News
Community Microgrid Models Emerge
Affordable energy storage and an uptick in personal wealth are creating new business opportunities for community microgrid developers, according to a new report by Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The global increase in personal wealth may come as a surprise to…
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Energy Storage Deployments Double Year over Year
The latest market data from the Energy Storage Association and GTM Research confirms that U.S. deployment of advanced energy storage systems is growing fast. Some 60.3 MW/53.1 Mwh of energy storage capacity was installed across the nation in this year's…
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Google, Duke Join in Sourcing Data Center Power from New NC Solar Facility
Data Centers are among the largest and fastest growing consumers of electricity in the United States. According to NDRC, data centers are one of the "key drivers in the construction of new power plants." In 2013, US data centers…
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Over 1400/13GW of Microgrid Deployments Tracked in Over 100 Countries
The global number of microgrid deployments is on the rise as governments, communities, corporations, utilities and others seek to enhance energy efficiency, security and grid resiliency, as well as add emissions-free renewable energy and energy storage capacity. There were 1,437…
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Transmission Charges Penalize Local Clean Power in California
Transmission Access Charges (TAC) are fees designed to pay for the state’s transmission system, operations and maintenance, amortization of capital, and return-on-equity. TAC add about $0.03 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to the levelized cost of energy…
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Brazil's Microgrid Potential
Brazil, the home of samba, soccer, and beaches is on the verge of being a clean energy power. Microgrids can play a part in enhancing this role, helping to flourish renewable energy in Latin America's largest country. Globally, the microgrid…
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Maryland Community Solar Moves Forward In Wake of Nationwide White House Initiative
Representatives from solar energy organizations gathered at the White House for the National Community Solar Summit November 17. At the end of the day, White House officials announced that 68 cities, states and businesses would join to promote community solar…
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Netherlands Sustainable Energy Producer is Building The Industry's First Software-Defined Power Plant
Scaling up from community and campus microgrids, leading edge power producers and utilities are helping advance the clean energy transition by making use of pioneering distributed power and energy resource management systems. To wit: Redwood, California-based AutoGrid on November 11…
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In a Snap, GE Becomes Global Utility T&D Powerhouse
GE Grid Solutions Approximately 40% Of The Global Power Base Now Comes From GE Marking the completion of its acquisition of France's Alstom – the largest industrial acquisition in a history that stretches back to the world's…
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NY Prize Feasibility Studies Under Way in 10 Communities
The NY Prize program is heating up in New York, as a variety of factors are putting pressure on and raising the risks and costs of producing, distributing and using energy. Fostered by new clean energy policies, regulations and programs…
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Will Desalination Undermine California's Renewable Energy Targets Or Be A Grid Resource?
Large, inflexible desalination plants could jeopardize California's renewable energy targets and increase the cost of both water and energy. Better designed desalination plants can be a grid resource enabling renewable microgrids. Maintaining a balance on the electric grid used to…
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Duke Energy Gets Bullish on “Green” Microgrids
The nation's power utilities are facing pressures of unprecedented breadth and depth – from reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution to keeping up with new, cleaner and more efficient power technologies and energy policy reforms. The EPA's October 23 release…
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Hawaiian Electric Launches $2.1MM Distributed Energy Storage Program
Integrating electricity produced by solar and wind energy systems on to power grids has quickly become a major cause for concern among U.S. utilities, grid operators and regulators, particularly monopoly utilities in states such as Hawaii, where Hawaiian Electric Co.…
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Distributed energy resources can already balance themselves on a local microgrid
At ESNA 2015, UCSD's Byron Washom described his 'hallucinogenic dreams,' where solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, and other distributed energy resources (DER) orchestrate a clean, balanced, and efficient electric grid. He might not be crazy after all. Accelerating into a…
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There are 83 microgrid projects being evaluated in New York
New York is the most active and innovative market for microgrid projects, driven largely by the need for resiliency after Superstorm Sandy. New York has the oldest electric grid in the United States, says James Gallagher of the New…
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Community Microgrids are the bridge to a modern grid
The Clean Coalition shows how adopting community microgrids can provide a pathway to a clean, resilient, and less expensive energy system. The electric grid was not designed to utilize distributed energy resources (DERs), which can include solar panels, wind turbines,…
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The New Economics of Battery Storage
In “ The Economics of Battery Energy Storage,” RMI lays out 13 distinct services advanced battery storage systems can deliver today. More to the point, the report authors conclude that these systems are economic and cost-effective now. [wpsm_button color="orange"…
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A Glimpse Into Future Microgrid Communities at Solar Decathlon
The Solar Decathlon, organized by the US Department of Energy is showcasing a new generation of homes designed to minimize energy consumption and maximize renewable as well as passive energy potential. The designs could play a significant role in…
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The 10 Microgrid Value Streams
Keeping the lights on during a power outage is usually the selling point of a microgrid. But a new report by Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) breaks down the 13 value streams that battery storage can provide, and at least ten…
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Energy Storage Addresses The Causes and Effects of Climate Change
Should we focus on stopping the root causes of climate change or start adapting to the new reality? Energy storage does both. Increased Severity and Frequency of Extreme Weather [wpsm_quote author="Kevin Trenberth - U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research" float="right"…
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