Tag Archive for: renewables

In a major clean energy benchmark, wind, solar, and hydro exceeded 100% of demand on California’s main grid for 30 of the past 38 days.

California exceeds 100% of energy demand with renewables over a record 30 days

In a major clean energy benchmark, wind, solar, and hydro exceeded 100% of demand on California’s main grid for 30 of the past 38 days.

Stanford University professor of civil and environmental engineering Mark Z. Jacobson has been tracking California’s renewables performance, and he shares his findings on Twitter (X) when the state breaks records. Yesterday he posted:

Jacobson notes that supply exceeds demand for “0.25-6 h per day,” and that’s an important fact. The continuity lies not in renewables running the grid for the entire day but in the fact that it’s happening on a consistent daily basis, which has never been achieved before.

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Source: electrek

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California must add nearly 60 GW of new renewable energy and energy storage resources by 2035 to slash power sector greenhouse gas emissions.

California plans to add nearly 60 GW of renewables, storage by 2035

California must add nearly 60 GW of new renewable energy and energy storage resources by 2035 to slash power sector greenhouse gas emissions under a sweeping plan approved Feb. 15 by state energy regulators.

“This is a critical component of California’s climate change strategy,” California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Reynolds said ahead of a 3-0 decision to approve the “preferred system plan and portfolio,” which is designed to reduce emissions in the power sector to 25 million metric tons by 2035.

More than 40 individual integrated resource plans filed by investor-owned utilities, community choice aggregators and other load-serving entities helped to shape the statewide preferred plan. Under the portfolio, the use of natural gas-fired power plants connected to the California ISO transmission system “would decrease by roughly 70% by 2035” compared with 2024, Reynolds said.

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Source: S&P Global

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During the third quarter of 2023, renewables have installed a record 5.5GW of utility-scale renewable capacity, led by solar, according to ACP

Solar led record Q3 renewables installations in the US with 3.1GW

During the third quarter of 2023, renewables have installed a record 5.5GW of utility-scale renewable capacity, led by solar, according to American Clean Power Association (ACP).

In its Clean Power Quarterly Market Report, ACP highlights that it is the strongest Q3 to date, which is up 13% over the same period in 2022. Solar continues to lead utility-scale installations with 3.1GW in the quarter, up from the 2.7GW added in the previous quarter and outpacing installations in 2022, while slightly behind numbers in 2021.

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Source: PV Tech

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Solar energy has reached an “irreversible tipping point” that will see it become the world’s main source of energy by 2050.

Solar energy set to eclipse fossil fuels as world passes ‘tipping point’, study reveals

Solar energy has reached an “irreversible tipping point” that will see it become the world’s main source of energy by 2050, according to a new study.

Researchers at the University of Exeter and University College London analysed recent technological and economic advances to determine that the transition to clean energy is not just reachable, but inevitable.

“The recent progress of renewables means that fossil fuel-dominated projections are no longer realistic,” said Femke Nijsse from the University of Exeter.

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Source: INDEPENDENT

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US solar is booming – here’s the newly released data

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US solar is growing at a breakneck speed, and it hit several big milestones in July, according to newly released government data.

In its latest monthly “Energy Infrastructure Update” report (with data through July 31, 2023) reviewed by the SUN DAY Campaign, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) says solar provided 1,824 megawatts (MW) of new US generation capacity, or more than 67.2% of the total added in July 2023. The balance (892 MW) was provided by natural gas. This brought solar’s share of total available installed generating capacity in the US up to 7.12%.

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Source: electrek

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For the six-month period, solar was 5.77% of total U.S. electrical generation. A year earlier, solar’s share was 4.95%.

Solar continues march to top renewable electricity source in the United States

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Renewable energy sources provided 25.11% of the nation’s electrical generation in the first half of 2023, according to a SUN DAY Campaign review of data from the U.S. EIA. The latest issue of EIA’s “Electric Power Monthly” report shows that electricity from renewables is up slightly from the 25.06% reported for the first half of 2022.

Solar grew by 12.44%, compared to the same period in 2022. This was driven in large part by growth in “estimated” residential solar PV whose output increased by 25.59% — more than any other energy source — and accounted for nearly one-third (31.42%) of total solar production. For the six-month period, solar was 5.77% of total U.S. electrical generation. A year earlier, solar’s share was 4.95%.

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Source: Solar Power World

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The FERC approved a rule to speed up clogged interconnection processes that have left power generation and energy storage projects waiting years for permission to connect to the grid.

FERC issues rule to speed grid connections for storage, renewables, other generators amid 2 TW backlog

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Thursday approved a rule to speed up clogged interconnection processes that have left power generation and energy storage projects waiting years for permission to connect to the grid.

“Today is a historic day,” FERC acting Chairman Willie Phillips said during a media briefing. “This rule will ensure that our country’s vast generation resources are able to interconnect to the transmission system in a reliable, efficient, transparent and timely manner.”

The rule, called Order 2023, is the first major change to FERC’s interconnection requirements in two decades.

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Source: Utility Dive

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The country’s most ambitious & expensive infrastructure project, with an estimated cost of more than $100B will connect LA and SFO in a 422-mile system.

California’s $100 billion electric bullet train will be fully solar powered

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Elon Musk unveiled his futuristic hyperloop concept in 2013 by taking swipes at California’s high-speed rail project, deriding it as “a bullet train that is both one of the most expensive per mile and one of the slowest in the world.” A decade later, his fanciful tube train remains science fiction while construction of the Golden State’s cash-strapped railway continues, with at least one feature the mercurial billionaire should like: it’s going to be solar-powered.

The California High-Speed Rail Authority is preparing to begin discussions with potential suppliers of a $200 million utility-scale system it will own and operate. It will include 552 acres of solar panels generating 44 megawatts of electricity — enough for a city of 33,000 people — and batteries to store 62 megawatt hours of power. The system must be robust enough to provide powerful electrical bursts to propel trains at up to 220 miles per through the 171-mile Central Valley segment of the railway, withstand intense heat and keep passengers moving along — even if there’s a blackout at local utilities.

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Source: Forbes

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California produced 26% of the national utility-scale solar electricity followed by Texas with 16% and North Carolina with 8%.

California produces 26% of US solar power

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Electricity generated from renewables surpassed coal in the United States for the first time in 2022, the U.S. Energy Information Administration announced Monday.

Renewables also surpassed nuclear generation in 2022 after first doing so last year.

Growth in wind and solar significantly drove the increase in renewable energy and contributed 14% of the electricity produced domestically in 2022. Hydropower contributed 6%, and biomass and geothermal sources generated less than 1%.

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Source: Patch

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California’s power grid operator says $9.3B in new projects is needed over the next decade to support the state’s shift to renewable energy and plug-in cars.

California grid needs $9.3 billion upgrade in renewables shift

California’s power grid operator says $9.3 billion in new projects is needed over the next decade to support the state’s shift to renewable energy and plug-in cars.

The California Independent System Operator on Monday identified 46 projects that will be needed to help planned solar plants and offshore wind farms plug into the grid while improving reliability in a state that has been plagued with blackouts. CAISO identified the projects, including new or upgraded power lines and substation equipment, in a draft transmission plan. Its board is expected to vote on the plan in May.

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Source: Bloomberg

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