New York awards $24M for 26 clean energy innovation projects October 07, 2024 The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded $24 million for 26 innovation projects in multiple clean energy sectors on Oct. 3. The projects were selected through NYSERDA’s Innovation program, which is dedicated to…
Governor Gianforte Celebrates Nearly $1 Billion Energy Investment in Montana
Governor Gianforte Celebrates Nearly $1 Billion Energy Investment in Montana September 20 2024 Governor Greg Gianforte yesterday cut the ribbon on NextEra Energy Resources’ Clearwater Wind Energy Center in Miles City and celebrated the company’s nearly $1 billion investment in Montana. “We’re ramping up energy production in Montana with our…
Renewables, cleantech sector will grow regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election
Renewables, cleantech sector will grow regardless of who wins the U.S. presidential election Energize Weekly, September 18, 2024 The results of the U.S. presidential election – even if there is a victory by Donald Trump – will likely not derail growth in the renewable energy and cleantech sectors, according to…
Promoters of clean-energy data centers in Virginia coal country unfazed by doubters
Promoters of clean-energy data centers in Virginia coal country unfazed by doubters September 10, 2024 Will Payne and Will Clear are all too aware of the skeptics. But those doubters only fuel the duo’s vision for Southwest Virginia. The former Virginia state energy office bureaucrats turned private-sector consultants have an…
Global clean tech and power market M&A led in 2024 by electricity generation deals
Global clean tech and power market M&A led in 2024 by electricity generation deals Energize Weekly, September 11, 2024 Global clean technology and power market mergers and acquisitions have totaled $105 billion with 234 deals so far this year, slightly ahead of the 2023 pace, according to Enverus Research Intelligence.…
Residential solar prices drop as size of installations grow and more batteries are added
Residential solar prices drop as size of installations grow and more batteries are added Energize Weekly, September 4, 2024 The size of residential solar systems has been rising as solar module efficiency increases and solar panel costs decline, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s annual Tracking the Sun report.…
ERCOT successfully navigates heat wave, new peak demand record
ERCOT successfully navigates heat wave, new peak demand record Aug 26, 2024 Despite record temperatures last week and a new peak demand record, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas said it was able to maintain service without conservation requests, which it required last summer. Large additions of renewables and battery…
Natron plans $1.4 bln sodium-ion battery plant in North Carolina
Natron plans $1.4 bln sodium-ion battery plant in North Carolina August 15, 2024 Natron Energy said on Thursday it planned to invest $1.4 billion in a sodium-ion battery manufacturing plant in North Carolina, potentially raising the company’s production capacity by 40 times. The facility, located in Edgecombe County of the…
Renewable energy projects are facing increased delays, cancellations, and big losses
Renewable energy projects are facing increased delays, cancellations, and big losses Energize Weekly, August 21, 2024 Wind and solar projects across the U.S. are facing increased local and state opposition, leading to delays, cancellations, and millions of dollars in lost investments, according to university and national laboratory analyses. A Lawrence…
Texas grid’s first geothermal deal will put clean-energy battery on coal facility land
Texas grid’s first geothermal deal will put clean-energy battery on coal facility land 08/13/24 Early next year, the Texas grid will get its first dose of clean power from underground — by means of a “battery” buried in the rock. On Tuesday, the San Miguel Electric Cooperative announced a deal…
SRP Sets New Record for Amount of Energy Delivered to Customers
SRP Sets New Record for Amount of Energy Delivered to Customers August 6, 2024 Arizona public power utility Salt River Project recently set a new record for the amount of energy delivered to its retail customers. On Sunday, Aug. 4, between 5 and 6 p.m., SRP delivered its highest system…
More mega-battery sites heading to Coachella Valley as California boosts power grid
More mega-battery sites heading to Coachella Valley as California boosts power grid July 29, 2024 A battery storage facility under construction near Palm Springs International Airport is just one part of a concerted effort by California to increase energy flexibility throughout the state. The state has recently instituted regulatory reforms…
U.S. electricity demand to rise spurred by the growth of data centers and electric vehicles
U.S. electricity demand to rise spurred by the growth of data centers and electric vehicles Energize Weekly, July 31, 2024 After remaining relatively flat for the last 20 years, U.S. electricity demand is projected to grow 13 percent by 2030, boosted by demands from data centers, electric vehicles (EVs) and…
FBI warns of increased cyber threats to expanding US renewable energy sector
FBI warns of increased cyber threats to expanding US renewable energy sector JULY 02, 2024 The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) published Monday a Private Industry Notification (PIN) emphasizing how malicious cyber actors may seek to disrupt power-generating operations, steal intellectual property, or ransom information critical for normal functionality to…
Arizona utility SRP seeks proposals for emerging storage technologies
Arizona utility SRP seeks proposals for emerging storage technologies Jul 02, 2024 Arizona utility Salt River Project (SRP) has launched a request for proposals (RFP) for non-lithium-ion, long-duration energy storage (LDES) demonstration projects, aiming to back its goal for a sustainable power system. The company said it is targeting both…
Despite bad weather and forced power plant outages the nation’s grid was reliable in 2023
Despite bad weather and forced power plant outages the nation’s grid was reliable in 2023 Energize Weekly, July 3, 2024 Even in the face of extreme weather events and higher rates of forced outages at generating facilities, the U.S.-Canadian electric grid remained “reliable and secure” in 2023, according to the…
N.C.’s ratepayer advocate: Duke Energy ‘failed’ to consider incentives that would cut costs & enable more clean energy
N.C.’s ratepayer advocate: Duke Energy ‘failed’ to consider incentives that would cut costs & enable more clean energy June 25, 2024 Duke Energy’s plan to zero out its carbon pollution all but ignores a federal loan program that could save ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars and enable more clean…
Record temperatures will increase electricity demand, but not natural gas or coal prices
Record temperatures will increase electricity demand, but not natural gas or coal prices Energize Weekly, June 26, 2024 Record temperatures are set to increase electricity demand this summer, but analyses find that a combination of ample gas storage and more renewable generation will help prevent a spike in natural gas…
Clean energy mandate for Vt. utilities becomes law after Democrats override veto
Clean energy mandate for Vt. utilities becomes law after Democrats override veto June 17, 2024 The biggest energy policy to come out of Montpelier this year is hitting home in concrete ways for two Vermont mothers who showed up to the Statehouse on Monday. The legislation requires all Vermont utilities…
Big energy projects moving fast, face $150 billion a year in cost overruns, Bain & Co. says
Big energy projects moving fast, face $150 billion a year in cost overruns, Bain & Co. says Energize Weekly, June 19, 2024 The scale and speed of the energy transition risks project delays and setbacks leading to cost overruns of 15 percent to 20 percent, equal to $150 billion a…
U.S. Solar Sector Shows Record-Setting Growth
U.S. Solar Sector Shows Record-Setting Growth Jun 6, 2024 A new report from two leading energy industry groups said a record 11 GW of new solar power module manufacturing capacity entered service during the first three months of this year, representing the largest quarter of solar manufacturing growth in U.S.…
AI is poised to drive a doubling in data center electricity demand by 2030, studies say
AI is poised to drive a doubling in data center electricity demand by 2030, studies say Energize Weekly, June 5, 2024 Data centers, spurred by increased artificial intelligence applications, could double their demand for electricity in the U.S. reaching 9.1 percent of the nation’s electricity load by 2030, according to…
FERC adopts sweeping transmission planning regulations with the aim of speeding projects
FERC adopts sweeping transmission planning regulations with the aim of speeding projects Energize Weekly, May 22, 2024 The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) adopted a sweeping new regulation, on May 13, aimed at spurring the planning and construction of new transmission lines to meet the growing needs of the nation’s…
Biden hikes tariffs on Chinese EVs, solar cells, steel, aluminum
Biden hikes tariffs on Chinese EVs, solar cells, steel, aluminum May 14, 2024 President Joe Biden slapped major new tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, advanced batteries, solar cells, steel, aluminum and medical equipment on Tuesday, taking potshots at Donald Trump along the way as he embraced a strategy that’s increasing…
Global financing for clean tech manufacturing soared to $200 million in 2023
Global financing for clean tech manufacturing soared to $200 million in 2023 Energize Weekly, May 15, 2024 Global investment in clean technology manufacturing grew year-over-year by 70 percent to $200 billion in 2023, making it one of the largest industrial sectors for new financing, according to a report by the…
With time short, S.C. senators take up comprehensive energy bill
With time short, S.C. senators take up comprehensive energy bill Apr. 5, 2024 Utilities, conservation groups, and other stakeholders are all in agreement: South Carolina needs to expand its energy capacity to keep up with its growth. It’s a top priority for leaders in Columbia as well, but they face…
Evergy Plan Maintains Lowest-Cost Approach to Meeting Growing Customer Electricity Demand, Maintaining Reliability, and Advancing Sustainability
Evergy Plan Maintains Lowest-Cost Approach to Meeting Growing Customer Electricity Demand, Maintaining Reliability, and Advancing Sustainability April 1, 2024 Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVRG) today filed its triennial Integrated Resource Plan with the Missouri Public Service Commission. This outlines the plan to meet customer electricity needs over the next 20 years.…
Hawaii Faces Lengthy Blackout Risk Amid Power-Plant Outages
Hawaii Faces Lengthy Blackout Risk Amid Power-Plant Outages March 25, 2024 The big island of Hawaii is at risk of blackouts through the end of April because several large power plants have broken down or are undergoing maintenance, the state’s main utility operator said. Hawaiian Electric on Monday asked customers…
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans
After being rebuffed by regulators, utilities file slimmed-down spending plans March 18, 2024 State regulators are once again considering massive electric utility spending plans that would affect the state’s climate goals – and 5.4 million electric customers’ monthly bills – after rejecting previous versions late last year. The Illinois Commerce…
Goldman Sachs-backed BESS developer Gridstor makes first ERCOT project acquisition
Goldman Sachs-backed BESS developer Gridstor makes first ERCOT project acquisition March 12, 2024 Gridstor, a developer of standalone battery energy storage system (BESS) assets, has acquired a 450MW/900MWh project in Texas, US, the company’s first in the booming ERCOT market. Gridstor announced last week (6 March) that it has bought…
Xcel says big reason it needs to spend millions on new projects is regional grid’s reliability risks
Xcel says big reason it needs to spend millions on new projects is regional grid’s reliability risks MARCH 4, 2024 The growing risk of unreliability and potential expense of buying energy on the open market is a big reason why Xcel Energy wants to make significant investments in its infrastructure.…
Poor grid interconnection policies are causing project backups across the U.S., study says
Poor grid interconnection policies are causing project backups across the U.S., study says Energize Weekly, March 6, 2024 The grid interconnection process in the U.S. is so “dysfunctional” that more than two million megawatts of generation and storage are waiting to be hooked up, according to an analysis by Advanced…
Arizona utility regulators vote to kill renewable standards
Arizona utility regulators vote to kill renewable standards February 8, 2024 Let the market dictate how utilities do business. That was the message from Arizona utility regulators on Tuesday after they voted to begin the process of repealing the state’s energy efficiency and renewable standards. Solar industry advocates expressed disbelief,…
Global investment in clean tech and energy transition reached a record $1.8 trillion in 2023
Global investment in clean tech and energy transition reached a record $1.8 trillion in 2023 Energize Weekly, February 7, 2024 Global investments in the energy transition from fossil fuels to clean tech climbed 17 percent in 2023 to a record $1.8 trillion, according to a study by the energy research…
Sunrun and PG&E Complete First Season of Innovative Residential Distributed Power Plant
Sunrun and PG&E Complete First Season of Innovative Residential Distributed Power Plant 29 Jan, 2024 Peaking at nearly 32 megawatts from 8,500 solar-plus-storage residential systems, Sunrun and Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) customers provided consistent, reliable clean energy to California’s power grid through the summer and fall of 2023…
Lawmakers propose to keep Utah running on coal and natural gas
Lawmakers propose to keep Utah running on coal and natural gas Jan 29, 2024 Republicans on Capitol Hill are working to keep coal and natural gas in Utah’s future. There’s a bumper sticker making its way around the Capitol this year. It reads simply, “powered by coal.” Rep. Colin Jack,…
AES positioned to provide tech sector with growing renewable energy solutions
AES positioned to provide tech sector with growing renewable energy solutions January 19, 2024 With data centers and generative AI (GenAI) driving an enormous demand for power and major technology firms working to fulfill ambitious clean energy goals, AES Corp. said it is positioned as the premiere provider of renewable…
BLM roadmap opens 22 million acres of public lands to utility-scale solar development
BLM roadmap opens 22 million acres of public lands to utility-scale solar development Energize Weekly, January 24, 2024 A total of 22 million acres of public lands in the West would be open to utility-scale solar development under a plan proposed by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) on…
World’s most advanced battery energy storage system comes online, speeding Hawaii’s transition to 100% renewable energy
World’s most advanced battery energy storage system comes online, speeding Hawaii’s transition to 100% renewable energy 11 Jan, 2024 Plus Power™ announced it has begun operating its Kapolei Energy Storage facility on Oahu, Hawaii, the most advanced grid-scale battery energy storage system in the world, helping transition the state’s electric…
Solar generation continues expand rapidly on the U.S. grid while coal continues its decline
Solar generation continues expand rapidly on the U.S. grid while coal continues its decline Energize Weekly, January 17, 2024 Solar and coal-fired electricity generation are continuing to head in opposite directions over the next two years with solar being the leading source of new generation and coal activity falling to…
Coordination of Texas electric and natural gas sectors key in dealing with blackouts
Coordination of Texas electric and natural gas sectors key in dealing with blackouts Energize Weekly, January 10, 2024 Better coordination between the Texas electric and natural gas industries is key to getting individual generating facilities up and running – a so-called blackstart – after a cold-weather blackout, according to a…
City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality Passes NYC City Council
City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality Passes NYC City Council Dec 7, 2023 On Wednesday, the New York City Council passed the City of Yes for Carbon Neutrality (COYCN) zoning text amendment, a wonky name for a mighty important change to the city’s zoning laws. The change will remove hurdles…
Dominion regulator recommends rejection of utility’s long-term plan
Dominion regulator recommends rejection of utility’s long-term plan DECEMBER 12, 2023 A utility regulator with the State Corporation Commission is recommending the body reject Dominion Energy’s most recent long-term plan because of its inclusion of new natural gas plants. In her Friday recommendation, which will now go to the three-member…
Solar generating capacity to set a record 33 gigawatts of new installations in 2023
Solar generating capacity to set a record 33 gigawatts of new installations in 2023 Energize Weekly, December 13, 2023 Bolstered by a strong third quarter, a record 33 gigawatts (GW) of solar capacity were installed in 2023, even as the sector faces headwinds in 2024, according to a market report.…
Clean energy jobs growth worldwide surpasses fossil-fuel sector jobs which saw a decline
Clean energy jobs growth worldwide surpasses fossil-fuel sector jobs which saw a decline Energize Weekly, November 29, 2023 Clean energy employment is growing more rapidly than fossil-fuel jobs across the globe and accounted for the majority of the 67 million jobs in the energy sector in 2022, according to an…
Giant batteries drain economics of gas power plants
Giant batteries drain economics of gas power plants November 21, 2023 Giant batteries that ensure stable power supply by offsetting intermittent renewable supplies are becoming cheap enough to make developers abandon scores of projects for gas-fired generation world-wide. The long-term economics of gas-fired plants, used in Europe and some parts…
Georgia Power says economic growth reason for updated plan to generate more electricity
Georgia Power says economic growth reason for updated plan to generate more electricity Nov. 13, 2023 Georgia Power recently filed an updated Integrated Resource Plan with the Georgia Public Service Commission, citing the need to support recent economic growth. But an environmental group opposed a portion of the proposed update…
Clean power installations set a Q3 record even as the sector faces headwinds
Clean power installations set a Q3 record even as the sector faces headwinds Energize Weekly, November 8, 2023 New clean power utility-scale installations set a record in the third quarter of 2023, bringing online 5.6 gigawatts (GW) of generation and storage capacity, even as the sector was coping with troubling…
U.S. DOE awards $3.5 billion for 58 projects to make electric grids safer and more resilient
U.S. DOE awards $3.5 billion for 58 projects to make electric grids safer and more resilient Energize Weekly, October 25, 2023 The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made $3.5 billion in grants to utilities in 44 states to improve grid reliability and to take measures to meet the risks…
Global electricity grid must be upgraded urgently to hit climate goals, says IEA
Global electricity grid must be upgraded urgently to hit climate goals, says IEA 17 Oct 2023 Ministers have been urged to “open their eyes” to the need to build a vast network of new electricity grids to allow countries to hit climate goals, the chief of the world’s energy watchdog…