Focus

Western day-ahead market could save $1.2B a year, boost renewables output 1,800+ GWh: CAISO report

Utility Dive – November 23

A day-ahead market across the western U.S. could save the region up to $1.2 billion a year from operational and capacity efficiencies while increasing renewable energy output by more than 1,800 GWh, according to a study conducted for the California Independent System Operator (CAISO). The market would produce 78% of the savings of a Western regional transmission organization, partly by removing transmission wheeling costs, expanding reserve sharing, and opening up areas for increased electricity transfers for market optimization, based on the report.

News

White House announces $13B in grid resilience funds

The Hill – November 18

The Biden administration on November 18 announced $13 billion in funds to modernize the U.S. power grid using allocations from the bipartisan infrastructure law. The funds will include $10.5 billion in competitive grants and another $2.5 billion through the Transmission Facilitation Program; they represent the biggest federal investment in transmission and distribution in U.S. history, White House senior adviser and infrastructure coordinator Mitch Landrieu said.

Corporate solar installations comprise 14% of U.S. solar market

Solar Industry Magazine – November 29

Corporations are installing record-levels of solar to power their operations and now account for 14% of all installed solar capacity in the United States, according to a new Solar Energy Industries Association report. Through June 2022, U.S. businesses have installed nearly 19 GW of on-site and off-site solar capacity, which is double the 9.4 GW installed through 2019. This recent growth is due to the rapid expansion of off-site corporate solar procurement, which now represents 55% of all commercial solar use.

Hydrogen plans advance at gas utilities as industry gets policy signals

S&P Global – November 22

A pair of federal hydrogen initiatives are giving natural gas utility executives renewed confidence in their ability to deploy the low-carbon fuel in distribution systems. Hydrogen commentary was fairly muted throughout previous earnings reporting periods, but the chatter picked up during the most recent round of quarterly earnings calls, which wrapped on November 18. The catalysts were clear. In August, U.S. lawmakers included a low-carbon hydrogen production tax credit in the Inflation Reduction Act. Additionally, the U.S. Energy Department advanced a plan to invest $8 billion to develop several regional hydrogen hubs.

Projects

City Council to study installing solar panels over L.A. Aqueduct

KCRW – November 28

Last week, the Los Angeles City Council voted to study placing solar panels over the Los Angeles Aqueduct, hundreds of miles of canals extending from Owens Valley to Los Angeles, supplying water for millions of people. The project would prevent evaporation amidst the state’s historic drought and create renewable energy as the state attempts to meet lofty decarbonization goals. Researchers at UC Merced found that placing solar panels over the state’s canals could generate 13 GW of renewable power. That’s about half of the capacity needed by 2030 to meet the state’s decarbonization goals.

National Grid Renewables completes 275 MW solar + storage project in Texas

Solar Power World – November 29

National Grid Renewables has started commercial operation at its Noble Solar and Storage Project in Denton County, Texas. Noble is a 275 MW solar and 125 MWh energy storage project located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas market, which began construction last year.

Solar projects progress in Washington

Capital Press – November 22

A Washington state panel has fast-tracked the side-by-side High Top and Ostrea solar projects over the objection of Yakima County commissioners. The Energy Facility Site Evaluation Council ruled on November 15 that the twin solar projects qualify for a quicker approval process, partly because they are consistent with the county's land-use laws. County commissioners in October passed a six-month moratorium on new solar projects to give the county time to write regulations for siting large solar facilities.