Energy Efficiency Consultant with Eversource. #Batteries #EVs #SmartThermostats #RenewableEnergy #SmartGrid #Solar #EnergyTransition Tweets are my opinions.
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Articles by Jennifer Runyon
UK industry backs Burnham’s plan for Great British Grid
“More than welcome” is the reaction to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s launch this week of Great British Grid, a publicly-owned company that he said would “challenge the private sector operators”. Speaking at his first Labour Party conference since taking office in July, Burnham told the audience in Liverpool that the energy system “needs to work better.
Kraken VPP project to unlock potential of German smart grid
An energy company and a global operating system for energy are to develop a new virtual power plant (VPP) in Germany, with the project looking to optimise energy usage and deliver enhanced grid reliability. The aim of the collaboration between enercity and Kraken is to digitally connect decentralised generation assets, grid-scale batteries and controllable loads, and optimise them as a single, coordinated system and enable seamless participation in wholesale energy markets.
Virtual power plants: Momentum builds in Europe and US
Recent weeks have seen announcements from VPP companies, including new partnerships and a new platform launch, to turn residential, commercial, and data centre energy assets into coordinated, revenue-generating grid resources. From residential solar and storage aggregation in Europe to enterprise-grade orchestration tools and data centre flexibility in the US, recent announcements highlight a clear push toward more programmable, decentralised energy systems.
EVgo creates its own reliability goals for charging network
EVgo, one of the nation’s largest public fast charging networks for electric vehicles (EVs), announced it is now tracking “One & Done” success rates, a measure of a driver’s ability to successfully initiate a charging session on the first attempt. One & Done is part of the progress in network enhancements the company has made through EVgo ReNew, its maintenance program focused on bolstering reliability and elevating the customer experience.
What’s next for non-wires alternatives in the Northeast?
In recent years, non-wires alternatives (NWAs) have been gaining traction as a viable solution for reducing the need for costly transmission and distribution upgrades. Battery storage is one of the most promising NWAs, providing numerous benefits such as increased reliability, improved grid stability, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. But the path forward for NWAs is far from clear.
Texas utility CEOs discuss the transformative future. Customer education is a big piece.
In a virtual press briefing titled The Transformative Future for Utilities: Turbulent and Exciting hosted by the United States Energy Association (USEA), CPS Energy CEO Rudy Garza and Rayburn Electric Cooperative CEO David Naylor explained the challenges in front of them as they work toward a future powered by low-carbon resources.
Enlit Asia
Enlit Asia is your inclusive guide to the energy transition. From source to generation, from grid to consumer, the boundaries of the sector are blurring and this evolution is being shaped by established players, external disruptors, innovative start-ups and the increasingly engaged end-user.
Future of the Grid - 25 - 26 October 2023
Southeast Asia’s power grids are facing radical changes as the world strives to transition to cleaner, more sustainable energy systems and as distributed energy resources become increasingly prevalent. While advancements and upgrades on networks have been implemented to meet rising demand and greater challenges, the grid today still operates in the same manner it did over a century ago, with minimal flexibility or adaptation to emerging renewable technologies.
PG&E selects 54 organizations to participate in first-ever pitch fest
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced the 54 organizations invited to participate in its first-ever Innovation Pitch Fest, September 12-14 in San Ramon, Calif. Pitch Fest is the next step in PG&E’s new research, development (R&D) and innovation initiative focused on bridging the gap between today’s energy system and California’s electrified and decarbonized future.
HydroQuebec’s Chelsea generating station re-habilitation project complete
(Chelsea Generating Station. Credit: Hydro-Quebec) On Monday, September 11, Hydro-Quebec will begin lowering the Gatineau river as one of the final steps needed to complete the rehabilitation work on the 153 MW Chelsea Generating Station. The utility said the river will be lowered from September 11-28, 2023. Hydro-Québec has been working on the refurbishment of Chelsea generating station throughout the summer.
Texas grid flirts with blackouts amid heatwave
By JUAN A. LOZANO Associated Press HOUSTON (AP) — Texas’ power grid manager on Thursday again asked residents to cut their electricity use as the state endures another stretch of sizzling summer heat. The request carried fresh urgency, coming the day after the system was pushed to the brink of outages for the first time since a deadly winter blackout in 2021.
Salt River Project, CMBlu Energy to pilot long duration battery storage project in Arizona
Salt River Project and CMBlu Energy announced plans to deploy a pilot long-duration energy storage system in the Phoenix, Arizona area. CMBlu will build, own and operate the 5 MW, ten-hour duration project, named Desert Blume, on behalf of SRP at the utility’s Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center in Florence, Arizona. The project is designed to store energy from Arizona’s abundant solar generation during the day and return that energy to the grid at night.
Hawaiian Electric says lawsuit is ‘factually and legally irresponsible.’ It blames Maui for the tragedy
While the ash is still settling and hundreds of people are unaccounted for, the county of Maui has brought forth a lawsuit against Hawaiian Electric for its role in a wildfire that killed at least 115 people in Lahaina. The lawsuit alleges that Hawaiian Electric failed to properly maintain its system and failed to shut off the power despite a red flag warning issued by the National Weather Service. Additional reports claim bare wire and leaning poles were to blame for the fire.
Electric vehicle adoption speedbump: Charger availability
By Sean Tully, Eversource One of the biggest obstacles to electric vehicle (EV) adoption has been convincing consumers that they will have ready access to charging options. The process of refueling a gasoline vehicle is so engrained in consumer behavior, many drivers don’t have confidence in the ability to conveniently charge their vehicle when they’re on the go, and this is a major barrier impeding many from switching to an electric vehicle.
PGE customers helped reduce power demand during record Portland heat wave
On Monday, August 14, the hottest day on record for the month of August in Portland, PGE customers took actions that helped service reliability by reducing power demand by approximately 90 MW. Customer actions include participating in PGE energy shifting programs, conservation efforts and shifting when they use power. With warm temperatures expected to continue, PGE continues to urge customers to safely conserve power to help maintain service reliability during times when demand is high.
Retrofit versus replace in power distribution
The importance of reducing, re-using and recycling may be well established within industry. Yet it can be surprising how many operators are quick to invest substantial sums in new power distribution equipment at even the slightest hint of a disturbance when a more preemptive and circular stance may have served to extend the lifecycle of their assets instead.
Joint Office of Energy and Transportation creates new electric vehicle working group
The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation announced the members of the Electric Vehicle Working Group (EVWG), a collection of EV industry experts and leaders who intend to guide the widespread adoption of EVs across the country and solidify America’s position as a global leader of clean energy jobs and manufacturing.
Summer energy surge: The importance of demand response programs in grid resilience
Howard Ng, Itron Climate disruption can unleash significant and devastating consequences, ranging from raging wildfires to destructive floods. Moreover, these weather events are not only growing more extreme, but they are also occurring with greater frequency and impacting larger areas. According to a Pew Research report, approximately say their local community has experienced extreme weather.
Customers are skeptical of utility clean energy promises, survey finds
Even though 82% of electric utility customers are served by a utility with a stated goal to reduce carbon emissions, less than 20% of them are even aware of the goals and 26% believe utilities will never achieve the goal of 100% clean energy. That’s according to JD Power’s 2023 Sustainability Index, which was released last week.
Clean energy push in New Jersey, elsewhere met with warnings the government is coming for your stove
By WAYNE PARRY Associated Press BRICK, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey is pushing an ambitious agenda to move its more than 9 million residents away from natural gas and gasoline to heat their homes and power their cars, in favor of electricity to do the job of both.
Biden administration proposes changes to permitting process for energy projects
Permitting a major energy project, like a transmission line or a hydropower plant, is a lengthy and arduous task in today’s contentious atmosphere but a new proposal from the Whitehouse could potentially speed things up for project developers looking to advance clean energy in the U.S. In late July, the Biden-Harris Administration, through the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) proposed a Bipartisan Permitting Reform Implementation Rule to modernize and accelerate environmental reviews...
Majority of electric utility customers unaware of their utility’s sustainability goals
Even though 82% of electric utility customers are served by a utility with a stated goal to reduce carbon emissions, less than 20% of them are even aware of the goals and 26% believe utilities will never achieve the goal of 100% clean energy. That’s according to JD Power’s 2023 Sustainability Index, which was released last week.
The US is now home to the first offshore substation for wind power
As the U.S. offshore wind power industry continues to take shape, the installation of the first offshore substation to serve Vineyard Wind 1 is a major milestone. Iberdrola subsidiary, Avangrid said last week that installation of the offshore substation at its Vineyard Wind 1 project, the first large-scale offshore wind farm in the U.S., is now complete.
And the state with the most innovative battery grid management system is……Utah?
Name the states that are pushing the envelope when it comes to embracing the energy transition, installing lots of renewable energy, and maximizing the use of distributed energy resources (DER), and California and Hawaii, or perhaps New York come to mind. That’s why when the Peak Load Management Association (PLMA) awarded Utah’s Rocky Mountain Power (RMP) its Technology Pioneer Award for its Wattsmart program, even the company that developed the project’s software was surprised.
PG&E taps Schneider and Microsoft for new DERMS
At an innovation summit hosted by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Schneider Electric, Microsoft and PG&E announced the deployment of a distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) on Microsoft Azure to maintain grid reliability and accelerate customer adoption of distributed energy resources (DER) such as electric vehicles, energy storage and rooftop solar.
Innovation at PG&E is a global request
To turn the traditional path to innovation for electric utilities on its head, California utility Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is starting with the future it wants to see and asking the worldwide community of researchers, technologists, and entrepreneurs to create solutions that will help it get there.
PG&E taps Schneider, Microsoft for new DERMS
At an innovation summit hosted by Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), Schneider Electricm Microsoft, and PG&E announced the deployment of a distributed energy resource management system (DERMS) on Microsoft Azure to maintain grid reliability and accelerate customer adoption of distributed energy resources (DER) such as electric vehicles, energy storage and rooftop solar.
Dominion Ohio wants teachers to understand energy efficiency
In a teach the teacher setting, educators are traveling to Dominion Energy Ohio’s technical training center this week to learn about energy conservation and efficiency. The utility is partnering with the Ohio Energy Project (OEP), an educational non-profit that will deliver a half-day e3 on July 26. The program provides the curriculum to help educators teach students about the fundamentals of energy, why it’s important to conserve it, and how to become more energy efficient.
Canada approves Hertel-New York hydropower transmission line
(Illustration of an electrical transmission line connecting a hydropower plant to industrial customers. This image was created with the assistance of DALL·E 2, an A.I. image generator) The Canadian portion of a new transmission line that will bring hydropower to the U.S. state of New York has received approval by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), the body that oversees interprovincial and international oil, gas and electric utility activities.
Hertel-New York transmission line receives Canadian approval
The Canadian portion of a new transmission line that will bring Canadian hydropower to New York has received approval by the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), the body that oversees interprovincial and international oil, gas, and electric utility activities. The permit means that construction can begin on the 58-km (36-mile) Hertel–New York interconnection line that will link to the 339-mile Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE) line, currently under construction in the United States.
California CCA signs up 7,000 customers for demand response payments
California is marching toward a net-zero future as quickly as it can. As of 2022, the state had over 40% installed nonhydroelectric renewable energy capacity . But much of that renewable capacity comes from wind and solar, which can be hard to predict and is also intermittent. That’s why the grid still experiences times of great stress, especially during heat waves, such as what took place in September of 2022.
Alectra provides $50,000 to assist in Ukrainian electricity grid restoration efforts
Alectra is providing $50,000 through the Ukraine World Congress’ “Energize Ukraine” to help transport and install electrical equipment from North American suppliers to Ukraine. The equipment will be used to supply electricity to schools, kindergartens, and hospitals in the cities of Kremenchuk, Chernihiv and Kharkiv.
Maine rivaling California in progressive thinking about the future of the grid
New legislation directs the state to begin a DSO study to enable a true market for distributed energy resources. Most energy insiders recognize that the transition to clean energy will require a large percentage of distributed energy resources (DER), particularly distributed solar PV, batteries, electric vehicles, grid-interactive buildings, and more.
Maine rivalling California in progressive thinking about the future of the grid
Most energy insiders recognize that the transition to clean energy will require a large percentage of distributed energy resources (DER), particularly distributed solar PV, batteries, electric vehicles, grid-interactive buildings, and more. These DER will need to be dispatched as part of a system that asks them to both push energy to the grid and absorb it in order to keep the grid stable as it seeks to balance generation from large inverter-based resources, i.e. wind and solar power.
Maine rivaling California in progressive thinking about the future of the grid
New legislation directs the state to begin a DSO study to enable a true market for distributed energy resources. Most energy insiders recognize that the transition to clean energy will require a large percentage of distributed energy resources (DER), particularly distributed solar PV, batteries, electric vehicles, grid-interactive buildings, and more.
DISTRIBUTECH opens nominations for utility DE&I commitment awards
In an effort to honor electric utilities that are striving to be inclusive of all people, we are pleased to announce that for the second year in a row Clarion Events, along with partner S&C, will be recognizing utilities for their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at DISTRIBUTECH 2024. Utilities from all over the world are encouraged to apply. S&C is the sponsor of this award, which will be announced during the 2024 Powered By Diversity Luncheon.
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One-in-four Americans have struggled to pay their electric bills over the past year, but few have heard of assistance programs
A quarter of all Americans – and 34 percent of those earning under $50,000 per year – report having struggled to pay their electric bills over the past 12 months, according to a new survey from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC), a nonprofit organization that studies Americans’ energy-related behaviors, interests, and values.
SDG&E’s energy saving incentive program pays customers to turn off appliances
As directed by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), a program at San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E) will reward customers for reducing energy use over summer 2023. The Power Saver Rewards program will pay customers with bill credits on days when the statewide grid is stressed by high demand. Enrolled customers who conserved during the summer 2022 heat wave earned more than $11 million in bill credits.
New York Transco selected to build transmission line for NY offshore wind
As development of offshore wind farms along the US east coast is getting underway, transmission decisions are being made as to who will connect those wind farms to the shore and to the greater grid. In New York, an electric transmission developer owned by Con Edison Transmission, National Grid Ventures, Avangrid and Central Hudson Electric Transmission called New York Transco, has been selected to build a connector between Long Island’s electric grid and New York City and Westchester County.
New energy-as-a-service firm launched to help smart cities and campuses decarbonize
As cities and campuses seek to decarbonize their operations to meet ESG goals and save money through energy efficiency, a new partnership between Generate Capital and McKinstry could be of service.
IIJA funds are flowing: ComEd scores $14.5M for middle mile broadband; BGE gets $15.5
Communication networks are important for electric utilities because they give them the ability to communicate with devices in the field. In highly populated environments, communication networks are robust but when it comes to the most remote areas of the U.S., connection is more tenuous.
NYC substation battery is biggest so far
Con Edison will soon place the largest battery system in New York City into service, increasing reliability in northeastern Staten Island just in time for the summer heat season, the company’s president said on June 20. The system, which is at a substation in the Fox Hills area, can hold 7.5 megawatts and discharge that electricity to customers for four hours.
A guide to hardening electric substations for extreme weather events
By Connor Bowen, PE, Burns & McDonnell This article was originally published by Burns & McDonnell as a Benchmark Brief and is reprinted here with permission. The devastating impacts of recent major hurricanes on electrical infrastructure in Puerto Rico have brought fresh attention to the value of hardening substations. In some cases, this involves reinforcing existing structures. In others, it requires designing new facilities to more rigorous standards.
GM, Samsung SDI select Indiana site for $3B EV battery cell plant
General Motors and Samsung SDI have selected New Carlisle, Indiana, as the site of a new electric vehicle battery cell plant. The companies announced in April the joint venture to build the more than $3 billion electric vehicle battery cell plant. The project is GM’s fourth joint venture battery cell factory, including three with South Korea’s LG Energy Solution.
One-in-five projects survives the ISO-NE interconnection process, report says
Following a trend seen in other regions, interconnection costs in ISO-New England have risen, especially among projects that withdraw from the queue. That is one finding of an interconnection cost analysis released in mid-June by the Energy Department’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The report is the latest in the lab’s ongoing analysis of interconnection costs for proposed generating capacity. The report said that costs in ISO-NE have nearly doubled since 2018 compared to 2010-2017.
AMP Coalition formed to promote electric grid use of high-capacity conductors
A trio of companies formed they are calling the Advancing Modern Powerlines (AMP) Coalition to promote the use of high-capacity conductors as a tool for increasing grid capacity, resilience, reliability, and energy efficiency. The three companies are CTC Global Corporation, TS Conductor, and VEIR Inc. They said high-capacity conductors include two types of modern electric conductors: advanced conductors and high temperature superconductors.
Local residents in Puerto Rico built the island’s first community-owned solar microgrid
By Katherine Rapin For two weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, Lucy’s Pizza was the only restaurant open in the central mountain town of Adjuntas. The town’s 18,000 residents, like those on the rest of the island, were entirely without electricity. “No one has power, you can’t get gas, it’s difficult to make food, so everyone came here to eat,” said owner Gustavo Irizarry.
Local residents in Puerto Rico built the island’s first community-owned solar microgrid
By Katherine Rapin For two weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017, Lucy’s Pizza was the only restaurant open in the central mountain town of Adjuntas. The town’s 18,000 residents, like those on the rest of the island, were entirely without electricity. “No one has power, you can’t get gas, it’s difficult to make food, so everyone came here to eat,” said owner Gustavo Irizarry.
More companies set 'net-zero' climate targets, but few have credible plans, report says
By Frank Jordans, Associated Press BONN, Germany (AP) — A growing number of companies are pledging to cut their greenhouse gas emissions to ” net zero ” as part of global efforts to tackle climate change, but that goal is rarely supported by a credible plan, according to a report published June 12.
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