Morning Brief: Which US state produces the most carbon-free power?

Also in the brief: FERC and CAISO drama. Plus, U.S. solar PV system costs fell across all market segments from 2019 to 2020. And — the solar boom arrives in Ohio.

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Texas ranks first in carbon-free power production (130.6 million MWh), with wind accounting for 64% of that output. Illinois produced the second-highest volume of carbon-free power (114.2 MWh), with nuclear accounting for 86.5% of the output. California produced the third-highest volume (96.5 MWh) with a balanced portfolio including hydropower (38.3 MWh), solar (28.3 MWh), nuclear (16.2 MWh), and wind (14.5 MWh) making up the state’s total electricity production. California is followed by Pennsylvania, Washington, New York, South Carolina, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee, all supported by large contributions from nuclear and hydropower. Source: Hitachi ABB Power Grids

States with the highest volume of electricity production in 2019, coming from zero-carbon resources, MWh

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U.S. solar PV system costs fell across all market segments from 2019 to 2020 as module prices continued to drive down system costs. While shortages of glass and ethylene-vinyl acetate laminate caused solar module prices to increase at the end of 2020, they still fell on an overall year-on-year basis. According to Wood Mackenzie’s recently released U.S. Solar PV System Price report, average 100-megawatt utility-scale system costs in 2020 are $0.94/W, with the potential to fall 19% by 2025 (all watt figures shown are DC). These costs will fall 13% from 2021 to 2022, driven by module price reduction as Section 201 tariffs are expected to phase out for imported products. Source: Wood Mackenzie

Average U.S. utility-scale 100 MW single-axis tracker all-in PV system costs with bifacial modules and 1,500-volt central inverter

Wood Mackenzie

Note: This cost forecast does not assume a Section 201 extension or increase scenario.

The solar boom arrives in Ohio: Overwhelming demand is turning the state into a solar hotbed, despite a decade of policies hostile toward renewables. Right now, Ohio has barely 100 megawatts of utility-scale solar power. By this time next year, it is likely to have more than 400 megawatts. And if every project that has filed papers with state regulators gets built, the total would exceed 5,000 megawatts by the mid-2020s. So what’s going on here? Ohio’s solar market is booming because of flat and inexpensive land and high demand for solar from companies that are trying to meet clean energy commitments. And it is happening despite years of hostility toward renewable energy on the part of state lawmakers and the governor. Source: Inside Climate News

FERC Commissioners Neil Chatterjee and Richard Glick rejected an effort by Chairman James Danly to take CAISO to task for the rolling blackouts of mid-August. FERC rejected an effort by Chairman James Danly to take CAISO to task for the rolling blackouts of mid-August by using the commission’s authority under Section 206 of the Federal Power Act (EL21-19). In a rare occurrence, the commission voted 2-1 against a proposed order, which could have required CAISO to show it can meet demand during extreme heat events. Amid a Western heat wave Aug. 14-15, CAISO ordered rolling blackouts as solar power waned in the evenings but demand remained high. More than a million residents lost power for short periods. CAISO narrowly avoided blackouts over Labor Day weekend during another heat wave.  The draft order finds that the heat events of Aug. 14-19, 2020, may indicate that CAISO’s existing Tariff may be inadequate to ensure that sufficient resources are available to meet load and maintain system reliability. Source: RTO Insider

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