Grids & Integration

Happy Hump Day and welcome to your Wednesday edition of the pv magazine USA morning brief. Today we’ll check out a GreenPeace co-founder comparing the Green New Deal to the End Times, ASU dominating the Solar Energy Technology Office awards, GRID Alternatives’ “Solar Spring Break” program and everything else interesting in the industry today.

The old system of regulating frequency on electricity grids with the help of the inertia provided by large spinning masses is under threat by the rise of wind, solar, and batteries. But what will replace inertia-based control, and how will the transition work?

Maybe. But you’d be better off using a laptop. And no, Huawei inverters aren’t going to cause a blackout.

Solar output grew 25% and met 2.4% of all U.S. electric demand last year. But despite dramatic gains in emerging markets, only California, Nevada and Hawaii are meeting more than 10% of demand with in-state solar.

In this op-ed for pv magazine, Dick Brooks of Reliable Energy Analytics takes a look at transmission capacity constraints, and tools grid operators can use to deal with new problems arising from the pressure on these resources.

Good morning – it’s Friday! In today’s pvMB we will also bring you more regulatory capture in New Orleans, NREL’s new database for albedo, and a study that looks at the idea locations for EV chargers in Michigan.

PowerLedger’s xGrid is a blockchain-based electricity trading platform that’s now being used in a Pennsylvania business park, in addition to Chicago, California, a large housing unit in Australia, plus a few more locations.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti’s move to phase out three gas-fired power plants by 2029 is expected to accelerate the transition to 100% renewable energy by the largest municipal utility in the nation. But there are big questions about the role that local solar + storage will play.

The research and consultancy group’s study of the latest polar vortex shows the need for greater interconnection of grids and 18-40 hours of energy storage in the Upper Midwest under high renewable energy scenarios. It also shows a potential role for nuclear power; but other extreme weather events tell a different story.

Solar, wind and storage can provide 7 essential grid services, which will help enable them to gain an ever-increasing share of electricity generation.