Michael Grenier

Canary Media with an article on how rural electric cooperatives are tapping into the IRA to fund the shift from fossil to renewable generation. "How $7.3B will help rural co-ops build clean power—and close coal plants This Inflation Reduction Act program is offering 16 rural electric co-ops financing to overcome the up-front costs of shifting from dirty coal to clean power. Rural electric cooperatives, which bring electricity to the most sparsely populated parts of the country, are getting their biggest federal investment since the New Deal — and this time around, the money is going to help fight climate change. Last week, the Biden administration announced $7.3 billion in financing for 16 rural co-ops serving about 5 million households across 23 states. The money will be administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which implemented the Rural Electrification Act, the 1936 law that financed the buildout of the grid in more remote areas of the country. It will also be matched by more than $29 billion in private investments with a goal of building more than 10 gigawatts of clean energy. That’s a big jump from the nearly 16 gigawatts of renewable energy capacity co-ops have today." Read more at https://conta.cc/4d4kLmE #solar #energy #solarenergy #renewables #renewableenerg

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#Microgrid project Aims to Cut #Diesel Use, Save on #Energy Costs, Move Toward #EnergyIndependence in 8 #Rural Alaskan Communities: Lucas Miller Laurel Hamilton Trent Maw Michael Stadler https://lnkd.in/g85bhaP8

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Kudos to Duane Highley and the team at Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Inc. for seizing the benefits of the #InflationReductionAct to accelerate its transition to cleaner and lower cost #renewables. Power supply to its distribution coop members will hit 50% clean next year en route to a 89% reduction in #GHG emissions by 2030 ... with new resources additions focused on #windpower, #solarpower and #batterystorage with a small amount of #gas for peaker/reliability purposes. This is very much in line with the trajectory envisaged by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) #CleanPowerRules and shows that those rules do not force a "major" change in the industry, rather they run totally with the grain of what makes economic sense, and what is happening on the ground, while of course reducing harmful pollution at the same time. A win all around for coop members and the planet. #climatecrisis #stopburningstuff c Dave Munk Alex DeGolia Keith Klesner, PE Kristen Bertuglia NRECA Jim Matheson Kent Singer Colorado Rural Electric Assn. Mark Jacobson Leah Stokes Michael E. Webber Holly Metzler Sonja Macys Will Toor Chris Hansen Lisa Tiffin Amy Robertson Alana Miller Jeffrey McManus Kendra Foley

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"Now is the time to retire old models that estimate carbon emissions and leverage data to precisely and transparently track emissions impacts on a household-by-household basis," says our friend Nathaniel "Nate" Kinsey at Utility API.👏 It’s key that we’re using transparent, verified data to drive strategic investments into clean energy, so we can ensure we’re directing resources into projects with the greatest emissions impacts. That’s because there’s a huge difference between the emissions impact of solar deployed in Georgia and solar deployed in Nevada. Unlocking data helps us focus efforts on the greatest return. Thanks UtilityAPI for including WEATS as an example of how we can do that! 👉 Read more: https://lnkd.in/dyQEkuJG (Shout out goes also to Shovels and Aurora Solar). #RenewableEnergy #ESG #cleanenergy

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For anyone who will be at IEEE Power & Energy Society T&D Conference feel free to stop by our panel session on #EVs and #gridreliability. Will be an interesting cross-sector discussion including technology provider, independent system operator, and utility perspectives among others. E-mobility is driving the blending of Transmission and Distribution system planning, design, and operations. Particularly with the growing prevalence of distributed energy resources, IoT and grid-edge technologies, and virtual power plants (#VPPs).

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Sadly the CPUC has come out with another bad proposed decision on distributed energy resources - this time on microgrids. The decision, six years in the making, is a utility centered proposal that only focuses on the use of microgrids during grid outages and does not incentivize their deployment missing the opportunity to save California's ratepayers billions of dollars and provide badly needed resilience in local communities. Here is the article in Microgrid Knowledge: https://lnkd.in/e5x4cSvG

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An example of the energy transition is the transition from local local local to local local micro grid when describing a desirable place to live.

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Alphabet’s Google, along with TPG Rise Climate and other investors, is supporting clean energy developer Intersect Power with more than $800 million in funding Read: https://lnkd.in/dkEx2ngf

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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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This is the most authoritative piece I’ve read on emissions, and really highlights the benefit of living and operating a business in California. It should make emissions accounting much easier if the cost is already included in electric rates. It should make businesses outside California want back in. https://lnkd.in/eeVkj-_3

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Community solar stands as a beacon of hope for equitable clean energy. 🌞 But, is it living up to its promise? As recent insights from Wood Mackenzie's "US Solar Market Insight: 2022 Year in Review" have shown, solar energy isn't just about sustainability; it's about equity. With climate change disproportionately impacting marginalized communities, access to clean energy is a justice issue that demands our attention. A glance at studies like those by Sunter et al. (2019) and Lukanov & Krieger (2019) reveals stark disparities in solar adoption. The affluent have long benefited, while lower-income households face barriers. Thankfully, community solar projects offer a ray of hope, with innovative models proliferating across the US. Community solar has the potential to democratize energy access, as NREL's work suggests. It's not just about installing panels on rooftops; it's about co-creating solutions that consider the socioeconomic fabric of communities. By enabling shared benefits from solar generation, we empower those who've been sidelined in the clean energy revolution. Moreover, studies like Heeter et al. (2021) and Forrester et al. (2023) underscore the urgent need for policies that ensure these projects genuinely serve low and moderate-income families. What's critical now is continued advocacy, informed policy-making, and committed action to translate potential into tangible outcomes for all. Let's pivot towards a future where clean energy is not a privilege but a right - a tool for leveling the playing field. Participate in the dialogue, stay informed, and let's harness shared solar as a vehicle for environmental and social equity. #CommunitySolar #CleanEnergyAccess #EnergyEquity

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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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FERC has approved interconnection reform - and this is *generally* good for the energy transition. That said the devil in in the details of how states and utilities implement these changes. Some improvements like penalties assessed against utilities for tardy studies, trying to clean out queue squatters, and expressly identifying certain technical flexibility into interconnection design are good. However, we have specifically seen "Cluster Studies" and higher financial security requirements stymie development and create very costly and endless loops of re-studies in many markets (utility and DG). Calling on American Clean Power Association (ACP) Solar Energy Industries Association and importantly state level advocacy and watch dog groups to closely watch and actively participate as the implementation of these changes occur at the state level PUCs and DPUs - ensuring proper accountability and fair play. https://lnkd.in/ewehaH52 NYSERDA New York Solar Energy Industries Association MID-ATLANTIC RENEWABLE ENERGY COALITION Renewable Energy Vermont American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) Smart Electric Power Alliance NECEC Cleantech Leaders Roundtable

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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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DOE proposes ten “national interest” transmission corridors (my latest for PV Magazine USA) Eight of the ten transmission corridors proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy would facilitate transmission between grid regions; one would expand transmission within the Mid-Atlantic’s #PJM grid region; and one would expand transmission in the Northern Plains.

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