Christopher Cox

📈 Corporate PPA activity in the ERCOT market has reached 1.8 GW, YTD 2024. Data from the Enerdatics Energy Transition PPA database indicates that ERCOT has seen ~1.8 GW in corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) since the start of 2024, constituting over 60% of the U.S. total. 💡 Tech giant Microsoft leads the way, having secured ~800 MW across three deals. Meanwhile, new entrants such as UnitedHealth Group, Sonoco, and AdventHealth are also stepping up their sustainability efforts. 🏆 Key Suppliers Making Waves: > Regional Leaders: Primergy, Leeward Renewable, Scout Clean Energy > International Players: Orsted, ENGIE 🤝 Positive PPA negotiations in ERCOT are driven by the market's lower land and interconnection costs, which help mitigate higher interest rates and supply chain issues. 🌟 Top Deals to Note: > Microsoft and Primergy Solar: 408 MW from Ash Creek solar project > Hyundai and Matrix Renewables: 147 MW (Hyundai’s first U.S. PPA) > RTX and ENGIE: ~38 MW from Priddy wind project #CorporatePPA #ERCOT #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #Microsoft #Hyundai #RTX #ENGIE #Orsted #Primergy #LeewardRenewable #ScoutCleanEnergy #UnitedHealthGroup #Sonoco #AdventHealth

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Capacity market prices for energy in PJM surged, signaling a crucial demand for additional generation. PJM Interconnection's footprint is set to allocate $14.7 billion for capacity in the 2025/26 delivery year, a substantial rise from $2.2 billion in the previous auction. Stay informed about the energy sector's evolving landscape: [Link to the article] #EnergyMarket #CapacityAuction #PJMInterconnection

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Interregional transmission can provide many benefits -- yet power markets and grid operating practices are not set up to fully capture these benefits. This new report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the DOE Grid Deployment Office lays out the barriers that need to be addressed to realize the full value of existing and new interregional transmission: https://lnkd.in/ekzximcU One of the necessary steps to improve seams-related inefficiencies is "intertie optimization," which we addressed here: https://lnkd.in/ew3QtcpQ and here: https://lnkd.in/dptXMG3t Great work by Christina Simeone, PhD and Amy Rose! #gridmodernization

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Without major reforms or market innovations, most projects entering PJM’s interconnection queue today are unlikely to come online before 2030. Read more here! #PJM #energyindustry #energynews https://lnkd.in/ek_TWaF2

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Idaho Power is seeking approval from the state regulator to deploy an additional 100MW of BESS to plug the gap left within its portfolio following the cancellation of a deal with IPP Savion.  #energystorage

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Excellent article by Jeff St. John! Even though US transmission owners have been investing more than ever in grid infrastructure (over $25 billion annually), bottlenecks in the power grid are preventing the US from meeting surging demand and interconnecting the necessary new resources. Good news is that we do have tools to address these challenges: more proactive planning, grid enhancing technologies, and improved generator interconnection processes! (See, for example, https://lnkd.in/d-BhHaXF, https://lnkd.in/e8vSr4V7, and https://lnkd.in/e7VpYVvj) https://lnkd.in/e7BaRV7S

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Constellation is close to finalizing a $30bn deal to acquire power producer Calpine, a transaction that would significantly bolster its generation capacity amid growing US power demand. The deal, expected to be announced by January 13, is likely to involve a payment structure consisting mostly of stock, with a smaller cash component. Historically, Constellation Energy has worked with Sidley Austin LLP and Bank of America, according to MergerLinks data. #MergersAcquisitionsDivestitures #Energy #PowerProducer

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BEYOND UTILITY PROCUREMENT: What URA's forensic utility bill review can do for your company. Most medium to large businesses have a really good grasp on their energy procurement getting the best prices on electric and natural gas. Great! However this alone falls short from ensuring your utility bills are optimized. In fact, it's far from it. Even with the cheapest rates locked in, we've found that 72% of commercial businesses are still overcharged on their complex monthly invoices by 16% to 23%. Having qualified billing experts analyze your bills, like URA's team, you'll quickly uncover where & how much your utility companies are overbilling you. We increase profitability by reducing your costs; and best of all it's a fast turnaround, at no risk, zero out of pocket cost, no vendor changes, and minimal effort from your team. We sit on your side of the table as you and are only incentivized by saving you money, not by selling you new vendors, products and services. Nothing to lose and a whole lot to save! Reach out to me if you'd like to learn more.

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New England’s continued power demand growth spurs Shell’s acquisition of a 596-MW Rhode Island gas plant, underscoring continued investment in the region’s energy infrastructure. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eT9RQBjP

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This article discussion flies in the face of the market PJM has created. A market that only supports short term assets like wind and solar backed up by gas or batteries. In short it confirms the market flaws that have been claimed by utilities over many years, and should encourage support for creating market signals to create long lived assets like baseload generation plants.

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Realizing this is a snapshot in time but why do utilities and consumers have to deal with the rollercoaster. Look at all the news the past couple of weeks when the stock market went up and down a few times. They call it volatility. It makes people nervous and stressed. If there is one thing we as an energy industry need is stability in energy prices. Yes, wind and solar have caused the volatility with their intermittent and low capacity factor but we need the wind and solar too. What is truly needed is a market that values base load generation for what it does to ensure reliability and avoid the volatility like this. If base load generation is valued properly we would see more utilities and developers investing in the right resources for the grid which is a balanced approach (all of the above).

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PJM has identified the need for changes to its operating reserve markets because: > PJM’s existing reserve markets were designed primarily to manage risk associated with large unit loss > PJM’s existing reserve markets do not align with operational needs and reliability actions today, and this is discrepancy will grow moving forward > Flexibility needs will be increasingly driven by forecast uncertainty, and reserve markets will need to be more dynamic and probabilistic  > Enhancements are needed to PJM’s reserve markets to ensure reliability through the energy transition Kinda ryhmes with our experience in Alberta, so there may be some good learning here for us as we progress through our energy and reserve market redesigns... PJM Reserve Market Enhancements: https://lnkd.in/ggm3SbER

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Two USA Department of Energy papers on DER integration. These papers offer practical frameworks to examine the architectural, technical, and engineering economics of the various sourcing (i.e., tariffs, programs, procurements, and flexibility markets) and orchestration mechanisms (i.e., dispatch, autonomous, and behavioural) to more fully utilize DER services for distribution, not just for the bulk power system. They provide a systematic approach based on earlier Grid Architecture principles and methods to understand the interrelated aspects and factors to holistically scale DER utilization. Are there any new insights or way of thinking about Distributed Energy Resources in this paper which are new to Australia?

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Another 40 GW of solar and wind capacity coming to the U.S. power grid this year could generate ~10 GW of baseload-equivalent generation because of its intermittency. Will the wave of renewable installs be enough to flatten natural gas’ power gen gains this summer? Yes, likely, say analysts. However, one wrinkle is Canada, according to Wood Mackenzie. The northern neighbor has uncharacteristically flipped to a net importer of U.S. power (5 GW swing in April) and could provide uplift to U.S. generation this summer. Worth checking if Canada-bound electrons are in your model. Natural Gas Intelligence https://lnkd.in/e4iUpp-a

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Hybrid power plants should be able to systematically replace older combustion turbines anywhere in the world. The current push to install new fossil-gas power plants to meet computing demand is incredibly backward looking. The world is changing so fast at this point, if you try to advance while looking backward, you're going to end up flat on your ass, getting trampled by the people passing you.

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National Grid said its Northeast system buildout aligns with the U.S. Department of Energy’s transmission needs study, which concluded the region needs a 255% increase in transmission development to support clean energy plans in New York and Massachusetts. Over the next five years, the National Grid plans to invest $35 billion to harden New York And Massachusetts's electric grid against extreme weather, reduce emissions, and help the states meet their clean energy goals. Keep reading to learn more about their plans for the grid: https://bit.ly/3Kni047 #SouthernStates #SouthernStatesLLC #inthenews #nationalgrid #utilitydive #powergrid #transmissionsystems #gridupgrades #utilityindustry #powerindustry #powersolutions #utilitysolutions #newyork #massachusetts #hamptonga

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Plans for a 400MW standalone BESS in Howard County, Indiana, proposed by Spearmint Energy faced a major setback last week. #energystorage

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Instead of forcing large customers to pick from solar projects that lost in the competitive bidding process, we want to allow customers to arrange their own solar projects, then enlist Duke as the go-between — essentially how the green tariff operates now. John Burns our General Counsel: “Our proposal is to keep doing that up to 250 MW a year and make those megawatts supplemental to the targets in the Carbon Plan and the interconnection constraint. That gives the customer an argument as to why they are accelerating or adding megawatts that the utility otherwise would not have added in that year.” https://lnkd.in/eJHGk_bt

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This recent article in RealClearEnergy provides insight into the pressing need for transmission policy reform. As our energy infrastructure grapples with bottlenecks, the need for more efficient and modernized transmission infrastructure is crucial. https://ow.ly/z0cl30sGhfj

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