Author Archives: Frank Andorka

Utility-Scale Storage Comes To Massachusetts

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

After receiving a grant from Massachusetts of $875,000, National Grid has added its first battery – a vanadium redox-flow battery (VRB) – in connection with its 1 MW solar farm outside of Shirley, Massachusetts, according to reports in the RTO Insider newsletter.

The battery setup is designed to demonstrate how utility-scale storage can work in this state, which is currently ranked No. 7 in the country in overall solar deployment.

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As RTO Insider reports, “Carlos Nouel, vice president of innovation and development at National Grid, told RTO Insider that ‘the Shirley project will serve as a test bed for integrating storage and solar through the use of flow batteries, and support the development of new frameworks for dispatching stored solar power.'”

Integrating storage into the grid is the biggest challenge facing, and the group that won the grant decided to go with VRB instead of traditional lithium because of the utility-scale size. As RTO Insider explains:

A VRB stores chemical energy in the form of vanadium-based electrolyte and generates electricity by inducing a reduction-oxidation (redox) reaction: that is, a transformation of matter by electron transfer across an ion exchange membrane, within a battery stack. The reaction is achieved by either applying an electrical load (discharge) or an electrical supply (charge) to the battery stack as the electrolyte is flowing or being pumped across the membrane.

“Lithium is dominating the storage market, but it is not always the best tool for the job,” said Jonathan Milley, director of business development at Vionx, is quoted by RTO Insider as saying. “Lithium batteries are really for power applications, best-suited for short duration purposes, while vanadium flow batteries are for energy applications, and are therefore a more serious tool for keeping the lights on overnight.”

There are two important things to remember with RTO’s great story about Massachusetts:

1) There are actually markets outside of California where battery storage is being tested successfully. The hope is that this initial deployment will lead to more battery storage being installed in Massachusetts and, therefore, more solar along with it.

2) There are other battery technologies than lithium ion being deployed. While it’s easy to focus on lithium-ion batteries because it’s something with which we’re all familiar, there are other technologies out there, some of which may be better suited for different applications.

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Massachusetts Deploys Utility-Scale Energy Storage

Memo To Forbes Writer: Nuclear Energy Is NOT Clean Energy

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

As I was scrolling through my LinkedIn feed this weekend, I ran across an article from Forbes magazine writer Michael Shellenberger that both made me laugh out loud and shake my head.

The headline of the article was “Had They Bet On Nuclear, Not Renewables, Germany & California Would Already Have 100% Clean Power.” Which, if you think about it, is like saying, “If my dog meowed, she’d be a cat.”

Shellenberger bases his article on a study by Environmental Progress, which a quick glance at their website shows is a shill organization for the nuclear power industry. Something you’d think Shellenberger, who writes about energy and the environment, might either be aware of or at least might want to disclose in the article.

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Instead, Shellenberger wants to pretend that this is an organization like the Sierra Club or Greenpeace that are just interested in preserving the environment. He wags his finger at the denizens of the Global Climate Action Summit for not mentioning nuclear, and then goes ahead with his analysis of Germany and California, shaking his head at their foolishness for not investing enormous amounts of money in the nuclear energy.

Here are a couple of key issues that Shellenberger, in full nuclear hawk mode, ignores. First off, and most importantly, nuclear power is not a clean energy source. Even if you ignore the potential safety concerns about having a nuclear power plant in your back yard (and as someone that has two within 100 miles of his home in two directions, I have those concerns), there’s still the question of what to do with the spent fuel rods. Until you finally build that storage facility inside Yucca Mountain, you’re going to have to put those fuel rods somewhere – and right now there’s no safe place to put them.

Furthermore, he conveniently ignores the costs of storing those rods in his evaluation of costs of nuclear plants, which is something that get ignored by most nuclear proponents. And given the most recent struggles in constructing nuclear plants in Georgia and elsewhere, I’m going to respectfully suggest that the construction costs on which Environmental Progress based its projections may be a little understated.

This discussion is not academic. They are currently debating whether to include nuclear as a clean energy in Arizona’s renewable portfolio standard. So articles like this one from Forbes, dishonest as they are, are important to call out when they appear. Let’s make sure this one doesn’t go unanswered.

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Had They Bet On Nuclear, Not Renewables, Germany & California Would Already Have 100% Clean Power

Rhode Island Issues RFP For 400 MW Of Renewable Energy

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

When you think of renewable energy leaders, Rhode Island may not immediately leap to mind – but thanks to a recent request for proposal (RFP) issued by Governor Gina M. Raimondo for 400 MW of renewable energy, that may be about to change.

The state’s largest utility National Grid developed the RFP in coordination with the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER) and Division of Public Utilities & Carriers (DPUC).

According to a release, the state has more than tripled the amount of renewable power in its portfolio since Governor Raimondo announced her goal to bring 1,000 MW of clean energy into the state’s energy portfolio last year.

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“I have set an ambitious goal of making Rhode Island’s energy system ten times cleaner in an affordable and reliable manner, and we’re well on our way,” said Governor Raimondo. “Our commitment to combating climate change is as strong as ever. Along with the recently announced 400 MW Deepwater Wind offshore wind project, this administration is working hard to secure new and diverse supplies of cost-effective clean energy for Rhode Island homes and businesses, reduce our carbon footprint, and spur other benefits for our economy.”

Rhode Island is looking for projects that are greater than 20 MW in size, including such technologies as solar, offshore wind and onshore wind. Competitive project developers must submit their bids by October 29 at noon. Qualified bids will be thoroughly evaluated, with independent oversight by the Office of Energy Resources and Division of Public Utilities & Carriers.

National Grid will be leading this renewable energy procurement, the RFP does allow for potential joint purchases by the Pascoag Utility District and the Block Island Power Company, subject to approval by the respective parties.

The Public Utilities Commission must review and approve selected projects before any contracts are executed. These proceedings, which will include opportunities for public comment, will be accessible to the public and interested stakeholders.

Solar, Wind Are Quickly Becoming Preferred Electricity Generation Worldwide

By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent

A new Deloitte Global report, “Global Renewable Energy Trends,” indicates solar and wind are becoming the preferred electricity-generation sources worldwide.

There are three key reasons for the increase: price and performance parity with fossil fuels; better grid integration infrastructure and improving technology. In other words, solar and wind are now cost-competitive with fossil fuels and are delivering the same performance. As that continues (and other technologies like blockchain come into play), Deloitte expects the trends to continue.

“Demand for renewable energy sources has grown tremendously in recent years,” says Marlene Motyka, Deloitte U.S. and global renewable energy leader and principal, Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics LLP. “Governments, communities, emerging markets, and corporations increasingly understand that renewables are sustainable and affordable, and they want them included in current and future procurement plans.”

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Most exciting, the report indicates that although wind and solar are already among the least expensive energy sources available globally, they are nowhere near reaching peak deployment. As costs continue to fall and accessibility increases, the demand for renewables is growing rapidly, driven by:

Smart renewable cities:

Migration to the world’s cities has encouraged many cities to take a “smart” approach to their infrastructure using sensor technology and data analyatics to improve the quality of life, competitiveness and sustainability for their residents. As it happens, solar and wind are at the center of many of these developments because they help answer the challenges posed by constructing “smart cities,” including depollution, decarbonization and resilience while enabling clean electric mobility, economic empowerment, and business growth.

Community energy:

Piggybacking of community solar, storage and management systems allow communities more flexibility in adding renewables. They allow on-grid cities to power themselves off te gird, and off-grid communities can keep their investments local, building economies based on the electrification of areas that had previously been electricity-free.

Emerging markets: Though the innovation in solar and wind have traditionally been considered the province of wealthier nations, that is increasingly less the case. Emerging markets are developing renewables at a pace that will soon overtake that of the developed world. As a result, emerging markets are where the innnovations are now coming from – innovations, by the way, that could eventually help developed countries, too.

Corporate involvement: As we’ve seen in the United States, corporations are also leading the renewable energy revolution, With the advent of power purchase agreements (PPAs) and aggregation (for smaller corporations), two thirds of Fortune 1000 companies have set renewable energy targets – meaning this revolution has hit the C-Suite and could be unstoppable as they race to outdo each other in their commitment to solar and wind energy.

“Wide-scale integration of renewable energy sources is no longer a question of if, but when,” Motkya said. “Countries such as China, the United States, and Germany have already reached price parity for certain renewable sources. With prices continuing to drop, developed countries and emerging markets alike have the ability to integrate renewables into their grid systems to ensure competitive advantage.”