When the folks who run the grid start to issue warnings about electric reliability, we all best sit up and take notice. They are not doomsayers or advocates for specific technologies, but the technicians who run the regional transmission organizations. They are tasked with the engineering challenge of ensuring that electric supply always … [Read more...]
Could COVID-19 Give Rise to the Home Microgrid?
March 24, 2020 By
The coronavirus (COVID-19) could alter who needs reliable energy — and when — and place new importance on residential microgrids. While it’s too soon to gauge energy trends after society emerges from isolatation, short-term indicators may offer clues. For one, we’re seeing what it means when a significant portion of the US population … [Read more...]
Independent Power Producer in PJM Turns to Batteries to Regulate Frequency
September 30, 2019 By
A 72 MW/72 MWH battery system owned by a global independent power producer is expected to soon start providing grid services in PJM territory, signaling the storage industry’s increasing maturation and ability to compete with traditional resources. Industry supporters have argued that getting more storage online to support renewables … [Read more...]
Microgrid Operators and Regional Grid Operators Really Need to Talk
September 24, 2019 By
The unknown unknowns are what keep regional grid operators up at night. And right now the rapid growth of customer-sited microgrids, invisible to grid operators, count high among them. That’s the message delivered last week by Jonathan Monken, PJM senior director, speaking on a plenary panel at the Virginia Clean Energy Summit in … [Read more...]
An Argument to Green the Grid with Batteries and a Lesson from the Auto Industry
July 23, 2019 By
NRDC's Tom Rutigliano refutes the argument by PJM that batteries must be able to run for 10 hours to replace a generator. "It’s as if the oil industry made a rule that electric cars weren’t allowed on the road until they have the same range on batteries as gas powered cars," he explains. Consider for a moment why hybrid cars are so efficient: … [Read more...]
PJM Begins Process to Study How Utility Connected Microgrids Fit in its Market
June 11, 2019 By
The PJM Interconnection has begun a process to explore the role of utility connected microgrids in the organization’s wholesale power market. The process “is part of a general effort to make sure PJM rules can accommodate all types of cases and resources and make sure there is nothing that prohibits incorporating microgrids,” Andrew Levitt, … [Read more...]
Making Microgrids as Simple to Deploy & Finance as Rooftop Solar
November 26, 2018 By
Scale Microgrid Solutions is on a mission to make sophisticated microgrids as easy to deploy and finance as rooftop solar, said Timothy Hade, microgrid specialist for the company. “Our thesis is that at scale, microgrids have all sorts of great technical aspects that can make our total energy system cleaner, cheaper and more reliable. But … [Read more...]
PJM Rule Changes Could Reduce Revenue for Energy Storage
November 6, 2018 By
The PJM Interconnection has made a temporary change in the rules for its frequency regulation market that could mean lower revenue and market participation for energy storage. The proposed rule -- which still requires approval by federal regulators -- addresses price spikes, or "price excursions," observed by PJM staff. Reinstates floor … [Read more...]
The Home Microgrid: Not Later. Now.
December 26, 2014 By
What solar installer hasn’t seen a homeowner’s face drop upon learning that rooftop solar panels don’t spare the home from an outage when the electric grid goes down? “I’ve invested in solar. I’m really excited because I’ve declared myself as independent from the power grid. I feel good because I’m a green citizen. Until I realize that as soon … [Read more...]
S&C Electric Offers an Energy Storage Model for the PJM Ancillary Services Market
October 21, 2014 By
S&C Electric Company is serving PJM's ancillary services market with a 150-kW energy storage system located at its global headquarters in Chicago. The PureWave Community Energy Storage (CES) system will provide fast-response frequency regulation. As S&C pointed out in its news release this week, frequency regulation minimizes the … [Read more...]
