World’s largest second-life battery storage project joins Texas grid
In what appears to be the world’s largest project of the kind, Element Energy’s 53 MWh storage project – consisting of repurposed EV batteries – is now operating in West Central Texas.
A fast interconnection process like that used in Texas is widely supported
Texas is quickly adding solar, wind and storage to its grid by using a relatively simple interconnection process, and now 24 industry participants have expressed support for the use of a similarly streamlined process across the nation.
Strata signs tolling agreement for Arizona battery, Energy Vault takes FID on Texas project
Strata Clean Energy has secured a deal for its 100 MW/400 MWh White Tank battery energy storage system (BESS), in Arizona, and Energy Vault is planning a 57 MW/114 MWh BESS in Texas.
ESIG calls for adopting standards for transmission-connected renewables, storage
“Too few entities” in the U.S. have adopted a global standard for transmission-connected solar, wind and storage projects that would prevent future large-scale grid disturbance events, says a brief from the Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG).
Texas set for 1.35 GWh of large-scale BESS
French oil major TotalEnergies and German-owned renewables developer RWE have announced plans for five large-scale batteries in the US state.
Finding a renewables project site in ERCOT by considering “the shift factor”
For renewable energy developers, finding a site in Texas can feel like searching for a needle in a haystack due to grid constraints, environmental concerns, and other factors. Help is now available, as Sultan Ennab, of Electric Power Engineers (EPE), explains, with reference to the Energy Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) grid.
Flexible interconnection at far lower cost and nearly twice the speed
Substantial cost and time savings are possible with flexible “connect and manage” interconnection of utility-scale solar and solar-plus-storage projects, two studies have found.
Sage Geosystems begins construction of 3 MW geothermal storage facility for ERCOT grid
Company draws on oil and gas drilling tech to get renewable energy from dry rock formations.
Texas solar shines through Tropical Storm Beryl
In a new weekly update for pv magazine, Solcast, a DNV company, reports that the Tropical Storm Beryl caused a large but temporary dip in solar generation potential across Texas on July 8. However, cross-referencing with grid operator reports revealed that very little production went offline due to the storm, showing the resilience of Texas’ solar infrastructure.
Experts consider speedy utility-scale interconnection in Texas going nationwide
Some experts shared data to back up their praise for the “connect and manage” approach used by Texas grid operator ERCOT, while others speaking on an industry panel explained their reservations.
