Battery Storage 3

Minnesota Regulator Approves Xcel Energy Virtual Power Plant to Deploy 200-Megawatts of Battery Storage

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on April 3 approved Xcel Energy’s phase 2 of its Capacity Connect initiative, advancing a plan to build a distributed network of battery storage systems designed to support grid reliability and clean energy integration. The program establishes a utility-owned virtual power plant, or VPP, by linking multiple smaller battery units…...

California Battery Storage Fire Threat Districts

U.S. Energy Department Announces $500 Million to Expand Critical Minerals Processing and Battery Recycling

The U.S. Energy Department on March 13 announced up to $500 million in funding to expand domestic processing of critical minerals and strengthen the nation’s battery materials supply chain. The funding opportunity through the department’s Office of Critical Minerals and Energy Innovation would support demonstration and commercial-scale facilities that process, recycle, or manufacture battery materials…...

EnerKnol Research PU Visual Primer Interconnection 2026 03 10 Blog preview

Visual Primer: Rising Electricity Demand Spurs Efforts to Improve Interconnection Efficiency

Regulators and grid operators across the U.S. are actively reforming interconnection processes to support the growth of new power generation resources amid surging electricity demand from AI data centers, manufacturing, and electrification. These actions also aim to address emerging challenges arising from the rapid growth of new large loads, which can introduce planning uncertainty and require substantial investments in transmission and other grid infrastructure.