pvMB 3/29: Ameresco wins eight projects through SMART, University of Minnesota to go solar
The eagle flies on Friday, and in today’s pvMB we bring your Fluence’s new CTO, ET Solar making a comeback, Pason & Chint’s integrated energy storage solution, and more…
Solar power situational awareness, future research get $166 million
The Department of Energy announced a new tranche of $130 million to fund research in up to 80 new solar power-related research and development projects. As well, ten projects were announced as winners of $36 million in awards to increase solar situational awareness during power grid disruptions.
Solar+storage sited at C&I locations can be the backbone of the grid
An analysis by Station A shows a potential for siting 48 GW of solar plus 22 GW / 42 GWh of energy storage in California commercial and industrial locations, meeting 19% of the state grid operator’s legally binding “Resource Adequacy” requirements.
Reducing the risk of fire with rooftop solar, batteries and microgrids
A new white paper by Sunrun delves into the risks that overloaded power lines pose, and posits solutions to both fire mitigation and reliability with distributed generation.
California sets a new solar output record – and it isn’t even spring yet (w/ charts)
On Saturday afternoon utility-scale solar output on California’s grid peaked at 10,745 MW – its highest level since last summer. More importantly, California is wringing greater flexibility out of its imports, meaning more renewables with less curtailment.
pvMB 3/6/19: Hawaii stays at 27% renewables, GameChange Solar ups production capacity
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.
Inertia, frequency regulation and the grid
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?
Can you hack the grid using an inverter?
Maybe. But you’d be better off using a laptop. And no, Huawei inverters aren’t going to cause a blackout.
Solar + wind met nearly 9% of U.S. power demand in 2018
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.
Coming together to resolve tensions in capacity markets
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.
