A hosting capacity analysis (HCA), is a key grid transparency tool that provides a snapshot in time of the conditions on a utility’s distribution grid that reflect its ability to host additional distributed energy resources (DERs) at specific locations, without…
The U.S. electricity grid today operates in a dramatically different context than when it was originally built. Considerable upgrades are needed to meet the changing demands of the modern era, such as the significant expansion of renewable energy, energy storage,…
Although it may seem straightforward to integrate energy storage into state energy markets, the characteristics that make storage so valuable and attractive also make it challenging to address in policy and regulatory contexts.
This year’s Clean Energy States Honor Roll notes states to keep an eye on in the year to come for more promising developments in 2020 and beyond.
Interconnection procedures are the rules of the road for the grid. Without common rules and predictable processes, gridlock and costly projects can result. In IREC’s recently released 2019 Model Interconnection Procedures, we take the first steps toward defining a clear interconnection process for energy storage systems to provide a useful starting point for states navigating these issues.
Over the last three years, IREC has been involved in proceedings before the Minnesota Commission focused on tools to enhance the transparency of Xcel Energy’s distribution grid.
With little fanfare or attention, the main investor-owned utilities in California released their first Integration Capacity Analyses (ICA) and supporting distribution system maps at the beginning of 2019. IREC has done an in-depth exploration of the capabilities of the maps and advocated for ongoing improvements, encouraging the commission to establish a process for ensuring the utilities remedied both the data quality and usability issues.
Over the next few years, states and utilities across the U.S. will have to implement new national standards for interconnection of clean energy technologies, which will transform how solar, wind, energy storage and other “distributed” energy resources function on the grid. Here’s a look at what some early states are doing to prepare.
Today IREC proudly joins the collective voice of advocates and industry celebrating a milestone we have worked for 37 years to witness: two million solar installations now in the U.S. What better timing than in a year when children and governors, presidential candidates and corporate CEOs are all making headlines about the urgency of climate change action.
The collective power of experience and passion assembled in one room was by any measure extraordinary. It was a day of robust exploration of the challenges, opportunities and details, and the not so distant milestones necessary to get us there – ultimately to 100 percent clean energy. The words “urgency” and “collaboration” and “equitable” could not have been louder.
Larry is IREC’s President and CEO.
