Big Grid. FERC is moving to push for more capital to flow towards grid build-outs, in line with State regulators approving most of the grid optimization requests from IOUs. The no-vote from FERC was a cop-out saying that this is a giveaway to developers when in reality there’s just not enough generation on the grid for the load growth ahead. Interesting how rate based gas power plants never have grid issues…
Unavailable Batteries. Texas has become a hot energy storage market with many unsure how long the ancillary service market will continue (for the foreseeable future given the demand growth and unreliable power plants). On the other hand, storage has a major problem with many storage projects operating at 60-70% availability and less in some cases where commissioning and balancing are dragging project starts by a year plus. This will have to get resolved, in some cases by recommissioning systems and in others by doing optimization projects with folks that “know where to hit the hammer”. Obviously, I have a unique perspective on this, and reminds me of the early days of solar when folks were doing everything in projects because the landscape had not yet matured.
- New York Times: New Rules to Overhaul Electric Grids Could Boost Wind and Solar Power
- Utility Dive: With 78% of requested investments approved, US regulators are backing grid modernization
- Bloomberg: Biden Aims to Show Voters He’s as Tough on China as Trump
- Energy Storage News: US DOE seeks feedback on energy storage safety training, manufacturing challenges
- Axios: The changing climate of U.S.-China relations
- Reuters: EQT offers $1.5 bln for renewable energy project developer OX2
- PV-Tech: FTC Solar meets revenue forecasts in Q1 2024, predicts stable revenue in Q2
- PV-Magazine: Renew Home launches with virtual power plant solution
Opinion
Best, Yann