News
Glancing Into the Future
Lithium-ion batteries have been the go-to option for electric vehicles (EVs) and stationary storage systems since both markets began to grow over the last decade. Cobalt is expensive, and it’s primarily mined from the Democra…
California utility SCE awards 770MW of battery contracts to help replace ageing natural gas plants
The projects will help solve reliability issues anticipated to impact on the California grid when a number of aging natural gas power plants reach their retirement, as well as helping to integrate larger shares of renewable …
Trump’s grid security executive order will create vendor ‘black list,’ complicate equipment sourcing
The President on Friday signed an executive order halting the installation of bulk-power system (BPS) equipment "designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied, by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdicti…
California eyes expedited microgrid deployment to help with fire season power shut-offs
California's upcoming wildfire season is likely to bring more power shut-offs during the fall, CPUC Commissioner Genevieve Shiroma said in a statement. "Microgrids using independent energy supply can provide essential backup …
Judge calls PG&E vegetation work ‘sloppy and unreliable,’ imposes new conditions on the utility
Alsup said the utility's practice of outsourcing vegetation management work "remains sloppy and unreliable" and required PG&E to employ its own inspectors to identify tree branches that are too close to its power lines. PG&E …
California Virus War Slams Into Its Other Crisis: Wildfires
With wildfire season on the horizon, state officials have ordered prevention efforts to proceed after rains have tapered off and before the heat of summer. But work is progressing slower than usual as firefighting agencies an…
Google redefines what it means to be ‘100% renewable’
This week, Google announced the launch of a new technology designed to shift the electricity demands of its largest data centers to match clean energy supply. Never one to shy away from buzzwords, Google is calling this a "ca…
Community-scale renewables poised for boost as California nears PURPA compliance again
Community-scale renewable energy projects in California could get a much needed boost as the state’s energy regulator updates its compliance with the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policy Act (PURPA) and considers restarti…
Secretive group’s petition to FERC could ‘end net metering as we know it,’ lawyers say
A recent filing submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could "end net metering as we know it," according to legal experts. The petition from the New England Ratepayers Association (NERA) asks FERC to "declare …
The coronavirus crisis means we may have already reached peak carbon
Analysts at Goldman Sachs said in a research note that they expect energy-related carbon emissions (which account for two-thirds of total greenhouse gas emissions) to fall by at least 5.4% this year alone.…
Oil prices collapse below zero, scrambling the clean energy transition
The stunning collapse of oil prices Monday was the latest shock to an economy roiled by the coronavirus outbreak — and yet another jolt to an energy sector already grappling with a challenging transition from fossil fuels to…
Trump administration to reinstate tariff on 2-sided solar modules adding to installer woes
The U.S. Trade Representative will withdraw its exclusion of two-sided solar panel imports from the Section 201 tariffs established in 2018, according to a notice published Friday in the Federal Register.…
In New York, a New Way for Stay-at-Home Customers to Get Paid for Shaving Peak Energy
New York is struggling with the country’s worst coronavirus outbreak, but it’s also pushing ahead on its ambitious clean energy goals. Those include programs that can turn utility customers from passive consumers into active …
Clean energy industry may lose 15% of workforce
More than 106,000 clean energy jobs were eliminated in the month of March due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, according to an analysis of unemployment data by BW Research Partnership and E2. The layoffs reflect a 3% drop i…
Resiliency: An earning opportunity for the greater good of customers and utilities
When it comes to resiliency, climate change and the resulting fluctuations in weather events are changing the game for utilities. In 2018, six U.S. states broke wildfire records and California saw its deadliest and most destr…
COVID-19 hits clean energy jobs, but storage companies could be ‘bucking the trend’
The COVID-19 pandemic is causing industry-wide job losses, but many storage developers are optimistic they won't have to reduce their workforce, according to a survey conducted by the U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA).…
Post-coronavirus economic recovery requires EV adoption
Infrastructure investment is often cited as a necessary component of any fiscal stimulus plan. Critically, infrastructure spending can directly address some of the root causes of a pandemic. Additionally, research is clear th…
Ahead of the EV pack: How other states can replicate New Jersey’s legislative success
Providing a lucrative rebate offer for prospective EV buyers will undoubtedly increase the amount of EVs on the road. As New Jersey is among the top 10 states in terms of electric vehicle adoption per capita, the incentives p…
DOE eyes storage technologies to improve the performance of fossil fuel plants
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is exploring the possibility of using energy storage resources to improve the performance and flexibility of fossil fuel plants, and intends to announce a funding opportunity for projects i…
More Homes Are Expected To Go Electric
Like renewable energy and electric vehicles, another technology is now being enlisted in the fight against global warming. According to a recent study, the market for all electric homes is on the upswing.…
Los Angeles County will construct 400-MWh lithium battery to aid in closing gas-powered plants
Southern California electricity provider Clean Power Alliance (CPA) inked its first Energy Storage Agreement (ESA) this week. Approved by the CPA Board of Directors on April 2, the 100-MW Luna Storage standalone battery stora…
Will the Clean Peak Standard spark America’s fabled battery boom?
Roger Lin, VP of marketing with NEC Solutions sat down with pv magazine to discuss the larger national impact of the Massachusetts Clean Peak Standard, including how the policy can be modeled for other states, regardless of t…
An all-organic proton battery energized for sustainable energy storage
Sustainable energy storage is in great demand. Researchers have therefore developed an all-organic proton battery that can be charged in a matter of seconds. The battery can be charged and discharged over 500 times without an…
PG&E reaches deal with Newsom, pleads guilty to involuntary manslaughter as bankruptcy reorganization deadline nears
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) has reached an agreement with California Gov. Gavin Newsom over his concerns about the utility's bankruptcy exit plan, a development that is "the final component of [PG&E's] comprehensive restruc…
California risks going seriously off course this week on its path to a zero carbon power sector
It appears that the CPUC, at its upcoming March 26 business meeting, may adopt a greenhouse gas emissions target for 2030 that defers emissions-critical, near-term decisions and fails to put the state on a trajectory to achie…
PG&E, SCE abandon big microgrid plans for temporary emergency measures as wildfire season nears
California's plans to use microgrids to limit the 2020 impacts of preventive power outages will be delayed after utility solicitations revealed cost and deployment complexities.…
Utilities beginning to see the load impacts of COVID-19 as economic shutdown widens
Five to seven days after Italy's lockdown began, the country saw an 18% to 21% reduction in peak demand and energy use on a year-over-year basis, according to EPRI data. The demand decline began with a more modest 10% reducti…
Lead batteries make innovation push to better compete for energy storage projects
The Consortium for Battery Innovation is requesting bids for research projects from universities, companies and other institutions into ways to increase the efficiency of lead batteries to make them a more economic storage te…
The utility service model is under attack
The utility industry has never lacked complexity or dynamism. Reliably generating, transmitting and distributing the electricity society requires to function is enough of a feat that the National Academy of Engineering ranked…
10 Predictions for the Solar and Storage Market in the 2020s
The solar-plus-storage market is evolving rapidly and will look completely different a decade down the road. What can we expect on the way to 2030? Here are 10 predictions.…
US doubled renewables capacity since 2010: factbook
Power-generating capacity from renewable energy — including solar, wind and utility-scale hydropower — has doubled in the U.S. since 2010, while generation has jumped 77% in that time, according to a new report from Bloomberg…
Are Electric Vehicles Really Better for the Climate? Yes. Here’s Why
One of the questions I’m most frequently asked about electric vehicles (EV) is: “Are they really a cleaner option?” While it’s obvious that a fully-electric vehicle eliminates tailpipe emissions, people often wonder about the…
California proposes 10-year transportation electrification planning process for SCE, other IOUs
The state is aiming to put five million zero-emission vehicles (ZEV) on the road by 2030. As per the energy division's proposal, utilities would file their 10-year plans in 2021 and the CPUC would formally adopt them in 2022.…
Largest EV charging study pinpoints grid risks, solutions for utilities
FleetCarma launched its Charge the North study in 2017 to capture and analyze real world charging data from 10 electric utilities and a thousand EV owners across Canada, covering residential, public and workplace charging.…
This is no Hollywood tale: SimpliPhi CEO Catherine Von Burg is taking on storage’s 800-pound gorilla
One of the most significant reasons that cobalt is still being used, despite its toxicity and safety-related concerns, is entrenched supply chains and companies, along with its cost advantage, she told Utility Dive in an inte…
CPUC proposes guidelines for safety shut-offs, finds ‘serious deficiencies’ with PG&E reporting
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) last Thursday proposed additional guidelines for utilities deploying wildfire-related public safety power shut-offs (PSPS) — including requiring them to re-energize affected a…
At a crossroads: The connected future of EVs, solar, energy storage and software
As a new decade dawns, there's cause for optimism that the 2020s will see the transition to clean energy accelerate. Prices of renewable energy and battery technologies are at an all-time low, and the number of electric vehic…
Los Angeles commits to 100% electric sanitation fleet by 2035. Other cities aren’t ready to follow
The Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation (LASAN) committed last week to transitioning to a zero-emissions fleet by 2035, a major goal for the country's second-biggest city. Director Enrique Zaldivar made the announcement during a…
PG&E is betting heavily on microgrids. But can it move away from fossil fuels?
In December, PG&E issued a request for offers for distributed generation-enabled microgrid services that could power targeted locations during future safety shut-offs, as well as provide broader reliability to its electric sy…
Automakers: New tech, battery advances will curb EV range anxiety
Many EV batteries now have a range of 200 miles or more, and are seeing reductions both in price and size in the car, which experts say is a positive step toward getting more people comfortable with the idea of driving an EV.…
8minute forms equity partnership with Capital Dynamics for largest US solar+storage project
8minute Solar Energy announced on Tuesday a long-term equity partnership with a global private asset management firm for the development of the largest U.S. energy storage and solar project, expected to be completed in 2023.…
California moves to boost storage to combat safety-driven power shutoffs
The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved $830 million in new funding for the Self-Generation Incentive Program, bringing the program’s total budget to $1.2 billion over the next five years. …
Wind + solar expected to add 61 GW over next two years: EIA
Wind and solar will make up the majority of new electric generation capacity in 2020 and 2021, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration's latest short-term energy outlook.…
DOE unveils plan to make US global storage leader by 2030
The Energy Storage Grand Challenge is aimed at ensuring the U.S. is a global leader in storage with a domestic manufacturing supply chain by 2030. This would involve shedding dependence on foreign storage raw materials by add…
California’s 2020 legislative session: The ‘wild, Wild West’ of bills targeting PG&E
California lawmakers are kicking off the 2020 legislative session with plans to introduce bills targeting the operations and deployment of public safety power shut-offs by Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and other utilities.…
PJM: Electric vehicles could boost load 1.5 GW by 2035
PJM Interconnection on Dec. 30 published its 2020 annual long-term load forecast, concluding summer and winter loads will each grow 0.6% annually over the next decade. …
California has big clean energy ambitions, and is looking for better energy storage to realize them
The California Energy Commission (CEC) is putting up to $11 million on the table for developers of energy storage technologies other than lithium-ion batteries, according to a solicitation launched last month.…
Storage will replace 3 California gas plants as PG&E nabs approval for world’s largest batteries
The California Public Utilities Commission on Thursday approved four energy storage projects for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) to replace retiring gas generators, including two batteries that would be the largest in the world…
Solar + wind + storage developers ‘gearing up’ as hybrid projects edge to market
Though no full-scale hybrid projects co-locating both resources and energy storage have been built in the U.S. and few are online around the world, the U.S. renewables industries are taking on barriers such as interconnection…
More Energy Storage Coming to California
On December 11, the California Public Utilities Commission proposed an annual collection of $166 million from ratepayers in the state from 2020 to 2024 as a way to fund a Self-Generation Incentive Program, which would be…
The Sun Also Rises on Residential PVs
According to the most recent U.S. Solar Market Insight report, the third quarter of 2019 was a boom for solar installations.The industry added 2.6 gigawatts of solar in July, August and September. This growth expanded total…
California now has 1 million solar roofs. Are 1 million batteries next?
Clean energy advocates and elected officials gathered Thursday to celebrate a landmark that California reached this summer: 1 million small-scale solar systems. …
231 Mayors Push Congress to Extend Solar Tax Credit
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the solar Investment Tax Credit (ITC), enacted in 2006, has created over 200,000 jobs and $140 billion in private sector investment. However, the ITC is scheduled…
Following Blackouts, California and PG&E Battle it Out
Following the unprecedented power blackout by PG&E during the week of Oct. 7 that affected almost 800,000 homes and businesses, up to a total of 2 million people in the state, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC)…
Airport Solar Farms Improve Air Quality, Reduce Emissions
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority is conducting a study with Dominion Energy Virginia on the feasibility of building a large-scale, 100-megawatt solar energy project at the airport, according to a press release…
FPL’s Solar Project Would Double U.S. Community Solar
FPL SolarTogether, a new project announced by Florida Power & Light (FPL) is expected to almost double the amount of community solar online in the United States. Currently, there are 1,523 megawatts (MW) of community solar in…
San Jose Mayor Wants City to Divorce PG&E
Silicon Valley is known for disruption, so when the mayor of the high-tech industry’s hometown, San Jose, suggested a split from the major utility there, it wasn't entirely out of character.…
Google to Invest $2 Billion in Wind and Solar Energy
Ahead of the UN climate summit and the global climate strike, the world's largest search engine announced that the tech behemoth will make its biggest corporate purchase of renewable energy yet.…
Making the Equipment Tick
The growing interest in combining residential rooftop solar panels with battery-based storage often overlooks a critical piece of equipment: the inverters that are key to making such combinations work. Inverters today are the…
Solar of the North: Great Lakes States Embrace PV
Snowy Midwestern states bordering Canada might not seem like the place to bet on solar, but, in fact, Great Lakes states are aggressively ramping up their use of power from the sun. These states anticipate a sharp increase in…
The Wasatch Group, sonnen, and Rocky Mountain Power Launch First of a Kind All-Electric Apartment Community, including Battery Storage for Utility Grid Management
The unique partnership between sonnen, the Wasatch Group and Rocky Mountain Power provides a first-of-a-kind network of solar powered battery storage systems, better known as a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), fully managed by…
Report: U.S. Solar Has Grown 40-Fold Since 2009
Since 2009, the U.S. has increased its solar power generation 40-fold and upped its electric production from wind by more than 270%, according to a new report released by Environment America Research & Policy Center and Front…
Congress Moves to Extend Solar Investment Tax Credit
Federal support of solar power has been an unpredictable ally over the years, as politics have more than once cast a long shadow over the renewal of tax credits. This year, members of Congress have taken steps to remove that…
Storage Installations to Multiply Exponentially, Says BNEF
As demand for energy storage continues to rise and as battery costs fall and renewable energy proliferates, storage installations around the world will “multiply exponentially,” according to the Bloomberg New Energy Finance…
Experiments show dramatic increase in solar cell output
Researchers have demonstrated a method for getting high-energy photons striking silicon to kick out two electrons instead of one, opening the door for a new kind of solar cell with greater efficiency than was thought possible…
‘Simple Laws of Economics’ Doom Remaining US Coal Plants as Solar and Wind Are Now Cheaper for American Households
In propping up the coal industry, the Trump administration is not only contributing to dangerous pollution, fossil fuel emissions, and the climate crisis, it is also now clinging to a far more expensive energy production mode…
Getting Closer to 100% National Renewable Portfolio Standards
To date, 29 states have legally binding renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) or policies that require electricity suppliers to source a certain portion of their electricity from renewable resources or related eligible technol…
Senators Propose National Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard
Many states have adopted renewable energy portfolio standards (RPS). Now, the federal government may step in where other states have not.…
Plugging In: More Homeowners Are Choosing Home Battery Systems
The overall market for battery-based energy storage doubled in 2018 and is expected to do so again in 2019. Sales of home-based systems are growing even faster and actually quadrupled in 2018. Increasingly, homeowners, utilit…
New Solar + Battery Price Crushes Fossil Fuels, Buries Nuclear
Los Angeles Power and Water officials have struck a deal on the largest and cheapest solar + battery-storage project in the world, at prices that leave fossil fuels in the dust and may relegate nuclear power to the dustbin.…
Promoting Clean Energy to the Residential Market
According to the just-released ninth annual "Deloitte Resources 2019 Study,” the knowledge gap between business customers and residential customers related to the benefits of clean energy is continuing to widen.…
California Changes Utility Regulations Due to Wildfires
Changes in California’s utility regulations are coming about because of last year’s devastating wildfires. Some regulations, including enhancements to utilities’ mitigation plans, are expected, and some are controversial…
Solar Power for All: Madison, Wis. Provides Solar Grants for Low-Income Residents
In Madison, Wis., wealth is no longer a prerequisite for adding solar panels on your roof. The city’s new Backyard Solar grant program helps low-income residents and neighborhood organizations participate in the solar energy …
Largest Clean Energy Storage Project in World Announced
In many parts of the western United States, there are times of the day when demand for electricity is lower than the production of renewable energy, which leads to curtailment of renewable generation and negative electricity …
Microgrids Are Shifting From Unique to Mainstream
A new initiative offered by Duke Energy, and recently approved by the State of North Carolina Utilities Commission, may be a template for things to come with other utilities that are tasked with serving remote locations in…
Discovery to Make Lithium-Ion Batteries Safer
In April, an explosion at a utility-scale lithium-ion battery facility owned by Arizona Public Service (in place to store power from a solar energy array) sent eight firefighters to the hospital. The firefighters were there…
Los Angeles Launches Its Own Green New Deal
The plan includes a commitment to uphold the Paris Climate Agreement; promises to deliver environmental justice through an inclusive green economy; proposes to create good paying, green jobs; and expresses a determination to …
California May Go Dark This Summer, and Most Aren’t Ready
A plan by California’s biggest utility to cut power on high-wind days during the onrushing wildfire season could plunge millions of residents into darkness. And most people aren’t ready.…
Washington State Enacts 100% Clean Electricity Law
The new law mandates phasing out coal from Washington’s grid by 2025, achieving a carbon-neutral electricity supply by 2030 and transitioning to a 100% clean electricity supply by 2045.…
U.S. Reaches 2 Million Solar PV; Expected To Double by 2023
The solar energy market has hit a remarkable milestone, hitting 2 million solar photovoltaic installations (residential, commercial and utility-scale solar), representing 70 gigawatts across the United States this year.…
ACEEE Report Says Prioritize Energy Efficiency Over Solar PV
The best way to promote the growth of energy efficiency is to focus on effective building codes and standards. "For the U.S. residential sector, building codes like the International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and volunt…
In Norway Electric Vehicles Outsold Gasoline Cars for First Time in History and Other EV Success Stories
One way to boost the ecological benefits of driving an EV even further is to manufacture these cars using net carbon zero techniques. Audi’s factory in Brussels aims to do just that.…
Virtual Power Plant Breaks Records in Southern California
In March, the online energy software firm, Advanced Microgrid Solutions (AMS) announced in a press release its virtual power plant in Southern California had broken a new record for power delivered by this type of system.…
Montecito Fire Protection District Solar Microgrid to Be a National Model
In February, the Montecito Fire Protection District agreed to enter into a memorandum of understanding to proceed with a unique community microgrid project. The project represents the first building block in the Montecito Com…
Don’t let PG&E’s perfectly good bankruptcy go to waste
Pacific Gas and Electric Co.’s structure and regulatory framework are barriers to California’s clean energy future.Now, with PG&E in crisis, is the perfect opportunity to get the 21st century electric utility California needs…
California Opening Up to Independent Developer Distributed Energy Storage Projects
A recent administrative law judge ruling in California may pave the way for more private-sector development of the state's mandated distributed energy storage system projects.…
Mayor Garcetti: LADWP will Phase Out Natural Gas Operations at Three Power Plants
Mayor Eric Garcetti took a powerful step forward in L.A.’s movement toward renewable energy, announcing today that the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) will not repower three coastal natural-gas power plants.…
A Bright Spot for Employment: Careers in Renewable Energy
As renewable-electricity generation continues to expand across the United States, related employment opportunities are growing, as well. …
How to Make Your Home More Energy Efficient, and Smart
The average US home uses around 867 kilowatt hours per month, with the greatest share of that energy being spent on basic utilities like heating and lighting. Luckily, new smart home tech makes it possible to trim that usage.…
The Big Questions Raised by PG&E’s Coming Bankruptcy
How will costs be spread? Are legacy solar and wind PPAs at risk? And how can California policymakers and its largest utility reorganize to cope with a future severely impacted by climate change?…
Solar panels unveiled at Chernobyl nuclear power site
Ukraine launches its first solar plant in the abandoned area around the former nuclear power station.…
Governor Brown Signs 100 Percent Clean Electricity Bill, Issues Order Setting New Carbon Neutrality Goal
Reaffirming California’s global climate leadership, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed Senate Bill 100, authored by Senate President pro Tempore Emeritus Kevin de León, setting a 100 percent clean electricity goal...…
Lithium-ion chemistry: What solar + storage installers should know
When it comes to lithium-ion batteries, reports of spontaneous fires in phones, cars and laptops have become all too common. But not all lithium-ion batteries pose a fire danger.…
Edison to Shut Down Power During Extreme Fire Weather
Southern California Edison has implemented a controversial public-safety strategy of shutting off power when the weather turns dangerous. A Public Safety Power Shutoff is a “mitigation of last resort,” Chiu emphasized.…
Integrating Solar into New Construction Makes Dollars and Sense
If you are involved in constructing a new building, most likely installing solar panels was mentioned at some point in the process. Solar panels are being integrated into more and more new constructions, and some cities...…
With Rapidly Falling Prices, Renewables Set to Outcompete Fossil Fuels by 2020
A new report showing that renewable prices may soon out-compete fossil fuels offers just the latest evidence to bolster demands that oil, gas, and coal to be left "in the ground." …
Advancing Clean Energy at the State Level – An Imperative
In the wake of President Trump's recent decision to withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement, one thing seems abundantly clear, and that is that the role of states in advancing clean energy becomes even…
Fossil Fuels Have Lost. The Rest of the World Just Doesn’t Know It Yet
Fossil fuels have lost,” argues Eddie O’Connor, chief executive of Irelands’s Mainstream Renewable Power company, before adding: “The rest of the world just doesn’t know it yet.”…
Solarize Santa Barbara Launches Program to Help Residents Go Solar
The gigawatt of solar energy generated by the Tri-County region is enough to power a quarter of a million homes for a year, said Jefferson Litten…
Microgrid Sales Rise – A boon to Solar Power
The periodic blackouts in Cassina Tarsia's Oceanside neighborhood meant the 71-year-old couldn't charge her cellphone or electric wheelchair…
Grid-Tie Solar Electric Home Owner Speaks Out
On Sunday, February 17, over 50,000 people attended two rallies in Washington, DC and San Francisco. Focused on raising awareness of the need to act now on climate change, it was the single-largest collective demonstration on…
Renewable Energy Capacity Doubled in last 5 years
The U.S. is increasing its share of renewable energy while decreasing its overall energy consumption and emissions, finds a new report released jointly…
Santa Barbara Solar Energy
People want to put solar on their homes. They just don’t know how to take that first step,” said 2nd District Supervisor Janet Wolf…
Santa Barbara Solar
The sun was shining down on Daniel Emmett’s solar-powered home when the Community Environmental Council announced Tuesday at his home its new Solarize Santa Barbara program…