Energy Storage

San Miguel Electric Cooperative Inc. (SMECI), a not-for-profit generation and transmission rural electric cooperative located in Atascosa County, Texas, was awarded more than $1.4 billion through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Empowering Rural America (New ERA) program. With the money, SMECI, which operates a mine-mouth lignite-fired power plant, said it will convert its lignite […]

The outlook for the power generation sector in 2025 promises a continuation of the energy transition, though there’s plenty of debate about the direction of the industry. Advocates for renewable energy, particularly in the U.S., are concerned about how the incoming Trump administration—with its support for fossil fuels—could impact the growth of clean technologies. Utilities […]

The use of distributed energy resources (DERs), which can include solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, fuel cells, and more, is increasing as the power generation sector becomes more decentralized. The future of the distributed energy generation market is promising, as more commercial and industrial customers, along with residential electricity users, look for cleaner sources of […]

The Public Service Commission (PSCW) of Wisconsin has approved construction of a $2 billion solar power project that could have more than 1,300 MW of generation capacity. The Vista Sands Solar Project, sited on more than 6,000 acres in Portage County, was greenlighted by a unanimous vote of the PSCW on Dec. 12. Vista Sands […]

Recent news about continued growth in the U.S. energy storage market highlighted continued deployments of grid-scale systems, along with ongoing demand from commercial and industrial and residential sectors. Electric utilities and power grid operators, along with those using storage to support distributed energy installations, want to make their power supplies more flexible, reliable, and resilient. […]

The U.S. energy storage market continued its strong growth in third quarter of this year, with the grid-scale segment setting new quarterly records for deployments. That’s according to the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) and Wood Mackenzie’s latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor report released Dec. 12. The report said Q3 set the highest record for […]

Technology companies are looking at various ways to source electricity for energy-intensive data centers. Google on Dec. 10 unveiled a plan to join with several partners in supporting power generation, as part of what could be a $20 billion investment to develop industrial parks that would have renewable energy and energy storage built alongside those […]

Arevon Energy, a renewable energy developer, owner, and operator, on Dec. 9 announced the start of operations at its Eland 1 Solar-plus-Storage Project in Kern County, California. Eland 1 is under a long-term power purchase agreement (PPA) with Southern California Public Power Authority. The project, located in Mojave, is a 384-MW solar project coupled with […]

Nostromo Energy, provider of the IceBrick thermal energy storage (TES) technology, said the company has received a conditional commitment for a loan guarantee of up to $305.5 million from the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Programs Office (LPO). The proposed financing would be used by Nostromo for Project IceBrick, the first wide-scale deployment of […]

A major U.S. solar power developer announced it has a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Arizona Public Service (APS) for the energy produced from the Kitt Solar Project. Avantus, the former 8minute Solar Energy, on Dec. 9 said the PPA includes 100 MWac/130 MWdc of solar from the installation in Eloy, in Pinal County. It […]

Surging demand for electricity, soaring electricity prices, and risks to supply chains are creating an imperative for innovative ways to control energy costs, and increase resilience by diversifying commercial and industrial power sources. U.S. electricity prices are soaring amid growing demand, extreme temperatures, gas price volatility, inflation, and the cost of new grid infrastructure and […]

Energy storage technologies have become more important to the power generation sector, in part because of their ability to support the deployment of renewable energy resources. Battery energy storage systems, or BESS, enable renewable resources such as solar and wind power to be stored for when that electricity is needed. Storage systems help balance the […]

Attendees of this year’s RE+ trade show saw several advanced designs for energy storage systems, with experts across utility-scale, commercial and industrial, and residential sectors providing insight into

As demand for electrical energy storage systems (ESS) has expanded, safety has become a critical concern. This article examines lithium-ion battery ESS housed in outdoor enclosures, which represent the most

Battery energy storage systems (BESS) have emerged as a crucial technology for storing and dispatching energy when needed. However, the rapid expansion of BESS has been accompanied by safety and risk management challenges. Most BESS units use lithium-ion batteries, which require particular care to avoid fire concerns. Though lithium-ion BESS is overall a safe and […]

Renewable energy intermittency isn’t only a challenge when the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. For many regions, oversupply of renewable electricity during sunny and windy periods with low grid demand creates its own economic and operational challenges. In California, more than 2.7 TWh of renewable energy—primarily solar—was curtailed last year during such […]

A leading U.S. coal producer is partnering with a major developer of renewable energy projects to put solar energy and battery storage installations on reclaimed mine lands in Illinois and Indiana. Peabody Energy, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, and RWE on Nov. 21 announced a collaboration that will “invest in the rural parts of the […]

EVLO Energy Storage, a fully integrated battery energy storage systems (BESS) provider and wholly owned subsidiary of Hydro-Québec, on Nov. 20 announced a major achievement in its relationship with investor-owned utility Dominion Energy. EVLO will develop a BESS with enhanced fire and safety features that meet and exceed Dominion’s unique safety specifications. The augmented version […]

An analysis from global data and analytics group Wood Mackenzie says Republican control of the White House and Congress means U.S. energy policy will move away from net-zero emissions targets, but there remains bipartisan support for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The group also said competitive economics for renewable power resources mean the energy transition […]

Salt River Project (SRP) and Flatland Storage LLC, a subsidiary of EDP Renewables North America LLC (EDPR NA), have entered into an agreement to provide 200 MW of new energy storage to Arizona’s grid. The Flatland Energy Storage Project will be a 200-MW/800-MWh battery energy storage system located near Coolidge, Arizona. The project will utilize […]

A global power management company known for its technology advancements is collaborating with a software-enabled installation platform for electrification in a joint effort designed to support the U.S. residential market. Eaton on Nov. 14 announced it will work with Chicago, Illinois-based Treehouse to enable residential electrification projects, including electric vehicle (EV) charging. The groups on […]

You don’t need me to tell you how artificial intelligence (AI) is impacting the power grid; you can just ask AI. Claude, an AI assistant created by Anthropic, told POWER, “AI training and inference are driving unprecedented demand for data center capacity, particularly due to large language models and other compute-intensive AI workloads.” It also […]

A California-based technology group has joined a global independent investment firm in an equity partnership that supports lease and power purchase agreements in the residential renewable energy sector. GoodLeap, headquartered in Roseville, California, and New York-based Tactical Infrastructure Partners (TIP) on Oct. 24 said they are acquiring more than $1.5 billion of residential solar and […]

The European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union (EU), has said countries across the continent should be encouraged to deploy energy storage. The group has said storage will support the integration of renewable energy resources to the grid, and increase power system flexibility. The use of energy storage also is key to Europe’s […]

Japan’s Sumitomo Corp and Perennial Power Holdings Inc., a subsidiary of Sumitomo Corp. of Americas, have set up a joint venture with Virginia-based CEP Solar LLC to deliver renewable energy projects across Virginia. The companies said the JV will provide support for the state’s energy supply, in part to help with power demand from Virginia’s […]

President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law in 2022. The IRA is the largest public investments in renewable energy in American history and created more than 20 different tax incentives for renewable energy and related manufacturing. Certain Republic politicians have directed vitriol at the IRA. However, even if Republicans win the White […]

California-based Clearway Energy Group said it has closed financing and started construction of standalone solar and energy storage projects in Hopkins County, Texas. The company on October 2 said the 300-MW Pine Forest solar and 200-MW Pine Forest storage installations represent a $665 million investment. Dell Technologies has agreed to buy much of the electricity […]

Installations of grid-scale energy storage across the U.S. continue to surge, with three states—California, Arizona, and Texas—responsible for 85% of that growth in the second quarter of this year. Data from the American Clean Power Association (ACP) and Wood Mackenzie, released October 1 in the group’s latest Energy Storage Monitor report, showed 3,011 MW and […]

Italian firm Magaldi Group, a specialist in ultra-high-temperature material handling, is poised to deploy its first large-scale application of a novel thermal energy storage system that uses a fluidized bed of

U.S. energy needs have changed dramatically over the last few decades, and questions are growing as to whether our grid can manage these new demands. Aside from rising temperatures—the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared 2023 the hottest year on record—the energy sector is managing a trio of additional challenges: City populations are growing, creating […]