Newsom vetoes another bill to curb California’s rising energy demand
Gov. Newsom said the virtual power plant bill would not have improved electric grid reliability planning because it did “not align with the California Public Utility Commission’s Resource Adequacy framework.”
Republicans could legalize community solar in Ohio soon, but with a caveat
Ohio lawmakers picked up legislation that ran out of time during last year’s session, this time changing the proposed “community solar” pilot to “community energy.”
Newsom strikes down bill to help reduce electric demand despite unanimous approval
Gov. Newsom said the bill would not have improved electric grid reliability planning because it did “not align with the California Public Utility Commission’s Resource Adequacy framework.”
VPP deployments jump 33%, but capacity growth more modest, Wood Mackenzie says
Virtual power plant (VPP) capacity grew a modest 13.7%, while company deployments, unique offtakers and monetized programs each grew over 33% from the previous year, Wood Mackenzie’s annual VPP report found.
Virtual power plant legislation lay in Gov. Newsom’s hands after sailing through California Assembly
California lawmakers passed two bills that aim to facilitate how the state and its utilities handle virtual power plants.
Oregon takes aim at utility pushback against independent solar projects
The law aims to make utilities operate in line with the public interest by implementing incentives and penalties related to community solar, microgrids, and other types of clean energy generation.
Hawaii’s governor cancels veto plans, approves more solar
Hawaii Gov. Green decided against his initial plans to veto and signed a bill into law to expand its residential solar-plus-storage buildout.
Virtual power plants in action: How rules and markets enable (or block) aggregation
The final, third part of this series explores how DERs and Virtual Power Plants are participating in today’s energy markets—including a close look at ISO/RTO-specific programs, qualification requirements, and market rules. We examine how these policies and procedures affect the real-world ability of aggregated DERs to operate as grid resources and the complexity stakeholders face when navigating these systems.
Data is power: Why technology is the backbone of DER integration
Part Two of this three-part series shifts focus from regulatory reform to the technological breakthroughs that make DER participation possible. From the falling cost of microprocessors to the rise of advanced metering infrastructure and predictive analytics, we explore how data, telemetry, and intelligent control systems have become the backbone of the distributed energy economy.
Virtual power plants and the data-driven future of distributed energy
The evolution of energy markets from vertically integrated utilities to open access competitive markets has created a power grid increasingly integrating smaller and more diverse distributed energy resources requiring robust interaction for integration and management.
