The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources on Aug. 4 announced the launch of the Clean Peak Energy Standard, an incentive program designed to encourage the use of clean energy resources during times of peak electricity demand. The first-in-the-nation program requires retail electricity suppliers to increase their kilowatt-hour sales from clean energy during seasonal peak demand…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has revised the regulations for implementing a 1978 federal law, which requires electric utilities to purchase power from small power producers. The reforms, intended to reflect changes in the energy markets, mark the first major overhaul to utility power procurement rules under the law, which has spurred the growth of small renewable generators.
In a major victory for the energy storage industry, a federal court affirmed that battery installations connected to the distribution grid must have the opportunity to access wholesale power markets. The move comes as federal regulators are examining the growing interest in hybrid resources, with battery technology seen as an important tool in integrating other resources to the grid. The affirmation bodes well for expanding wholesale market access to distributed energy resources.
The California Independent System Operator Corp. on July 13 announced that the first phase of LS Power Group’s Gateway Energy Storage Project connected to its power grid, adding 62.5 megawatts of storage, the largest in the U.S. The entire project, expected to come online in August, will have a total capacity of 250 megawatts. The…...
The U.S. Energy Department on July 14 released a draft roadmap for its Energy Storage Grand Challenge initiative, a comprehensive program launched in January to expedite the development of next-generation storage technologies. By 2030, the program aims to establish and sustain U.S. leadership in energy storage utilization and exports, with a domestic manufacturing supply chain…...
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on July 10 upheld the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s energy storage order, rejecting arguments that the agency exceeded its jurisdiction by barring states from prohibiting behind-the-meter storage participation in wholesale markets. The commission adopted the landmark Order No. 841 in February 2018, directing grid…...
The U.S. Energy Department on July 1 announced $100 million funding for ten Energy Frontier Research Centers over four years to expedite the scientific breakthroughs needed to tackle the energy challenges of the 21st century. The move intends to strengthen the nation’s economic prosperity and energy security. The centers will bring together multidisciplinary scientific teams…...
The U.S Energy Department’s Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy on June 29 announced a request for information to support the research and development of the battery critical materials supply chain. The department seeks input from industry, academia, research laboratories, and government agencies to identify challenges and opportunities in the upstream and downstream supply…...
The New York Department of Public Service and the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority on June 18 released a whitepaper that identifies a framework to achieve the state’s goal of sourcing 70 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030 under the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act. Achieving the goal is…...
A growing number of states across the U.S. are amping up energy storage to complement the drive towards clean energy as batteries can help integrate diverse generation technologies and stabilize the grid. State commitments to procure battery storage capacity now top 11 gigawatts, following targets established by Nevada and Virginia this year.
The California Public Utilities Commission on April 29 proposed a decision adopting short-term actions to expedite the deployment of microgrids and related resiliency strategies that would mitigate the impacts of safety power shutoff events to avoid the risk of power lines starting wildfires. The proposal would direct the state’s large investor-owned electric utilities to streamline…...
Dominion Energy Inc. on May 1 filed its 2020 integrated resource plan with the Virginia State Corporation Commission, reflecting the targets of the Clean Economy Act, which requires the company to produce its electricity from carbon-free sources by 2045. Under the proposal, the company proposes to add 6.7 to 18.8 gigawatts of solar over the…...