Focus
Renewable electricity powered California just shy of 100% for the first time in history
USA Today – May 3
Renewable electricity met nearly 100% of California's demand for the first time on Saturday, officials said, much of it from large amounts of solar power produced along Interstate 10, an hour east of the Coachella Valley. While partygoers celebrated in the blazing sunshine at the Stagecoach music festival, "at 2:50 pm, we reached 99.87% of load served by all renewables, which broke the previous record," said Anna Gonzales, spokeswoman for California Independent System Operator. Solar power provided two-thirds of the amount needed.
|
News
U.S. government ramps up battery supply chain support with $3.1B funding opportunity
Energy Storage News – May 3
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has formally launched a $3.16 billion grant funding opportunity for the U.S. domestic battery supply chain. The Biden administration wants to domesticate more of the global battery supply chain and make EVs account for half of vehicle sales by 2030. EVs were only 8% of sales last year, according to Reuters, while the nation's percentage share of the lithium-ion battery manufacturing market is in the single digits.
DOE advances $2.3B grid resilience funding program for states, tribes
Utility Dive – April 28
The DOE is seeking comments on its plan to give states, Native American tribes, and U.S. territories $459 million a year over five years to bolster grid resilience in the face of rising numbers of power outages driven by extreme weather. The funding can be used on a range of projects, including hardening the grid, building distributed energy resources, and setting up microgrids. Proposed annual allocations for states range from $33 million for California to $1.5 million for Delaware and the District of Columbia.
Possible extension for California's last nuclear plant draws cheers from supporters, jeers from opponents
The San Diego Union-Tribune – May 2
Governor Gavin Newsom delivered a potential jolt to the state's electric grid late last week when he called for possibly extending the life of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, the last remaining nuclear power generation facility in California. On Monday, the California Independent System Operator cited "uncertainties" caused by climate change and "emerging barriers" as factors keeping the state from bringing clean energy resources online. The grid operator said load forecasts by state agencies anticipated a shortage of about 1,500 to 2,000 MW between now and 2026.
|
Projects
Big U.S. energy transmission projects inch closer to approval
Associated Press – April 28
The federal government has finished another environmental review of a proposed transmission line that will carry wind-generated electricity from rural New Mexico to big cities in the West and similar reviews are planned for two more projects that would span parts of Utah and Nevada, the U.S. Interior Department announced last Thursday. The SunZia transmission project in New Mexico has been more than a decade in the making. After an initial review over several years, the Bureau of Land Management authorized a right-of-way grant on federal lands.
BLM leases parcels for geothermal development in Utah
Renewables Now – April 28
The U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announced on Wednesday that it has leased eight parcels in Utah in a competitive geothermal lease sale. The sale aligns with BLM's aim to permit 25 GW of solar, wind, and geothermal generation on public lands by 2025.
Two areas off Oregon Coast targeted for offshore wind development
OPB – April 27
The U.S. Department of the Interior announced on Wednesday that it is considering two areas off the Oregon Coast for offshore wind energy production. The agency has identified locations offshore at Coos Bay and Brookings that could potentially host wind farms, marking the first big regulatory step toward bringing an offshore wind project to Oregon.
|