ENERGY STORAGE

California and Quebec Join Carbon Markets to Minimize Compliance Burden

On August 7, 2014, California and Quebec held a successful practice joint carbon emissions allowance auction in preparation for the first ever cross-border auction on November 2014. Despite varied participation levels in Quebec’s first four auctions, activity is expected to increase with program maturity and the upcoming 2015 compliance deadline.The programs – under the Western…...

Hawaiian Electric Companies Propose Comprehensive Energy Plans

Hawaiian Electric Companies have proposed comprehensive electric energy plans with a goal to achieve more than 65 percent renewable energy by 2030.   On August 26, 2014, the Hawaiian Electric Companies – Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric, and Hawaii Electric Light Company – proposed electric energy plans in response to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC)…...

Vermont’s First Solar Microgrid Project with Battery Backup

Vermont’s Green Mountain Power has begun work on an innovative solar project that combines energy storage and microgrid integration. On August 12, 2014, Green Mountain Power (GMP), a Vermont electricity utility, announced breaking ground on the $10M Stafford Hill Solar Farm project in Rutland, Vermont.  According to the U.S. Department of Energy, it is the…...

California and Mexico Sign Climate and Energy Agreements

During a Trade and Investment Mission to Mexico, California Governor Brown signed agreements with Mexico to enhance cooperation on environmental issues and encourage cross-border clean energy investments. On July 28, 2014, California Governor Edmund G. Brown, Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Undersecretary Rodolfo Lacy, and Mexican National Forestry Commission Director General Jorge Rescala…...

DOE Issues $4B Loan Guarantee Solicitation

DOE has issued a $4B loan guarantee solicitation to support innovative renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. On July 3, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a loan guarantee solicitation of up to $4B for innovative renewable energy and energy efficiency projects aimed to prevent, reduce, or sequester greenhouse…...

NYEW 2014 Transportation Breakfast: The Need for Standards and the Right Market for Innovation

The transportation sector plays a large role in economic competitiveness and in environmental sustainability, which according to the EPA, accounted for 27 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in 2010, trailing just the power sector. Going forward, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects an average energy consumption increase of 1.1 percent by the world transportation sector…....

NYEW 2014 Energy Storage Roundtable: Calling for Clear Guidelines and Incentives

Policymakers and industry leaders are increasingly understanding the importance of energy storage in a number of applications, such as integrating renewable energy sources and providing grid resiliency, which has become particularly exigent in New York in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. As a result, organizations like the New York Battery and Energy Storage Technology (NY-BEST)…...

ARPA-E Announces $33M Funding for DG Technologies at New York Energy Week

ARPA-E has announced $33M in funding under its new REBELS program to support innovative distributed generation technologies.   On June 19, 2014, the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) announced $33M in funding for 13 projects through its new Reliable Electricity Based on Electrochemical Systems (REBELS) program.  The new projects will focus on…...

DOE Awards $100M to Energy Frontier Research Centers

DOE has awarded $100M to accelerate scientific breakthroughs for a fundamentally new energy economy. On June 18, 2014, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced a $100M award across 32 projects – as second round of funding for Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRCs) – to support innovative energy research that will enable fundamental advances in energy generation, supply, transmission,…...

Con Edison to Test Innovative Energy Storage Technology

On March 12, 2014, Eos Energy Storage announced plans to test its Aurora energy system at a Con Edison facility in mid-2014. The pilot aims to demonstrate the value of distributed energy storage in reducing costs associated with energy infrastructure upgrades to serve peak electricity demand. The project is supported by $1M in funding from the…...

New York Is First To Tackle Grid Modernization With REV

The New York State Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiative aims to answer the question of how to proceed with New York’s energy future in the face of aging electric generating plants and the need for a more resilient energy infrastructure. Overview The initiative – announced by Governor Cuomo in April 2014 – tasks the…...

EXPIRE Act Supports Renewable Energy Industry at a High Cost

Multiple energy industries rely on federal tax incentives to spur private investment in commercializing renewable technologies. However, the periodic expirations of these tax credits have led to business uncertainty and an inability to make long-term planning decisions. The most recent Senate extender bill – the Expiring Provisions Improvement Reform and Efficiency (EXPIRE) Act of 2014…...