Tom Alrich

Utility regulators and power plant owners have expressed their backing for PJM's Reliability Resource Initiative, as conveyed to FERC. However, there is opposition from renewable developers and other stakeholders towards this initiative.

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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (#FERC) recently denied an amended interconnection service agreement (ISA) that would have allowed Amazon Web Services (#AWS) to draw power directly from the Susquehanna nuclear power plant, in essence jumping ahead of "regular" consumers to secure lower cost energy. The decision will no doubt raise some serious red flags for developers with FERC citing concerns about cost allocation fairness and potential grid impacts of such agreements. #cloudcomputing #cryptomining #energyinfrastructure #climatechange #gridoptimization #smartgrid #batterystorage #smartbuildings #iot #ev #energytransition #energynews https://lnkd.in/gcvMStgr

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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has issued an order denying a revised Interconnection Service Agreement (ISA) proposal that would have allowed expanded co-located load at an Amazon Web Services (AWS) data center connected to Talen Energy’s Susquehanna Nuclear plant in northeast Pennsylvania. #EnergyRegulation #Nuclear #Interconnection

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White House Summit on Modernizing the Power Grid: The White House Climate Policy Office and U.S. Department of Energy co-host a summit on grid modernization spotlighting opportunities to accelerate the deployment of technology solutions that can help expand the capacity of the power grid today. In service of creating a more reliable, resilient, clean, and affordable electrical transmission and distribution system, attendees are also highlighting initiatives aiming to overcome barriers to modernizing the nation’s power system. CTC Global’s CEO, Mr. J.D. Sitton is participating in a panel discussion that underscores the importance of upgrading the existing grid using Advanced Conductors.  https://lnkd.in/g3tYHSEi

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For those not familiar with the Advanced Energy Group Stakeholder Challenges, you should be checking these out!   I attended the Chicago challenge last week, hosted by Holland & Knight LLP. The focus was on Equitable Grid Modernization, and H.G. Chissell elegantly stated that “inequity” is “asymmetric suffering,” so our focus would be on areas where grid modernization is needed to address asymmetric grid performance (see story map link below). These Stakeholder Challenges create volunteer Task Forces to identify a specific challenge to tackle and set both a 90-day sprint and 12-month goal to catalyze action. The attendees were leaders from a diverse group of organizations, from government (including Agronne National Laboratory), utilities, academia, community based organizations and businesses.   Within the course of a morning, the Challenge event builds toward the Task Force creation and launch. Initial speakers – Doug Scott, Chairman of the ICC, Hilary Scott-Ogunrinde of the State of Illinois, and Dale Player of Commonwealth Edison – set the context on equitable grid modernization. And then four stakeholders – Kristol Simms of Ameren Illinois, Julieta Giraldez of Electric Power Engineers, Dr. Steven Meneses of City Colleges of Chicago and Erin Grossi of Northwestern University – each laid out a particular challenge to address. Stakeholders debated, vied and voted on their favorite challenge and then within that challenge, debated, vied and voted again to select a specific 90-day sprint and 12-month goal.   What was truly refreshing about the event is the “walk away” with a specific project to make a difference and a collective commitment to follow through. Combining content, challenge, debate, fun and action within a four-hour meeting is no small thing, and AEG is very good at this.   I strongly encourage you to check for Stakeholder Challenges in your area, and stay tuned for updates from our Q3 Task Force!

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Upgrade you Interconnection Queue IQ! There is no #CleanEnergy transition without transmission - we must responsibly expand our grid to more rapidly onboard clean energy. In 2023 over 3K new project requests to connect to the grid representing over 900 MWs of RE & storage. In total over 11K projects representing ~2.6 TWs of RE & storage capacity actively seeking connection! The Western queue (excluding Cal) represents 700+ MWs of potential - good news is wait time in West to get connection is below national average.

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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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As industry undergoes unprecedented transformation, NERC targets risks, engages stakeholders, and navigates complexities to ensure grid #reliability and #security. The 2024 Performance Assessment, filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission today, showcases the ERO Enterprise's successes from 2019-2023: https://ow.ly/Akb050SGgoh

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I find these recommendations to the Pennsylvania PUC (see Appendix Whitepaper authored by Frank Felder ) to help secure the electric grid critical infrastructure throughout the energy transition to be practical, and achievable and worthy of being shared with other states for their consideration; New England States Committee on Electricity (NESCOE) NARUC Office of the National Cyber Director, The White House Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) 23. What DERA cybersecurity items require further evaluation? The importance and evolving threat of cybersecurity requires constant evaluation, particularly as the potential number of Component DERs and DERAs increases over time.

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🌍 Power Grid Modernization is Crucial for Clean Energy Goals 🌱 The U.S. utilities will invest up to $2 trillion by 2030 in grid modernization, a vital step to increase capacity and reliability. But the large interconnection queue is a significant barrier to deploying renewable energy sources. Last month Ampacimon CPO Brian Berry talked about just that during a webinar for the CEATI T&D Conference. 🎥 Check out the recording of that webinar here: https://ow.ly/rYJl50Tbokx #CleanEnergy #GridModernization #RenewableEnergy #Webinar #EnergySolutions

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This decision by the FERC sends a powerful message, reaffirming the critical importance of nuclear energy in our transition to reliable, low-carbon power. While short-term volatility is inevitable, the long-term perspective is clear: nuclear energy is increasingly recognized as a cornerstone for stable, clean energy, with unmatched reliability that intermittent sources like wind and solar simply cannot offer on their own. With growing recognition from investors and policymakers alike, nuclear energy’s value is finally being understood and appreciated for its ability to deliver consistent power without the need for extensive backup. This shift marks a pivotal moment for the industry, one that prioritizes resilient, sustainable solutions that support grid stability and meet modern demands for low-carbon energy. The FERC’s decision underscores that nuclear is not just an asset—it’s a necessity. With the mounting challenges to grid reliability, the time is now for governments, companies, and investors to take decisive steps to expand our nuclear capacity. The future of clean, dependable energy is nuclear, and it’s a thrilling moment to be part of this transformation.

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"If the agreement is approved by the PUC [of Ohio], new data centers larger than 25 MW would have to pay for at least 85% of the energy they expect to need each month, even if they use less, to cover the cost of infrastructure needed to bring electricity to the facilities," "The agreement also requires data centers to show they are financially viable and able to meet certain requirements, as well as to pay an exit fee if their project is canceled or they can’t meet obligations set in their electric service agreement contracts, /.../ The requirements would be in place for up to 12 years, including a 4-year ramp-up period." #USA #Ohio #data_centers #electricity_demand #regulation

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looks like The Public Utility Commission of #Texas (#PUCT) is attempting to get ahead of the #bigdata demand wave. They are implementing a new rule requiring cryptocurrency mining facilities within the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region to register and report their power demands. No real surprise given the significant energy consumption of #cryptomining operations and the potential for grid reliability issues if demand gets out of control. #cloudcomputing #energyinfrastructure #climatechange #gridoptimization #smartgrid #batterystorage #smartbuildings #iot #ev #energytransition #energynews https://lnkd.in/dNaM4yzH

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PJM is exploring a way to identify and process resources that can support reliability in the near term as it transitions to a reformed interconnection process and clears its new service requests. Donnie Bielak, Director, Interconnection Planning, introduced the Reliability Resource Initiative at the Oct. 8 meeting of the Planning Committee. PJM has expressed concern in recent years about having enough resources on the system to reliably serve electricity demand, as detailed in the February 2023 study, Energy Transition in PJM: Resource Retirements, Replacements & Risks. The study is part of an overarching PJM initiative, Ensuring a Reliable Energy Transition. Read more at PJM Inside Lines. https://lnkd.in/e5Du_W3d

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Did You Know? The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is reinforcing Order No. 2023, increasing accountability and penalties for transmission owners who fail to respond to interconnection requests in a timely manner. “For the last decade, Utilities have slow-walked interconnection applications and failed to make progress on their own, causing a massive, two-terawatt backlog of solar and storage assets waiting for permission to connect to the grid. These new rules will establish clear expectations for all parties involved in the interconnection process and outline consequences for inaction.” – CleanTechnica This is a huge step in the right direction. Let’s energize the grid together! Are you #R3Di? #FERC #CleanEnergy #GridModernization #VirtualUtility

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Infinigrid AS is presenting at Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The topic is: A Novel, Unique, and Proven Approach to Performing Near Real Time Probabilistic Power System Risk Analyses as an Immediately Available Solution for Unlocking Existing Grid Capacity by Facilitating the Safe Encroachment Into N-1 Power System Engineering https://lnkd.in/gbpDvqtF

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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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Berkshire Hathaway helped pass a law in WV that enabled #renewable microgrids to supply power to customers at industrial parks like this falling under PSC regulation. These types of work arounds are becoming more common for data centers, Independent Power Producers, and others. Utilities, Public Service Commissions, Governors, Data Centers, Industrial Loads, Developers and others have to learn to work more closely together to unlock the over 2,000 MWs of #cleanenergy ready to be deployed at scale. “This project demonstrates how investing in clean energy can revive economies that have served our country’s energy needs for decades,” said Alicia Knapp, CEO of the renewables arm of billionaire Warren Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Energy. But landing the project required an unusual move by state lawmakers and the Justice administration: cutting West Virginia’s utility regulator — the Public Service Commission — out of any oversight over the project’s plan to use green, renewable energy. Berkshire Hathaway Energy will be building a microgrid, or an energy system that can power itself, on the former Century Aluminum site in Ravenswood. The project will deliver solar energy to all of the customers within a special business development district, which will be overseen by the state Department of Economic Development." #Solar #Nuclear #Geothermal #LongDurationEnergyStorage

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