Lauren Scolnic

"With every passing year, status quo spending on natural gas pipelines does nothing to fight sky-high gas bills for Marylanders and openly contradicts the state’s climate goals," writes Shawn Kelly of Advanced Energy United in a new The Baltimore Sun op-ed today. As Marylanders switch from gas to electric, it would be financially irresponsible to continue making major investments in the gas system. Check out Shawn's article here on some of the solutions we're proposing, and what customers can do about it ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ebh3GgFs

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A new analysis examines the 'Regulatory Gap' between utilities and their regulators, which is cause for them to focus on taking the easy route and building local transmission when it would be much more valuable to build large interstate transmission lines. 🛣️ ⚡ This 'Regulatory Gap' exists in Missouri and is partially driven by PISA legislation, which requires grid investment and allows certain recovery of it. Sadly, these grid improvements still aren't addressing reliability and aging infrastructure issues in the lower income or minority neighborhoods, and a large chunk of investment is being put into more affluent neighborhoods. https://lnkd.in/gQiMgztj

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What a great program from GridLab. Taking the plunge into entrepreneurship can be daunting. Don’t let the fear win out. Support like this in the beginning is a great way to help with the transition. Kudos to GridLab

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Grid analysts challenge Bonneville Power’s pace in adopting advanced conductors--my latest for PV Magazine USA. As the White House encourages utilities to use advanced conductors to help interconnect new renewable generation, the federally-owned utility Bonneville Power is moving slowly to use the high-capacity conductors, analysts said. Mike O'Boyle, Casey Baker, Michelle Solomon #AdvancedConductors

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In 2018, Georgia Power launched its 'community solar' program to sell subscriptions to customers who wanted renewable energy but couldn’t install their own panels. Unlike community solar models in other states, which guarantee savings, Georgia Power’s program was sold as a premium product with a flat monthly fee. By 2022, the program was severely undersubscribed and coming under scrutiny from regulators and industry critics who called it “fatally flawed.” Rather than scrap the program, regulators ordered Georgia Power to lower the subscription price and set aside most of the unsubscribed capacity for lower-income customers. Today, just 1,155 participants are enrolled, and none of them were income-qualified, as of an Aug. 15 filing. More than three-quarters of the energy produced by the company’s “community solar” arrays is sold by Georgia Power to other customers. John Kraft, a Georgia Power spokesman, emphasized that the company’s community solar subscription is voluntary and not designed to save customers money; rather, it’s to give them an option to “support” solar development in Georgia. The company “cannot force customers to enroll,” he said in an email. As for the lack of income-qualified participants, that plan depended on Georgia Power finding other companies to subsidize the program, but “no corporate sponsors have been identified to date,” he said. https://lnkd.in/edVDpq8a

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The National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) released their new report, Collaborative Enhancements to Unlock Interregional Transmission, providing an assessment and solutions to challenges faced by regulators and other energy stakeholders. Read more here: https://lnkd.in/eyV-8Q72 #interregionaltransmision #transmissionreform

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On June 13, 2024, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an "Order to Show Cause" under Section 206 of the Federal Power Act to four regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs). The impact of "TO self-funding" on generation developers can be substantial. Mike Blackwell provides a breakdown of the potential impacts on generation developers: https://lnkd.in/gXk8zbn9 #EnergyRegulation #FERC

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This week IPAA and national energy associations joined together to issue a letter of support for the Energy #Permitting Reform Act of 2024, introduced by Senate Energy & Natural Resources Chairman Joe Manchin (I-WV) and Ranking Member John Barrasso (R-WY). Collectively, the signatories represent over 80% of our nation's energy. The bipartisan legislation seeks to strengthen American energy security by accelerating the permitting process for critical energy and mineral projects of all types in the United States. Read the letter here or at https://lnkd.in/gmt-tttG The other associations on the letter: Energy Workforce & Technology Council US Oil & Gas Association Gulf Energy Alliance International Association of Drilling Contractors Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association National Stripper Well Association National Ocean Industries Association Southeast Oil & Gas Association Texas Alliance of Energy Producers The Petroleum Alliance of Oklahoma Western Energy Alliance

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Solar developers take note: this analysis shows "connect and manage" or "flexible interconnection" results in revenue gains for community solar projects, especially in constrained areas of the grid. Many thanks to the team at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for their good work.

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PJM has published an addendum to its paper, Energy Transition in PJM: Flexibility for the Future, to provide supporting information and context for the assumptions used in the study’s analysis. The addendum was developed as a companion to the fourth phase of PJM’s ongoing effort to assess the impact of the energy transition, including the escalating integration of renewable resources on the grid. It provides details on the scenario development used in the study, including generation expansion drivers and siting, generation deactivation drivers, load forecast, transmission topology, and external interchange. Read more at PJM Inside Lines. https://lnkd.in/ecYBbzxx

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This week on Cleaning Up! Jenny Chase Lead Solar Analyst at BloombergNEF joins Michael Liebreich to talk about the second edition of her book “Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon”. If you would like to know more about clean energy and climate finance then subscribe to Cleaning Up! https://buff.ly/3WNEfaw #cleaninguppod

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Our Executive Director, Larry Gasteiger, discussed the adverse impacts of competitive processes on needed transmission development on a recent NPR podcast The Indicator from Planet Money. Darian Woods: "The list of arguments against competition is long … Larry Gasteiger points to opposing studies showing cost increases from competition, less reliability, delays to development. Timing is a concern with just 26 years to build an insane amount of transmission.” Even Jon Wellinghoff points out that Order 1000 “didn’t turn out the way we expected." Larry recommends "We should stick with what is tried and true, and get transmission built … and meet the needs that we have today rather than try to experiment with new processes that don’t seem to be working." Give a listen: https://lnkd.in/e9_et7d4 Producer: Cooper Katz McKim #transmission #gridofthefuture #cleangrid #gridreliability #gridresilience #grid #Order1000 #FERC #gridexpansion

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Exciting developments in Pennsylvania's energy sector as Senator Gene Yaw proposes a new loan fund to boost power plant construction! Modeled after Texas' initiative, this could be a game-changer for the PJM Interconnection grid, ensuring stability as demand grows. 📈 Explore how this could transform energy management in the region in this recent article from Utility Dive: https://loom.ly/FiIuQ3A

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📈 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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To improve renewable energy siting, the U.S. Department of Energy seeks permitting experts to provide technical assistance to state siting collaboratives. DOE expects to fund each collaborative, and to support additional collaboratives in other states. #Renewables #Siting #Permitting

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🎙️ Looking for conversations that spotlight conservative leadership in clean energy? The Conservative Energy Podcast dives into the latest policies, innovations, and stories shaping America’s energy future. Stay informed, inspired, and engaged—subscribe now and never miss an episode! 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e_t2kRdy

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Learn how grid congestion impacts power prices and how software from Yes Energy helps companies better understand what's driving market conditions.

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Excellent article by Brad Plumer on the importance of the Inflation Reduction Act and DOE's Loan Guarantee program in building a US supply chain for energy and industrial technologies and products used by all Americans. Not in the article: the US remains a dominant global supplier of oil, natural gas and refined products. Yet the US struggles to produce a very basic level of electricity products needed by hundreds of millions of Americans that we currently depend on Chinese companies for, such as solar panels, batteries and battery-powered products. Americans support making these products in America. It's about jobs and energy security. #Americanjobs #energysecurity #electrification #AI #renewableenergy

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