Almost a third of solar projects in US interconnection queues are solar-plus-storage hybrids

FERC chairman Neil Chatterjee said at that conference that, following success in moves to change regulations of the country’s regulated electricity wholesale markets to allow distributed energy storage to participate (through FERC Order 841), the regulator is now eyeing the accelerated deployment of hybrid resources as a vital next step for both the energy sector and the wider energy transition to clean energy.

Following that conference, the Energy Storage Association offered an exclusive statement to Energy-Storage.news which said that focusing on hybrid resources is a “reflection of a core value of energy storage – providing flexibility.”

“Storage-generation hybrids are being planned for a variety of reasons, including adapting to federal investment tax credit (ITC) rules, overcoming barriers to interconnection and market participation, and providing project cost-savings and hedging opportunities,” the ESA said.

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Powerhouses: nanotechnology turns bricks into batteries

The humble house brick has been turned into a battery that can store electricity, raising the possibility that buildings could one day become literal powerhouses. The new technology exploits the porous nature of fired red bricks by filling the pores with tiny nanofibers of a conducting plastic that can store charge. The first bricks store enough electricity to power small lights. 

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The Biggest Event in Energy Storage Arrives in Less than Two Weeks

Don’t miss #ESACon20 – a true 360-degree digital conference experience with all the features of being in person. More than a passive webinar, #ESACon20 offers interactive content from 11 AM to 5 PM (EDT)/8 AM to 2 PM (PDT) daily and on-demand access to all content through the end of 2020. Learn more.

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Texas approves 12 GW of solar projects in seven months, yet 9 GW of battery projects languish

The ERCOT grid operator that serves most of Texas has completed full interconnection studies for 58 solar projects totaling 11.9 GW of capacity so far this year. The completed studies will allow project developers to proceed toward commercial operation. In the first seven months of this year, ERCOT has already completed nearly twice as many solar interconnection studies, for nearly twice as much solar capacity, as it did in all of 2019.

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New Mexico’s Plan to Shut Down Coal Without Leaving People Behind

Public Service Company of New Mexico, a utility owned by PNM Resources, will build 650 megawatts of solar power and 300 megawatts of battery capacity to divest its share of the San Juan coal plant in 2022. The unanimous decision last week by the Public Regulation Commission makes New Mexico a test case for how to move away from coal power without decimating the communities that supplied and operated those plants.

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Storage - Sustainable Methods of Thermal Energy Storage to Bring Drastic Transformation - Renewable Energy Magazine, at the heart of clean energy journalism

Market players are adopting more sustainable ways of storing thermal energy than before. Many startups have entered the market and introduced sustainable ways of thermal energy storage. Companies are targeting new geographic locations for their projects. 

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APS says runaway thermal event caused 2019 battery explosion, outlines 4 steps to avoid a repeat

The U.S. Energy Storage Association (ESA) has created an emergency response plan template and operational safety guidelines for energy storage installations, Kelly Speakes-Backman, CEO of ESA, told Utility Dive by email. ESA also launched a Corporate Responsibility Initiative (CRI) and pledge signed by more than 50 companies.

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Dominion reaches agreement on South Carolina renewables + storage tariff to better integrate resources

Dominion Energy South Carolina has filed a proposal with the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC) for a tariff that will apply to storage-plus-renewables generation facilities, with an eye toward better integrating intermittent solar in its system. The tariff would apply to paired facilities in which the battery receives 100% of its electric input from the renewable resource, and has a minimum four-hour duration.

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Hybrid resources: FERC looking at America’s ‘next wave of opportunity’ for storage

FERC is opening up for stakeholder and public comments on the topics raised as well as general input on hybrid resources and colocation. The issue will certainly grow and grow. While California is still the leading state on solar-plus-storage for instance, Jason Burwen, the Energy Storage Association’s policy director, pointed out that in Texas’ ERCOT market, around 20% of storage in interconnection queues as of the end of 2019 would be paired with generation as hybrids. Those projects would be planned to come online this year. Then, for projects planned to come online in 2021, some 2/3 are hybrids. But for projects with planned online dates in 2022, nearly 80% of new storage would be hybrid resources paired with generation.

“Obviously not all would come online but it’s a good indication of interest,” Jason Burwen of ESA said. “Organised markets are working to keep up and we are glad to see there are proactive efforts for policy to catch up with technology.”

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NRStor C&I Relaunches As Aypa Power, Continues to Lead Deployment of Energy Storage and Hybrid Renewables Across North America

Following the successful acquisition by Blackstone Energy Partners in March 2020, NRStor C&I has relaunched as Aypa Power (“Aypa”) as it rapidly expands across the North American market. Following the acquisition, Aypa has broadened its offerings to include utility-scale development and power marketing of standalone energy storage projects, as well as integrated battery systems paired with renewable generation and microgrids.

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