Solar and wind generation continue to expand rapidly while coal is in a tailspin
The EIA’s most recent Electric Power Monthly report shows that solar has accounted for nearly 3.4% of the country’s generation so far in 2020, with wind being responsible for another 8.5%. Meanwhile, coal has plummeted to just 17.8% of the nation’s total, down nearly 30% from just last year.
Morning Brief: Energy secretary slams ‘radical environmentalists,’ touts gas and nuclear as California’s energy future
Also in the brief: $1 million fine at stake as Minnesota solar developers fault Xcel for project delays, more on interconnection.
SEPA rolls out blueprint for tackling integrated distribution planning
Order 2222 raises the stakes — distributed resources are already starting to have material impacts on utilities’ planning efforts, and higher penetrations of distributed resources will amplify the need for better forecasts.
Morning Brief: California modernizes its distributed energy interconnection rules, Pine Gate launches wave of Michigan solar
Also in the brief: Natron Energy, a supplier of fire-safe sodium-ion batteries using Prussian blue chemistry, has achieved a UL listing for its battery.
Duke Energy, developers and regulators advance solar in the Carolinas with ‘queue reform’ and cluster studies
To address developers’ frustrations with its interconnection process, Duke Energy worked with solar industry associations to map out a second proposal aimed at rationalizing its interconnection process in 2022, after the existing queue is cleared.
Interconnection queues across the US are loaded with gigawatts of solar, wind and storage
Texas and California lead the green grid trend, with PJM not far behind. ERCOT has 75 GW of solar in its interconnection queue — but how fast clean energy can displace natural gas and coal remains a key issue.
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.”
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.
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.
EnerVenue looks to shake up the battery market with metal hydrogen technology
The company launched today with $12 million in seed funding, boasting advantages over lithium-ion in performance, price, operability in extreme weather and decades of use in the aerospace industry.
