COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic is currently turning the entire world upside down and each and every market is experiencing its impact. The German electricity market is no exception. Other issues caused by the spread of the coronavirus may also affect German renewables projects, such as delays in permitting and tender proceedings, and limitations on the free […]

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) on March 28 told industry that it is prepared to grant requests from individual nuclear generators for exemptions from work-hour controls specified in its rules to help provide more flexibility to the sector as it grapples with workforce issues related to the COVID-19 public health emergency. The objective of the […]

A study published by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) shows peak demand and energy use decreased as much as 21% in some areas as a result of actions taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The report—COVID-19 Bulk System Impacts: Demand Impacts and Operational and Control Center Practices—was released on March 27. It reviews […]

SAN JOSE, Calif. and PHILADELPHIA, Pa. (March 28, 2020) – Bloom Energy Corp. (NYSE: BE) and Almo Corporation today announced they are joining forces to refurbish unused, out-of-warranty ventilators and ship them to state agencies and hospitals throughout the country, particularly as an increasing number of patients experience critical respiratory issues as a result of COVID-19. […]

Adopting a new temporary policy that gives it more “enforcement discretion,” the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said March 26 it does not expect to seek penalties for civil violations of the agency’s rules that result from the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy adopted Thursday addresses concerns that regulated facilities are facing potential worker shortages, travel restrictions, […]

The International District Energy Association (IDEA), a group founded in 1909 to help the district energy sector share information, held a COVID-19 Working Group Conference Call on March 23 to discuss emergency preparedness measures underway at district energy systems around the world. IDEA is providing this call as a free webinar, available here. IDEA has […]

Challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. nuclear industry has asked the Trump administration to ensure nuclear workers, suppliers, and vendors will have access to nuclear plants and personal protective equipment (PPE) during the 2020 spring and fall refueling outage seasons and beyond. All but two of the nation’s nuclear sites had scheduled planned outages  […]

As the economic crisis brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, one thing has become very clear – the solar industry is at risk. A survey of our member companies conducted over the past ten days provides further proof points to this story: the data clearly shows that solar companies and workers are being put out of […]

As nearly 20 million New Yorkers adjust their lives in response to the COVID-19 crisis, the changing patterns of behavior are reducing and shifting electricity consumption, according to the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO). Read more in this blog post from NYISO, and visit the organization’s website. — Follow updates about the impacts to […]

There are parallels between COVID-19 responses and the management of the electrical grid of the future. Concepts like “flattening the curve” and “self-quarantine” are concepts not only crucial in the current pandemic, but in electricity distribution systems globally. While we at Introspective Systems practice social distancing, working remotely, and watching record demands asked of hospitals and the […]