Inside Portland’s experiment that turned interconnection limits into a microgrid blueprint
A market-rate, subsidy-free solar-plus-storage microgrid in downtown Portland highlights how grid-forming buildings can overproduce clean power, island during outages and work around strict interconnection limits.
Doubling the pace of adding solar and storage in the PJM region could save $178 billion by 2035
Adding 78 GW more solar and 54 GW more battery storage in the PJM grid region than projected in a status quo scenario would drive a 20% reduction in system costs and improve reliability through 2035, says a study. The study’s sponsor called for enabling policies to improve interconnection and permitting, with roles for both PJM and states.
New Jersey makes it easier for distributed generation up to 2 MW to interconnect
New Jersey is now a “top ten” state for interconnecting distributed solar and storage, said nonprofit group IREC, as projects with an export capacity of up to 2 MW will now qualify for a more streamlined interconnection process.
ERCOT outperformed on interconnection in 2024 likely due to “connect and manage”
More than 25 GW of large-scale generating projects seeking an interconnection agreement in the ERCOT grid region reached that stage in 2024. Berkeley Lab said ERCOT’s “connect and manage” approach “is likely one reason” for the grid operator’s success.
Colorado utility PSCo must offer flexible interconnection for community solar, storage
Flexible interconnection is one of the most impactful, cost-effective tools for enabling distributed energy resource deployment, said a joint filing by the Solar Energy Industries Association and others.
Kudos for grid operator SPP’s plan to link transmission planning and interconnection
The Solar and Storage Industries Institute has endorsed SPP’s proposal to reform interconnection by building transmission, identifying promising areas for transmission interconnection, and inviting interconnection applications.
Two approaches to prevent queue-jumping by thermal generation
A study from Grid Strategies and ACORE finds evidence that priority transmission access offered by three grid operators has yielded generating portfolios “heavily weighted” to thermal resources. The study favors transmission planning followed by recruitment of projects that can use planned transmission capacity to enter the interconnection queue. A limited non-discriminatory “fast path” could meet near-term reliability needs.
Grid operator PJM reports progress on interconnecting new generation as capacity costs surge
PJM said it agrees with many of the recommendations for speeding transmission interconnection made by the nonprofit group RMI, and reported it has completed 600 interconnection studies in less than 22 months under its current interconnection study process. Even so, a GridLab report says PJM would have substantially lower capacity costs next year if a modest portion of renewable and storage projects in PJM’s queue had been set to reach operation by then.
In Virginia and New Jersey, solar and storage goals include surplus interconnection
Incoming governors in New Jersey and Virginia campaigned on broad clean energy platforms, while Advanced Energy United sees underused points of interconnection as the best solar and storage opportunity in Virginia.
Capital is no longer community solar’s biggest growing pain
Interconnection delays, permitting hurdles and customer acquisition costs are now the biggest challenges slowing projects to the grid.
