Richard Stuebi

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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💡If you get as amped up as Jonathan does about the future of #energy #technology, ARPA-E's 3-day event is for you! Hear from our co-founder Jonathan Scott about energy innovation in Dallas, Texas, later this month.   #keynote #solar #PowerTrip #ARPAE24

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The Energy Futures Institute has released a report with 10 recommendations for BC's energy plan, focusing on increased domestic electricity production, infrastructure upgrades, and transparency. EFI Chair Barry Penner, KC has emphasized the need for a comprehensive and realistic energy strategy to ensure reliability, affordability, and sustainability for BC’s economic growth and living standards. Read the full report here! #energy #britishcolumbia

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"Utilities have for decades “been using the same playbooks to build centralized generation and associated transmission and distribution to meet long-term demand needs. And it’s largely worked,” Shah said. “But with demand growth accelerating from data centers, new manufacturing, a surge of electric vehicles and electrified appliances ... an old grid operations paradigm needs to be updated.” After roughly two decades of stagnant electricity demand, the North American Electric Reliability Corp. now forecasts an approximately 15% to 20% increase in electricity consumption over the next decade, DOE noted in its brief. And by 2050, demand could double to meet net-zero emissions targets. Importantly, this demand growth is not unprecedented, according to Louise White, a senior consultant with the DOE’s Office of Technology Transitions and Loan Programs Office. Before 2005, the U.S. experienced periods of 10-year load growth of up to 30%, she said." https://lnkd.in/eZXGKWHf

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This needs to happen for every utility company.

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In the final installment we hear from Electric Power Supply Association members who are leaning in to address the growing issues. Thanks to Thad Hill of Calpine, Curt Morgan of Alpha Generation, and Marji Philips of LS Power for sharing their specific insights. We hope you found this series informative and triggered questions and ideas about how we address these emerging and evolving issues. #reliability #power #innovation #energy

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My hot take today is about a little noticed announcement the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released quietly today. It has reopened an opportunity to fund carbon dioxide transportation networks. This is a positive and a much-needed development because Cipher reporting earlier this year revealed that many of the carbon storage projects are not just dependent on securing permits but also on delivering the captured CO2. Aware of the paucity of transport networks, DOE itself noted, the U.S. will need to capture and permanently store approximately 400–1,800 million metric tons of CO2 annually by 2050 to meet its commitments. https://lnkd.in/ef7JPEgr In other top reads by my colleagues, Cat Clifford highlighted a Bloomberg article that spotlights how Holtec International, a company involved in making nuclear waste storage casks, is now looking to revitalize a nuclear plant headed for decommissioning. And Bill Spindle reported about an upcoming gathering of corporate heads of fossil fuel and tech companies. We try to stay on top of breaking news about the global developments in the cleantech and climate space and share them with you so continue reading our Top Reads and Hot Takes at Cipher News. Cheers!

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Key take-away: “The rule will place significant restrictions on new natural gas power plants at a time when reliability experts including the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, and nearly all of the grid operators, are flashing warning signs about the loss of dispatchable capacity during a time of surging electric demand. The almost certain result will be higher prices, diminished reliability, and even increased emissions, by stymying investment in new, highly efficient natural gas facilities to displace older, higher emitting, and/or more expensive resources.”

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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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"The vision is to have these distributed power plants — which can be stood-up, scaled and dispatched far more quickly and affordably than conventional centralized power plants — drive down costs and boost reliability for all the grid’s users. The problem is that only one of the six FERC-jurisdictional grid operators, the California Independent System Operator, has successfully developed — and begun implementing — a wholly compliant Order No. 2222 implementation plan. But it’s the case of the nation’s largest grid, the PJM Interconnection, that best illustrates the costs of non-compliance. Case in point are the results of what’s known as its July “capacity auction,” a process by which power plants are paid to commit to be available, and consumers are paid to conserve during future emergencies. Beset with an extraordinary mismatch of power supply and demand, the results of that July auction tell us that the price of electricity for 65 million people across the mid-Atlantic and Midwest is set to increase significantly next year, and it threatens to keep climbing thereafter. Regrettably, in a region with growing fleets of rooftop #solar panels, #batteries and #electricvehicles, distributed power plants, or DPPs, were not afforded a chance to mitigate this summer’s record-shattering capacity auction. Though, to PJM’s credit, it’s not for lack of trying; after one failed attempt, earlier this year PJM’s plan for integrating DPPs into its wholesale energy markets was accepted by FERC just a few days prior to the capacity auction. Yet, despite the proverbial canary in the coal mine, PJM has since informally proposed delaying their approved plan’s effective date by two years — or at least four additional capacity auctions — from February 2026 to February 2028. That would mark more than seven years since Order No. 2222 was handed down." #FERC2222 #VirtualPowerPlants

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#unavoidableopportunity #climateresilience investment now. "Separately, the Department of Energy is trying to help utilities squeeze more capacity out of the existing grid. That includes “grid-enhancing technologies” such as sensors that allow energy companies to send more power through existing lines without overloading them and advanced controls that allow operators to ease congestion on the grid. It also includes replacing existing lines with advanced conductors, which can potentially double capacity along existing routes. The Energy Department is currently offering $3.9 billion in funding that could go toward these and other solutions."

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🔍 Curious about Distributional Equity Analysis (DEA)? MEEA is currently participating in a case study in Illinois to demonstrate the use of a DEA by assessing the distributional equity impacts of electric and gas resource investments on priority populations. Our most recent blog details our collaboration with community stakeholders and the progress we've made so far. Discover more: https://lnkd.in/gZay3zKU

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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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NERC recommends adding 35,000 MW of interregional transmission capacity as "prudent additions" to address grid resiliency needs! Note that this assessment solely focuses on energy adequacy and the level of assistance likely available from neighboring regions during resiliency challenges, such as winter storms. The study does not, for example, consider: 1️⃣ Resilience support available from regions beyond the immediate neighbors (such as PJM's exports to SPP during winter storm Elliot). 2️⃣ A multi-value perspective that takes into account the added economic and public-policy benefits of interregional transmission, which often justify expanding interregional transmission beyond these NERC results (as DOE's National Transmission Planning Study has most recently shown). NERC report: https://lnkd.in/e_GuKkAk Utility Dive summary: https://lnkd.in/eW3U_E34 North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) #gridmodernization

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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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Current power grids don't have the flexibility to support the energy transition and updating them will take years. National Grid and LineVision have found a faster solution unlocking unused potential in power lines. Hudson Gilmer, Co-Founder and CEO at LineVision, says: “With accelerating load growth and congestion, a diverse set of solutions is crucial to enhancing grid capacity, starting with maximising the potential of the existing grid.” Have a read to find out how they've done it in New York #Sustainability #Energy #US Brian Gemmell John Pettigrew Jon Marmillo Stephen Smith

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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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Energy Efficiency = Cost Savings + Energy Savings It is common sense and an effective measure in improving grid reliability, reducing peak and expensive load, and moving towards sustainable solutions to the rising energy demand and costs. It will help to reduce need for peaker plants, when efficiently implemented along with solutions like demand response, DERs, GETs and economical storage solutions for renewables. Bipartisan passing of Ohio House Bill 79 today is a step in that direction. #energyeficiency #ohio

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