Distributed Energy

  • DERMS Technology Part of Australia’s Push for Renewables

    A new distributed energy resources management system (DERMS) is being deployed in Western Australia, designed to manage distributed energy resources (DERs) across nearly 1 million square miles, with a focus on

  • ABB and SUSI Partners to team up for microgrid and energy storage projects

    Alliance to leverage ABB Ability™ based microgrid and energy storage solutions and clean energy infrastructure financing expertise ABB and SUSI Partners (SUSI), a clean infrastructure investment advisor, have signed a framework agreement to promote the deployment of microgrids and energy storage solutions. ABB will provide its ABB Ability™ based microgrid technology and battery energy storage […]

  • U.S. Department of Energy awards Virginia Tech researchers $1.8 million to tackle challenges facing U.S. power grid

    January 31, 2019 — The Department of Energy has awarded four Virginia Tech researchers a $1.8 million grant to reduce the stress renewable energy sources put on the U.S. power grid. The Virginia Tech Center for Power Electronics Systems (CPES) and the Power and Energy Center (PEC) will partner with Siemens to tackle this challenge. […]

  • Community Solar Power Offers the ‘Best of Both Worlds’ [PODCAST]

    Laura Stern, co-founder and president of Nautilus Solar Energy, was a guest on The POWER Podcast. Founded in 2006, Nautilus is a leading acquirer, developer, and operator of community solar projects. During the past five months, the company has acquired community solar projects in Minnesota, Massachusetts, New York, Maryland, and Rhode Island. Community solar refers […]

  • Navigant Research Names Siemens, Enbala, and AutoGrid Leading Providers of Distributed Energy Resources Management Systems for DER and Grid Management

    Leading solutions can be tailored to operate in a wide variety of regulatory environments and by different actors in the power market BOULDER, Colo.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–A new Leaderboard Report from Navigant Research examines the strategy and execution of 16 distributed energy resources management systems (DERMSs) for distributed energy resources (DER) and grid management providers, with Siemens, […]

  • Colorado Co-op Amps Up Solar Generation

    Colorado-based Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, a group cited in an analysts’ report last year for its high wholesale power costs and its reliance on coal-fired units, on Jan. 11 announced a 100-MW project that will more than double its solar power portfolio as it continues to add to its renewable power resources. Tri-State in […]

  • Large Solar Projects Come Online in Hawaii, Florida

    Two large solar power projects—located more than 4,600 miles apart—recently came online in the U.S., providing service in Florida and Hawaii. Duke Energy on Jan. 8 announced its 74.9-MW Hamilton Solar Power Plant was online. The installation in Jasper, Fla., is part of the company’s plan to build or acquire at least 700 MW of […]

  • EVs Will Overload the Grid: 5 Ways the Industry Must Self-Correct

    What is the impact of all electric vehicles (EVs) today and what will be the transformative effect on the grid and energy market? In recent data from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) on plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), the U.S. had 764,666 light-duty vehicles sold (third in sales behind […]

  • Innovative Microgrid Will Power Finnish Distribution Center

    A distribution center in Finland is installing what is being called the country’s largest industrial microgrid, a system that will use 100% renewable energy. The system is being built by Schneider Electric

  • 10 Takeaways from the IEA’s Newest World Energy Outlook

    The International Energy Agency (IEA) deemed growth and disruptions of the world’s power sector so significant to the future of energy, it dedicated—for the first time—a four-chapter “special focus”

  • Energy Storage Resources: A Year in Review

    From both a regulatory and development perspective, 2018 was a significant year for the expansion of energy storage resources (ESRs). From a significant ruling of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

  • Blockchain Technology Will Transform the Power Industry

    What began in the world of finance has moved into the power sector. Blockchain, a nascent technology most often associated with cryptocurrency, is a new frontier in the energy space, changing the way power is

  • Energy Storage as a Service: Why Renting Can Be Better Than Buying

    The burgeoning as-a-service model, offering greater user flexibility and attractive economics, is now a viable option for energy storage. As with transportation, office equipment, and other capital-intensive

  • NV Energy Accelerates Retirement of One of Nevada’s Last Coal Units

    NV Energy plans to retire a 254-MW coal-fired unit in a power-constrained region of Nevada at the end of 2021, four years ahead of schedule. The company will instead purchase 1,001 MW from new solar photovoltaic projects equipped with 100 MW of long-term battery storage, effectively doubling its total renewable generation from 14% in 2017 […]

  • Dominican Republican to Get Floating Combined Cycle Gas Plant Outfitted with Battery Storage

    A novel floating power plant that combines a 145-MW gas-fired combined cycle power plant and a battery energy storage system could begin operating in the Dominican Republic by early 2021.  Siemens and the marine arm of Singapore-based ST Engineering on December 3 said they jointly received an order for a SeaFloat barge-mounted power plant from […]

  • Xcel’s Latest Plan: Carbon-Free by 2050

    Xcel Energy has announced its plan to move to 100% carbon-free power generation by 2050, with the utility also saying it will reduce carbon emissions by 80% by 2030, from 2005 levels. Xcel, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, serves customers in eight states and over the past two years has announced a significant number of renewable […]

  • THE BIG PICTURE: Wind Turbine Trends

    Average wind turbine capacity, rotor diameter, and hub height increased in 2017, continuing a long-term trend. One reason that wind producers choose bigger turbines is to optimize wind power project cost and performance, according to the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Source: U.S. DOE, 2017 Wind Technologies Market Report, […]

  • Distributed Energy: A Burgeoning Market

    It’s not particularly easy to find reliable and detailed statistics on the deployment of distributed energy systems. One reason is that a lot of distributed energy is installed behind-the-meter. As a result

  • CleanSpark Announces Foundational Software Patent for Fractalgrid

    FRACTALGRID; Bringing Powerful Machine Learning to Assist Utility Grids’ Transition to Green Power and Energy Storage San Diego, CA. (Nov, 20, 2018) — A patent for the Fractalgrid was awarded to CleanSpark in April 2018. The Fractalgrid is an information technology construct with the ability to spread intelligence and adaptability throughout a utility grid. The […]

  • China Sets a New Renewable Portfolio Standard

    China in mid-September increased its renewable portfolio standard (RPS) to 35% of electricity consumption by 2030. The country has already heavily invested in wind and solar, and it anticipates more gains will

  • A Legal Guide to Power Generation Mergers and Acquisitions

    A myriad of issues come into play when parties execute power industry mergers and acquisitions. Part 1 of this two-part series examines what dealmakers need to know before making any transactions

  • Network-Level Optimization: The Golden Ticket to the Future of Energy

    To remain efficient and profitable, utilities must anticipate the ebb and flow of the market. That means companies must gain visibility into the generation and consumption of energy. With network-level

  • NRG Renews Emphasis on Retail with PPA-Free Renewables Service

    NRG Energy, which recently shed a substantial portion of its competitive generation portfolio and has shifted efforts to stimulate growth of its retail business, unveiled a simplified renewables procurement process that does not require a power purchase agreement (PPA).  The company on October 18 launched “Renewable Select,” a plan that it says transforms the “lengthy […]

  • GE and Clarke Energy to Supply Turnkey CHP Plant for Municipal Electricity Utility in Michigan

    SEBEWAING, MICH. (October 18, 2018) — As phased decommissioning of coal plants and additional renewables integration into the grid have led to increased variability in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO)’s wholesale electricity segment, GE’s Distributed Power business (NYSE: GE) and Clarke Energy — GE’s authorized Channel Partner of Jenbacher* gas engines in Michigan — today announced that they […]

  • Distributed Energy Is Disrupting the Power Industry: Is the Sky Falling?

    Utilities are faced with many disruptive changes in the power market. Customers are demanding cleaner energy and turning to distributed generation as a solution. One expert suggested power companies must react and evolve their business models to change with the times. During a keynote presentation at the Distributed Energy Conference in Golden, Colorado, on October […]

  • Siemens strengthens digital twin efforts with U.S. grid protection software acquisition

    ATLANTA, Georgia (Oct. 3, 2018) — Siemens is acquiring the specialized software company Electrocon International Inc. (EII) to uniquely enhance simulations of power grids and strengthen the company’s electrical digital twin efforts. EII, based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, develops and markets CAPE (Computer-Aided Protection Engineering) software which focuses on the protection of electricity systems and […]

  • U.S. Biomass Power, Dampened by Market Forces, Fights to Stay Ablaze

    Though experts say biomass should continue to play a key role in the U.S. renewable power portfolio for its baseload properties, contributions to forest management, and other reasons, a swathe of uneconomic

  • How Does the Western Energy Imbalance Market Work?

    The California Independent System Operator’s Energy Imbalance Market (EIM) is a real-time energy market, the first of its kind in the western U.S. EIM’s advanced market systems automatically find low-cost

  • How Power Companies Can Influence Customer Behavior [PODCAST]

    It is safe to say that all electricity customers want reliable and resilient power service. One way that some end-users are ensuring they get it is by investing in distributed energy resources and building microgrids. But rather than simply using these systems as emergency backups, more and more owners are finding ways to capture economic […]

  • Valmet to supply a district heat network optimization solution to Jyväskylä Energy in Finland

    Valmet has signed an automation agreement with Jyväskylä Energy Group in Finland for the delivery of its district heat network optimization solution. The delivery will cover the entire district heating network of the company’s both CHP production plants, Keljonlahti and Rauhalahti. The scope of the delivery scope also includes a Valmet DNA Information Management system […]