Energy Democracy Media Roundup — Week of October 1, 2018

Date: 2 Oct 2018 | posted in: Energy | 0 Facebooktwitterredditmail

This week in Energy Democracy news: 

A new survey reveals the majority of U.S. voters think utilities should not be able to block residential solar. Microgrids are gaining traction in the midwest, starting with Illinois. In California, Los Angeles leads with the most clean-energy jobs in the nation. Kansas solar customers could see demand charges dwindle their cost savings.  Inside the Department of Energy, a small agency continues its pursuit of long-term energy storage.

 

Featured:

100% Renewable Energy: Cleveland Sets a Big Goal as It Sheds Its Fossil Fuel Past by Dan Gearino, Inside Climate News

Energy efficiency is fundamentally undervalued, RMI finds by Robert Walton, Utility Dive

Much of today’s climate change thinking argues that the world has to use energy at least 3% more productively each year in order keep the planet from warming more than 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels, explains RMI. Lovins’ research argues the world can sustain those rapid efficiency savings — slightly above the 2015 peak of 2.8% per year — far easier than was previously thought.

Experts Discuss the Biggest Barriers Holding Back Building Electrification by Justin Gerdes, Green Tech Media

Why Energy Codes Matter, & What Cities Can Do by John Farrell, CleanTechnica

‘Not your grandma’s DER’: Distributed resources modernize, prove value to grid by Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive

DER advocates say the resources can respond quickly to the grid’s need to ramp generation up or down, store over-generation and control system frequency changes and local voltage fluctuations. Pilots are in place across the country to prove DER can fulfill these promises, and interest from utilities and system operators, driven by market factors and policy mandates, is growing fast.

88% of voters say utilities shouldn’t block residential solar: SEIA by Iulia Gheorghiu, Utility Dive

The poll said 88% of voters agreed that utilities should not be able to block residential solar.

Microgrids slowly make inroads in Midwest, with Illinois taking the lead by Kevin Stark, Energy News Network

 

Energy Democracy News Across the States:

Arizona

Advocates critical of Prop. 127 wording change that has fueled opposition by Howard Fischer, Capitol Media Services

 

California 

California PUC unveils proposed fix to storage incentive program, quantifying GHG reductions by Peter Maloney, Utility Dive

California customer choice at a crossroads: Regulators to weigh 3 key issues next week by Herman K. Trabish, Utility Dive

SLO wants to be carbon-neutral 10 years faster than the rest of California by Nick Wilson, The Tribune

Los Angeles-Orange County area leads the nation in clean-energy jobs, Inland Empire ranks 16th by Martin Wisckol, The Sun

California Weighs an Additional $2,000 Subsidy for Electric Cars by John Lippert, Bloomberg

 

Florida

Locals suing for net metering, utility wants scale and energy storage by John Weaver, PV Magazine

 

Idaho

Idaho PUC issues reconsideration order in net metering case by Kevin Randolph, Daily Energy Insider

 

Kansas

In Kansas, demand charges could take a bite out of solar customers’ savings by Karen Uhlenhuth, Energy News Network

Westar rate cut gets Kansas OK, but new solar demand charge could hike bills by Robert Walton, Utility Dive

 

Ohio

Ohio’s Power Forward roadmap aims to shape the grid of the future by Kathiann M. Kowalski, Energy News Network

 

Maryland

Microgrids in Maryland: Supporting public safety, community resiliency, Utility Dive

 

Massachusetts

State finally launches new solar incentive known as SMART By Mary C. Serreze, Mass Live

Advocates hope ruling closes door on fossil fuels’ future in Massachusetts by Sarah Shemkus, Energy News Network

 

New York 

New York’s Energy Storage Roadmap: It’s Not Easy Getting from Here to There by Elisa Wood, Microgrid Knowledge

 

North Carolina 

Solar slowly comes back online in North Carolina by Christian Roselund, PV Magazine

North Carolina Solar Farms Slowly Recovering From Florence by Brian Eckhouse, Bloomberg

 

Pennsylvania

Philadelphia program aims to lower costs and barriers to rooftop solar by Marie Cusick, Energy News Network

 

Rhode Island 

Rhode Island charts a course for a cleaner grid by Meg Dalton, Energy News Network

 

Virginia

New report says Virginia could be a leader in coming offshore wind boom by Robert Zullo, Virginia Mercury

 

Washington, DC

D.C. unveils strongest climate bill in the country by E. A. Crunden, ThinkProgress

 

Nationwide Energy Democracy News:

A tiny, beleaguered government agency seeks an energy holy grail: long-term energy storage by David Roberts, Vox

What can serve as flexible, zero-carbon resources, taking the place of natural gas in balancing variable renewables? Well, lots of things, but mainly energy storage. Being able to store the renewable energy when the sun and wind come and discharge it when they go smooths out the steep swings.

Study Shows Strong Growth for Behind the Meter Energy Storage, EC&M

Storage equipment market is expected to hit $4.6 billion and 3.9 GW in annual new deployments by 2023.

New York will continue assisting Puerto Rico with power grid modernization by Robert Walton, Utility Dive

It has been one year since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, and the island’s recovery continues. While PREPA says all electric customers now have power again, that merely represents the end of electric power restoration — the island’s grid is more fragile than ever and a complete rebuilding will take years.

Electric carmakers turn to Congress as tax credits dry up by Miranda Green, The Hill

Solar trade groups roll out tool to streamline permitting, interconnection by Robert Walton, Utility Dive

 

This article originally posted at ilsr.org. For timely updates, follow John Farrell or Marie Donahue on Twitter or get the Energy Democracy weekly update. Also check out over 50 episodes of the Local Energy Rules podcast!

 

Facebooktwitterredditmail