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.
Morning Brief: 5 GW of solar coming to Africa, the pressing need for panel recycling
Also in the brief: Pennsylvania has its first project using Commercial Property-Assessed Clean Energy financing, Gov. John Bel Edwards of Louisiana has signed two executive orders to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and enhance coastal resilience and more.
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.
Morning Brief: PV plant providing grid ancillary services in Chile, Capital Dynamics to develop nine batteries
Also in the brief: Global Energy Generation’ proposed 4,500-acre Mammoth Solar project in Pulaski County, Indiana, may have a role to play in Winamac’s revitalization efforts, Dominion Energy acquired a solar power project in Orange County, the laws that prevent carbon cutting and more.
Money Talks: California residents earn big bucks for easing grid strain
As California’s energy crisis rages, one company has been paying customers handsomely to to power down in times of peak strain on the grid.
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.
