Latest news with #CentralUS
National Post
5 days ago
- Business
- National Post
Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Partners with Hitachi to Develop Advanced AI Solution for Critical Power Transmission Reliability and Flexibility Challenges
Article content End-to-end use of industrial AI and advanced computing infrastructure to help significantly speed up safe integration and use of additional energy sources supporting central U.S. power grids. Article content Initial partnership objectives are to reduce generator interconnection analysis times by 80% while facilitating more informed decision-making. Objective to be achieved via advanced AI solutions from Hitachi, powered by NVIDIA's accelerated computing platform. Integrated solution comprised of multiple Hitachi capabilities including an AI-based power simulation algorithm, Hitachi-iQ-accelerated calculations, augmented simulation modelling, predictive analytics, as well as design and engineering services. Wide-ranging impacts to address imminent U.S. energy infrastructure needs by increasing planning processes' speed and efficiency; enabling SPP to better resolve energy capacity shortages, increase grid reliability, and improve emergency response capabilities. Subsequent partnership objectives to address alternative energy integration challenges and power transmission constraints. Article content SANTA CLARA, Calif. & LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE:6501, 'Hitachi') and Southwest Power Pool, Inc. (SPP) today announced a strategic partnership to solve critical and imminent problems slowing the modernization of U.S. energy infrastructure. The partnership will produce an integrated AI-based solution that accelerates generator interconnection (GI) by reducing study analysis times by 80% while also informing faster, higher-quality decision-making by GI customers. This will markedly improve SPP's ability to facilitate the addition of its 14-state region's generating capacity to keep pace with increasing demand for electricity. Article content U.S. energy demands are rising by 2 to 3 percent annually *1, driven by data center growth, expanding manufacturing, and electrification. Data centers alone are projected to consume up to 12 percent *2 of U.S. electricity by 2028, versus 4.4 percent in 2023. Such trends drive an alarming supply and demand gap as generating capacity margins in the SPP footprint could decline from 24 percent in 2020 to just 5 percent in 2029 unless an intervention occurs. Article content That intervention starts with end-to-end technical innovation, first at the point of generator interconnection. Currently, the U.S. generates 1.28 terawatts of power *3. More than twice that generated amount waits in a queue as unusable backlog caused by today's grid interconnect process. The long wait times are due to exhaustive, time-consuming analysis and simulation studies required to ensure that new energy source introductions don't compromise existing grid reliability, stability, or performance. Article content To address this gap, the three organizations will combine their industry and technical expertise. The partnership draws on multiple Hitachi competencies for a complete solution: Method's design services; GlobalLogic's software engineering services; Hitachi Energy's energy portfolio management asset modeling solutions; Hitachi R&D's AI-based energy grid algorithm; and Hitachi Vantara's integrated storage and compute platform Hitachi iQ, built on NVIDIA accelerated computing, networking, and AI software. Article content As the regional transmission organization (RTO) framing the project, SPP will guide the integration of these technical solutions and services, leveraging its deep expertise in energy grid optimization. As a reliability coordinator prioritizing operational and customer experience improvements, SPP's input will also ensure the project outcomes align with industry-wide requirements and regulations. 'Our nation's demand for electricity has risen sharply in recent years following a long period of slow growth. Our industry has struggled to keep up with this sudden and significant shift,' said SPP President and CEO Lanny Nickell. 'There are a lot of would-be power producers out there waiting to connect to the grid, but yesterday's systems and technology haven't been sufficient to enable us to bring incremental capacity online fast enough. It's time to fix that, and SPP is proud to work with Hitachi and NVIDIA, two AI industry leaders who have the means to help realize a vision of a better energy future for our nation.' Article content The integrated solution is an industrial AI system differentiated by its advanced proprietary AI algorithms and high performance enabled by Hitachi iQ's enterprise AI solution stack which sit at its core. Ultimately, dynamic AI-driven technologies will be applied to various study areas, such as: Article content The partnership with Hitachi and NVIDIA runs parallel to other improvements underway at SPP, including a from-the-ground-up reimagining of its transmission planning processes to align them with current and future industry needs. Together, these technological and process innovations are expected to set high-water marks in the electricity industry for generator interconnection, mid- and long-term planning, long-term forecast accuracy, analysis and deployment of additional grid-enhancing technologies, and more. Article content 'This initiative is about reimagining the electricity production and distribution process through the lens of modern AI technology,' said Frank Antonysamy, Chief Growth Officer, Hitachi Digital. 'Real-time data access is needed to create truly realistic scenarios caused by new generator introductions. The AI solution we're all developing will provide that data, among other advantages. SPP can then make significantly quicker, better-informed decisions that will increase overall ROI while better serving the nation's population with accessible power. We're proud to be a part of this important three-way collaboration addressing such a crucial problem.' Article content 'Interconnection process acceleration is critical to meet the unprecedented demand on our grid,' said Marc Spieler, Senior Managing Director of the Global Energy Industry at NVIDIA. 'Using advanced NVIDIA accelerated computing and AI, Hitachi and SPP are helping speed interconnection studies to bring essential infrastructure online faster.' Article content The project's phase one milestones are expected to be completed by winter 2025/26. They include initial systems acceleration, data management processes optimization, and the introduction of AI-augmented simulation modeling among other goals. Article content *1: *2: *3: About SPP Southwest Power Pool, Inc. ( is a regional transmission organization: a not-for-profit corporation mandated by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to ensure reliable supplies of power, adequate transmission infrastructure and competitive wholesale electricity prices on behalf of its members in 14 states. SPP ensures electric reliability across a region spanning parts of the central and western U.S., provides energy services on a contract basis to customers in both the Eastern and Western Interconnections, and is expanding its RTO and developing a day-ahead energy market in the west. The company's headquarters are in Little Rock, Arkansas. Article content About Hitachi, Ltd. Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Media Contacts Article content Article content Heather Ailara Article content Article content PR Manager Article content Article content Hitachi Digital (NA and EU) Article content Article content +1-973-567-6040 Article content Article content heather@ Article content Article content
Washington Post
27-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Trump administration orders Michigan coal plant to stay open
DETROIT — The U.S. Energy Department ordered a Michigan coal-fired power plant to remain open, at least until late August, citing possible electricity shortfalls in the central U.S. State regulators immediately fired back, saying it's unnecessary to keep Consumers Energy's J.H. Campbell plant open. It was supposed to close May 31.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
'Severe weather threat' forecast for parts of US could ruin your Memorial Day weekend
ARLINGTON, VA − The weather across a broad range of the nation this Memorial Day weekend may not be too cooperative with organizers of parades and other events honoring fallen war heroes − or for what could be a record number of Americans traveling for get-togethers with family and friends. AAA projects a record 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between May 22 and May 26, breaking a record of 44 million set in 2005. The travelers may be dodging raindrops or worse. A "shortwave" over the Rocky Mountains will conspire with a frontal system to"provide support for heavy rain and thunderstorms in a moist and unstable environment" across parts of the central United States this weekend, National Weather Service meteorologist Jennifer Tate wrote in an extended forecast discussion. Flash flooding is possible, she said. Shortwaves are pockets of energy that move east, generally at speeds between 20 mph and 35 mph. AccuWeather warns that a "severe weather threat" will hover over portions of the southern Plains and can expand to the north on May 23. Thunderstorms that could pack high winds, large hail, flash flooding and a few tornadoes will extend from parts of Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Nebraska, AccuWeather says in its extended forecast. "The storms will slowly creep eastward across the South Central states as the weekend progresses," says AccuWeather senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. The target area could include parts of the Mississippi Valley and the Gulf Coast on May 24 and May 25 and stretch into the Southeastern states by Memorial Day. Late seasonnor'easter is brewing, could bring dangerous winds to New England this week Developments from the weather service: ∎ Temperatures could reach 100 in parts of Texas and Louisiana this weekend. "Summertime scattered storms" are likely across the Florida Peninsula through the weekend. ∎ New York should be mostly clear and cool, with highs in the upper 60s. Denver can expect highs mostly in the 70s but with thunderstorms a possibility throughout the weekend. ∎ Los Angeles should see mostly sunny skies throughout the weekend, but the Northwest may see renewed precipitation chances by the end of the weekend. The Atlantic hurricane season technically opens on June 1, and forecasters are concerned that it could mirror the devastation and financial costs of the 2024 season. A devastating trend in recent years has been hurricanes tapping into unusually warm water, providing fuel to quickly strengthen before making landfall. "The water temperatures across most of the Atlantic are above average for this time of the year," AccuWeather Lead Hurricane Expert Alex DaSilva said. "They're not quite as warm as what we saw last year and in 2023, but they're still well, well above average." Waters are expected to stay warm throughout most of the hurricane season, AccuWeather said. Between 13 and 18 named storms are expected in 2025, including seven to 10 hurricanes, three to five major hurricanes that reach Category 3 strength or higher, and three to six direct U.S. impacts, DaSilva said. National Weather Service meteorologists are struggling with an extra workload during the ongoing bout of severe storms in the Central United States, some working double shifts to issue warnings and survey the damage from deadly tornadoes. In Kentucky, the weather service office in Jackson is among those down a number of employees since the Trump administration's efforts to shrink the size of the federal government. As a storm system approached Jackson on May 16, a few individuals agreed to work double shifts to make sure timely warnings continued during the overnight hours, said Tom Fahy, legislative director for the National Weather Service Employees Organization. Ryan Maue, meteorologist at had sharp words for Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for their handling of contracts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the weather service. NOAA falls under the Commerce Department. "Lutnick has been a disaster for NOAA, and it's all unforced errors. Go focus on trade or tariffs or whatever else on a daily basis," Maue wrote in a social media post. "These DOGE guys are clowns messing up our ability to accurately forecast the weather and warn the public." Memorial Day weekend draws large crowds to Arlington National Cemetery outside of Washington, D.C. May 24 should be clear and cool, with a high in the upper 60s, the weather service says. The chance of rain slowly builds May 25 through Memorial Day. Memorial Day is when scheduled events at the cemetery include a concert by the United States Marine Band and the U.S. Navy Band Sea Chanters, a wreath-laying at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and a parade of colors by Veterans' organizations and remarks from special guests. A late-season nor'easter will bring high winds, low temperatures and heavy rain to Boston and much of New England before the holiday weekend arrives. Boston and much of New England could see wind gusts up to 50 mph along the coast. Coastal flooding is possible. A nor`easter will sweep through the region late May 21 through May 23, the weather service said. The brewing nor'easter − a storm featuring strong winds from the northeast combined with heavy precipitation − is out of season; they mostly form between September and April. The weather service in Boston is calling for clouds with unseasonably cool high temperatures for the rest of the week, with temperatures up to 20 degrees below normal. Nor'easters are large, intense areas of low pressure that typically develop off the East Coast during the late fall, winter and early spring. The storms are called "nor'easters" because they usually bring strong northeast winds over the East as they move north along the Atlantic Coast. Nor'easters also often bring heavy rain, heavy snow and severe coastal flooding to the East. Many nor'easters can produce blizzard conditions for a time, especially in New England. Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulve and Doyle Rice This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Memorial Day weekend's 'severe weather threat': What to know
CBS News
20-05-2025
- Health
- CBS News
How climate change is increasing complication risks for pregnant women
Early season heat waves gripping the Central and Southern United States are bringing attention to the health dangers of high temperatures during pregnancy. While extreme heat can be dangerous for anybody, pregnant women are particularly at risk — and according to a report released last week, climate change is making things worse. The analysis, from the nonprofit Climate Central, found that climate change nearly doubled the average number of "pregnancy heat-risk days" — extremely hot days linked to an increased risk of preterm birth — in the U.S. from 2020 to 2024. "These are the days when pregnant women are at increased risk for a number of different complications — so heat stroke, heat exhaustion," Dr. Céline Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF Health News, said on "CBS Mornings Plus" Tuesday. "If you have these kinds of symptoms in a pregnant woman, it's even more concerning, because you can have other complications like preterm birth." Heat can have such an impact because pregnancy puts major stress on the heart. "You're more likely to get dehydrated during pregnancy. You have an increase in your blood volume during pregnancy, and so being dehydrated, being exposed to extra heat, you're working that much harder to keep yourself and your baby cool," Gounder said. While it's important to be aware of temperatures throughout an entire pregnancy, Gounder said it's especially important during the third trimester, which can be hardest on the body. It's also when the risk of extreme heat causes the most number of complications, she added. Finding ways to stay cool should also be top of mind, Gounder said, especially as resources related to heat safety are being cut. "You're going to have to stay on top of this a whole lot more, because some of the surveillance that was being done by NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), by the CDC, is now being cut by the Trump administration," Gounder said. "That is part of their job — to do the surveillance and let people know and to have those cooling centers open and ready to welcome people." In February, more than 800 employees were dismissed from NOAA, the nation's primary hub for weather and climate information that is considered the authority on forecasting, storm tracking and climate monitoring. The job cuts were part of a federal cost-cutting initiative by the Trump administration and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Also under the DOGE initiative were cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, including large agencies like the CDC, the nation's public health agency, which is responsible for protecting Americans from disease outbreaks and other public health threats, tracking health trends and developing health and safety guidelines. To help stay cool, Gounder suggests not over exerting yourself on hot days, finding a shady place to take breaks when outside and seeking spaces like a public library if you need to cool down further. Sara Moniuszko Sara Moniuszko is a health and lifestyle reporter at Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper's wellness vertical. She now covers breaking and trending news for CBS News' HealthWatch. contributed to this report.
Washington Post
17-05-2025
- Climate
- Washington Post
Tornadoes, severe storms sweep central U.S.
Climate Tornadoes, severe storms sweep central U.S. May 17, 2025 | 4:18 PM GMT Tornadoes, hail and storms swept through the central U.S. on May 16, causing deaths and widespread damage to buildings.
