Building solar 2x faster than ever would let California electrify with 100% renewables by 2035
10GW/year of solar and 5GW/year of storage would be needed under that aggressive scenario, according to an analysis for the California Air Resources Board.
Three grid regions processed 25GW of solar interconnection requests last year
Interconnection is widely seen as a bottleneck slowing solar deployment. Even so, three regional grid operators processed 25GW of utility-scale solar interconnection requests last year, an amount exceeding utility-scale solar installations in the entire US during the year.
Upgrading transmission lines could enable 27GW more renewable power per year
“Advanced conductors” can deliver more electricity than conventional transmission lines, using existing transmission towers. Renewables trade group ACORE calls for greater use of advanced conductors, “to accelerate low-cost decarbonization.”
Charge EVs at work, not home, to put daytime solar power to work
Workplace EV chargers, which number only 10,000 in the US, are needed for charging EVs in regions with abundant solar generation, says an RMI study. Home chargers are fine in regions with high wind generation, to enable nighttime charging with wind power.
Speed up interconnection studies with enforceable timelines and third-party competition, say SEIA and allies
The proposed measures would prompt transmission providers to complete studies on time, the groups said. They asked federal energy regulators for an accelerated interconnection rulemaking.
Lessons learned from Texas storm Uri
Winter storm Uri that brought a deep freeze to Texas is also bringing insight into grid vulnerabilities, the need for more renewables, and the potential of solar-plus-storage.
Interconnection delays and costs are the biggest barrier for utility-scale renewables, say developers
LevelTen and Advanced Energy Economy point to delays in the PJM grid region, in particular. Construction of the 300GW of renewables and storage projects in PJM’s interconnection queue would support 1.7 million jobs, says AEE.
Key cybersecurity considerations for renewable energy plant operators in 2022
As global markets transition toward more renewable energy sources, cyber hackers will look for ways to exploit those resources. Cybersecurity is now a business imperative.
Distributed solar and storage owners face one more hurdle before participating in wholesale markets
“Relatively minor” changes are needed in distribution planning and operations before owners of distributed solar and distributed storage may earn money from participating in wholesale markets through an aggregator, says a report from the Energy Systems Integration Group.
What’s holding back DERs: The manufacturer’s perspective
pv magazine sat down with FranklinWH’s Cheung “Gary” Lam to discuss the development process for his company’s first commercialized product, and FranklinWH’s vision for the future of distributed storage in the US.
