Recurve’s Post

With growing loads and lack of available energy supply, often referred to as the energy gauntlet, Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) will play an increasing role of balancing system capacity. In an insightful article for Latitude Media, Jigar Shah, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s LPO director lays out a blueprint for how VPPs can help the grid handle massive load growth. "VPPs should just be an “energy efficiency play,” preventing loads from pulling from the grid during peak times, rather than a two-way asset." The flexibility delivered by battery energy storage systems (BESS) and load management systems tied to VPPs will offer prosumer benefits both in terms of cost management and emission reductions. Now is the time for C&I customers to embrace this energy transition as a way to not only provide valuable grid services, but also monetize their energy assets. #VPP #electrification #decarbonization

The future of our power grids lie in the hands of innovative solutions like virtual power plants (#VPPs). Amidst massive load growth on utilities, VPPs offer a pathway to leverage distributed assets for greater efficiency, reduced infrastructure needs, and a revitalized #solar industry. Jigar Shah, of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), recently shared that simplifying VPPs to a one-way power flow can quickly scale their implementation, making the most of our existing #grid and preparing us for a cleaner energy future. At Sunnova Energy, we are leading the charge in VPP innovation. Our expanded network across California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, and Texas is transforming how we manage energy. By enabling rapid access to stored battery power during peak demand and sending excess back to the grid when possible, we reduce strain and minimize blackouts. Our VPPs offer increased reliability, reduced emissions, and lower costs, supporting both the grid and our customers. The future of energy services is here. More from Latitude Media.

Simplifying VPPs: The Key to Unlocking Massive Grid Efficiency 🔑⚡ Jigar Shah just dropped some serious wisdom on how to scale VPPs & relieve grid strain. Here's the TLDR: 1️⃣ Keep it simple! One-way VPPs (no backfeeding) can prevent peak overloads without complex infrastructures. Walk before we run! 2️⃣ Align incentives. Solar cos & utilities must unite on the REAL goal: managing massive load growth, not just juicing solar sales. 3️⃣ Leverage IRA funds. $35M per utility for VPP integration is 💰💰💰. Businesses should pounce on this opportunity! 4️⃣ Regulators, step up! Mandating load-scheduling features (think smart thermostats & EV chargers) is a no-brainer for grid health. VPP simplification is the 🗝️ to rapid deployment. Focusing on one-way load management cuts through red tape & bypasses costly bidirectional infrastructure. The biz case is clear: VPPs can help utilities handle MASSIVE electrification without expensive overhauls. That's 💸💸💸 saved on capex! Bonus: Simplified VPPs could throw a lifeline to the flailing solar industry. Packaging VPPs into solar deals may boost margins & help cos weather the NEM 3.0 storm. ❓ But culture is still a hurdle. How can we shift utility mindsets to embrace this "new approach"? What success stories might sway skeptics? #GridModernization #VPPsUnleashed #CleanEnergyCollaboration #SmartGridSolution #LoadGrowthHack https://lnkd.in/gvpPUcSp

What a mess the US #grid is in. The congested queue for grid interconnection continues to grow, according to a new study by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. 95% of the queue is represented by #solar #batterystorage and #wind. The queue now stands at 2,600GW which is more than twice the total installed capacity of the existing US power plant fleet. The grid queue has increased nearly eight-fold over the last decade showing the strength of #renewables in place of higher cost #fossil fed thermal #power plant. Little doubt, the non-integrated US grid needs to replicate the UK, National Grid ESO successful clear out of zombie projects allowing funded projects the ability to reach energisation. Link to the report is here - https://emp.lbl.gov/queues

🌱 Big Steps for Clean Energy: The Northeast is experiencing its first heat wave of the summer this week, and #renewables are playing a huge role in keeping the grid running. 🌡️⚡ As our summers continue to heat up and electricity demand spikes, the build out of #offshorewind is crucial to stepping up to the increased demand for electricity. "It’s not just helping make the grid more reliable, experts said, but proving that non-fossil fuel generated power is finally playing a significant role in the operation of the regional power grid, with even more due to come online from major wind farms and other large-scale resources under development." More on the future of energy in Boston Globe Media: https://hubs.ly/Q02CT4G-0

"The International Energy Agency said this week that 49.7 million miles of transmission lines—enough to wrap around the planet 2,000 times—will have to be built or replaced by 2040 to achieve the climate lobby’s net-zero emissions goal." This is estimated by the IEA to cost $600 billion every year to upgrade the grid by 2030. Every week I see numbers and anecdotes like this that continue to show the electric grid is severely underfunded and that electricity grid constraints will further exasperate. The only real answer to meet growth, electrification and total carbon emission reductions that I see are microgrids at all scales and technology integration. This will be a great challenge to the current thinking, methods, regulations and focus. It is not a technological challenge. #electricity #renewables #netzero #grid #power #datacenters

Energy Utilities are strategicallly working through key challenges; however, demand for clean. green product is pushing the envelope on what is possible in the short-term.

This year’s National Grid ESO 2024 Future Energy Scenarios (FES) framework has evolved from ‘scenarios’ to ‘pathways’ to propel us on the route to decarbonisation. It’s clear to me that we need a renewed focus on electrification and hydrogen for industrial processes. “Decarbonisation of the energy system is the challenge of our generation. In recognition of the expansive industry transformation required to Great Britain’s energy network planning, The evolving dynamics of the energy system call for decisive action within the next two years to deliver the fundamental changes required to achieve a fair, affordable, sustainable and secure clean energy system by 2050.” Claire Dykta, National Grid ESO Director of Strategy and Policy https://lnkd.in/eSSS69Qi #Solar #SolarInstallation #SolarPanels #SolarEnergy #SolarPower #SolarPv #RenewableEnergy #Renewables #Energy #CleanEnergy #Sustainability #SolarPowered #Photovoltaic #Electricity

On Nov 28, 2023, Gretchen Whitmer signed #Michigan's 'MI Healthy Climate Plan'. This establishes a 100% clean energy standard for the state. "By 2040, Michigan will produce all its #energy from clean sources. By 2030, Michigan will produce 50% of its energy from #renewable sources and 60% from renewables by 2035. The new clean energy standard will protect Michigan’s air, land, and water for future generations." [1] Additionally, " Starting in 2035, they'll have to generate 80 percent of their power from clean sources such as #nuclear and #naturalgas with #carboncapture technology that removes carbon dioxide emissions from industrial plants." [2] The U.S. Energy Information Administration publishes detailed statistics on the energy mix in each state [3]. This illustrates where Michigan is today and illustrates the challenges in meeting these goals. Today, the 30.5 GW of generation capability in Michigan is dominated by natural gas. The clean sources of electricity constitute 28% of the capacity to generate electricity. However, this generation capacity only operates part of the time. The average capacity factor, the ratio of energy actually generated to the energy that could be generated, was 44%. This was not spread evenly among the different generation sources. So today, Michigan is getting 34% of its electricity from clean energy sources. This legislation will lead to removing coal and natural gas from service. This will happen from the late 2020's through 2040. One of the challenges will be expanding solar and wind, which today contribute less than 9%. Solar especially will be challenging due to short winter nights and cloudy winter weather. Space based solar power (#SBSP) has the potential to solve the challenges with ground solar in places like Michigan. Collecting solar from an orbit that is always in sunlight makes it possible to beam power to the ground at all times. This can reduce the need for storage and backup generation, reducing electricity costs. Today, at Virtus Solis Technologies, a Michigan based company, we are working on making this future of clean, inexpensive energy a reality. #renewables #climatetech #deeptech #space #spacetech

The FutureG Office of R&E collaborated with National Renewable Energy Laboratory to study the relationship between advanced wireless communications and microgrid control systems. It is important to break down the interaction between the two in simpler terms to help readers comprehend its significance.    The testbed demonstrated the capacity to restore 5G services in under a minute, as opposed to the several minutes required when using standard grid controls. In order to maintain communication superiority within the DoD, this type of research is essential as it improves the physical and critical communications nodes necessary for the modern, connected warfighter.    Tony Markel, a senior researcher and project lead at NREL, stated, "From a grid integration standpoint, many devices will require low latency and high reliability to successfully coordinate."    The final report titled, “5G Securely Energized and Resilient” can be found at https://lnkd.in/ec57S6ZY