Puerto Rico’s solar net metering law at risk from federal oversight board
Puerto Rico led the nation in per-capita residential solar installations last year, but continued progress is threatened because a law extending solar net metering through 2031 has been challenged by a federal oversight board.
Renewables and storage interconnection backlog grew about 30% last year
The wait for transmission interconnection studies constitutes a “major bottleneck” for solar, storage and wind projects, which accounted for over 95% of all active capacity awaiting studies at the end of 2023, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has reported.
Citizens groups criticize TVA’s decision to build a 1.5 GW gas plant
TVA decided not to choose solar and storage despite 15 GW of such projects in its interconnection queue. TVA’s board of directors could overturn the gas plant decision, said an environmental law group spokesperson.
Give distributed resources a greater role in grid reliability, say four law professors
Distributed solar and storage, along with demand response, “perform during extreme weather events” and deserve a greater role in reliability planning, the law professors say, while a new public office of grid reliability could guide transmission planning.
DOE funds heated sand energy storage project pilot
A modeled commercial-scale project storing energy in heated sand could produce 135 MW of power for five days. The U.S. Department of Energy is funding a pilot project intended to demonstrate commercial viability.
Rural electric co-ops lend money to customers to improve energy efficiency
Some rural electric cooperative utilities allow customers to pay off energy efficiency improvement loans through their utility bills. That contributes to energy efficiency’s role in the renewables transition.
1100 GW solar and 1000 GW storage now await transmission interconnection
Solar, wind and battery storage accounted for nearly 95% of the capacity in transmission interconnection queues as of year-end 2023, based on preliminary data from Berkeley Lab, presented in a staff report from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
Oregon makes it easier to connect distributed solar and storage
Oregon has enabled more solar on each distribution circuit by setting smart inverter requirements, and has made it easier for export-limiting distributed storage projects to receive interconnection approval.
Group challenges anti-renewables messaging of 50-state policy network
The pro-renewables Energy and Policy Institute has challenged the state-level energy policy work of the State Policy Network, which reports annual revenues of $24 million and combined annual revenues across its 150 think tank members of $188 million.
Amazon Web Services helps Duke Energy complete power flow studies in hours, not months
Adding residential solar or commercial-scale electric vehicle chargers on a utility’s distribution feeder may require the utility to conduct power flow calculations. Duke Energy can now complete those studies in hours, an Amazon executive said at a policy forum held by ACORE.
