What is distributed generation’s real worth for the grid?
A thought experiment by Severin Borenstein suggests how much rooftop solar could reduce transmission and distribution costs.
Solar and wind generation continue to expand rapidly while coal is in a tailspin
The EIA’s most recent Electric Power Monthly report shows that solar has accounted for nearly 3.4% of the country’s generation so far in 2020, with wind being responsible for another 8.5%. Meanwhile, coal has plummeted to just 17.8% of the nation’s total, down nearly 30% from just last year.
Utility-scale solar powers through 2020 with action in Texas, Arizona, Nevada and Indiana
Here’s this week’s gigawatt of big solar project news.
Can a 20-person startup with $25 million get Oklo’s fast-fission micro-reactor to market?
New generation of entrepreneurs aim to commercialize an advanced fission micro-reactor to compete against diesel gensets in remote and island communities. Technological and regulatory challenges abound.
Morning Brief: Energy secretary slams ‘radical environmentalists,’ touts gas and nuclear as California’s energy future
Also in the brief: $1 million fine at stake as Minnesota solar developers fault Xcel for project delays, more on interconnection.
Investing in equitable access to solar energy for Hispanic communities
As one of the fastest growing American communities, the Hispanic population has been historically underrepresented in solar energy. The barriers that have excluded Hispanic people from solar, however, are not permanent and work can be done to ensure an equitable energy transition.
Utah utility Rocky Mountain Power and solar advocates aren’t even close on the value of rooftop PV sent to the grid
Solar from customer roofs in Utah is worth somewhere between 1.5 cents/kWh and 22.6 cents/kWh, depending on your calculations and who you ask — a ridiculously wide range.
Hiring for solar jobs during a pandemic
In spite of industry-wide job loss and economic slowdown associated with the pandemic, Kevin Gillespie, President of Headline Solar, shares how he has actually been able to make new hires and keep his business not just operating, but thriving.
SEPA rolls out blueprint for tackling integrated distribution planning
Order 2222 raises the stakes — distributed resources are already starting to have material impacts on utilities’ planning efforts, and higher penetrations of distributed resources will amplify the need for better forecasts.
Morning Brief: California modernizes its distributed energy interconnection rules, Pine Gate launches wave of Michigan solar
Also in the brief: Natron Energy, a supplier of fire-safe sodium-ion batteries using Prussian blue chemistry, has achieved a UL listing for its battery.
