FERC Moves to Integrate Energy Storage into National Wholesale Markets

FERC Distributed Energy Resources DER

Jesse Remillard, ERS, for Zondits Over the last few years, the Federal Energy Regulation Committee (FERC) has been implementing policy to build energy storage into electricity markets. FERC Order 745, which required grid regulators to allow energy storage resources to bid into wholesale markets, was initially passed in 2012. In 2014, Order 745 was challenged … Read more

Ameresco is Building a Microgrid on Parris Island

Ameresco US Marine Corps

Ameresco to build renewable-powered microgrid for US Marine Corps Energy Storage, January 13, 2017 Ameresco will build a renewable-powered microgrid at a Marine Corp facility in Parris Island, South Carolina. The project at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD) includes 6.7MW of PV generation, a 3.5MW combined heat and power facility and a 8MWh battery storage … Read more

New York Proposes to a Develop 2,400 MW Offshore Wind Farm

offshore wind offshore wind farm

New York seeks to develop U.S.’s biggest offshore wind projects Reuters, January 12, 2017 New York Governor Andrew Cuomo this week proposed to develop up to 2,400 megawatts (MW) of offshore wind power by 2030 capable of powering 1.25 million homes as the state seeks to lead the nation in renewable energy production. The offshore … Read more

Optimizing Grid Investments for the Grid of the Future

grid operators grid edge grid of the future

US administration: Energy storage and other grid investments vital to security and resilience Energy Storage News, January 9, 2017 Energy storage should be properly valued and supported at federal level in the United States, according to a government document analysing and evaluating energy policy released by officials of the outgoing Obama administration. The Quadrennial Energy … Read more

Arizona Regulators Vote to Replace Net Metering with a Wholesale Rate

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Arizona solar industry hinges on imminent grandfathering decision PV Tech, January 10, 2017 The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) will decide either Tuesday or Wednesday whether to amend its recent decision on grandfathering, to alter the timing when consumers will be grandfathered under pre-existing rules. The decision will have a significant impact on the future of … Read more

Modernizing Iowa’s Electric Power Grid

Iowa’s new energy plan: More renewable energy, stronger power grid The Des Moines Register, December 21, 2016 Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds released the broad energy report Wednesday that looks at Iowa’s energy needs over the next decade. It provided 45 recommendations ranging from modernizing the state’s electric power grid to improving state tax credits for … Read more

Has Commercial Energy Storage Reached the Tipping Point?

Jesse Remillard, ERS, for Zondits There are strong signs that commercial, or behind-the-meter, energy storage has turned a corner in regards technical maturity, commercial value, and ultimately, financial credibility. A report issued by Sandia National Laboratories in August says that many sources believe that the commercial energy storage market is currently at the “tipping point,” … Read more

New England’s Largest Battery Project Aids Grid Stabilization

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Lisa Markowski, ERS, for Zondits New England’s largest state is also home to its largest battery storage project, which began operation in December 2016 at the Wyman Energy Center in Yarmouth, Maine. This supersized battery, which consists of eight individual battery units (each the size of a freight container), holds a total of 1,300 lithium … Read more

Brooklyn Apartment Complex Combines PV, Fuel Cells, and Storage for Microgrid

BQDM energy exchange Marcus Garvey Apartmets

Gita Subramony, ERS, for Zondits Marcus Garvey Apartments in Brooklyn will soon be the site of a hybrid distributed energy system. The housing complex developed and owned by L+M Development Partners will receive a project loan from the New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation (NYCEEC) to add fuel cells and storage to the existing PV … Read more

Quidnet Energy’s Plans to Store Energy Underground

A Texas startup’s big energy idea: storing electricity underground The Guardian, August 25, 2016 In a field in Central Texas, Aaron Mandell and his crew are running pumping equipment to bring a former oil and gas well back to life. But they’re not trying to extract black gold. Instead, they are developing a way to … Read more