Tim Shea

As #utilities begin to embrace the benefits of deploying #distributedenergyresources, different models are emerging for how utilities and their customers can participate. Programs from Sunrun and Sparkfund are two examples. #microgrids Pier LaFarge Chris Rauscher, J.D. https://lnkd.in/gkA2C-KR

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https://lnkd.in/eu_vvB9i When I was at ISO-NE in 2019 researching for my book, "The Energy Switch," the control room folks commented that the first time they had seen a duck curve day - 4/21/18 - they were expecting it, but it was still an unusual phenomenon. Not anymore! The 100th such day this year was observed on November 25th. Last year, there were 73 duck days, and in 2022 there were 45. This year, the "greatest estimated output from behind-the-meter solar came to 6,092 MW on April 25." That's a lot of rooftop solar! #duckcurve #ISONE #renewables #energytransition

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The WSJ Editorial Board writes, climate-obsessed politicians are celebrating after the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission finalized a 1,363-page transmission rule to accelerate the green-energy buildout. Now they can bypass Congress on permitting reform. FERC’s actions are “what we need to see the clean energy revolution we catalyzed with the Inflation Reduction Act come to fruition,” Chuck Schumer crowed. What he means is that renewable developers will now capitalize on more taxpayer largesse, while states and businesses socialize the costs of their climate policies. Liberals are using FERC to drive policy they can’t pass in Congress. The goal is to transform the US electrical grid to accommodate solar and wind power while rolling over states that object. Renewables are intermittent and far from population centers, which increases transmission costs. Moreover, many states don’t want to pay for power they don’t need. And heavily subsidized renewable power can also undercut fossil-fuel and nuclear plants, which provide 24-hour baseload power Tens of thousands of miles of new transmission are needed to reach the climate lobby’s net-zero nirvana. But this won’t be quick or cheap. Princeton researchers in 2021 estimated the grid buildout alone will cost $3.5 trillion by 2050—and inflation has further run up costs for everything from copper wire to transformers since this estimate. FERC’s rule effectively subsidizes favored “socially responsible” corporations, as Commissioner Mark Christie noted in his dissent. Google will no longer have to worry about how to move wind power in one area to support its data centers in another. That will be the job of grid operators. Grid operators will also socialize transmission costs across states in their region. Liberals in DC are cheering FERC because they believe they will no longer have to compromise on permitting reform to advance their climate goals. But FERC’s rules don’t override the National Environmental Policy Act, which means states and third parties can still sue to block transmission lines. Our Take 1: This is an excellent piece by the Board. Although they don't say it outright, they've nailed the real reason why these changes are being pushed through—to keep sky-high power prices in liberal states from standing out like sore green thumbs compared to rates in states that haven't fallen for the phony promise of renewables. Is anyone surprised we're at this point? Our Take 2: There are plenty of hoops to jump through before this new rule changes things in a big way. But if it’s believed the stars will align for the rule to work as planned, we can foresee politicians in states like Michigan and New Jersey losing their minds over the prospects of contracting for renewable power generated in windy and sunny places like Oklahoma and Nevada—with ratepayers in every state in between sharing a good portion of the transmission costs. It could get a wild. ⚡💲👀 #renewables #electricity #energy

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An updated and modern grid is critical given the significant increases in demand for electricity. As market researchers active in the utility space, we partner with our clients to understand evolving customer needs that are driving this demand. Schmidt Market Research

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“The new entity comes on the stage after a record year for Chinese oil and gas production. Last year. In crude oil, the country produced around 4.2 million barrels daily, for a total of 208 million tons, which was 3 million tons more than the previous year. In natural gas, total output last year reached 230 billion cu m, of which 96 billion cu m came from unconventional resources, including shale, coalbed methane, and natural gas hydrates.” China is racing to develop all energy sources. At least Australians help lift the bans on nuclear!

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🔋 US lithium prices need transparency for securing domestic supply 🔋 Graham Harris, chairman of Surge Battery Metals, highlights that greater transparency in US #lithium pricing is crucial for stabilizing domestic supply. “Transactional pricing is out there but it would be great if we had more transparency in the markets,” Harris added. “[Lithium] is not listed on [the London Metal Exchange] for example, we don’t have a future market,” he said. The chairman believes that, although the lithium market has been characterized by low prices and oversupply, there will be an inflection point between 2024 and 2030, when people are going to need to secure domestic supply. Read the full Fastmarkets interview to understand why transparent pricing is vital for the future of green energy and EVs: https://fmrkts.com/3STU4tN #FastmarketsBRM #batteryrawmaterials #criticalminerals

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Global Foundries in northern Vermont received a $9.5 million subsidy to ensure the chipmaker's viability in manufacturing gallium nitride electronics essential to the US Defense Dept. Half of their costs are for electricity. They pay at Vermont's high rate of 9.1 ¢/kWh, while the upper New York plants pay at 6.3 and 5.0 ¢/kWh. There's hydro and nuclear power there. They've just managed to escape Vermont's add-on costs by buying directly from the producers' marketplace. To get permission Global Foundries paid indulgences of $15.6 million and promised a new, 5 MW solar farm that produces intermittent electricity they can't use. https://lnkd.in/e-mgpwdB.

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Technology effectiveness is an element to embrace when discussing the Energy Utility Grid growth. When talking about the Energy Utility Grid expansion, the application of technology provides a window into the structures and functions the Energy Utility Grid is utilizing to adapt to better service and broader reach as the Energy Utility Grid strives to modernize and retain cost-effectiveness. Reliance on updated technology to grow the Energy Utility Grid is half the job of finding solutions to Energy Utility Grid upkeep dilemmas. Artificial Intelligence (AI), SMART Grid platforms, and Distributed Energy Resource (DER) integrations are crucial technology investments expanding the Energy Utilities’ Grids’ performance and increasing stability, flexibility, and resilience. #energy #power #technology #digit #ai #smart #der #grid Click the pic and see more https://lnkd.in/eVcnh9ce

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Think Microgrid sounds like that stern taskmaster who never gives out the A, but there's hope built into that toughness: it's latest State Scorecard shows that momentum in #microgrid adoption is there for the earning. No As, but lots of positive paths forward if state policymakers take action to ensure both #grid resiliency and #sustainability overall. Microgrid Knowledge https://lnkd.in/gA5WJKZw

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Interesting read on near term electricity reliability planning - growth of intermittent capacity; asset shifts; growing cyber-threats; sector-coupling gas & grid; inter-regional capacity markets and demand growth. A lot to digest. In my view, district energy systems fit perfectly in the mix to support cities, communities and campuses as the energy transition unfolds. https://lnkd.in/eFQr9uGs

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Expect your cost of gasoline to go up; where we live it is now over $5 a gallon. OPEC+, as this article describes, wants to feed their greed by cutting back on production. I also think that the Saudis, who have given Felon Trump’s family billions of dollars, also want the price of gas to go up so that it hurts Biden’s chance of being re-elected.

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NY state gets ~50% of its #electricity from nat gas and only ~5% from wind/solar. After years of government mandates, subsidy, and bans. Proving ideology and religion fail in the face of physics and math. Let’s see how long it takes NY leaders to wake up to reality.

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Kudos to Grid Strategies LLC for pulling this together. This is one of the best "state of play" reports on energy demand growth around. It's well worth the read, but here are some key takeaways. Five-Year Load Growth Forecast Explodes: Electricity demand is projected to increase by 15.8% through 2029, with a 5-year growth forecast jumping from 23 GW to 128 GW. Data Centers as Key Drivers: Data centers alone could contribute between 65 GW and 90 GW of new demand by 2029, with AI-centric facilities making up 70% of this growth by 2030 Infrastructure Lagging Behind: Despite rising demand, only 55 miles of high-capacity transmission were built in 2023. Planned investments are increasing but remain insufficient to meet the forecasted load Regional Hotspots for Load Growth: Texas, Northern Virginia, Georgia, and the Pacific Northwest are leading regions for demand, driven by data center development, hydrogen plants, and industrial manufacturing. Challenges with Forecasting and Planning: Utilities face difficulties in accurately predicting load growth due to factors like data center energy use, hydrogen production, and electrification of transportation. New Financial Models and Tariffs: Utilities are adopting new tariffs requiring financial commitments from large loads, like data centers, to share infrastructure costs Opportunities in Energy Efficiency and Resilience: Improvements in energy efficiency, though slow, could reduce overall strain. Distributed energy resources (DERs) and Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) are potential solutions for enhancing resilience and grid flexibility Risks to U.S. Global Leadership: Delays in grid expansion could hinder economic and technological leadership in strategic industries like AI and advanced manufacturing.  #cloudcomputing  #cryptomining  #energyinfrastructure  #climatechange  #gridoptimization  #smartgrid  #batterystorage  #smartbuildings  #iot  #ev  #energytransition  #energynews https://lnkd.in/gTMVUYgh

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What are the true costs? The analysis below goes to the problems. Then I got to the comments. Wow! I thought Australian engineers could be direct at times, but the comment below the post by Roger Lauricella (world’s most direct and honest renewables engineer?) leaves most Aussie engineers behind! Ben Beattie, any thoughts? #renewable #energy #costs #california #australia

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