US added 5.4GW of small-scale PV last year
Some northern states added as much small-scale PV per capita as the top states in the Southwest, taking advantage of solar irradiance in northern states that’s about 70% as high as that in the desert Southwest.
Rooftop solar groups ask FERC to stop utilities from charging customers for anti-solar advocacy
Four groups that support rooftop solar have asked federal energy regulators to disallow the “common” utility practice of charging their customers for their anti-solar advocacy.
Lithium beneath the Salton Sea
The geothermal field beneath California’s Salton Sea contains brine that may hold from one to six million metric tons of lithium, an essential element for producing batteries. A Berkeley Lab study aims to evaluate the resource.
Speed up interconnection studies with enforceable timelines and third-party competition, say SEIA and allies
The proposed measures would prompt transmission providers to complete studies on time, the groups said. They asked federal energy regulators for an accelerated interconnection rulemaking.
NREL launches 100% renewables study for Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico has 40GW of solar potential, said national lab staff in a webinar. The 100% study will begin by modeling the renewables milestones set by Puerto Rico law.
“Interconnection studies could be completed in months,” say SEIA, AEE and ACP in comments to FERC
With standardization and automation, interconnection studies “could be completed in months instead of years,” the groups told federal energy regulators, backing up their claim with a detailed plan to achieve that goal.
Interconnection delays and costs are the biggest barrier for utility-scale renewables, say developers
LevelTen and Advanced Energy Economy point to delays in the PJM grid region, in particular. Construction of the 300GW of renewables and storage projects in PJM’s interconnection queue would support 1.7 million jobs, says AEE.
The U.S. Army commits to using 100% clean electricity by 2030
“The Army will lead by example” says the United States Army Climate Strategy, and by 2040 aims to add enough renewables and storage to self-sustain critical missions.
ACORE calls for quick elimination of an anti-renewable rule in New England
A plan by New England’s grid operator to extend the use of an “anti-renewable” rule would cause higher customer bills and delay states’ achievement of their renewable and climate goals, said the renewable energy trade group ACORE.
Distributed solar and storage owners face one more hurdle before participating in wholesale markets
“Relatively minor” changes are needed in distribution planning and operations before owners of distributed solar and distributed storage may earn money from participating in wholesale markets through an aggregator, says a report from the Energy Systems Integration Group.
