Battery Storage

San Antonio Express-News reports on how surging data center demand is creating planning challenges for Texas utilities, including the city-owned CPS Energy. Matthew Boms, Executive Director of the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (United’s state affiliate), highlighted that data centers are increasingly bringing their own generation sources by investing in solar, battery, and wind projects to help reduce grid strain while supporting reliability statewide.

Planning a new electric generating facility requires balancing project costs with expected revenues, including how much power the resource is accredited to sell during a capacity auction, i.e., Effective Load Carrying Capability (ELCC). In our latest blog post, United’s Doug Pietrucha introduces a new white paper, developed by Ascend Analytics, that discusses how the grid operator PJM Interconnection calculates ELCC for advanced energy technologies under different scenarios, highlighting how these resources benefit one another, and how PJM accredits them for market participation.

Planning the construction of an electric generating facility is a balancing act. Developers have to know not only their costs, but their expected revenues to make a new facility economical. An important aspect of understanding facility revenues is how much energy the facility is accredited to sell, i.e. Effective Load Carrying Capability (ELCC). A new report by Ascend Analytics discusses the ELCC for renewable technologies under several possible scenarios on the PJM system, outlining how these technologies interact with and benefit each other, and how PJM accredits them for market participation. 

RTO Insider reports that several groups are calling for changes to ISO-NE’s surplus interconnection service (SIS) rules to use capacity headroom and help some resources avoid lengthy cluster study processes. Alex Lawton emphasized that lowering barriers to surplus interconnection could help bring resources online more quickly and efficiently, helping prevent future resource adequacy issues.

Canary Media reports on the proposed Trimount battery project—a 700MW, 2.8GWh facility near Boston, MA. United’s Alex Lawton emphasized that projects like Trimount could demonstrate how energy storage technologies can reduce grid strain and increase affordability for consumers.

Reuters reports that in Pennsylvania, solar and storage are rising fast as data centers seek generation sources that can be developed quickly. United’s Jon Gordon stated that advanced energy solutions can be deployed more quickly than traditional energy resources to meet growing energy demand.

Heatmap News’ Jael Holzman interviews Trish Demeter, Advanced Energy United’s senior managing director, about United’s new report, produced by Synapse Energy Economics, which found that failing to address local moratoria and restrictive siting ordinances in Indiana could hinder efforts to reduce electricity prices in the state. Demeter discusses with Holzman how decision-makers in Indiana can address this issue and implications for the rest of the country.

Building more in-state clean energy resources can be a powerful tool in the fight for energy affordability in Indiana. A new report from Advanced Energy United, produced by Synapse Energy Economics, shows that accelerating the deployment of advanced energy resources would save Indiana consumers $3.6 billion by 2035. The study evaluated the potential for household energy bill savings if Indiana takes steps to accelerate the build-out of clean energy generation.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a series of executive orders focused on affordability and clean energy deployment — among her first official actions as governor, issued during her inaugural address.

Governor JB Pritzker once again showed Illinois’s national leadership today in signing the Clean and Reliable Grid Affordability Act (CRGA). Comprised of several programs, CRGA ensures substantially more battery storage will be built in Illinois, facilitates more investment in renewable energy resources, creates an innovative virtual power plant (VPP) program, and strengthens energy efficiency programs.

The Center Square reports on the election outcomes in New Jersey and Virginia, where Mikie Sherrill and Abigail Spanberger won their gubernatorial races. United’s Virginia Director Jim Purekal and New Jersey Policy Lead Katie Mettle highlighted the future governors’ focus on lowering energy prices through clean energy as a key component of their victories.

PV Magazine reports on the election results from Virginia and New Jersey, with a specific focus on unlocking new clean energy opportunities by making better use of existing interconnection capacity. United’s Virginia Director Jim Purekal emphasized that Virginia must make the most of existing energy resources to meet rising load growth, while United’s New Jersey Policy Lead Katie Mettle highlighted the need for siting and permitting reforms to get more projects online faster.