On 11 November last year, a new state-of-the-art 870 MW combined-cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant near the Dutch port city of Rotterdam entered commercial operation.

Electric power has been generated at Ferrybridge in Yorkshire since 1924 when the original coal fired station was commissioned.

What state is the nuclear power industry in as of April 2012? Better, worse — or the same as it was a year earlier?

The ability to 'bottle' energy could smooth out some of the uncertainties of wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) generation, improve supply efficiency and keep costs down.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) stands out as one of the most important technological solutions if Europe is to achieve its goals for energy and climate change.

Offshore wind farms are a not uncommon sight from the shoreline of many European countries and their construction is continuing apace.

Global electricity demand is growing at a rate of 2.4 per cent every year, according to the International Energy Agency, and one of the quickest ways to address this demand is embedded generation – ad hoc power plants consisting of engine-driven generating sets.

A little thought can save a lot of wasted effort is a principle formalised in most project-planning methodologies.

The renewables sector is undergoing a period of turbulence with cuts in government subsidies calling into question the development potential of many projects, especially in Europe where cuts in solar feed-in tariffs range from 15 per cent in Germany to 70 per cent in the UK.

Smart Grids are designed to balance out electricity production and consumption, paving the way for us to attain an intelligent power supply.

For some time shale gas has been hailed as a 'game-changer' for the global power market.

As many countries work to make renewable energy a larger percentage of their energy mix, Australia has gone the other way.

Many studies over the years have examined power plants' water usage and losses.

The earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on 11 March last year left in its wake a revived debate over the country's long-term energy mix, along with enduring power shortages in the hardest-hit Tohoku region and neighbouring Kanto, which includes Tokyo.

Hurry up with your work. That was the message delivered to energy innovators by Arun Majumdar, director of the US government's Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy (ARPA-E) at a gathering in a Washington in November.

Nigeria is a perfect example of years of energy leadership failure — a situation currently being overturned with an ambitious power-sector reform plan.

PEi: E.ON's chief executive said in March at the company's annual results that the company was "past the worst". What are your hopes for this financial year for E.ON Generation?

Germany is fielding complex new problems as rapid growth in green power changes the structure of its electricity sector.

In mid-June, on the banks of the Rhine, Europe's power industry professionals will gather to attend the 20th POWER-GEN Europe conference and exhibition at the Koelnmesse exhibition centre in Cologne, Germany.

The EU has one of the most ambitious renewable energy programmes anywhere in the world.