FERC Commissioner Phillips’s views on how to improve transmission, interconnection
Commissioner Phillips spoke of fixing interconnection dynamics that can result in only 20% of projects in a queue ultimately getting interconnected. He favors “substantial transmission,” he said, as well as near-term transmission improvements using grid-enhancing technologies and higher-capacity wires.
Arizona requires transparent modeling for utility resource plans
Transparent utility modeling in two other states has enabled advocates to show that adding more solar than utilities had proposed in their resource plans would yield benefits. The Arizona Technology Council and sustainability advocate Ceres brought the idea to Arizona regulators.
Building solar 2x faster than ever would let California electrify with 100% renewables by 2035
10GW/year of solar and 5GW/year of storage would be needed under that aggressive scenario, according to an analysis for the California Air Resources Board.
Puerto Rico solar tax has been defeated
The story of how the three-year battle was fought and won, at least for now, was shared with members of Puerto Rico’s solar trade group.
Three grid regions processed 25GW of solar interconnection requests last year
Interconnection is widely seen as a bottleneck slowing solar deployment. Even so, three regional grid operators processed 25GW of utility-scale solar interconnection requests last year, an amount exceeding utility-scale solar installations in the entire US during the year.
Upgrading transmission lines could enable 27GW more renewable power per year
“Advanced conductors” can deliver more electricity than conventional transmission lines, using existing transmission towers. Renewables trade group ACORE calls for greater use of advanced conductors, “to accelerate low-cost decarbonization.”
Concentrating solar power with heat storage could compete with batteries
For short-term storage in a 100% renewables grid, thermal energy storage located at concentrating solar power plants could compete with batteries, found a study using an idealized grid model. Seasonal storage needs could best be met with power-to-gas-to-power technology.
Charge EVs at work, not home, to put daytime solar power to work
Workplace EV chargers, which number only 10,000 in the US, are needed for charging EVs in regions with abundant solar generation, says an RMI study. Home chargers are fine in regions with high wind generation, to enable nighttime charging with wind power.
3GW distributed solar and 2.1GW distributed storage in Michigan by 2035, under a low-cost scenario
A Vibrant Clean Energy study commissioned by Vote Solar found that GW-scale investments in distributed solar and storage would yield the lower cost between two approaches studied for Michigan to achieve economy-wide carbon neutrality by 2050.
Arizona Senate controls the fate of Phoenix anti-solar rate
Ending anti-solar rates in the Phoenix area depends on maintaining an Arizona law favoring competition in the electricity sector. The Arizona House has voted to end such competition, and the Arizona Senate could do the same.
