Avoiding rolling blackouts and solar shortfalls with real-time energy use data
Sense, a machine learning company, has found that a broader use of strategies for shifting home energy consumption can help alleviate grid strain, asserting that up to 55% of the electricity used in homes between 6-8pm is “shiftable.”
Building a solar market and creating jobs in Southwest Virginia’s coalfield counties
The public-private partnership will put 10-12 MW of solar on commercial rooftops, multifamily housing and schools, but could face regulatory barriers to third-party ownership and net metering.
Rooftop solar in Indiana worth 13¢/kWh, not 3¢/kWh, says expert witness
A high level of distributed solar in Indiana would reduce utility costs by up to $540 million per year, a national lab has found. Fair compensation for rooftop solar power in southern Indiana would be 13¢/kWh, an expert calculated—not the 3¢/kWh proposed by a utility.
Can community microgrids fill the gap in California’s plans for 100% renewable energy?
A 10 MW, 40 MWh storage project on the Southern California coastline could provide the first link for a string of community microgrids that, according to the Clean Coalition’s Craig Lewis, could show that high penetrations of distribution-connected solar are entirely doable.
Think we can’t place a value on resilience? Think again
A new critical load tiering approach solves the elusive value-of-resilience challenge and facilitates the proliferation of solar-driven microgrids.
Construction of the world’s largest apartment complex VPP fleet starts next week
Soleil Energy, the EPC arm of the Wasatch Group, is beginning construction on a revolutionary virtual power plant program located on California apartment complex rooftops — with the roofs acting as community-based peaker plants.
Avoiding blackouts all together with behind-the-meter storage
Commercial storage company Stem had 100 MW on tap during California’s rolling blackouts, but could only provide 50 MW due to limits on how much power its standalone installations can export.
WattBuy launches address-level electricity cost and carbon footprint calculator
The tool is intended to help solar developers show customers their potential electricity cost savings and their carbon footprint reductions, making that customer more likely to consider the switch to solar.
For lower-cost Southeast power, double the solar and add wholesale power trading
A lower-cost grid would reach 22% renewable generation in 2040, compared to the 5% currently planned by Southeastern utilities, says a study from Energy Innovation and Vibrant Clean Energy. Wholesale power trading through an independent system operator would also help reduce costs.
Sunrun and GRID fight California blackouts with free batteries for low-income households
“Storage is critical for equity,” says Sunrun CEO Lynn Jurich — and putting more standalone storage on the grid means less electricity going through wires in wildfire-prone areas.
