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There’s nothing stopping us from mowing the lawn with a weed whacker, hammering in nails with a wrench, or eating soup with a fork. But we generally don’t, because we know that using the right tool is a big part of getting the job done. When it comes to clean energy development, we’ve got an enormous task at hand. By 2030, the U.S. is looking to add 110 gigawatts of wind energy capacity atop today’s 150 GW, and it’s e....
The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that by 2050, renewables will account for 27 percent of primary energy consumption, thanks to new technologies that will make renewable energy more cost-effective. According to The American Clean Power Association, nearly 16 percent of all electricity produced in the United States originated from wind, solar, and energy storage plants; in 2025, solar power generation will grow 75 percent, ....
Cyberattackers love renewables. This is because they meet many of the key characteristics that make them prime targets. First, renewables pioneer and employ new technology. Threat actors feed off new technology because it allows them to target vulnerabilities that have not yet been discovered. Second, renewable operations are spread out over large distances, often in remote locations. This drives a dependency on renewables for remote connectivity....
Community solar brings clean energy to all people. It enables anyone to support and benefit from solar, even if they can’t or don’t want to install rooftop panels. The democratizing potential of community solar uniquely enables energy equity in, while also driving towards, a renewable energy future. But in many states, the community solar customer experience includes unnecessary complications. These pitfalls hinder access for the low- and ....
Wind
B.D. Erickson
Energy Storage
Accure Battery Intelligence
Energy Storage
Colin Gault
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X) program released a draft roadmap to improve processes for interconnecting clean energy resources to the distribution and sub-transmission grids and seeks feedback from the public. The draft roadmap identifies strategies that the interconnection community can take within the next five years and beyond, which can lead to more reliable and resilience electric infrastructure for all Americans.
“Connecting more distributed energy resources will improve grid reliability and lower energy costs in communities across America,” said Jeff Marootian, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. “Solutions in this roadmap can help all states or regions—regardless of their current deployment levels—speed up interconnection and benefit from clean energy.”
Interconnection is a barrier to the growing deployment of distributed energy resources (DERs), such as distributed solar photovoltaics (PV), wind, electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment, and battery energy storage that produce and supply electricity on a small scale. From 2010 to 2023, the number of residential rooftop PV systems grew from 89,000 to 4.7 million. As the number of requests to interconnect DERs to the electric grid continues to rapidly increase, current processes can’t keep up. Increasing queue times to interconnect clean energy projects can delay the deployment of new resources and jeopardize state and local government renewable generation and EV charging infrastructure goals.
The draft Distributed Energy Resource Interconnection Roadmap provides stakeholders with a set of 37 solutions organized around increasing data access, transparency, and security for interconnection; improving interconnection process and timeline; promoting economic efficiency in interconnection; and maintaining a reliable, resilient, and secure grid. The document is a complement to the Transmission Interconnection Roadmap released earlier this year, which identifies near- to long-term solutions to address current challenges in transmission system interconnection.
DOE released a request for information (RFI) to solicit input from interconnection stakeholders on the challenges and solutions outlined in the roadmap. Grid operators, utilities, state and local governments, Tribal governments and Tribal utilities, clean energy developers, energy justice organizations, nonprofits, trade associations, and other stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback. Responses are due by October 7 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
i2X launched in June 2022 with funding from the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to enable simpler, faster, and fairer interconnection of clean energy resources while enhancing the reliability, resilience, and security of the electric grid. To develop this roadmap, DOE convened more than 2,000 stakeholders in a series of 22 virtual public meetings that covered key issues, including cost allocation, queue management, data transparency, equity and energy justice, workforce, grid engineering practices, and EV charging.
DOE i2X and the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation recently announced the Innovative Queue Management Solutions (iQMS) for Clean Energy Interconnection and Energization program. This program will award $11.2 million to no more than 25 distribution utilities to pilot innovative solutions for managing renewable energy and EV charging interconnection and energization queues. Many distribution utilities lack the tools and internal capabilities to manage the large volume of interconnection requests for mid-scale clean energy and flexible demand projects, like EV charging, without delays or high costs. Distribution utilities can apply for funding through the iQMS program by October 16 at 3 p.m. ET.
U.S. Department of Energy | www.doe.gov
In support of the Biden-Harris administration’s goals for deploying 30 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030 and 15 GW of floating offshore wind energy capacity by 2035, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced the availability of its final Environmental Assessment (EA) of the Wind Energy Area (WEA) located in the U.S. Gulf of Maine.
The final EA evaluated the potential issuance of commercial wind energy leases off the coasts of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. It considered the potential environmental impacts associated with activities such as conducting surveys and installing meteorological buoys, but not the installation of offshore turbines, which would be assessed in a separate environmental review if a leaseholder submits a project proposal. BOEM found that leasing and site assessment and characterization activities will not have a significant impact on the environment.
"BOEM is actively assessing proposed offshore wind activities in the Gulf of Maine by collaborating with Tribes, state and federal agencies, ocean users, local communities, and other stakeholders," said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. "We are committed to ensuring that future offshore wind development proceeds in a manner that reduces potential impacts on other ocean activities and the surrounding ecosystem."
On April 30, 2024, the Department of the Interior announced a proposed offshore wind energy lease sale in the Gulf of Maine, which would include eight potential leasing areas within the WEA offshore Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The eight areas total nearly one million acres and have the potential to generate approximately 15 GW of clean, renewable energy and power more than five million homes. On March 15, 2024, the Department announced that BOEM would prepare an EA on potential impacts from offshore wind energy leasing in the Gulf of Maine.
BOEM held an open comment period on the draft EA between June 21 and July 22, 2024, to receive and consider input from the public, including local communities, Tribes, and diverse ocean users. Comments submitted can be viewed on www.regulations.gov, docket BOEM-2024-0030.
For more information, see: https://www.boem.gov/renewable-energy/state-activities/maine/gulf-maine.
BOEM | https://www.boem.gov/
DNV, the independent energy expert and assurance provider, announced the completion of six comprehensive solar project financing due diligence projects in the United States totalling 1,195 MW. These projects mark the first time, SolarFarmer, DNV's proprietary solar PV design and assessment software that provides customers with the speed and precision essential for the fast-paced development of solar energy, has been used in the region.
SolarFarmer is currently the only product on the market capable of keeping pace with the anticipated 22-fold growth in solar project installations by 2050, as projected in DNV’s 2023 Energy Transition Outlook. Crucially, SolarFarmer offers a scalable solution compared to competing products, addressing the need for a reliable platform that can manage increased throughput while delivering precise data, particularly for developers and financiers.
“SolarFarmer is a crucial accelerant for the solar industry,” said Richard S. Barnes, region president for Energy Systems North America at DNV. “The rapid scaling of solar in the U.S., spurred in part by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), means that lenders and project developers need to act with speed and accuracy to move projects forward. SolarFarmer is the only tool that can be utilized in all project development stages, reducing surprises and decreasing risk.”
SolarFarmer is designed to meet today’s project challenges, with a highly scalable API, that evaluates energy yields and enables users to quickly and accurately select project sites and design solar PV projects. Its robust and finance-ready results enable solar developers to make faster decisions and decrease overall levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for their projects. The evolution of this tool reflects DNV’s overall digitalization strategy which, along with Solar Resource Compass and Solcast, aims to rapidly equip financiers and renewable project developers with the most accurate information when designing, financing, and operating their projects.
As the pace of solar project installation growth increases, projects will inevitably be developed on sites with greater terrain complexity, The reality is that alternative products available today cannot provide the scalability needed to keep up with this growth. Only SolarFarmer can account for these terrain complexities and provide fast and accurate analysis for financial transactions.
DNV’s recent validation, showing only a 0.4% discrepancy between SolarFarmer’s projections and actual generation, coupled with a 30% reduction in data spread compared to previous methods, underscores the platform’s reliability. This confidence has led DNV to adopt SolarFarmer for all future solar financing due diligence engagements. With DNV having facilitated over $10 billion in transactions and supported 800+ GW of energy projects across North America in the last year alone, SolarFarmer is set to play a critical role in delivering faster, more accurate analyses for the next generation of solar financing projects.
DNV | https://www.dnv.com/
Maryland Energy Administration Director Paul G. Pinsky issued the following statement on the Department of the Interior’s issuance of a Record of Decision on the Final Environmental Impact Statement for two offshore wind development projects along the coast of Maryland and Delaware.
“The approval of US Wind’s Final Environmental Impact Statement for the MarWin and Momentum Wind projects is an important step forward in the effort to bring clean, renewable energy production to Maryland’s coast. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is seeking to avoid and minimize possible detrimental impacts from offshore wind energy development. Today’s announcement underscores the careful, comprehensive and collaborative environmental analysis that has gone into these projects. This speaks to the shared commitment between BOEM and the State of Maryland, which together recently entered into an Memorandum of Understanding on offshore wind energy development. These projects have the potential to bring sustainable power to more than 700,000 homes and create thousands of new jobs, moving the state decisively in the direction of Governor Moore's goals for both clean energy and economic advancement. As we applaud this milestone, we look forward to future successes.”
Maryland Energy Administration | https://energy.maryland.gov/Pages/default.aspx
The American Clean Power Association (ACP) and RENEW Northeast released the following statements from Anne Reynolds, ACP Vice President for Offshore Wind and Francis Pullaro, President of RENEW Northeast after Massachusetts and Rhode Island announced 3 offshore wind project contract awards totaling 2,878 megawatts (MW) of new offshore wind capacity.
Massachusetts has chosen to contract for 1,087 MW out of the 1,287 MW available from the SouthCoast Wind multistate project, the full 791 MW from the New England Wind 1 project, and up to 800 MW from the 1,200 MW Vineyard Wind 2 project. Rhode Island has chosen to procure the remaining 200 MW from SouthCoast Wind’s multi-state project.
“The offshore wind solicitation awards by Massachusetts and Rhode Island demonstrate the New England states’ strong commitment to this new, clean source of electricity, and mark the first time that states have worked together on awarding offshore wind power contracts,” said ACP’s Anne Reynolds.
“The renewable energy that will flow from today’s announcement will grow New England’s green economy and keep the region on track to meet its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” said RENEW’s Francis Pullaro.
Reynolds added, “We commend Governors Healey and McKee and their teams for recognizing that surging electricity demand requires investment in offshore wind power to ensure grid reliability and energy independence. These projects will continue to revitalize New England ports like New Bedford, Salem and the Port of Providence. They will also stimulate job creation in construction, maritime trades, and manufacturing, all while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving air quality.”
American Clean Power Association | cleanpower.org
RENEW Northeast | www.renewne.org
Solis USA (Ginlong Technologies), a global leader in solar inverter technology, recently announced the recent UL9540 listing of the S6 Hybrid Energy Storage Inverter (3.8-11.4kW) with a new battery partner, HomeGrid. UL 9540 is a safety standard for energy storage systems (ESS) and equipment that can be connected to a local utility grid or used as a standalone application. UL 9540 also specifies size and installation requirements for the design and construction of ESS. It defines electrical, mechanical, fluid containment, and environmental performance tests, as well as system safety tests.
“Solis’ technology and quality enables us to meet standards and the requirements of battery suppliers. This continues to grow our open ecosystem for customers, allowing for the freedom to select their ideal solution for resiliency while leveraging a high-quality hybrid inverter to build their ideal solution.” said James Qiao, General Manager of Solis USA.
HomeGrid Powers Innovation in Energy Storage. HomeGrid has created the new HV Stack'd Series battery to work seamlessly with Solis' high voltage inverters. It is a solution engineered for high energy storage capacity and robust continuous output. When integrated with the Solis 11.4kW Inverter, it optimizes solar generation with battery support to ensure dependable power is always available when needed. The HV Stack’d battery is designed so that customers can easily add storage to their system at any time, making it adaptable for future growth of both residential and commercial energy needs.
Solis is currently also UL9540 listed with varying battery models from leading companies like Pytes, LG, Soluna, Pylontech, Fortress Power, Dyness, BYD, and Goldenmate. Check out the entire turnkey solution on display at RE+, September 9-12, 2024 in booth #B47008.
Ginlong (Solis) Technologies | www.solisinverters.com
HomeGrid | www.homegridenergy.com
Oceantic Network celebrates the conclusion of the latest offshore wind procurement round in New England. Massachusetts and Rhode Island awarded contracts to Oceantic Network member companies Avangrid, Ocean Winds, and Vineyard Offshore, resulting in the largest offshore wind procurement in New England history. Three projects received contracts from the state: New England Wind 1 (Avangrid), SouthCoast Wind (Ocean Winds), and Vineyard Wind 2.
Collectively, these projects will deliver 2,878 MW of clean energy to Massachusetts and Rhode Island, enough to power over 1.5 million homes. Massachusetts will receive 1,087 MW from SouthCoast Wind, 800 MW from Vineyard Wind 2, and 791 MW from New England Wind 1, while Rhode Island will receive 200 MW from SouthCoast Wind. During the projects’ construction periods, they’ll use purpose-built American vessels, manufacturing facilities, and deep-water ports that have undergone massive redevelopment to support the offshore wind industry, including New Bedford and Salem, Massachusetts as well as ProvPort in Rhode Island. The construction activity will also drive further investment in the regional supply chain, with Avangrid committed to establishing a new facility in New Bedford that will produce cranes used in offshore installation.
The following statement can be attributed to Liz Burdock, president and CEO at Oceantic Network:
“Today’s results demonstrate the success, efficacy and value of a regional offshore wind solicitation to achieve state clean energy goals and regional economic targets. Massachusetts and Rhode Island have increased the total capacity under contract in the U.S. market by over 20%, to more than 15 GW of offshore wind energy. These three new projects will drive the industry well into the next decade, delivering jobs, investment and economic activity to further develop a robust Northeast supply chain in shipbuilding, manufacturing, and maritime industries. The results are clear: a regional offshore wind solicitation model can deliver a blend of regional and state-level benefits while securing a long term, reliable source of clean energy.”
Additional Information:
Oceanitc Network | https://oceantic.org/
Wind Sep 15, 2023
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The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) predicts that by 2050, renewables will account for 27 percent of primary energy consumption, thanks to new technologies that will make renewable energy more cost-effective. According to The American Cl....
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