Nature Conservancy favors low-impact renewables deployment in the West
Deploying renewables in a high electrification scenario for the western U.S. in a way that avoids “the most sensitive natural areas and working lands” would cost “only 3%” more than a scenario without that constraint, found a study promoted by the land conservancy.
Are we educating enough power system engineers for the renewables transition?
As key industry players flag the need for power system engineers to process solar interconnection requests, we reached out to Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and grid operators CAISO and SPP, for their insights on the supply and demand for these engineers.
Grid experts call for a national initiative to facilitate a high-DER grid
To reach the full potential benefits of distributed energy resources (DERs), a national initiative is needed to transition efficiently to a high-DER electricity system, says a task force of grid experts convened by the nonprofit group ESIG.
California law would target 90% renewable and zero-carbon electricity by 2035
The state would move from an existing 60% renewables target by 2030 to a 90% renewables and zero-carbon target by 2035, under legislation awaiting the governor’s signature.
To facilitate a high-DER grid, California explores how distribution grids should be operated
Expecting high growth in distributed energy resources (DERs), one California agency examines how distribution grids should be operated to prepare for that environment, while another explores how to foster the deployment of DERs and maximize their potential.
Clean energy group asks FERC to re-do TVA plan that would replace coal with gas
The group asked the commission to evaluate replacing TVA’s coal unit with renewables, energy efficiency and storage, instead of gas, as part of the commission’s review of a proposed new gas pipeline that would serve TVA’s proposed gas unit.
Green Banks may compete for $27 billion from fund set up by Inflation Reduction Act
$15 billion of the funds appropriated under the Inflation Reduction Act will support low-income and disadvantaged communities, including $7 billion for zero-emission technologies such as rooftop solar. The other $12 billion will support additional investments in low- and zero-emission projects.
Adopting new IEEE standard could ease interconnection, says EPRI executive
The IEEE 2800 standard would make the transmission grid interconnection process more efficient, and updating modeling and performance requirements would help ensure system reliability, according to an executive from the Electric Power Research Institute.
Designing for 100% renewables with real-time retail pricing could yield benefits of 9% or more
Including real-time pricing of retail electricity in the design of a high-renewables system would “markedly” lower the system’s cost, researchers found, in an analysis for the island of Oahu, Hawaii. For continent-scale systems as well, they said the resulting demand-side flexibility is likely substantial.
North Carolinians would save $18 billion through 2050 with high-renewables carbon plan
An independent carbon plan for North Carolina would add storage instead of gas through 2030, and add 21 GW more solar and 22 GW more battery storage by 2050 than Duke Energy’s plan proposes.
