Tag Archive for: grid

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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The CPUC is considering asking electricity providers in the state to procure 4GW of new capacity to ensure grid reliability.

CPUC proposal would order an additional 4 GW of clean energy resources to bolster grid reliability

In June 2021, the CPUC approved an 11.5 GW procurement package of clean energy resources to come online between 2023 and 2026, in order to replace the then-planned retirement of the 2.2-GW Diablo Canyon nuclear plant as well as a series of natural gas plants slated to retire. Regulators ordered power providers to bring online 2 GW of resources in 2023, another 6 GW in 2024, and installments of 1.5 GW and 2 GW in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

However, circumstances have changed since that initial order was approved, regulators say. New forecasts point to increasing electric demand, beyond what regulators initially anticipated, likely due to extreme weather, a greater expected increase in electric vehicles, higher usage of air conditioning, and electrification of the built environment. At the same time, California expects to have less access to imported electricity from its neighboring states, as they face similar trends.

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Source: Utility Dive

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The proliferation of solar requires PV projects to adapt to their grid surroundings, be it energy storage, other renewables or green hydrogen

The rise of solar-plus

On a sunny Sunday afternoon this May, California reached a major milestone on its path towards a carbon-free free power grid, as the state produced enough renewable electricity to meet more than 100% of demand for the first time.

Renewables generation exceeded demand for about 112 intermittent minutes and reached a new high of 103.45% for 1 – 2 minutes on 8 May, according to the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), which manages the flow of electricity for about 80% of the state.

The landmark followed a host of renewables records being broken in California throughout spring. Ashutosh Bhagwat, chair of the CAISO board of governors, said in April: “These moments help crystallise the vision of the modern, efficient and sustainable grid of the future.”

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Source: PV Tech

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Last week, California’s power grid was strained to the limit in the midst of a searing heat wave but was saved by their consumers.

Opinion: Californians saved the grid again. They should be paid more for it

Last week, for the second time in three years, California’s power grid was strained to the limit by record-high demand in the midst of a searing heat wave. But just like they did during the state’s grid emergencies of 2020, California consumers came to the rescue.

At around 5:45 p.m. on September 6, as state grid operator CAISO was preparing to initiate rolling blackouts to stave off grid collapse, the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services issued a statewide text message alert asking people to ​“conserve energy now to protect public health and safety.” Over the next half an hour or so, demand dropped more than 2,000 megawatts below its record-setting peak of just over 52,000 megawatts.

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Source: Canary Media

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The heat wave stressed CA’s electric grid but, distributed customer-sited batteries, charged by solar panels, helped keep the lights on.

Residential solar batteries helped California’s grid with peak power during heatwave

This week’s record-breaking heat wave stressed California’s electric grid but, once again, distributed customer-sited batteries, charged by solar panels, helped keep the lights on.

A new analysis by the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA) shows that California had more than 80,000 customer-sited batteries connected to the electric grid capable of providing 900 MW of solar power.

While not all the batteries were set to discharge during the peak hours of 4 p.m. – 9 p.m. on September 6, an estimated 76% were, which as a fleet, were capable of providing up to 684 MW of power at any given moment. CALSSA estimates that 50% of these batteries’ aggregate power was put into use during peak hours, providing approximately 340 MW of power. To put this into perspective, 340 MW is more than a mid-sized power plant.

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Source: Solar Power World

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RCF Connects is retrofitting homes to make a "virtual power plat" - and fighting gentrification at the same time.

The plan to turn blighted houses into a new source of green power for the grid

Standing outside the sagging house on 2nd Street in North Richmond, California, it was hard to imagine it as the future site of a pioneering clean energy project. The building’s rotting white siding seemed to sink into the dirt yard with no real foundation. Chunks of it were crumbling to the ground. As we walked around to the back, Jim Becker, my tour guide, pointed to a plastic pipe sticking out of the wall.

“Here, the sewage was just flushing out onto the dirt,” he said. “It was just shooting all the poop into the garden.”

But Becker was excited. He was showing me this house as a sort of “before” picture. Soon, workers will take the building down to its studs and reconstruct the walls and roof. Then it will get a full menu of clean energy offerings: energy-efficient lighting, an electric vehicle charger, an electric stove, electric heat pumps for heating and air conditioning, an internet-connected “smart thermostat.” Solar panels will line the roof, and a backup battery will allow future residents to keep the lights on and the refrigerator running during a power outage.

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Source: Grist

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The Moss Landing Energy Storage facility has 400 megawatts of capacity and the ability to run at that level for up to four hours.

A giant battery storage plant is back online, just in time for summer

On July 9 at 7:35 p.m., California’s power grid hit an all-time peak for battery storage.

But that record is just one of many. All-time peaks—like the 2,519 megawatts on that evening—are going to be happening with regularity as more battery storage systems come online. What’s more interesting is the development of the projects that are helping to set those records, and the implications for transforming the grid into one that doesn’t need fossil fuels.

The big kahuna in California’s battery fleet is Moss Landing Energy Storage, with 400 megawatts of capacity and the ability to run at that level for up to four hours, discharging 1,600 megawatt-hours before needing to be recharged. The plant is back in action after a prolonged period when it was barely running.

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Source: Inside Climate News

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In California, batteries now contribute 60 times more to peak capacity than they did in 2017.

Batteries are already helping power grids weather a hotter world

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On Tuesday, the UK Met Office recorded the country’s first-ever temperature above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) at London’s Heathrow Airport just before 1 p.m., as temperatures were still rising. High demand sent power prices in the UK up 5% in one day.

Across the Channel, things have been even more volatile. Europe’s heat wave has reduced France’s available nuclear power, as the river water used to cool nuclear plants became too hot to be effective. As a result, day-ahead baseload power prices settled at 610 euros per megawatt-hour — about 10 times higher than prices from 2017 to 2021.

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Source: Bloomberg

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The new trailer has a compact design that unfolds to 700 cubic feet of space. It has a solar grid that also powers a hot shower.

World’s first fully solar-equipped, fold-out camp trailer

Solar brand GoSun and Camp365 team up to combat crowded parks, soaring gas prices, and ‘unpredictable weather’ with a trailer like no other.

GoSun and Camp365’s new camp trailer aims to mitigate key hassles in modern camping with ease of use and flexibility. Don’t believe us? Check out the adjective list: The companies say they partnered to create the first “aerodynamic, lightweight, expandable, off-grid solar trailer,” which takes less than 10 minutes to set up.

The trailer weighs 1,800 pounds, so nearly any vehicle could tow it, even electric cars.

Though the Camp365 trailer sleeps up to six people, it doesn’t take up much space when folded down for transport. That helps it fit in most parking spaces in garages. It also comes with an emergency power system capable of powering electronics, as well as cooking, refrigeration, and fresh water.

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Source: Gear Junkie

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