FERC Commissioner Phillips’s views on how to improve transmission, interconnection
Commissioner Phillips spoke of fixing interconnection dynamics that can result in only 20% of projects in a queue ultimately getting interconnected. He favors “substantial transmission,” he said, as well as near-term transmission improvements using grid-enhancing technologies and higher-capacity wires.
Sunrise brief: Solar supply chain issues–from duties to tariffs to COVID-19 and the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act
Also on the rise: Advanced conductors could enable 27GW more renewable power per year. Solar-powered data server network developed to frame the internet as a natural resource. Stanford flips the switch on new solar array, powering campus with 100% renewables. Project between Maui Electric and Paeahu Solar moves forward. Global tracker provider FTC Solar posts 130% growth in 2021. Newer and larger solar plants perform better, while older plants pick up steam with repowering.
Upgrading transmission lines could enable 27GW more renewable power per year
“Advanced conductors” can deliver more electricity than conventional transmission lines, using existing transmission towers. Renewables trade group ACORE calls for greater use of advanced conductors, “to accelerate low-cost decarbonization.”
Cold weather EV bus from Canada
The Electrip by Letenda is a 30-foot bus with Cummins batteries and nearly 300kWh onboard.
Standardization turns EV potential to reality
Mass adoption of electric vehicles presents boundless opportunities for these vehicles to support our grid and power our homes. Developing and adopting standards for this emergent technology is needed to accelerate the path to these opportunities.
Enphase batteries to participate in Swell Energy virtual power plants
Microinverter provider Enphase entered an agreement with Swell Energy to participate in distributed virtual power plants in California, New York, and Hawaii.
Lessons learned from Texas storm Uri
Winter storm Uri that brought a deep freeze to Texas is also bringing insight into grid vulnerabilities, the need for more renewables, and the potential of solar-plus-storage.
New app helps manage solar inverter connectivity for impending 3G shutdown
With 3G set to be shut down at the end of this month, some solar inverters will lose connectivity and stop reporting data. The free Sunvoy app developed by Ipsun Tech addresses this upcoming obstacle by mapping locations of affected inverters, so that installers may swap out equipment at those sites.
US to deploy $5 billion EV charging network
The Biden Administration announced the five-year plan to meet the broader agenda of electrification and decarbonization of transportation.
SolarAPP+ permitting software reduces project times by 12 days on average in pilot
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) released the free, web-based platform for automatic residential solar permit approvals.
