California

Vistra, the Texas-based integrated retail electricity and power generation company, said it has completed the second phase of its Moss Landing Energy Storage Facility expansion project in California. The group on Aug. 19 announced it has added 100 MW/400 MWh to what at present is the world’s largest battery energy storage facility. “This facility provides […]

Recurrent Energy, LLC (“Recurrent Energy”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian Solar Inc. (“Canadian Solar”) (NASDAQ: CSIQ), announced it signed a 15-year Resource Adequacy agreement with Pacific Gas & Electric (“PG&E”) to provide 150 MW / 600 MWh of energy storage in phase 2 of the Crimson project beginning in the summer of 2022. The 350 MW / 1,400 MWh […]

Intensifying drought conditions in California and historically low water levels at the Oroville Dam on Aug. 5 forced the state’s Department of Water Resources (CDWR) to shut down the 644-MW Edward Hyatt Power Plant—the fourth largest energy producer of all California’s hydroelectric facilities. Similar conditions across the West are prompting a careful watch over hydropower facilities.

The costs for wind and solar power generating systems have decreased dramatically over the past decade. According to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the global weighted-average levelized

At the urging of the California Public Utility Commission (CPUC) and the California Energy Commission (CEC), on July 1, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) announced its intent to procure

HOUSTON, Texas (July 21, 2021) — Calpine and GE Renewable Energy announced today the completion of the Santa Ana Storage Project (SASP) in Southern California. The project contains a 20MW/80MWh (4hr) standalone battery energy storage system using GE’s Reservoir energy storage technology. The system, now in commercial operation, is supported by a 20-year Resource Adequacy […]

FREMONT, CALIF – July 20, 2021 –  Intersect Power, one of North America’s largest developers of utility-scale renewable energy, today announced Signal Energy as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) firm and supply of the NX Horizon smart solar trackers and TrueCapture yield optimization software from Nextracker for two utility-scale solar projects totaling 728 MW […]

Stricken by repeated extreme heat events, the prospect of a worsening drought, incremental resource delays, and the “unforeseen” loss of 300 MW in thermal resources, California has set out to secure additional energy resources to ensure reliability this summer. Responding to a June 29 letter from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) and the California […]

The need for demand response programs, particularly those that help stabilize the grid, is evident as electricity customers seek a more reliable power supply. Enter virtual power plants (VPPs), a way for

The way we generate and distribute electricity has become a Rubik’s cube for power companies, regulators, and consumers. The need to reduce carbon emissions linked to climate change by investing in renewables is acknowledged by most experts. At the same time, recent unusual weather events have demonstrated that there is also an urgent need to […]

Line Monitoring System is being pilot-tested with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — LineVision, Inc., the world’s only provider of non-contact overhead line monitoring solutions announced today that its unique LiDAR-powered V3 monitoring system will be installed across power lines in the greater Sacramento region for the Sacramento Municipal Utility […]

With historic wildfires in California and severe winter storms in Texas, electric utilities had little choice but to initiate rolling blackouts to reduce strain on the electric grid, leaving millions of residents stranded without power. These catastrophic events revealed vulnerabilities in our energy infrastructure that must be addressed to meet peak electricity demand as our […]

The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) is warning that large swathes of the North American bulk power system (BPS) could face “elevated risks” of energy shortfalls this summer, especially if temperatures surge beyond normal peaks. But in California, risks are even more pronounced, owing to its reliance on imports to offset falling solar PV […]

Following a 2020 summer of blackouts, the darkest since early this century, California is hoping that it can avoid replays in the future by investing in batteries. Big batteries. That are expensive. And come with significant energy storage limitations. Bloomberg News is reporting that by August, there will be 1,700 megawatts of new battery capacity […]

TOKYO and LONG BEACH, Calif. (March 30, 2021) — Renewable hydrogen systems manufacturer Ways2H Inc. and its shareholder and technical partner Japan Blue Energy Co. announced today the completion of a Tokyo facility that will convert sewage sludge into renewable hydrogen fuel for fuel cell mobility and power generation. The facility was developed and built […]

SAN FRANCISCO – February 17, 2021 – Fluence, the leading global energy storage technology, software and services provider, today announced that its A.I.-powered Trading Platform has been selected to provide optimization and market bidding services for Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s 182.5 MW, 730 MWh battery energy storage system in Moss Landing, Calif. Using artificial intelligence, advanced […]

Sunnyvale, Calif.  (Feb. 8, 2021) – Northern and central coast Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs) are joining forces by forming a new Joint Powers Authority (JPA) – California Community Power. The JPA allows the CCAs to combine their buying power to procure new, cost-effective clean energy and reliability resources to continue advancing local and state climate […]

RESTON, VA (February 4, 2020) – Electrify America, the nation’s largest public ultra-fast charging network, has officially added 30 solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging stations with two Level 2 chargers each to its network in the state of California. The off-grid, standalone chargers are strategically located throughout the Central Valley and inland areas of Southern California, intended […]

OAKLAND, Calif. and PORTLAND, Ore.– February 1, 2021 – Silicon Valley Clean Energy (SVCE) has selected Extensible Energy and Community Energy Labs (CEL) for an SVCE Innovation Onramp grant. The pilot program will demonstrate how advanced load flexibility software can enable a solar-powered school to further reduce its current energy costs and optimize the design […]

FEB. 4, 2021 — Southern Power, a leading U.S. wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company, has been awarded two 20-year power purchase agreements by Southern California Edison (SCE) and is adding battery-based energy storage resources at both Southern Power’s Tranquillity Solar Facility and Garland Solar Facility in California. “These projects will be two […]

Contract for engineering, procurement and construction work at Marsh Landing facility (Antioch, CA) will allow the plant to quickly restart and facilitate grid re-energization in the event of an outage Project will provide critical reliability service to the Bay Area and improve grid stability Siemens Energy announced today that it will design, build and commission […]

LONG BEACH, Calif. (Jan. 27, 2021) — The AES Corporation (NYSE: AES) has commenced operations of the Alamitos battery energy storage system (BESS), one of the world’s largest battery storage systems in operation today. The BESS, a stand-alone energy storage facility for local capacity, will provide up to 400 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy to ensure […]

Dartmouth, NS, Canada (Jan. 26, 2021) — Salient Energy (“Salient” or “The Company”) a company developing novel zinc-ion batteries as an alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries, today announced that it has received a grant from the California Energy Commission (CEC) in the amount of $1,583,125 to support the design and assembly of its zinc-ion residential […]

Vistra Energy, the nation’s largest competitive generator, has begun operating a 300-MW/1,200-MWh lithium-ion battery storage system on its 1,020-MW combined cycle gas turbine Moss Landing power plant site in Monterey County, California. The battery storage system is the largest of its type in the world in terms of size and scale, and it towers over […]

California is set to host one of the world’s largest standalone renewable hybrid projects. Slated to come online in the fourth quarter of 2022, the Edwards & Sanborn project in Kern County will feature 1,118 MW of solar and 2,165 MWh of energy storage.  Renewable developer Terra-Gen on Dec. 10 announced an agreement with engineering […]

REDWOOD CITY, CA – Nov. 12, 2020 – Mustang Two Whirlaway, a 100-megawatt solar project in Kings County, officially started operating Wednesday and will generate clean and affordable power exclusively for Peninsula Clean Energy customers. Mustang Two Whirlaway will generate enough solar to power nearly 58,000 homes through 2035. “This is yet more new steel […]

In mid-August, the western U.S. experienced some of the most extreme heat it has encountered in recorded history. Temperatures in some locations were up to 20F above normal. During the hot spell, California

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) said it could cut off power for nearly one million people across Northern California beginning Oct. 25, due to significant wildfire danger in its territory. Southern California Edison (SCE) also has warned of potential blackouts in its region due to forecasts of high winds. The utility last week was found […]

The growing adoption of distributed energy resources presents another challenge for utilities and grid operators as they design and plan for how electricity is produced and delivered. The past few years have

Asia now accounts for the most growth in renewable electricity generation, at a whopping 40% of the global production, while Europe and North America are each at 20%, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Particularly, solar power was at its peak at the start of 2020, with a record-breaking first quarter in the […]