|
Hello again, and welcome to another edition of the Resources Intelligence Report. This past week, NetZero Insider reporters covered two developments out of the easternmost state in America. That’s two more than usual: Maine is a wonderful place, and it has an ambitious climate agenda, but it just isn’t our most fertile news source.
Jon Lamson has a story on Form Energy’s plan to build New England’s first multiday battery storage system in Lincoln. The 85-MW iron-air battery system is designed to discharge for up to 100 hours and is assisted by $147 million in federal funding.
John Cropley reports that federal regulators have issued the nation’s first ever floating offshore wind research lease to the state, which in 2021 requested the lease so it could install up to 12 floating turbines with a combined capacity of up to 144 MW. Maine aspires to be a leader in the floating wind industry, which is still in development and could benefit from lessons imparted by a research array.
Cropley also has a wider-reaching wind power story, in which he summarizes the findings of three new state-of-the-industry reports from three National Laboratories — one each for offshore wind, large-scale onshore wind and distributed onshore wind. Each is a mixed bag, detailing achievements and setbacks.
From other media outlets, we have gathered our usual assortment of news:
-
Finally, The New York Times dives into the reaction of a Minnesota community where one of the nation’s largest coal plants will be replaced by the largest solar farm in the region, backed up by a long-duration battery demonstration project built by Form Energy.
All this and much more is gathered in this week’s Intelligence Report:
|
|
|
|
|
Iowa
The Iowa Republican said Iowa is a "forerunner and a leader" in enacting a conservative vision for climate-conscious energy production through the use of renewable fuels, wind and solar energy. Iowa Capital Dispatch
U.S.
The Agriculture secretary said his department aims to make biofuels a key part of the clean fuels tax credit taking effect next year. Greenwire
Return to Top |
|
|
North Carolina
Many nations have embraced burning wood pellets to produce electricity -- under the assumption that it is carbon neutral. But research shows this approach can boost greenhouse-gas emissions and threaten the health of local communities. Nature.com
Return to Top |
|
|
International
Across the world, farmers are turning waste biomass into biochar, improving soils, boosting yields, and creating a new source of income. Grist
Texas
The project on a proposed gas terminal would have been one of the largest carbon capture initiatives in North America. Energywire
U.S.
A Congress-mandated report finds that carbon utilization could help the country achieve a net-zero emissions economy. Energywire
Return to Top |
|
|
International
From January through June, Chinese officials permitted 10.3 gigawatts of new coal capacity, far less than the 50.4 gigawatts approved in the first half of last year, according to an analysis from Greenpeace and the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. Yale Environment 360
Return to Top |
|
|
Minnesota
One of the nation's largest coal-fueled electric plants is being replaced with thousands of acres of solar panels and a test of long-duration batteries. The New York Times
Return to Top |
|
|
California
With flexible demand appliance standards for pool controls set to take effect in California next year, the state is now developing standards for electric storage water heaters, to be followed by standards for five more types of appliances. pv magazine
Return to Top |
|
|
California
Limited generation profiles in California will schedule limits to DERs during system constraints. New York, Illinois, Colorado and others are testing more flexible approaches. Utility Dive
U.S.
Less than 20% of total DER capacity is VPP-enrolled, with residential thermostat and commercial and industrial demand response dominating, WoodMac found. Utility Dive
U.S.
Recent developments in virtual power plants are showcasing how grid operators, utilities and retailers have the capacity to leverage connected, distributed renewable energy resources to address critical energy challenges. Solar Power World
Return to Top |
|
|
U.S.
Grid Status, a data platform founded last year by an analytics-industry veteran, just raised $8 million to further its mission of making real-time grid data widely accessible. Canary Media
Return to Top |
|
|
International
The company, which had already broken ground on the 70MW project in northern Sweden, blamed sluggish development in the European e-fuels market for the cancellation Hydrogen Insight
International
The vast majority is "gray hydrogen" made from natural gas, oil or coal, pumping out huge volumes of carbon dioxide in the process. Economic Times
International
At the heart of this advancement is the W-NiFeS/WC electrode. This electrode is composed of self-supported nickel-iron (NiFe) materials that have been enhanced with tungsten (W). Hydrogen Fuel News
Oregon
A key project in southwest Washington stalled, there is uncertainty over a tax credit that's supposed to catalyze the upstart industry and affordable renewable electricity is in short supply. Oregon Capital Chronicle
U.S.
Hourly generation matching would make green hydrogen too costly and provides no carbon benefit to annual matching. Energywire
Return to Top |
|
|
Idaho
In 2009, hydroelectricity made up 80% of the electricity generated in Idaho. Last year, that number was 49%, according to reports from the Idaho Office for Energy and Mineral Resources. Idaho Capital Sun
U.S.
The sector lost about 300 million megawatt hours of power generation between 2003 and 2020 due to drought and low water compared with the long-term average, researchers from the University of Alabama found. That equals about $28 billion in lost revenue. Oregon Capital Chronicle
Return to Top |
|
|
Arizona
Lawyers for the national environmental group Earthjustice and Colorado-based Western Mining Action Project are suing federal land managers on behalf of the Hualapai Tribe. The Hill
Return to Top |
|
|
Georgia
The company has declined to say how much it will spend on the plants, which will burn natural gas or diesel fuel to generate electricity. Energywire
Return to Top |
|
|
International
The five projects involve 11 reactors, which represents the largest number of units approved since 2019. South China Morning Post
International
Nuclear power continued to generate almost 10 percent of the world's electricity and a quarter of all low carbon electricity last year. International Atomic Energy Agency
U.S.
The US is investing billions of dollars into nuclear. Will it pay off? Freethink
U.S.
A new organization is urging Congress to prop up a sort-of World Bank for nuclear energy. HuffPost
U.S.
These matchmakers hope to develop a variety of ownership and offtake models to build out reactor technologies to nth-of-a-kind deployment, but none are yet in a position to disclose how those agreements will exactly shape out. Energy Intelligence
Return to Top |
|
|
California
This RFI is part of a multi-tiered approach to gather information to address challenges and barriers to efficiently capturing clean, reliable power from West Coast offshore wind resources and delivering it to communities that need it the most. Renewable Energy Magazine
Connecticut
Project is part of the Power Up New England portfolio recently awarded $389 million through the U.S. Department of Energy's "Grid Innovation Program." Businesswire
International
Technical and commercial advances have brought Chinese turbine makers closer to surmounting the bankability barrier. Recharge
International
The P-class is specifically designed for the needs of Cadeler's clients, to handle some of the largest wind turbine components in the offshore wind industry. American Journal of Transportation
International
Mingyang announced the platform had completed its 191-nautical-mile trip from Guangzhou to the wind farm off the coast of Guangdong Province. It is arranged in a "V" shape, and holds two 8.3-MW offshore wind turbines. POWER
International
Swedish floating wind specialist Hexicon posted narrowing losses in the first half of 2024. Windpower Monthly
International
As of 2023, there was around 270 MW of floating wind capacity in operation, with the global pipeline for new floating projects standing at 244 GW, according to a market outlook report. offshoreWIND.biz
International
National Grid is currently helping 'write the rulebook' on how offshore wind developers will be paid to link their projects to hybrid interconnector assets Recharge
International
Three of five turbines have returned to the Hywind Scotland floating offshore wind farm in the North Sea amid an ongoing shutdown of operations at the project. Windpower Monthly
Massachusetts
Vineyard Wind to be primary tenant until 2025, with SouthCoast Wind taking over in 2029. Construction Equipment Guide
New Jersey
New Jersey's plan to install offshore wind transmission faces opposition from some of the same groups that spread misinformation about whale deaths. Energywire
New York
The project would repurpose portions of Ravenswood's existing industrial waterfront, including retired gas turbine peaker generators, into the permanent base for offshore wind projects and their support vessels that shuttle workers and equipment from shore to sea. North American Clean Energy
U.S.
Next-gen turbines are growing, and their components are getting larger and heavier. American Journal of Transportation
U.S.
Turn Forward picked Hillary Bright as its next leader as the group seeks to help expand offshore wind energy. Energywire
U.S.
There is a growing need to consider the carbon emissions associated with a project's design, component manufacture, component transportation, construction, maintenance and decommissioning. Windpower Engineering
U.S.
CEO Liz Burdock and staff began visiting member companies across the country to showcase the jobs being created in building an offshore wind industry as part of the "U.S. Offshore Wind Jobs Tour." North American Clean Energy
U.S.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering and Portland State University are set to improve our understanding of how wind, waves, and turbines interact. Innovation News Network
Return to Top |
|
|
North Dakota
Its new tactic, led by Greenpeace International in Amsterdam, would use the European legal system to try to minimize the financial consequences of a potential loss in United States courts. The New York Times
U.S.
Under President Joe Biden, who campaigned on a pledge of "no more drilling," America is pumping more oil than any country ever has. The Washington Post
Return to Top |
|
|
Texas, New Mexico
These productivity increases indicate significant efficiency gains and technological advancements in the drilling and completion process. Energy Information Administration
U.S.
EPA plans to finalize the first-ever tax on the planet-warming gas in December, as the final piece of its methane crackdown. Climatewire
Return to Top |
|
|
U.S.
Recycling the blades is top of mind for the renewable energy industry. Even the federal government's National Renewable Energy Laboratory based in Golden, Colorado, is studying the issue. Cowboy State Daily
Washington
This project stands to industrialize the landscape and change the character of the Tri-Cities for decades to come, four members of Tri-Cities Cares write. Tri-City Herald
Return to Top |
|
|
California
In 2017, California was the first U.S. state to set itself on a path to 100% clean energy with the passage of Senate Bill 100, which commits the state to supplying all its customers with electricity produced from zero-carbon, renewable energy by 2045. The Energy Mix
California
That progress is largely due to the substantial public and private investments in renewable energy -- particularly batteries storing solar power to use when the sun isn't shining, according to energy experts. CalMatters
Indiana
The utility seeks new renewables, thermal generation, batteries, demand-side resources "and other innovative solutions" to supply 150,000 customers. Utility Dive
New York
In 2023, the Power Authority laid the groundwork to accelerate renewables development following landmark legislation from Governor Kathy Hochul. NYPA was granted enhanced authority to develop, own, and operate renewable energy generation and storage projects. North American Clean Energy
U.S.
In the last few years, one of the biggest issues faced by the renewable energy sector is a worldwide shortage of energy cybersecurity skills. Energy Monitor
U.S.
This new capacity is 21% more than the capacity added during the first six months of 2023; developers and owners expect to add another 42.6 GW of capacity in the second half of the year. Energy Information Administration
Return to Top |
|
|
Florida
The Florida Public Service Commission has approved three projects that expand natural gas infrastructure of Florida City Gas, a subsidiary of Chesapeake Utilities. Gas Compression Magazine
Return to Top |
|
|
International
A new report by the International Energy Agency's Photovoltaics Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS) says that existing PV systems have the technical capabilities to provide various frequency-related grid services. pv magazine
U.S.
With $50 billion invested in solar since 2011, China now controls over 80% of the global solar supply chain, and their U.S. footprint is rapidly expanding. Environment+Energy Leader
U.S.
The latest filing is concerning a 39% increase in imports from Vietnam and a 17% increase from Thailand between April and June 2024, when compared to January through March 2024. Solar Power World
U.S.
Seventy-two percent of HelioVolta's inspections identified safety and reliability issues that required urgent remediation. This is an increase from 62% last year. Solar Builder
U.S.
"I think overall, U.S. solar will be fine," said Raymond James analyst Graham Price. "This was just kind of the culling of a weak player." Utility Dive
U.S.
For the last 20 years, China has been working hard to secure a monopoly over this critical technology. While China has mostly succeeded, the Inflation Reduction Act created a set of incentives to get us back in the game. pv magazine
Return to Top |
|
|
Illinois
Transmission and renewables aren't being built quickly enough to allow fossil fuel plants to close by state deadline, experts argue. Storage appears to be the most realistic path, a new analysis finds. Energy News Network
International
Most of this has been caused by a slowdown in the growth rate for electric-vehicle sales, leading to lower-than-expected battery volumes, intense competition and price cuts to defend market share. BloombergNEF
North Carolina
The facility will produce 24 GW of battery storage at full capacity on an annual basis. This compares with the company's current capacity of producing 600 MW of sodium-ion battery storage annually at its Holland facility. Reuters
U.S.
From the perspective of completion rate, the completion rate of the plan in May was 68%, ushering in a very large marginal improvement, which is close to the high point of last year, and the problem of grid connection delay has been greatly alleviated. Energy Trend
U.S.
The model proved able to accurately estimate batteries' longevity by analyzing their charge, discharge and voltage relaxation process data without relying on any assumption about specific battery degradation mechanisms. Tech Xplore
U.S.
Falling costs and federal tax credits have improved the economics of large-scale battery storage but a busy market brings grid, permitting and supply chain risks. Reuters
Vermont
A lack of grid capacity has kept local renewable energy sources from producing power consistently. The new battery is designed to change that. VTDigger
Return to Top |
|
|
Colorado
Researchers have conducted a field study across two growing seasons, growing different kinds of vegetables under three types of modules with 40%, 5%, and 0% transparency. pv magazine
Texas
The largest solar grazing project in the U.S. will reduce mowing costs and emissions -- and make for some happy sheep. Canary Media
Wyoming
Wyoming has ample sun, but only two utility-scale solar energy facilities. Four new project proposals could make it the home of some of the largest solar plants in the region. Inside Climate News
Return to Top |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2024 RTO Insider LLC, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
RTO Insider LLC, 2415 Boston Street, Baltimore, MD 21224-4733, United States
You are receiving this message, the NetZero Insider Weekly Intelligence Report on Resources, as part of your paid subscription. You can set your email delivery preferences here - and change them any time you want. Note: if you're not logged in, do so and then click "My Account" in the top-right corner and scroll down to the "Requested Emails" section.
Unsubscribe
|
|
|
|
|
Share
Tweet
Share
Forward