An electrification bill moving through the Pennsylvania General Assembly, if passed, would support the development of electric vehicle infrastructure in the state. The state’s Senate on November 19 voted 43-6 in favor of the Pennsylvania Clean Transportation Infrastructure Act (Senate Bill 596), sponsored by Republican Sen. Bob Mensch. The … [Read more...]
Texas consumers could save $5.47 billion over ten years with distributed energy resources (DERs), but regulations must change to realize these benefits. A study by Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA) identified two ways DERs can reduce costs: Act as non-wires alternatives to avoid investment in tranmission and distribution … [Read more...]
As New Jersey prepares for a second round of funding for town center microgrids, some worry that the microgrids may never see the light of day. The problem? The projects need an infusion of private money to go forward. But state rules make it difficult for government to partner with private industry on energy projects. Town center … [Read more...]
We can move faster installing microgrids, but you need to make some changes. That’s the overarching message from microgrid companies to California regulators as the state faces utility power shutoffs for years to come. The recommendations are pouring into the California Public Utilities Commission as it attempts to translate into regulation … [Read more...]
As a neighborhood microgrid forms in Oakland, California, project planners find themselves grappling with a question unique to the age of local energy: How will neighbors cooperate with one another to share electricity? Being developed by a team from the University of California, Berkeley, the Oakland EcoBlock Project aims to provide an … [Read more...]
Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) may speed development of 40 microgrids to help customers maintain electricity when wildfire threats force it to deenergize portions of its grid. The utility described its plans Friday in a four-hour emergency meeting called by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) in response to the October … [Read more...]
The mayor of San Jose, California wants more microgrids in his city following Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) recent power shutoff — and he’s willing to break ties with the utility to do it. Mayor Sam Liccardo late last week petitioned the city council to create a municipal utility “for the purposes of strategic development of … [Read more...]
The General Services Administration (GSA) has issued a request for information (RFI) for grid-interactive technologies and services that provide energy savings and load flexibility for buildings. The RFI, issued in coordination with the Department of Energy (DOE), is part of the Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (GEB) research being done … [Read more...]
Electricity market reform in PJM and MISO territories, done in a way that reflects the new world of decentralized energy, could save consumers billions. That’s the word from a new study funded by the Wind Solar Alliance and conducted by Grid Strategies that focuses on the two US grid operators. PJM coordinates the movement of wholesale … [Read more...]
California is the poster child for microgrids, usually in a good way, this week in a bad way. The power outages to 738,000 electric customers illustrated that even California, one of the lead states deploying microgrids, is not building them quickly enough. Microgrids act as local islands of power when the central grid fails, or in this case … [Read more...]
S&C Electric’s Erik Svanholm discusses the potential of microgrids as non-wires alternatives, which use distributed energy resources and microgrids to defer or replace the installation of more traditional ‘wires and poles’ infrastructure.
Technology innovations are changing the game, while public policies and regulations are shifting to allow new business models to gain traction. Combined, the regulatory and policy framework in California has bolstered the outlook of microgrids in the state. Download the new white paper from Concentric Power that points to a not-too-distant future where microgrids and DERs play an increasingly important role in the state’s energy mix.
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