Holcim US is going to install a 25-megawatt solar farm at its Michigan cement factory that will generate more than 30% of the plant’s power.

This cement company is installing a 25 MW onsite solar farm

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Holcim US is going to install a 25-megawatt (MW) solar farm at its Michigan cement factory that will generate more than 30% of the plant’s power.

Holcim has pledged to power all of its US operations with 100% clean energy by 2030, and its latest move sees solar developer NorthStar Clean Energy installing an onsite solar farm on 100 acres at Holcim’s Alpena, Michigan, factory. The new solar array will produce over 30% of its current energy demand, and it will boost the factory’s clean energy to meet 75% of its electric power needs.

Manufacturing cement is energy-intensive and produces a lot of CO2 emissions. Each pound of concrete made releases 0.93 pounds of CO2. In fact, the cement industry is responsible for about 8% of global emissions – that’s far more than aviation, which sits at more than 2%.

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Source: electrek

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CA’s energy storage portfolio could yield net grid benefits of up to $1.6B a year by 2032 as the state looks to expand grid-scale battery installations to 13.6 GW

California’s storage portfolio could provide grid benefits of up to $1.6B per year by 2032, report finds

Lumen’s study takes a closer look at the operations, costs and benefits of storage resources in California – largely lithium-ion batteries, but also including thermal energy storage and other battery chemistries. These resources range from 25 kW to 300 MW, with discharge durations that range from less than an hour to seven hours.

The report found that from 2017 through 2021, California’s stationary storage market developed from a pilot phase into deploying lithium-ion batteries at commercial scale. At the same time, storage costs dropped significantly – with third-party contract prices ranging from $5 to $8 per kilowatt-month for capacity by the end of 2021 – and the use of storage to meet reliability needs increased significantly.

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Source: Utility Dive

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The EBCE Board has approved providing $4.5M in financing to Forum Mobility to support the development of an innovative electric truck charging depot in Livermore, CA.

Solar charging depot for 96 electric trucks coming to Livermore, California

East Bay Community Energy is a not-for-profit public agency that operates a community choice energy (CCE) program in the California Bay Area for Alameda County and fourteen incorporated cities, serving more than 1.7 million residential and commercial customers.

East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) recently announced a new financing program to support the transition to zero-emission heavy-duty trucks. The EBCE Board has approved providing $4.5 million in financing to Forum Mobility, a zero-emission truck solutions provider, to support the development of an innovative electric truck charging depot in Livermore, California. Forum Mobility is providing clients with zero-emission trucks and “Charging for One Monthly Price,” lowering the barriers to adoption for fleet operators. Forum Mobility provides accessible zero-emission trucking solutions for drayage in California, from building and operating the charging infrastructure to offering class 8 zero-emission electric trucks.

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Source: Clean Technica

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Networks of thousands of home-based batteries could be key to a cleaner, more reliable electricity system.

Virtual power plants are coming to save the grid sooner than you might think

This summer could be the first one in which virtual power plants—networks of small batteries that work in tandem to function like power plants—are large enough to make their presence felt by helping to keep the lights on during the hottest days.

After years of pilot projects, utilities and battery companies now have networks with thousands of participants in California, Utah and Vermont, among others.

The batteries in virtual power plants add megawatts of capacity to the grid when electricity demand is at its highest. And most of the electricity from the batteries is generated by rooftop solar.

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Source: Inside Climate News

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Texas is fast becoming a leader in solar power. So far this year, about 7% of the electric power used has come from solar, and 31% from wind.

Facing brutal heat, the Texas electric grid has a new ally: ‌Solar power

Strafed by powerful storms and superheated by a dome of hot air, Texas has been enduring a dangerous early heat wave this week that has broken temperature records and strained the state’s independent power grid.

But the lights and air conditioning have stayed on across the state, in large part because of an unlikely new reality in the nation’s premier oil and gas state: Texas is fast becoming a leader in solar power.

The amount of solar energy generated in Texas has doubled since the start of last year. And it is set to roughly double again by the end of next year, according to data from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas. Already, the state rivals California in how much power it gets from commercial solar farms, which are sprouting across Texas at a rapid pace, from the baked-dry ranches of West Texas to the booming suburbs southwest of Houston.

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Source: The New York Times

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Solar’s levelized cost of electricity will reach $30/MWh in 2050, as global capacity surges, said DNV.

Solar to reach ‘unassailable position’ as cheapest electricity source, says DNV

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DNV, a global risk management firm, has offered its annual outlook on the global energy transition. It placed solar in the spotlight as the frontrunner in renewable energy supply.

“In 2050, solar PV will be in unassailable position as the cheapest source of new electricity globally,” said DNV. 

As the world transitions toward carbon emissions-free electricity generation, DNV expects the share in the generation mix for coal to decrease 4% and gas to fall by 8% by mid-century. As the global fossil fuel industry becomes a metaphorical fossil itself, DNV expects the world energy mix to be 70% reliant on variable renewable sources like solar and wind power. Fossil fuels will represent just over 10% of the energy mix by that time.

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Source: PV Magazine

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Recent studies have proposed using solar-plus-storage microgrids to minimize public safety concerns from PSPS during the wildfire season.

Solar-plus-storage microgrids minimize power shutoffs during wildfires

Recent studies have proposed using solar-plus-storage microgrids to minimize public safety concerns from power shutoffs (PSPS) during the wildfire season for communities located in wildland-urban interfaces, such as California and much of the US west coast.

A comprehensive assessment of microgrids had not been performed to evaluate the potential to enhance resilience for up to 46 million Americans living next to forests, or a wildland-urban interface, where wildfire risk is acute.

To address this research gap, a study by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory looked at a novel modeling framework and assessed the potential of solar and batteries for districts where power can be turned off based on wildfire warnings.

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Source: PV Magazine

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The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians announced the development of a large-scale solar & energy storage project funded and approved by the CEC

Paskenta Band announces solar energy storage project

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The Paskenta Band of Nomlaki Indians has announced the development of a large-scale solar and energy storage project funded and approved by the California Energy Commission (CEC). The solar and storage microgrid will enable the Paskenta Tribe to power its operations using a sustainable and resilient renewable energy solution. The project is part of the tribe’s efforts to achieve energy sovereignty by aligning its energy infrastructure plans with its economic development plans.

“Our tribe has prioritized energy planning since 2018 and we are proud to be the recipients of this historic renewable energy infrastructure project that will enhance our energy security,” said Tribal Chairman Andrew “Dru” Alejandre. “As stewards of the land, it is our responsibility to ensure we operate sustainably and preserve our environment for future generations. This new project supports our tribe’s goals of reducing our carbon footprint.”

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Source: Indian Gaming

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The DOI said it hopes to increase the economic certainty of renewables projects sited on public land by reducing costs for developers, and pass along savings to ratepayers.

Proposed update to public land rules could provide 80% reduction in renewable project fees, says Interior

The Department of the Interior announced Thursday a proposed update to right-of-way regulations for solar and wind energy projects on public land that it hopes will reduce capacity fees by around 80%, as well as streamline application reviews.

In a release, the department said that its Bureau of Land Management would use authorizations established under the Energy Act of 2020 — which it used in 2022 to reduce fees by around 50% — to codify further reductions in acreage rents and capacity fees.

The proposed rule would also expand the BLM’s authority regarding the leasing of priority areas for wind and solar development, including allowing the bureau to accept leasing applications without going through a full auction, and accept non-competitive applications that are in the public interest.

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Source: Utility Dive

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The microgrid will help provide additional energy storage to improve the hospital’s ability to withstand long duration outages.

Valley children’s healthcare to install microgrid on California hospital campus

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Located in a rural part of Central California, Valley Children’s Healthcare, which delivers care to more than 1.3 million children, regularly faces the threat of rolling blackouts, unsteady water supplies, and wildfires.

This volatility impacts the organization’s ability to deliver services at its 358-bed standalone Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera, Calif., as well as its specialty and primary care practices.

“Our doors need to stay open because these kids don’t have anywhere else to go,” says Danielle Barry, chief operating officer at Valley Children’s, adding that the hospital has a 45,000-mile catchment area.

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Source: Health Care Design Magazine

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