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solar

07Sep

Learn from California’s Self-Imposed Crisis

Will California – the global tech capital – plunge into darkness? Broiling heat has once again pushed California’s shaky grid to the limit. Record power demand has threatened to eclipse available supply with utilities, the grid operator and the governor all pleading for citizens and businesses to curb demand to keep rolling blackouts at bay. Just […]
  • On September 7, 2022
  • battery storage, California, grid reliability, Jim Robb, North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), Pacific Gas and Electric, Public Utilities Fortnightly, renewable energy, solar, The Sacramento Bee
  • Read More
17Mar

The Existing Coal Fleet Is the Bridge We Need

With the energy transition underway, learning from the Texas grid crisis and building a path towards increased reliability is more urgent than ever. Additional variable power will be coming to grids across the country. At what pace and scale remains to be seen but ensuring reliability in the years ahead is shaping up to be […]
  • On March 17, 2021
  • grid reliability, ISO New England, Jim Robb, Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO), natural gas, North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), PJM Interconnection, polar vortex, solar, Southwest Power Pool (SPP), Texas, Wall Street Journal, wind
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10Nov

Stumbling Over Transmission

The cost of wind and solar power may be falling but building the transmission infrastructure to send power across the country – perhaps the key piece of the renewable puzzle – has only gotten more difficult and more expensive. A reality now playing out in both the U.S. and Europe. Germany’s attempt to pivot to […]
  • On November 10, 2020
  • Bloomberg, Germany, Green New Deal, infrastructure, Peter Altmaier, solar, Texas, transmission lines, wind, Wood Mackenzie
  • Read More
19Aug

When Warnings Become Blackouts

This was not part of the plan. In fact, some might wonder if there was a plan. In the midst of a heatwave, California can’t keep the power on. To ensure the grid for the entire Western U.S. doesn’t collapse, California’s grid operator has been forced to cutoff power for millions of people for hours […]
  • On August 19, 2020
  • blackouts, Bloomberg, California, California ISO, E&E News, electricity grid, electrification, Frank Wolak, grid reliability, renewable energy, solar, Stanford University, Steve Berberich, The Mercury News, Wade Schauer, wind, Wood Mackenzie
  • Read More
01Jul

Grappling with the “Dark Doldrums”

A fascinating thing is happening. While renewable energy and climate policy ambitions are growing more aggressive, the few nations trying to rapidly pivot away from coal, natural gas and nuclear power are struggling. There seems to be a growing disconnect between data and experience, and the energy vision touted by climate hawks.  Germany – with […]
  • On July 1, 2020
  • California, electricity prices, Energy Futures Initiative, Germany, grid reliability, renewable energy, Scientific American, solar, Texas, United Kingdom, wind
  • Read More
13Feb

Markets Must Better Value Flexible, Dispatchable Coal Power

How valuable is a kilowatt hour of electricity? That, of course, depends greatly on when that electricity is produced and just how much it’s needed. Consider the gulf in value of excess electricity generated by solar power midday and the electricity produced by a coal plant when demand is spiking and intermittent sources of power […]
  • On February 13, 2020
  • coal, Electricity Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), National Association of Regulatory Commissioners, natural gas, Peter Balash, solar, Southwest Power Pool (SPP), Texas, wind
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30Jan

A Failure to Connect the Dots

The U.S. has a growing energy infrastructure problem. More precisely, major transmission lines needed to move wind and solar power from regions of production to centers of demand aren’t being built at nearly the pace needed. Natural gas pipeline additions are also failing to keep up with gas demand. One infrastructure project after another is […]
  • On January 30, 2020
  • California, coal-fired power plants, Germany, infrastructure, Iowa, Minnesota, natural gas, North Dakota, solar, South Dakota, Texas, transmission lines, wind
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19Sep

Addressing the Epidemic

Wholesale electricity markets are coming undone. They have been compromised by an ever-expanding accumulation of state mandates and subsidies that have turned any semblance of traditional competition on its head. What began as modest state policies initially intended to give emerging variable resources a jumpstart have now become an epidemic. Instead of just a nudge […]
  • On September 19, 2019
  • Brian Murray, Neil Chatterjee, renewables subsidies, solar, transmission lines, wind
  • Read More
28Aug

From Texas to Germany, Grid Reliability Concerns are Growing

Texas’ recent near-miss with blackouts has turned more than a few heads. The challenges posed to the Texas grid, and other regional grids, by growing reliance on intermittent sources of power and, in some cases, an overstretched natural gas transmission system, have caught the attention of regulators and policymakers. Last week, U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer […]
  • On August 28, 2019
  • baseload power, Bloomberg, electricity grid, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Germany, grid reliability, Kevin Cramer, Severin Borenstein, solar, Texas, United Kingdom, wind
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22Aug

Walking the Reliability Tightrope in Texas

The Texas electricity market is nothing if not unique. It has been described as having a “Vegas-like quality,” referring to its boom and bust potential. There are moments when no one is quite sure if the lights will stay on that it possesses all the drama of a roll of the dice at the craps […]
  • On August 22, 2019
  • baseload power, California, electricity grid, renewables subsidies, solar, Texas, wind, Wood Mackenzie
  • Read More
Page 1 of 212
Recent solar Posts
  • Learn from California’s Self-Imposed Crisis
  • The Existing Coal Fleet Is the Bridge We Need
  • Stumbling Over Transmission
  • When Warnings Become Blackouts
  • Grappling with the “Dark Doldrums”
  • Markets Must Better Value Flexible, Dispatchable Coal Power
  • A Failure to Connect the Dots
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