GridLab

📈 Ratepayers across the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest are seeing their bills soar after PJM’s price capacity auction. A new report from Grid Strategies, commissioned by Advanced Energy United, finds that if PJM had connected just 15% more energy projects, consumers could have saved $7 billion.  This isn’t just a PJM problem—it’s a national issue. “Typical interconnection processes are ‘penny wise’ but ‘pound foolish’,” said Rob Gramlich of Grid Strategies LLC, who co-authored the report. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/eQ4-zh83

Friends! We are releasing a set of papers today outlining how #SurplusInterconnection can unlock GW of new resources. Surplus Interconnection is a way to plug wind and solar into existing thermal plants, sharing the interconnection facility of the existing plant. Surplus allows these plants to come online without waiting for years in an interconnection queue, since the existing thermal plant has interconnection rights. Most RTOs and utilities have a streamlined (90 day) process for surplus. Leveraging surplus interconnection could unleash 800 GW of energy the US needs today. We have three reports out: a technical paper outlining the potential (800 GW!) of surplus, and policy report laying out the barriers and potential policy to address those barriers, and finally, a briefing for policymakers that condenses the two papers into a short read. Check out our papers, along with a cool interactive dashboard, here: https://lnkd.in/g3h377ii And if you want to just read the short Utility Dive piece - that's here: https://lnkd.in/gUX7DbXq So many folks worked hard over the past year to make this work a reality - I can't list them all but Casey Baker, Amol Phadke, Umed Paliwal, Miles Farmer, Abraham Silverman were key authors of this work. GridLab

The team at GridLab is excited to announce the latest report with University of California, Berkeley on surplus interconnection service. A near-term solution to load growth and affordability concerns, leveraging surplus interconnection service can ✔️ add 850 GW of new generation without going through logjammed interconnection queues. ✔️ avoid $200 billion in costly infrastructure builds and upgrades ✔️ preserve jobs and economic benefits in energy communities Read more about this win-win-win for the grid, customers, and utilities at https://lnkd.in/efmtUUyc where you can explore a state-by-state interactive dashboard, learn more about the technical potential of surplus interconnection, and explore policy barriers and solutions. ➡️ https://lnkd.in/efmtUUyc And for the short and sweet version, read this op-ed in Utility Dive! ➡️ https://lnkd.in/eBBsWEze

Last week, FERC approved two very different solutions to PJM’s capacity challenge. One of these approaches, known as Surplus Interconnection Service (SIS), seeks to connect new renewable resources to existing points of interconnection to get more power on the grid. By focusing on surplus capacity in regions that already have infrastructure in place, SIS ensures that renewable projects come online more quickly while strengthening grid reliability. Key points to know about Surplus Interconnection: 🏃♂️ Avoids costly delays of the standard interconnection process 🏡 Uses existing interconnection infrastructure which results in lower infrastructure costs ☀️ Addresses the growing demand for renewable power and grid reliability 🌐 Potential to bring hundreds of GWs of new energy sources online by 2030

I wrote a short piece reflecting on 2024 and looking forward to 2025 - what's in store for clean energy this year given the turbulence and uncertainty?

It's a Valentine's gift that's probably more useful than roses - A Love Letter from Electrification to #Grid Reliability, a podcast with GridLab Executive Director Ric O'Connell. O'Connell notes that the two issues that are front-of-mind for him in 2025 are load growth and affordability. According to a 2025 Renewable Energy Outlook and Utility Dive, load growth and strong policies are still driving the renewable energy industry forward despite the threat of federal policy reversals. The article goes on to report that U. S. electricity demand could rise 128 gigawatts over the next five years. And at the same time, the number of new #transmission interconnection requests is at an all-time high, with 2.5 terawatts of clean energy and storage capacity currently waiting in the interconnection queue. You can listen to the podcast or read the transcript here: https://lnkd.in/eq4MGXjH

🔈Tune in to the latest episode of the Electrify This! podcast, where GridLab's Ric O'Connell joins Sara E. Baldwin to discuss challenges facing the grid and the policies needed to overcome them for a clean, reliable future! ⚡️🔋 ☀️

🎙️Electrification Loves Grid Reliability TODAY: GridLab's Ric O'Connell joins Sara E. Baldwin on the Electrify This! #podcast to discuss the challenges and policies necessary for building a clean and reliable grid. 🔊 https://lnkd.in/e6Pme4Au

GridLab Executive Director Ric O'Connell breaks down key takeaways from the recent Moss Landing fire and what this means for the future of battery storage.  

This is amazing. ERCOT has increased generation 36% over the past decade, while simultaneously nearly doubling its share of carbon free energy. That's progress. There are folks that say only gas can meet rising load - but here's proof: a state that has met rising load with new clean generation - gas has held steady, even while coal is half of what it was a decade ago. If Texas can do it, why not everywhere else?