Overhaul regional grid operators to speed renewables, says energy lawyer
Harvard law lecturer Ari Peskoe says the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should require regional grid operators to add “under-represented voices” such as state regulators to their boards, to help speed adoption of new technologies.
California sets first appliance standards to balance renewables
To help balance variable renewable generation, California has set flexible demand standards for pool controls. The standards will help the state achieve its target of 7 GW of load flexibility by 2030 while saving consumers money.
Pope Francis says the renewables transition is happening too slowly
The Pope expressed high hopes for next month’s global climate conference.
Fossil-intensive utilities plan to add 115 GW solar, 53 GW gas by 2030
In a renewables transition report card from the Sierra Club, only six utilities earned a grade of A, while 29 received an F. “Utilities are failing,” said the group’s executive director, “to protect our health and our collective future.”
FERC Commissioner Allison Clements describes the path forward for renewables
Clements outlined several improvements needed to advance the energy transition, speaking to an audience convened by the renewables trade group ACORE.
Grid-forming inverters will enable a high-renewables grid
As renewable generation increases, so does the need for grid-forming inverters to provide the same functionality that rotating synchronous generators provide. The UNIFI Consortium is coordinating industry progress on the new inverter technology.
Virginia utility’s resource plan needs more solar and storage, says trade group
The trade group Advanced Energy United called on Virginia regulators to reject Dominion Energy’s proposed resource plan because it lowballed renewables and storage. The Sierra Club said 15 GW more solar and 5 GW more storage by 2038 would be optimal.
Solar industry should focus on virtual power plants, says DOE’s Jigar Shah
With the days of solar net metering “numbered” and more utilities looking to deploy virtual power plants that compensate owners of distributed storage, industry veteran Jigar Shah sees virtual power plants as a route to industry success.
Los Angeles, Austin and Vermont plan to exceed 90% carbon-free power by 2030
A dozen U.S. utilities have targeted at least 80% carbon-free generation by 2030. The Smart Electric Power Alliance hopes that their strategies to get there will influence other utilities to accelerate their own clean energy commitments.
HVDC transmission serves mostly wind and hydro power, not solar
A report from The Brattle Group and DNV recommends clearing barriers in the U.S. to high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission. HVDC transmission projects show many cost-saving use cases, but so far, transmitting solar power is rarely among them.
