As state governors across the PJM grid region “have expressed alarm over capacity prices” that drive up electric bills, retail choice models that can quickly deploy thousands of distributed batteries can make consumers “the primary source of new capacity,” says the author of a new report.

A report from nonprofit group IREC presents evidence that remote inspection of new residential solar and/or storage installations can yield improved code compliance and safety, compared to on-site inspection. In Texas, installers can hire an approved third-party remote inspector.

States can control the retail cost of electricity by promoting virtual power plants, consisting of distributed batteries and other resources, which can be deployed “within months,” said industry veteran Jigar Shah and a co-author in a report.

“Direct transfer trip,” a costly approach to ensure that distributed generation shuts down during a power outage, can make solar projects uneconomical. A national lab report points to a combination of inverter-based approaches as a viable alternative.

A study led by two energy lawyers documents the causes of “lagging” battery energy storage deployment in the Eastern U.S. and recommends 15 policy solutions that could help scale BESS deployment.

Adding 78 GW more solar and 54 GW more battery storage in the PJM grid region than projected in a status quo scenario would drive a 20% reduction in system costs and improve reliability through 2035, says a study. The study’s sponsor called for enabling policies to improve interconnection and permitting, with roles for both PJM and states.

New Jersey is now a “top ten” state for interconnecting distributed solar and storage, said nonprofit group IREC, as projects with an export capacity of up to 2 MW will now qualify for a more streamlined interconnection process.

Declining costs for enhanced geothermal could make the technology a stronger competitor to solar plus storage. A national lab atlas shows wide potential for enhanced geothermal deployment, primarily in the Western U.S.

Looking at development opportunities beyond the 750 MW project, Navajo Power’s CEO said that expanded transmission capacity in the region would better position the Navajo Nation as a regional energy player.

Utah’s enactment of a plug-in solar law last year has prompted the safety certification body UL to begin developing a safety standard for the equipment, said the law’s sponsor, while plug-in solar manufacturers communicating with UL will add momentum to UL’s progress. Legislators in twenty-two states are discussing plug-in solar legislation, a nonprofit co-founder said.