application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and they, too, have broken ground for the non-nuclear part of their nuclear plant.

TURBO: What are the biggest hurdles or policy constraints in the way of U.S. nuclear buildout?

 I don't think there are really any policy constraints; there's nothing in policy space that prevents us from building nuclear plants. There may be things in policy space that we could improve and help efficiencies; the biggest hurdle is the business case: the first-of-a-kind risk of a new technology, when you know that it's going to cost more money to build than that n

of a kind plant. So, that's where policy can help offset that risk: help invest in those first one, two, or three of a kind nuclear plant to reduce cost.

Scott Hunnewell of the Tennessee Valley Authority discusses how nuclear is moving from talking about nuclear to actually building nuclear.  

TVA Says Nuclear is Less Talk, More Action 

 caught up with Boualem Hadjerioua, Director of Hydro Operation at Mesa Associates, at POWERGEN 2025 to assess how hydro turbine technology can enhance U.S.-based energy grids and power production, the benefits of additive manufacturing and composite materials, challenges facing hydropower buildout, latest innovations, and more.

Innovative Materials and Testing for Future Hydro Turbine Manufacturing

. Via additive manufacturing and composite materials, Mesa aims to reduce costs, increase reliability, and extend turbine lifespan. After acquiring NuSTREEM’s low-head modular technology, the company will enhance the turbines for high-head applications.

Hadjerioua said: “There was a recent study done by the Department of Energy (DOE), assessing all 90,000 non-powered dams. The study revealed a potential 12,000-MW growth. If we powered some of [the dams], it would add flexibility to the power portfolio in the United States.”

Additionally, composite materials are a good way to “improve the hydropower industry by looking at components and making them stronger, lighter, and more efficient,” said Hadjerioua. “There’s a lot of research and development occurring, especially with Mesa Associates. We are currently involved with the DOE laboratories to improve components within the hydropower industry."

Boualem Hadjerioua of Mesa Associates addresses the benefits of hydro turbine technology, additive manufacturing, and low- and high-head operations.

Hydro Turbine Technology & Additive Manufacturing

Boualem Hadjerioua of Mesa Associates addresses the benefits of hydro turbine technology, additive manufacturing, and low- and high-head operations. 

Advances, Benefits of Hydro Turbine Technology, Additive Manufacturing

In part two of our interview with Paul DiMascio, Chief Engineer at ProEnergy Services, at At POWEGEN 2025, he dives deeper into the case study on a GE LM6000 selective catalyst reduction (SCR) pilot at Wattbridge Energy’s Braes Bayou facility using EnergyLink’s direct ammonia injection (DAI) system.

Compared to a traditional ammonia injection system, a DAI system “actually dropped the amount of NOx going out the stack by 5%,” DiMascio said. “EnergyLink provided the test unit that had both the standard type of ammonia injection system and the DAI on the same powertrain, on the same days, with the same engine, producing exactly the same amount of power—we could compare back-to-back, and we got a 5% improvement.”

EnergyLink’s pilot at the Braes Bayou facility reduced NOx by 5%, resulted in approximately the same slip, and kept the engine performing exactly the same. “So, it was lower cost, a lot smaller, and it kept the performance up and reduced the amount of emissions,” he said.

DiMascio explained that the multi-pollutant catalyst material enabled EnergyLink to move the injection point upstream. “In conventional systems, you have to be downstream of the CO, or it will oxidize the ammonia, which is not what we want. So, the combination of this new technology and the design means that the cost of electricity goes down for the power plant manufacturer, the operator, and the electricity consumer,” DiMascio said.

Paul DiMascio of ProEnergy discusses how a direct ammonia injection system impacted emissions, costs, footprint, and efficiencies. 

Direct Ammonia Injection Reduces NOx Emissions 

At POWERGEN 2025, Boualem Hadjerioua, the Director of Hydro Operations at Mesa Associates, discussed hydropower generation's future and technical details.

According to Hadjerioua, the industry is focused on integrating modularity with hydro turbines, particularly for high-head operations. The Department of Energy is funding much of this hydropower work, including the latest control and head-adaptability innovations from Mesa Associates. However, he said hydropower needs more support.

He identifies two main challenges regarding widespread hydropower buildout: environmental impact and cost of implementation: “Environmental impact includes fish passage, fish population, water quality, and water quantity. The cost of implementation, or construction cost, must have a good return on investment. We look at the cost of energy compared to construction costs over time.”

At POWERGEN 2025, Boualem Hadjerioua of Mesa Associates covers the roadblocks of hydropower buildout, latest tech innovations, modularity, and more.

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