Inside Portland’s experiment that turned interconnection limits into a microgrid blueprint
A market-rate, subsidy-free solar-plus-storage microgrid in downtown Portland highlights how grid-forming buildings can overproduce clean power, island during outages and work around strict interconnection limits.
High-voltage DC solar architecture solves the AI datacenter bottleneck
High-voltage DC distribution enables solar and storage to bypass AC conversion stages for massive gains in data center efficiency and cost, said a whitepaper from Enteligent.
Doubling the pace of adding solar and storage in the PJM region could save $178 billion by 2035
Adding 78 GW more solar and 54 GW more battery storage in the PJM grid region than projected in a status quo scenario would drive a 20% reduction in system costs and improve reliability through 2035, says a study. The study’s sponsor called for enabling policies to improve interconnection and permitting, with roles for both PJM and states.
ERCOT BESS interconnection applications drop 50% in H2 2025 as faults in the boom emerge
New data out of Modo Energy suggests only about 85% of large batteries with signed interconnection agreements are likely to be built, as queue timelines stretch beyond four years.
Virginia House unanimously passes legislation to require utility measurement of grid utilization
HB 434 seeks to modernize how the state’s major utilities manage their infrastructure.
New Jersey makes it easier for distributed generation up to 2 MW to interconnect
New Jersey is now a “top ten” state for interconnecting distributed solar and storage, said nonprofit group IREC, as projects with an export capacity of up to 2 MW will now qualify for a more streamlined interconnection process.
Data center survey reveals majority believe renewables and BESS are the ideal energy mix, power issues start in 2027
54% of respondents cited “energy availability and redundancy” as the single greatest obstacle to successful data center development between now and 2030.
Solar-plus-storage for data centers: not a simple switch
Renewables and storage could reliably power data centers, but success requires active grids, coordinated planning, and the right mix of technologies. Hitachi Energy CTO, Gerhard Salge, tells pv magazine that holistic approaches ensure technical feasibility, economic viability, and energy system resilience.
U.S. authorities find no definitive evidence of hidden devices in Chinese solar inverters
New documents reveal U.S. government found two cases of communications in Chinese inverters that differed from official documentation. The discrepancies were deemed “non-malicious” and “non-intentional” by investigators.
How to build a balcony solar kit to UL certification
UL Solutions has released design standards for balcony solar, also known as plug-in pv, along with whitepaper highlighting three main risk categories of balcony solar in the US consumer market.
