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At the start of 2023, and EUCG’s 50th year, we announced the addition of the Battery Energy Storage Systems Working Group (BESS). The formation of the group was in response to the industry’s growing need for sustainable and efficient energy storage solutions, and our goal to assist member companies in using this critical technology to enable renewable energy generation further. Our working group looks to maximize the safety, efficiency, reliability, and value of utility-scale BESS technology through O&M best practices and benchmarking performance measures. Since the formation of the group, they’ve held half-day sessions at our 2023 Spring and 2023 Fall workshops. The response to the group has been more enthusiastic than we could’ve ever imagined! The energy from our membership, and potential members, led us to extend our upcoming workshop schedule on Wednesday, April 17th to give the Battery Energy Storage Systems Working Group a full day of programming.   Wednesday, April 17th, will be packed full of presentations and round-table discussions from member companies: Duke Energy, Arizona Power Service (APS), Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Southern California Edison (SCE), CenterPoint Energy, Consumers Energy, and more! Topics include: Site Development and Construction Lessons Learned, BESS Responsibility T&D vs Gen, Battery Capabilities and Application, Energy Storage Safety, Configuration of Control Systems, Software for Monitoring BESS, Battery Chemistry and Technologies, and a review of the database the working group is building for member companies! If you would like information about the Battery Energy Storage Systems Working Group (BESS), click here: https://lnkd.in/e5s_c-AK If you would like to join us at the 2024 Spring Workshop in St. Petersburg, Florida, from April 14th – April 17th, you can find information here: https://lnkd.in/eUtpW_Fq We look forward to seeing our members, and hope to see others who are interested in the potential and growing importance of BESS in the energy sector! #utilities #energy #energyindustry #energytransition #batteryenergystorage #bess #energystorage #renewableenergy

Exciting News in the world of #distribution and #utilities! Get your share of $11.2 Million to pilot our newest solutions. Interconnection Management Platform- OASIS I- Interconnection We’re thrilled to introduce the OASIS I-Interconnection Platform, our cutting-edge solution designed to streamline and enhance every step of the interconnection process. Our platform offers: 🔹 Queue Management – Efficiently track and prioritize projects. 🔹 Project Management – Seamlessly oversee project progress and milestones. 🔹 Stakeholder Engagement – Foster effective communication and collaboration. 🔹 Vendor Portal – Simplify interactions with vendors for smoother operations. Ready to transform your interconnection management? Learn more about how OASIS I can optimize your processes and drive efficiency contact us today: contactus@oasisenergypartners.com #Innovation #TechSolutions #UtilityManagement #ProjectManagement #StakeholderEngagement

📰 Big news: We're proud to share our successful participation in last week's demand response events in California, supporting the state's grid while helping our battery energy storage customers earn revenue through the state's Demand Side Generation Program (DSGS). PowerFlex was instrumental in developing Option 3, a DSGS incentive level that allows enrolled owners of energy storage assets to receive compensation for exporting energy to the grid during times of high demand. Through our aggregation of participating battery energy storage systems, PowerFlex is able to provide more than 3 MW of electricity to the California grid (and that number is continuing to climb). Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eXXsw6Pp

Attention distribution utilities! The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) just launched an $11.2 million program to pilot innovative solutions for managing renewable energy interconnection and electric vehicle charging equipment energization queues. Applications are due on October 16 for the Innovative Queue Management Solutions (iQMS) for Clean Energy Interconnection and Energization program, run by the DOE Innovation Interconnection e-Xchange (i2X) and Joint Office of Energy and Transportation. Join to learn more: ➡ Info webinar on August 29 from 3–4 p.m. ET: https://bit.ly/3Al7jxg ➡ Office hours on September 19 from 3–4 p.m. ET: https://bit.ly/3ApSb1D This program is managed by ENERGYWERX in partnership with DOE, a collaboration made possible through an innovative Partnership Intermediary Agreement set up by the DOE Office of Technology Transitions. This agreement enables ENERGYWERX to broaden DOE’s engagement with innovative organizations and non-traditional partners, facilitating the rapid development, scaling, and deployment of clean energy solutions.

It's really exciting to see the DOE taking this new approach to funding innovation in the utility/grid space. Instead of the DOE decided what technologies to fund via a grant review process, these voucher programs effectively enable the utilities themselves to say "we want solution X to get funding" and subsequently expand their budget to fund solution X. From a technology provider perspective, these vouchers also enable off-budget-cycle sales to happen, which can be extremely valuable while rapidly developing new technology that has faster than 1 year release cycles.

Don't miss two upcoming webinars that explore free resources that can help with your adoption of clean energy technologies. These webinars are the final installments of the EMPOWERED Solutions webinar series. ⚡️March 7 at 11 am CST: “Empowering Communities: Essential Training on Solar, Storage, Electric Vehicles, and Electrification.” National clean energy experts will guide you through free clean energy training and resources focused on safety and best practices. Register here: https://lnkd.in/grT5bYKP. ⚡️March 26 at 1 pm CST: “Streamlined Permitting & Inspections: Solar, Storage, EV Charging Lessons Learned.” Take a deep dive into New Buildings Institute (NBI)’s work with new tools for clean energy permitting and inspection, highlighting resources and case studies. Register here: https://lnkd.in/gbBTAzgM Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC)

🔌 Curious about the top players in the energy sector? Check out our latest blog on the Top 10 Electric Utility Companies in the USA as of 2024! 🌟 Discover who's leading the charge in power and innovation. https://lnkd.in/dcKBc8P8 #Energy #ElectricUtilities #Top10 #USA #BlogPost

I'm pleased to share that the California Public Utilities Commission recently issued a significant decision allowing renewable energy systems to be approved to interconnect to the electric grid using an energy export schedule that is designed to avoid grid impacts. This approach, which leverages California’s public grid data, can reduce the need for costly infrastructure upgrades and support higher levels of renewables on the grid. The decision is the first of its kind in the U.S. and is a major milestone in enabling distributed energy resources (DERs), like solar PV and energy storage, to operate in flexible ways that align with conditions on the grid. The decision was significantly shaped by recommendations from Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), which has been actively engaged for over a decade in reforming California's interconnection policies to enable more efficient clean energy development while maintaining grid safety and reliability. Read the press release at https://bit.ly/4a5HJsY, and take a more in-depth look on our blog post at https://bit.ly/3TMNUwg!

Modernizing the U.S. electric grid is key for driving clean energy adoption, but the current permitting process is holding the industry back from our ability to maximize the benefits of clean energy. ACP board members Sandhya Ganapathy, CEO of EDP Renewables North America and Susan Nickey, Chief Client Officer of HASI detail steps for modernizing America’s electrical grid in a POWER magazine op-ed: https://bit.ly/4ayDZA3 

This is a major change to the way interconnection has been done for millions of years! We still have a way to go to actual implementation (which would likely start earliest in about one year), but this has the possibility of adding many more kWh from DER compared to current practice. Export limitation reflected in the interconnection rules is step one, this is step two. Stay tuned for step three (and let me know what you think it should look like). Note, these steps are advancing with the help of UL 3141 certified power control systems, aka energy management. For those of you working on load issues, consider how something similar may be done with energy management of load (which is already considered in the NEC).