Too cheap to keep: How throwing away power is the best way to balance the grid
Don’t build a battery that costs $1 billion, only works 2% of the time and only moves around 100 GWh of electricity. Instead, build an Energy Imbalance Market or an Extended Day Ahead Market for $100 million that moves around hundreds of GWh of electricity.
Vivint Solar joins EnergyHub in expanding PV and storage demand response programs
Can programs like EnergyHub and National Grid’s battery-powered DR turn utilities into residential solar fans?
Solar and storage would cost less than Alabama Power’s proposed 1.9 GW of gas units
An Alabama industry association and citizens’ groups say regulators should reject Alabama Power’s request to build more gas capacity.
Concord NH decides on maximum size of solar arrays, Titan Advanced Energy raises $10M: pvMB 10/8/19
Hello and welcome to the Tuesday pvMB, where we’re bringing you SEPA’s 2019 Utility Demand Response Market Snapshot, solar applications surging in New York and more!
How the cash flows when we electrify buses, agriculture and more
The Brattle Group has developed a Total Value Test to help determine a more accurate economic valuation of energy efficiency programs historically, including case studies of city bus electrification, indoor agriculture and water heating.
Fifteen days to get paid for your home energy storage in Rhode Island and Massachusetts
National Grid’s ConnectedSolutions program seeks to pay energy storage owners up to $400-kW during high grid demand events in Rhode Island, and $225 in Massachusetts.
Scientists see global PV rocketing to 10 terawatts by 2030, for starters
A Science journal article describes how to reach “a future with ~10 terawatts of PV by 2030 and 30 to 70 terawatts by 2050, providing a majority of global energy.”
Portland utility proposes $1/kWh incentive for residential peak shaving
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.
Pro-clean energy candidates for governor identified by AEE win 7 “open” elections
The new governors favor policies such as a higher renewables mandate, community solar, increased use of storage, and expanding the Western grid, reports the nonprofit Advanced Energy Economy.
Demand-side flexibility: helping solve solar’s curtailment conundrum
This op-ed by WattTime takes a look at solutions to solar curtailment, including new software to enable greater demand-side flexibility.
