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IEEFA U.S.: 5 ways utilities are driving the rapid expansion of solar-plus-storage

IEEFA U.S.: 5 ways utilities are driving the rapid...

Technology gains pose a major threat to baseload power providers The utility industry, broadly speaking, has a checkered history on renewable energy development, often having fought state renewable energy portfolio standards, curtailed residential net energy metering for solar and brought into question the reliability of wind and solar. But a new dynamic is at play now, especially around solar-plus-storage projects. Here,...
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How A Solar Power System Works

How A Solar Power System Works

When looking for better ways to power your home it’s normal to consider solar power and wonder how does a solar power system work. I know that I had a lot of questions about these systems and wanted to make sure that if I chose one for my home and family that I was making a good choice. By doing plenty of research and learning as much as I could, I was able to figure out that these systems are a great option for a lot of...
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Energy storage set to enter the big time in 2019, analysts say

Energy storage set to enter the big time in 2019, ...

By most measures, 2018 was a long-anticipated breakout year for batteries, with record volumes of investment flowing into research, product development and manufacturing as prices plummeted, governments established new policies supporting energy storage and mass markets emerged for electric vehicles and electrochemical energy storage. That progress, though uneven across U.S. and international markets, sets the stage for a...
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New Zero-Energy Homes Almost to Cost Parity

New Zero-Energy Homes Almost to Cost Parity

A new report from the Rocky Mountain Institute finds cost parity is nearly a reality in some locations in the U.S. If you had a choice between building new homes that meet basic standards and building comfortable, healthy homes that dramatically cut energy bills, which would you prefer? How about if the low-energy homes cost the same (or nearly the same) as a standard home to build? If the cost is relatively equal, shouldn’t...
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Pitt Ohio’s new Parma facility boasts innova...

PARMA, Ohio — Construction continues on Pitt Ohio’s new 100,000-square-foot Chevrolet Boulevard trucking terminal, with recently added structures turning heads for their futuristic design. It turns out that the vertical wind turbines are part of the Pittsburgh-based trucking company’s $3.3 million investment to build the facility’s microgrid, which will also include solar panels, in an effort to make...
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Storage the ‘tipping point’ for renewable energy

Storage the ‘tipping point’ for renewable energy...

S&P Global Market Intelligence ($): The emergence of lithium-ion batteries and other new energy storage technologies represents a “third tipping point” for wind and solar energy that is needed to transform renewables into the world’s largest source of power, a veteran energy venture investor and technology entrepreneur said. “Storage is really everything. It will change everything if we dramatically ramp up the amount of...
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Decentralized micro-grids could be the next big thing for renewable energy

Decentralized micro-grids could be the next big th...

A new report concludes that microgrid technologies could make a local “techno-economy” 90 percent self-sufficient, paving the way for a truly renewable society. When it comes to renewable energy, it’s not just about getting the energy — distribution and storage are also major issues. Renewable energy tends to be abundant during some parts of the day (for instance, when it’s sunny or windy), and lacking during other parts....
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Renewables on the Rise: Ohio Increases Solar Capacity by 2,600% in 10 Years

Renewables on the Rise: Ohio Increases Solar Capac...

Yes, 2,600% We did a double take too! Columbus, Ohio – As the Trump Administration puts efforts into weakening the Clean Power Plan, renewable energy is still increasing in Ohio. According to a ​new report​ by Environment Ohio Research & Policy Center, Ohio went from producing 1 Gigawatt hour of solar energy and 15 GWh of wind energy in 2008, to now producing 260 GWh of solar energy and 1,563 GWh of wind energy....
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Tesla deploys first 100 Powerwalls with solar for new virtual power plant in Australia – already having an impact

Tesla deploys first 100 Powerwalls with solar for ...

Earlier this year, Tesla announced that it reached a deal with the South Australian government to install solar arrays and Powerwalls on up to 50,000 homes to create the biggest virtual power plant in the world. The deal was jeopardized after a new government was elected in the state a few weeks later, but they have since come around and confirmed that they will be moving forward with Tesla’s initiative as long as it gets...
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BP Invests $20M in Tech to Charge EVs in 5 Minutes

BP Invests $20M in Tech to Charge EVs in 5 Minutes

“We are committed to be the fuel provider of choice—no matter what car our customers drive.” BP announced Tuesday it plans to invest $20 million in StoreDot, an Israeli startup that claims to offer 5-minute electric-vehicle charging with a new generation of lithium-ion batteries. “Ultra-fast charging is at the heart of BP’s electrification strategy,” said Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of BP downstream, in a...
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Battery Firm Sonnen Gets Big Cash Infusion From Shell

Battery Firm Sonnen Gets Big Cash Infusion From Sh...

FRANKFURT—German solar battery maker sonnen has secured 60 million euros ($71 million) in funds from Shell Ventures and existing shareholders to expand at home and abroad. Shell Ventures, a unit of the Anglo-Dutch oil major that has been boosting its investments in solar and other renewables, was a lead investor in the latest funding round, sonnen Chief executive Christoph Ostermann told Reuters. “With this money, we can get...
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Lockheed says ‘flow’ battery will boost use of renewable power

Lockheed says ‘flow’ battery will boos...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Lockheed Martin Corp hopes to launch a new “flow” battery made of inexpensive, nontoxic materials that can help utilities save money and use more renewable energy, company officials said on Monday. Lockheed Martin’s logo is seen during Japan Aerospace 2016 air show in Tokyo, Japan, October 12, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon “You open up a chance not only to make renewables more marketable and...
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The Time Has Come for Battery Net Metering

The Time Has Come for Battery Net Metering

 A proposal in California would reward solar customers who use batteries to export to the grid at night. Both industry and utilities like the idea. Net metering for stored solar power could open up new market interest in battery-paired systems. Net metering compensates solar customers for the power they contribute to the grid — but if they route the electrons through a battery, they’re out of luck. Utilities understandably...
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Space weather threatens high-tech life

Space weather threatens high-tech life

Shortly after 4 a.m. on a crisp, cloudless September morning in 1859, the sky above what is currently Colorado erupted in bright red and green colors. Fooled by the brightness into thinking it was an early dawn, gold-rush miners in the mountainous region of what was then called the Kansas Territory woke up and started making breakfast. What happened in more developed regions was even more disorienting, and carries a warning...
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The Battery Will Kill Fossil Fuels—It’s Only a Matter of Time

The Battery Will Kill Fossil Fuels—It’s Only...

Three weeks ago, a U.S. agency sent the clearest signal yet that fossil fuels’ days are numbered. True enough, the carbon-burning economy has been declared to be on its death bed umpteenth times before. But this came with a time frame related to the ultimate killer: the battery. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ruled that so-called energy-storage companies such as Tesla Inc. and AES Corp. can compete against...
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