Size Matters

Good morning and happy Friday,

It’s full steam ahead on energy storage as UT Dallas was selected by the DOD to lead a $30 million initiative focused on battery technologies and manufacturing processes designed to bolster domestic capacity in this area, and at the 2023 Northwest Renewable Hydrogen Conference, leaders from Oregon and Washington said that while clean and renewable hydrogen is a priority, many challenges lie ahead.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, Xcel Energy has announced plans to expand its Sherco Solar project to a whopping 710 MW – making it one of the biggest solar projects in the country and producing enough clean energy to power 150,000 homes, as well as replacing the power from a nearby coal unit Xcel is retiring this year.  

Read on for more.

Size Matters

The dramatic drop in the cost of solar energy in recent years has facilitated its rapid expansion and attracted a lot of media attention, but the U.S. has tremendous wind power potential, too. A recent NREL report finds that’s true now more than ever – and funding is being made available to support growth in the wind sector:

• The big takeaway from the technical report is that technology innovations in wind turbine design “could unlock an additional 80% economically viable wind energy capacity as soon as 2025,” unleashing significant resources to help meet clean energy goals. 
• These innovations go beyond just building taller towers with longer blades – in addition to turbines designed specifically for areas with lower wind speeds, newfangled manufacturing techniques such as spiral welding and 3D manufacturing, as well as climbing cranes, can reduce costs. 
• Serendipitously, the Biden-Harris Administration has announced $72 million in funding for projects that will advance innovative manufacturing and “accelerate the equitable and sustainable deployment of offshore and land-based wind energy,” including community engagement projects.

⚡️ The Takeaway

More work remains. NREL found that the innovations discussed in the report can reduce the cost of wind power “at nearly all locations in the contiguous United States.” Of course, technology is the easy part – “more work remains” in terms of reducing other barriers such as public perception, utilities’ experience integrating wind, workforce capacity, and energy policies. Keep those sleeves rolled up.

“Clean” Solar

Solar power is widely viewed as clean, but for many renewable energy supporters, this should describe not only the emissions-free nature of the resulting electricity, but also the ethics of the supply chain that produces the equipment – and most observers agree, getting the kinks out of that chain mean moving away from China:

• Portugal-based EDP is the latest global renewable energy company to warn of the need to diversify supply chains. The company had to postpone the development of approximately 900 MW of solar projects in the U.S. due to delays resulting from the 2021 Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA).
• First Solar is the only top-ten manufacturer of solar panels headquartered in the U.S. and has largely managed to avoid issues related to forced labor by forgoing the use of polysilicon in favor of cadmium telluride. However, it is not immune to human rights issues in its supply chain, which it reported in August. 
• Thanks to incentives provided by the IRA, many companies are following First Solar’s example and planning to manufacture panels in the U.S. – with mixed reviews. While this is seen as a way to reduce the risk that forced labor is used, it will also drive up the cost of solar.

⚡️ The Takeaway

Feeding a growing need. Energy experts estimate that globally, the amount of installed solar needs to increase by at least 20 times what it is today, if not 70 times. That’s a lot of panels, so we’ll likely need all the manufacturing we can get. The IRA has a key role to play – as long as it doesn’t become “a political football.” “China’s anticompetitive behavior” is another matter that also needs to be addressed.

• All Talk: Illinois’ Signature Climate Law Slow to Fulfill Promises for Clean Energy
• Blue Zones: Most of the world’s wind is over deep water - Floating machines can harvest it
• Energizer Bunny: US grid-scale energy storage installations hit new quarterly record
• Shared Vision: These 25 utilities are united by one big goal: 80% less CO2 by 2030

• Grundy County, Illinois rejected a solar farm proposal
• Solar farm near Frankfort, Illinois pulls application after residents express concerns about property value
• Linn County, Iowa passes new restrictions on wind turbines
• Sioux County, Iowa passed a moratorium on wind and solar projects
• Rotterdam, New York passed a moratorium on wind turbines and battery storage systems

Green Power Domes

Renewable energy advocates are used to talking about carbon dioxide and battery energy storage systems – but now they may have to become versed in talking about “carbon dioxide batteries.”

Howzat? Meet Energy Dome, “a dynamic company based in Milan, Italy” that makes batteries which use only water, steel, and CO2. The company’s first commercial demonstration project, pictured below, began operations last year. 

Next up is the Town of Pacific, in Columbia County, Wisconsin, where Alliant Energy and other partners are developing the Columbia Energy Storage Project, a 200-MW facility scheduled to come online in 2026 – around the time a nearby coal plant is scheduled for retirement.

Alliant announced last week that it has been selected for a grant of up to approximately $30 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations (OCED). The "highly efficient, zero-emission" battery system would be the first of its kind in the U.S. and is expected to power approximately 20,000 homes.