Grids & Integration

PREPA’s draft IRP calls for rapid deployment of solar and batteries, including the installation of as much battery storage as is currently online in the entire United States over the next four years, in a system broken up into “minigrids”. However, it stops short of utilizing behind-the-meter PV and storage.

NREL has begun an effort to improve its ability to model deployments of variable renewable energy sources across the U.S. power grid. This effort has begot two papers as of yet – one a broad analysis of how four specific models work and how to improve them, and the second a comparison of the varying outcomes of models under normalized conditions.

In our first pv magazine USA morning brief in February, we also give an update on S5!’s patent infringement case, introduce a new director for GRID Alternatives’ Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund, and provide you with a pair of technical reports on DER integration/grid modernization to start your day.

Texas regulators have ruled that any renewable generation source connected to the state’s HVAC grid does not have to account for marginal losses, as the market turbulence it would cause isn’t worth the benefit, and it would go against the original spirit of the project.

Per an analysis by Vibrant Clean Energy, it’ll take approximately 2.8 GW of solar power, 8 GW of wind and 765 MW / 3 GWh of energy storage to allow Colorado to shut down its 4 GW of coal by 2025, while also lowering electric rates by 5%.

A new study by the University of Technology Sydney maps routes for massive decarbonization and 100% renewable energy to reach Paris Agreement goals. In North America, as the rest of the world, we must move quickly.

The utility aims for at least 66% participation in a residential demand response pilot. It also gives customers the option of moving to a lower rate structure by allowing the utility to automatically reduce their consumption during peak periods.

Today’s pv magazine USA morning brief also features the EIA projecting 4.3 GWac of utility scale solar in 2019, SunPower tapping a new executive to lead its technology business unit, President Trump nominating former coal lobbyist Andrew Wheeler to stay on as the head of the EPA, and more!

Added transmission, varying levels of distributed generation, and increasing levels of “load modernization” are all under consideration in an NREL study. The results could illuminate paths for California and other states to reach 100% zero-carbon or renewable energy targets.