Adding long-duration storage to the gas fleet lets the grid absorb more solar and avoid brownouts
Bill Conlon, founder of Pintail Power, believes hybridizing the existing gas turbine fleet with long-duration molten salt storage can help balance today’s complex grid and absorb more now-curtailed solar.
LS Power completes the world’s largest active battery storage system
It’s a title that is becoming more contentious by the day, but for the time being, LS Power’s 250 MW Gateway project in San Diego, California is the biggest battery in the world.
The ‘Rubber-Band Effect’ on renewable energy project margins
On the journey from concept to monetized power plant, renewable/storage projects tend to get tugged toward “zero” margin (from either direction); and the further the rubber band is stretched, the stronger the pull back toward zero.
Morning Brief: Tuesday will be a challenging day for the California grid – here’s a CAISO load forecast
Also in the brief: CATL aims for EV batteries free of cobalt or nickel, rolling blackouts in California stump power experts, record U.S. wind installations
Power and utility deal activity is down significantly to start 2020, but renewables show strength
A new report released by Ernst & Young shows that power and utility deals in the Americas saw huge drops in volume and value due to the Covid-19 pandemic, though commitment to renewable investment remains strong.
Vistra approved to build a grid battery bigger than all utility-scale battery storage in the US combined
A permit to expand Vistra’s natural gas-fired Moss Landing generation station in Monterey County, California to 1,500 MW/6,000 MWh has been approved, setting the stage for the world to see gigawatt-scale battery energy storage for the first time ever.
Morning Brief: wind and solar continue to rise drastically in the global power mix, Toyota announces three new solar projects
Also in the brief: Powerhome completes a solar installation at Indianapolis Colts HQ, Chevron is making a Series A investment in the three-year-old nuclear fusion startup Zap Energy, more than 200 workers are needed for a solar project being developed in Cherokee, Alabama and more.
Hawaiian Electric finances – fewer tourists and less revenue challenges regulatory model
Over the course of the quarter, HECO experienced a reduction of 9.2% in kWh sales, HELCO 11.7% and MECO 24.5%, demonstrating the precariousness of Maui being so dependent on the constant influx of electricity-consuming visitors.
The best little utility-scale solar roundup in Texas
This week’s big solar roundup has a distinct Texas flavor. The number of large solar projects is increasing in the U.S. — and pv magazine is keeping track.
Racial equity in clean energy should be a key differentiator for the industry
When only 8% of the solar workforce is African American, framing the problem in terms of access issues for low-income communities sidesteps the inextricable link between race and energy, advocates say.
