Grid Interface

Solar Is Keeping the Texas Grid Running. October’s Eclipse Will Test That. 0923

A Bottleneck on the Grid Threatens Clean Energy. New Rules Aim to Help. 0723

AES Indiana Plans 200-MW/800-MWh Energy Storage at Retiring Coal Plant 0723

As Texas Cranks Up the AC, Congested Transmission Shuts Out Renewables 0723

European Power Prices Go Below Zero Again, as Solar Output Surges 0723

Largest US Grid Operator Should Process, Connect Clean Energy Project Backlog 0723 - PJM.  FERC Order may help.

Extreme Heat Is Already Straining the Mexican Power Grid 0623

Texas Sets New Power Use Record as Dangerous Heat Sweeps Southern U.S. 0623

A Grid Collapse Would Make a Heat Wave Far Deadlier 0623

Solar Helps Texas Carry Energy Load as Heat Wave Puts Power Grid to Test 0623

Renewables Softened Blow from Intense Texas Heat Wave 0623

New Englanders to Address Grid Connection Issues 0623

Amid Mountain of Delays, California Bills to Speed Grid Connections Advance 0623

FERC Aims to Fix the Grid’s Renewable Energy Backlog. Can iI? 0623

Vietnam Starts Planned Blackouts, as Heat Stretches Grid 0523

VPPs Are as Resource Adequate as Gas Peakers, Big Batteries, but 60% Cheaper 0523

Blackouts Loom for Most of US in Extreme Summer-Heat Scenario 0523

US Grid Interconnection Backlog Jumps 40% +, as IRA Spurs More Renewables 0423

Solar Panels & Energy Storage Are Worth the Cost to Integrate into US Grid 0423

What Congress Must Do Now to Speed Up the Green Energy Transition 0323

Chamber of Commerce, API and SEIA Lead Letter Urging 2023 Permitting Reform 0323

The Grid Can Handle EV Charging, Even When Demand Spikes 0323

ISO-NE Overvalues Fossil Fuel Plants, Reducing Grid Reliability - Sierra Club 0323

Why Plugging In US Wind and Solar Projects Is So Difficult 0223

Electric Vehicles Can Now Power Your Home for 3 Days 0223

How to Modernize Permitting for a Low-Carbon Economy 0223

Streamlining Environmental Reviews Could Slow Down Clean Energy Transition 0223

Clean Energy Is the Future. Permitting Reform Is How to Get There. 0223

New York City Will Replace Its Largest Fossil Fuel Plant with Wind Power 0123

Power Storage for Renewable-Based Electric Grid Could Be Parked Next Door 0123

Winter Blackouts Highlight Need for Clean Energy 0123

How the Husks of Old Power Plants Can Help the Climate Fight 0123

Big Growth in Electric Heat Set Stage for Blackouts in US South 1222

Transmission Shortfall Is Really Strangling the Energy Transition 1222

Transmission Bottleneck Is Blocking Clean Energy for Millions 1222

How a Solar Microgrid Became a Town’s Lifeline in Blackout-Prone Puerto Rico 1222

EVs Add to Electricity Demand, But Not as Much as You Might Think 1022

EU Set to Pave Way for €565 Billion Overhaul of Electricity Grid 0922

Democrats Should Embrace New Transmission Line Reform in Manchin Side Deal 0922

It’s Common to Charge Electric Vehicles at Night. That Will Become a Problem. 0922

California Is Awash in Renewable Energy — except When It’s Needed Most 0922

What the Western Drought Reveals about Hydropower 0922

Why More Electric Cars Could Be Good for the Grid 0922

Heat Wave in US West Breaks Records, Threatens California Grid 0922

How Electric Cars Can Actually Help the Grid during California’s Heat Wave 0922

World Spending on Transmission Cables Will Have to Rival Solar and Wind Power 0922

Why the Energy Transition Broke the U.S. Interconnection System 0822

New Transmission Lines Are Required to Fight Climate Change 0922

Californians Brace for Grid-Straining Heat Wave 0822

European Power Prices Shatter Records, as Energy Crisis Intensifies 0822

Drought Threatens Coal Plant Operations - and Electricity - across the West 0822

PG&E, Tesla Virtual Power Plant Delivers 16.5 MW to Stressed California Grid 0822

Drought-Fueled Power Crisis in China Poses Risk to Clean Energy 0822

Californians Urged to Conserve Electricity as Temperatures to Soar Past 100 - 0822

Reserve Margin May Need to Rise to 300% by 2040, as Grid Adds Renewables 0822

How London Paid a Record Price to Dodge a Blackout 0722

How Old Coal Plants Help Deliver Renewable Power 0722

A Texas Meteorologist Warned of Power Outages.  Then the Lights Went Out. 0722

Midwest Wind Energy Transmission Line Gets Supersized 0722

Heat Wave Spreads across Europe, Raising Risk in Energy Crisis 0722

Extreme Heat Pushes Highs over 110 in Texas, as Power Grid Nears Brink 0722

PG&E, Tesla Start Using Customers’ Powerwall Batteries for California Reliability 0622

Puerto Ricans Built the World’s Largest Renewable Peaker Plant.  Let’s Use It. 0622

Extreme Heat Stretches Japan’s Power Grid to Near Its Limits 0622

FERC 1st-Ready, 1st-Served Interconnection Rules Spur New Generation, Storage 0622

As Texas Saw Record Electricity Demand, Wind and Solar Delivered 0622

Texas Power Use Breaks Record, More to Come as Heat Wave Lingers 0622

China Wants the Market to Help Speed Battery Storage Build-Out 0622

China’s Renewable Energy Fleet Is Growing Too Fast for Its Grid 0622

Heat Spikes Could Cause More Blackouts This Summer.  They Won't Be the Last. 0522

Summer Blackouts Possible in Vast Areas of the US, Official Warns 0522

PJM Releases Road Map for Creating ‘Grid of the Future’ to Handle Coming Renewables, Storage Wave 0522

Midwest at Greater Risk for Rolling Blackouts 0522

Heat Wave Sparks Blackouts, Questions on India's Coal Usage 0522

A $5 Billion Plan May Bring Indonesia’s 3.5 GW of Solar 30 Miles to Singapore 0422

New York Clears Plan to Bring 1,250 MW of Canadian Hydropower to Big Apple 0422

Home Battery Storage & Electric Vehicles 0322 - focus on vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-building

Overwhelmed, Largest US Grid Operator Seeks 2-Year Pause on Solar Approvals 0222

India Will Spend $1.6 Billion to Add Lines for Transmitting Green Power 0122 - India plans for its electricity to be 50% renewable by 2030.  Mostly new transmission lines will transport 20 GW along / across 10,750 circuit kilometers.  80% of India’s new electric capacity in 2021 was renewable.

California to Change Net Metering from Retail to Wholesale Pricing 1221

Outdated US Grid Can Slow Down Renewable Energy 1221

When the Wind Drops, Interconnectors Keep Renewable Electricity Supply Steady 1121

Longer, More Frequent Outages Afflict the U.S. Power Grid 1021

The (US) Grid Isn’t Ready for the Renewable Revolution 1021

China’s Power Crisis Moves from the Factory Floor to Homes 0921

China’s Power Cuts Widen amid Shortages and Climate Push 0921

Major California Battery Outage Highlights Energy Storage Risks 0921

Utilities Struggle to Keep the Lights on, as Fires and Drought Plague California 0821

A Big Oil Company Is Investing Billions in Wyoming Wind 0721 - Its new 732 mile high-voltage line connects Wyoming wind to Las Vegas 

Tesla’s California Solar Powerwall Customers Send Energy to Support Grid, Prevent Blackouts 0721

More Power Lines or Rooftop Solar Panels - The Fight Over Energy’s Future 0721

US Grid Needs Overhaul to Keep Up with Renewable Revolution 0621

The Grid’s Big Looming Problem - Getting Power to Where It’s Needed 0621

Severe Heat and Drought Pack Dual Threat to Power Plants 0621 - less hydropower and less water for cooling thermal power plants fueled by coal, natural gas, uranium, and oil.

Texas Adding Energy Storage Ahead of Risky Summer Months - S&P Analysis 0621

Less Water Means More Gas - How Drought Tests Stressed California Power Grid 0621

Where Wind and Solar Power Need to Grow for America to Meet Its Goals 0521

Big Solar Eyes Old Power Plants in Congested Midwest Grid 0521 - Transmission nodes at old power plants are invaluable for interconnecting renewables projects.

Americas Poised to Lead $86 Billion Global Storage Market by 2025 - 0421

Biden Releases Money in Push to Modernize US Electric Grid 0421

Strategies Emerge to Reliably Integrate Renewables for 100% Clean Electricity 0421

Biden's Green Goals Face a Power Grid Reckoning 0421

Sustainability Games - a Solution for Residential Demand Response 0221 - Smartphone controls a smart home, including electric vehicle charging and discharging.

Texas Flunks Climate Test, as Energy Grid Freezes Up 0221

A Glimpse of America’s Future - Climate Change Means Trouble for Power Grids 0221

All EVs by 2035?  Report Shows Roadblocks 0121 - mis-match between when electricity is most available and when vehicles use it for rechardging.  [The answer lies in correct rate structuring.]

New York Outlines Path to Reach Storage, Renewables Goals 0121 - includes approval of major new transmission line.

100% Clean Power?  Don't Wait for New Technology, Study Says 1220

Toyota Reveals Plan to Turn Trucks into Emissions-Free ‘Power Plants’ 0920

Vehicle-to-Grid - How EV’s Enable More Efficient Energy Distribution 0920 - an excellent read and explanation

California Blackouts - A 'Wake-Up Call' for Clean Energy? 0820

$16 Billion Plan to Beam Australia’s Outback Sun onto Asia’s Power Grids 0820

Australia Sees $10 Billion Opportunity to Harness Solar and Wind 0720

Effective Load Carrying Capacity of Wind and Solar in California 0720 - For 2022, PV standalone 4-6% load carrying capacity, but 99% with battery storage.  Wind standalone 30%, but 60% with battery storage.  For 2030, PV0-1%, but 92% with storage, while wind was 25% standalone and 50% with battery.

UK Electricity Was Coal-Free for 1st Month Ever 0620

Green Tasmania Could Help Wean Australian Cities Off Coal 0620

China Completes a 1,000-Mile Long Clean Energy Artery 0620

U.K. Grid Struggles as Renewables Overtake Fossil Fuels 0520

Electric Cars Will Challenge State Power Grids 0120

Grid Congestion Costs Billions, Stymies Renewables 0120

Tesla's Australian Virtual Power Plant Propped up Grid during Coal Outage 1219

Renewables Hit a Transmission Wall in Saturated Upper Midwest Grid 1219

Solar Farms Can Keep UK’s Lights On Even at Night 1119

Distributed Solar Saved ISO-NE Consumers $20 Million during July Heat Wave 0818

Solar Creates Savings amid Heat Wave, but Industry Growth Cools 0818 - need more storage to accomodate more PV

The Duck Curve Comes to New England 0518

Solar Has Transformed into Solar + Storage.  What Becomes of Net Metering? 0518

Why Hydroelectric Utilities Are Endangered by Soaring Soar and Wind 1117

Coal Plant Closures Are Coming to Texas.  So What Market Changes Are Needed? 1017

The Eclipse Will Give Us a Glimpse of the Future of Natural Gas 0817

Solar Plants Aim to Keep Lights on at Night 0717

Wind, Solar Do Not Harm Power Grid Reliability - Draft U.S. Study 0717

Coal’s Decline Not Hurting Power Grid Reliability, Study Says 0617

As Solar Pushes Electricity Prices Negative, 3 Solutions for California’s Power Grid 0617

When Wind Is the Firmest Thing on the Grid 0617

Pruitt Says Coal Losses Make the Grid Vulnerable.  They Really Don't 0617

Solar Power Breaks UK Records, Thanks to Sunny Weather 0517

How California Is Dealing with Below-Zero Power Market Prices 0517

Renewable Energy Groups Push Back against Rick Perry's Controversial Grid Study 0517

UK Breaks Solar Energy Record - Demand Higher at Night than Afternoon 0317

Charging Electric Cars the Smart Way Will Take Pressure Off the Grid 0317

Utility World's Hourly Pricing Turned Upside Down by Renewables 0217

Residential Storage Can Undercut Benefits of Rooftop Solar 0217

Big Indiana Utilities Try to Tilt Solar Energy Market in Their Favor 0217 - axe net metering

China’s Embrace of HVDC Electricity Transmission Holds Lessons for Others 0117

Can New Tariff Models Help Massachusetts Solve Rooftop Solar Compensation Puzzle? 1216

Clinton Makes Pitch for ‘Modern Grid' 0816

Apple Can Sell Power, as Tech Giants Boost Energy Investments 0816

Why Home Solar Panels No Longer Pay in Some States 0716

Lessons along the Path to 100% Clean Energy 0716 - 100% green energy in Portugal & Germany at some times, but what about the other hours?  Storage, fossil fuel power?

As Solar Power Floods California Grid, Challenges Loom 0716

Chile Has So Much Solar Energy, It’s Giving It Away for Free 0616 - overbuilt in north (Atacama) when copper export prices tank, no transmission yet to central Chile, whre most people live.

DOE Program Aims for 100% Solar Penetration on the Distribution System 0516

DOE Says Solar Growth Demands a Different Kind of Grid 0516 - More storage (including EVs), smart inverters, etc.  Curtailment when the sun or wind is strong may still be needed.

Solar Power Sets New British Record by Beating Coal for a Day 0416

New Renewable Energy Projects Find Opportunity in Old Transmission Lines 0416

Texas Poised to Integrate More Wind, Solar Energy 0316 - revised ancillary service markets

Are Residential Demand Charges the Best Rate Reform for DERs? 0316

By Fighting Rooftop Solar, Utilities Set Themselves Up for Worse to Come 0216

California Solar Owners Face New Fees, Utilities Say Costs Should Be Higher 0116

Home Solar Battery Revolution an Economic and Emissions Game Changer 1215

New Fees Seen to Weaken Demand For Rooftop Solar 1115

China's Economic Shift to Aid Climate Fight but Packs a Commodity Punch 1015 - transmission limits

Even after Dark, Vast Spanish Solar Plant Harnesses Sun's Power 1015

‘Solar on the Rooftop Is Going to Be the Baseload’ - National Grid CEO 0915

Pilbara Airport (NW Australia) Solar Farm to Trial ‘Cloud Predictive Technology' 0915

In Hawaii, Rooftop Solar Panels Threaten ‘Utility Death Spiral’ 0815

Sales from Rooftop Solar Panels - Net-Metering vs Wholesale Rates 0515

Renewable Energy Surge Revives Europe's Power Trade 0415

The Way We Power Our Homes May Be on the Verge of a Major Change  0415

Hawaii Utility Commits to Top US % for Rooftop Solar.   Can Grid Handle It? 0415

3 Reasons Solar and Wind Energy Will Take Over the Grid Soon 0415

PJM, Largest US RTO, Is Well-Prepared to Lower Carbon Pollution without Reliability Problems 0315

Rise in Solar Systems Is Game-Changer for Electric Utilities 0315

Utilities Wage Campaign Against Rooftop Solar 0315

9 Reasons Not to Be Depressed about the Planet 0115

Solar Electric Cars - When Your Gas Station is the Sun 1014

Why Utilities Can Now Rely on Solar PV 1014

$500-a-Day Service Charge Designed to Kill Solar 0814

Why Australian Households Are Desperate for Battery Storage 0714 - see diagram at right

How Rooftop Solar and Big Utilities Can Co-Exist 1013

In Sunny Arizona, a Battle Over Solar Power 1013

Cell Phone-Enabled Mini Solar Panel for 1.5 Billion Living Off the Grid 1013

With Rooftop Solar on Rise, US Utilities Strike Back 0913

Solar Suburbia to Power Modern Cities? 0813

Could Rooftop Solar Kill Utilities?  California Grapples with Solar’s Success 0513

Wind Energy Bottlenecks 1008