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California Now has More than 5,000 MW of Battery Storage Capacity Online

July 12, 2023

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 12, 2023

The California Independent System Operator recently reported that more than 5,000 megawatts of battery storage capacity is now online and fully integrated into the electrical grid.

As of July 1, total battery storage on the grid had increased to 5,600 MW. Just three years ago, “we had about 500 MW on the grid and this rapid growth of energy storage in California has significantly improved our ability to manage through challenging grid conditions,” said Elliot Mainzer, the ISO’s president and CEO.

Since the summer of 2020, the ISO has seen a ten-fold increase in storage on the grid. The major driver behind the influx has been a series of storage procurement orders authorized by the California Public Utilities Commission requiring regulated utilities to add storage to their portfolios, CAISO said. These orders also call for significantly more storage in the coming years.

The CPUC’s plans call for a buildout of more than 10,000 MW in aggregate storage capacity on the grid by 2026.

In coming years, the ISO is expecting to see the emergence of new storage technologies as well as longer-duration storage resources that will be able to provide additional value to the grid.

Florida Municipal Power Agency, Public Power Utilities Unveil Major Expansion of Solar Project

July 12, 2023

by APPA News
July 12, 2023

Florida Municipal Power Agency, in conjunction with 20 Florida public power utilities and Origis Energy, on July 12 announced a major expansion of the Florida Municipal Solar Project, one of the largest municipal-backed solar projects in the nation.

Upon completion, the expansion will quadruple the amount of solar power currently generated by the project.

The project currently consists of two solar farms, Taylor Creek Solar in Orange County and Harmony Solar in Osceola County, that generate nearly 150 megawatts of solar power.

There will be two phases in the expansion. Phase 2 will include the addition of two more solar farms, Rice Creek Solar in Putnam County and Whistling Duck Solar in Levy County. It is anticipated that Rice Creek Solar will be completed by the end of this year and Whistling Duck Solar is projected for completion in 2024. When both new sites are online, they will generate nearly 150 megawatts of solar energy.

Phase 3 of the project will bring another four solar farms online, which will double the size of the project from four to eight sites that will generate nearly 600 megawatts of solar power – four times what is currently being generated. Construction and operation of these four additional sites, which will be located in Columbia, Levy and Bradford Counties, will be staggered throughout 2025 and 2026.

By the end of 2026, the Florida Municipal Solar Project will consist of more than 1.8 million solar panels installed on eight farms.

“By partnering with our municipal electric utilities members and Origis Energy, we are able to take advantage of a great opportunity to increase the volume of our low-cost, reliable solar generation at a time when solar costs have been escalating,” said Jacob Williams, general manager and CEO of FMPA. “Expanding the Florida Municipal Solar Project will also enable us to serve several new communities that haven’t had access to solar before.”

The large-scale solar project enables participants to provide solar energy to customers in the most cost-effective way, FMPA said. The cost of solar power from the project is approximately one-third the cost of a typical private, rooftop solar system, it said.

A total of 20 Florida municipal electric utilities will purchase power from the project: Beaches Energy Services (Jacksonville Beach), Bushnell, Clewiston, Fort Meade, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, Green Cove Springs, Havana, Homestead, JEA (Jacksonville), Keys Energy Services (Key West), Kissimmee Utility Authority, Lake Worth Beach, Leesburg, Mount Dora, New Smyrna Beach, Newberry, Ocala, Orlando Utilities Commission, Starke, and Winter Park. These cities are member-owners of FMPA along with 13 other municipal utilities

For more information on the Florida Municipal Solar Project or FMPA, visit www.fmpa.com.

New APPA Report Details Surge in Planned Solar Capacity Additions in the U.S.

July 12, 2023

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 12, 2023

More than 27,000 megawatts of solar capacity are under construction and projected to come online in 2023, a 32% increase from the current U.S. solar capacity and a 147% increase since the beginning of 2020, a new report from the American Public Power Association shows.

And for the second year in a row, solar was the leading source of new utility-scale capacity, the report, “America’s Electricity Generating Capacity: 2023 Update,” said.

With respect to wind capacity, the net gain of wind capacity since the beginning of 2020 is over 39,000 MW, which is a 37% increase over the past three years, the report noted.

Solar and wind are also the top resources in all four future capacity addition categories. Over 227,000 MW of solar capacity is proposed, pending application, permitted, or currently under construction, and there is nearly 158,000 MW of wind capacity in the pipeline.

The annual report covers current and imminent electricity generation capacity in the United States by types of fuel, location, and ownership type.

Generation capacity refers to the maximum potential power output of an electricity generation source, i.e., the amount of power a plant can produce if it were running at full power. Capacity is measured in megawatts.

The report covers generation capacity only. All capacity figures in the report only represent utility-scale capacity and do not include distributed and other small-scale generating capacity.

This year’s report also includes American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands in APPA’s analysis.

Currently, the U.S. has nearly 1.3 million megawatts generation capacity. The largest fuel source is natural gas, accounting for just under 44% of all generation capacity.

Coal, with a share of 17%, represents the second largest source of generation capacity. Wind, nuclear, hydro, and solar together account for more than one-third of capacity.

Under Development

The report analyzes prospective generation capacity in four categories: under construction, permitted, application pending, and proposed.

Over 466,000 MW of new generation capacity is under development in the United States — a 13% increase over 2022, and the second year in a row with an increase in capacity over 10%.

Of this capacity, 129,742 MW is under construction or permitted, and 338,373 MW is proposed or pending application.

A 49% plurality of all new generation capacity under development is for solar energy, followed by wind (34%) and natural gas (9%). However, three quarters of the wind capacity is in the “proposed” stage, which is the earliest and most uncertain stage of development and includes units that are least likely to be built.

Sixty-one percent of the generation capacity most likely to come online, permitted plants and plants that are under construction, are in solar A large majority of all future capacity is owned by non-utility generators.

Retirements and Cancellations

The report also provides information on retirements and planned retirements and cancellations over the past several years.

More than 30,000 MW of planned capacity developments were canceled in 2022. Wind and natural gas projects account for more than half of the cancellations from 2015-2022.

Capacity additions (27,755 MW) outpace the total capacity retired (16,121 MW) in 2022. A majority (78%) of the capacity retired in 2022 was from coal-fired facilities, with nearly 13,000 MW retired. Coal retirements in 2022 are double the capacity of coal plants retired in 2021. More than 41,000 MW in coal capacity is planned to be retired through 2027, which represents nearly a fifth of the current generating capacity of all coal-fired facilities.

Data analyzed for this report was taken from the Hitachi Energy Velocity Suite database, accessed January and February 2023.

Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority Generation Unit Successfully Energized

July 12, 2023

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 12, 2023

A Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority generation unit was successfully energized in June for the first time as part of the Authority’s ongoing St. Thomas Randolph Harley Power Plant New Generation Project.

Unit 5 is one of four new Wärtsilä generators being placed into service at the St. Thomas Randolph Harley Power Plant.

The project, which will see the introduction of four additional energy efficient Wärtsilä generators and a battery energy storage system to the St. Thomas Randolph Harley Power Plant, is slated for completion in August 2023 operating initially on diesel, with operation on propane to follow shortly thereafter. 

Completely funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the generators will enhance the Territory’s fuel resilience as the generators can operate on either propane or diesel.

In addition, they will deliver high energy efficiency, given that the generators are approximately 30% more efficient than the Authority’s older generators. This will reduce fuel consumption and fuel costs. 

 Additionally, the new generators can rapidly respond to changes in the Authority’s power generation and maintain grid reliability, allowing for optimal performance, even during times when energy demand is high throughout the territory.

This is further assisted by the BESS “because the BESS acts like a large shock absorber on the electric system helping to buffer disruptions on the system,” the Authority said.

States, Tribal Nations Receive Grants Totaling $207.6 Million for Grid Resilience

July 11, 2023

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 11, 2023

The U.S. Department of Energy on July 6 announced nine states and three tribal nations as the third cohort to receive a combined total of $207.6 million in grid resilience state and tribal formula grants.

Here are details on how the three tribal nations will utilize the funding:

Nine States Receive Funding

California will use the funding to reduce the frequency and duration of power outages. Selected projects will be used to advance California’s goal of achieving 100 percent clean energy through resilience solutions that deploy zero-carbon energy resources and reduce reliance on fossil fuels. (Amount: $67.5 million)

Kansas plans to promote grid equity by ensuring that funds are distributed equitably, particularly in rural, disadvantaged, and underserved communities. Grants funds will be used to promote resilience projects while advancing projects that attract, train, and retain a skilled Kansas workforce. (Amount: $13.3 million)

Kentucky will work to improve the safety and reliability of the electric grid serving critical facilities and increase the resilience capacity of critical infrastructure. Grant funds will be used to expand local workforce capacity and increase the resilience capacity of under-resourced communities and vulnerable populations by funding projects with small entities and state facilities that serve critical roles during natural disasters. (Amount: $11.1 million)

Maine’s goal is to improve community and economic resilience while empowering electric customers and communities to be resilient to disruptive events. Selected projects will be used to increase clean energy workforce opportunities and activities will align with ongoing electric grid modernization and state policy climate goals while mitigating disproportionate energy burdens. (Amount: $4.4 million)

Michigan will invest in last-mile delivery solutions for low-income customers and mitigate the risk of severe weather on critical facilities through traditional grid hardening resilience investments. Grant funds will be used to grow Michigan’s skilled workforce for grid resilience activities and support innovative non-wired alternative projects. (Amount: $14.9 million)

Minnesota will prioritize projects that will generate the greatest community benefit and enhance equity by aligning with the Justice40 initiative. With a goal of strengthening prosperity, state officials will focus on expanding good-paying, safe jobs accessible to all workers and invest in domestic supply chains. (Amount: $11.9 million)

Oregon’s goal is to deliver benefits to disadvantaged communities and nine federally recognized Tribes in Oregon as defined by the Justice40 Initiative, while maximizing community benefits that complement grid resilience projects. Grant funds will be used to further refine program objectives, metrics, and criteria for future years to ensure program funds address the most pressing grid resilience needs. (Amount: $19.9 million)

Rhode Island will work to address electric resilience threats through a bottom-up approach to identify innovative projects with robust municipal collaboration. State officials will develop a replicable planning framework which will leverage this funding opportunity with other competitive or private funding opportunities. (Amount: $3.4 million)

Texas will use grant funds to identify gaps in grid resilience and minimize disruption to normal grid operations during weather events with weatherization and modeling technologies, as well as vegetation and fuel load management. Furthermore, Texas will increase the skilled workforce by assuring that any installed resilience measures can be operated and maintained without contractor support, whenever possible. (Amount: $60.6 million) 

Over the next five years, the Grid Resilience State and Tribal Formula Grants will distribute a total of $2.3 billion to States, Territories, and federally recognized tribes, including Alaska Native Regional Corporations and Alaska Native Village Corporations, based on a formula that includes factors such as population size, land area, probability and severity of disruptive events, and a locality’s historical expenditures on mitigation efforts.

The States, Territories, and tribes will then award these funds to complete a set of projects, with priority given to efforts that generate the greatest community benefit while providing clean, affordable, and reliable energy, DOE said.

Additional Grid Resilience Formula Grant recipients will be announced on a rolling basis in the coming months as applications are received.

The fiscal year (FY) 22 and FY 23 application deadline for States and Territories was May 31, 2023. The FY 22 and FY 23 application deadline for Indian tribes, including Alaska Native Corporations, is August 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm ET (with a mail-in option post-marked by this date).

Company Developing Storage Project to Monitor Export Flows in Northern Vermont

July 11, 2023

by Peter Maloney
APPA News
July 11, 2023

EVLO Energy Storage Inc., a subsidiary of Hydro-Quebec, is developing a utility-scale battery energy storage project in Troy, Vermont.

EVLO said the 3-megawatt, 12-megawatt hour storage project will store energy during strong energy production times for later use during times of peak energy demand, thus helping to smooth out the intermittency of renewable power generation and delivering value to utility customers.

The project will also provide data to the U.S. Department of Energy and Sandia National Laboratories to support analysis of how batteries can help the export of energy from the region. The project includes a $2 million cost-share partnership through Sandia’s Energy Storage Demonstration Projects program.

Troy is in the Sheffield-Highgate Export Interface area of Vermont’s electric grid in the northern tier of the state. Generation resources inside the interface are limited in real time to ensure that system capacity is not exceeded in the event of a potential future transmission outage.

From time to time, generation resources in the northern tier are required to curtail output due to the lack of capacity to export power, according to the Vermont System Planning Committee website, which also noted that utilities, clean energy advocates, regulators and other stakeholders are discussing ways that the limitations in the region can be addressed to reduce or eliminate curtailments.

The energy storage project, which is scheduled to be commissioned by the end of 2023, will consist of EVLO 1000 units, the company’s power converter system platforms and EVLOGIX energy management system. EVLO said it would monitor and maintain the system for 20 years.

New Report Projects Number of EV Ports in U.S. will be Close to 18 Million by 2027

July 11, 2023

by Paul Ciampoli, APPA News Director
and Peter Maloney

July 11, 2023

Wood Mackenzie estimates that the number of electric vehicle charging ports in the U.S. will reach close to 18 million by 2027, with most chargers in the residential category.

However, the residential market share will slightly decline in that period as the public and commercial EV charging segments grow, according to Wood Mackenzie.

According to the inaugural North American EV charging infrastructure monitor, Tesla and ChargePoint dominate the market, with Tesla boasting a 61% market share of DCFC ports in the US, while ChargePoint leads with a 46% market share of level 2 ports in the US.

Deployment of EV charging infrastructure at brick-and-mortar locations offers major growth potential and remains an untapped market, the report said.

Eligibility for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure grant program and proximity to population centers is driving retail store chains to deploy EV charging networks.

Walmart intends to build its fast-charging network, potentially becoming the fifth-largest DCFC network in the US (based on current deployments).

“There is so much opportunity in the brick-and-mortar segment as it has synergies with EV charging,” said Amaiya Khardenavis, Analyst, EV Charging Infrastructure, Wood Mackenzie. “It is estimated that 85-90% of the US population lives within 10 miles of major retailers, making them very convenient charging locations for EV drivers. The stores seeking to increase customer dwell time will benefit from offering onsite EV charging, while stores that already enjoy high dwell time seek to earn additional revenue from charging.”

Meanwhile, optimal duty cycles and substantial government funding are driving school bus electrification.

Even though capacity upgrades needed to host charging infrastructure at depots can take months, the report notes that the growth of electrified school buses (ESBs) will drive more demand for charging infrastructure as well, with more than 4,000 ESBs receiving funding in Q4 of 2022, more than three times Q1 2022 totals.

Report Identifies Charging Infrastructure Investment Needed to Meet EV Growth

Meanwhile, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory recently released a report that said that the United States is on track to install the charging infrastructure needed to meet expected 2030 demand for plug-in electric vehicles.

The report, The 2030 National Charging Network: Estimating U.S. Light-Duty Demand for Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure, estimates that cumulative investment of $53 billion to $127 billion in private and public charging infrastructure is necessary to support a mid-range adoption scenario of 33 million plug-in electric vehicles on the road by 2030. For publicly accessible charging stations, the range is $31 billion to $55 billion by 2030.

As of March 2023, NREL estimated that $23.7 billion of capital has been announced for publicly accessible light-duty plug-in electric vehicle charging infrastructure through the end of the decade, including from private firms, the public sector – including federal, state, and local governments – and electric utilities.

“Public and private investments in publicly accessible charging infrastructure have accelerated in recent years,” the report’s author wrote. “If sustained with long-term market certainty grounded in accelerating consumer demand, these public and private investments will put the United States on a path to meeting the infrastructure needs simulated in this report.”

Based on a combination of policy and industry goals, plug-in electric vehicles could account for 48 percent to 61 percent of the U.S. light-duty plug-in electric vehicle market by 2030, according to the NREL report.

A 2021 presidential executive order targets 50 percent of U.S. passenger car and light truck sales as zero-emission vehicles by 2030. California has established requirements for 100 percent light-duty zero emission vehicle sales by 2035, and many states have adopted, or are considering adopting, similar regulations. Both goals were set prior to passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, which provide policy support for electric vehicles through tax credits and investment grants.

NREL’s analysis found that a national electric vehicle charging network in 2030 could be composed of 26 to 35 million charging ports to support 30 to 42 million plug-in electric vehicles with a mid-range -adoption scenario of 33 million plug-in electric vehicles and 28 million ports.

NREL said its analysis of electric vehicle demand was based on a need-based assessment in which charging infrastructure is brought online simultaneously with the growth in the electric vehicle fleet, but noted that charging infrastructure would likely be necessary before demand for electric vehicles materializes as many drivers would likely need to see available charging stations before committing to an electric vehicle purchase.

The report cautioned that if infrastructure investment were to lead vehicle deployment, it could create prolonged periods of poor utilization, jeopardizing the financial viability of infrastructure operators.

NREL said the cost of grid upgrades and distributed energy resources were excluded from the estimates in the report and noted that those costs could be significant and even be critical in building out the national charging network, but they tend to be site-specific and were deemed out of scope for its analysis.

Pasadena Water and Power Expands Energy Portfolio with 25 MW of Geothermal Energy

July 11, 2023

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 11, 2023

California public power utility Pasadena Water and Power is expanding its energy portfolio with 25 megawatts of geothermal energy.

The move is part of Pasadena’s “commitment to growing clean energy and goal of sourcing 100% of its electricity from carbon-free sources,” the city said on July 10.

“Pasadena continues to invest in our renewable future,” said PWP General Manager Sidney Jackson. “The addition of this new geothermal energy brings us closer to meeting goals adopted by the City Council.”

The City Council recently approved a 15-year, 25-MW contract with the Southern California Public Power Authority for the purchase of geothermal energy from Geysers Power Company, LLC, an indirect subsidiary of Calpine Corporation, beginning on January 1, 2027. Located in Lake County, California. The Geysers Geothermal Project is North America’s largest producer of geothermal power.

PWP is currently in the process of updating its Power Integrated Resource Plan, Pasadena’s long-range blueprint for supplying reliable and environmentally responsible electricity at competitive rates.

Jackson recently discussed the IRP in an episode of the American Public Power Association’s Public Power Now podcast.

The acquisition of the geothermal energy advances the greenhouse gas reduction goals identified in the 2021 Power IRP Update.

Along with the Coso Geothermal Project contract, which was acquired in 2020 and is also anticipated to start delivering energy in 2027, geothermal power is expected to make up approximately 25 percent of PWP’s retail energy sales by the end of 2027.

Agreement Calls for New York Power Plant Workers to be Trained to Work in Offshore Wind Sector

July 10, 2023

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 10, 2023

Workers at the Ravenswood Generating Station in New York will be trained to transition to work in the offshore wind industry under an agreement with a utility workers union and a joint venture that is developing an offshore wind project.

The agreement was unveiled on June 26 by Attentive Energy One, a joint venture between TotalEnergies and Rise Light & Power. The agreement is with Utility Workers Union of America Local 1-2, which represents the workforce at the Ravenswood Generating Station.

Located on 28 waterfront acres in Long Island City, Queens, Ravenswood represents more than 20 percent of New York City’s generation capacity. Ravenswood Generating Station employs over 100 people, a majority of which are members of UWUA local 1-2.

In July 2022, Rise Light & Power announced plans to redevelop Ravenswood Generating Station as a new renewable energy hub. Rise Light & Power is a unit of LS Power, which owns the plant.

In connection with a 1,400-megawatt offshore wind proposal that Attentive Energy One submitted to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority in January 2023, the joint venture is committing “to supporting the just transition of Ravenswood’s union workforce in the shift to renewable energy at the facility,” it said.

In the NYSERDA application, Attentive Energy said that the offshore wind project “will deliver offshore wind energy directly into a new substation at Ravenswood, beginning the transformation of the city’s largest fossil generating facility into a clean energy center.” The project will set a precedent for fossil repurposing by retiring one of Ravenswood Generating Station’s 400 MW steam turbines and replacing it with offshore wind, the filing said.

The agreement unveiled on June 26 outlines a plan for preparing the members of Local 1-2 “for the future in clean energy at Ravenswood, demonstrating the value of labor-management partnerships in stewarding a just transition for the existing energy workforce.”

Upon award of a contract, the joint venture will launch a program in coordination with UWUA Local 1-2 that will ensure its members are able to smoothly transition to work on new renewable energy equipment as well as an operations-and-maintenance hub supporting up to 3 gigawatts of offshore wind, through retraining and other transition benefits.

The Ravenswood Training Center, a NCCER-Accredited Training Sponsor and Assessment Center, provides an existing platform for introducing new curriculum related to renewable energy, maritime operations, and other relevant skills to UWUA Local 1-2 members.

The joint venture will also support training opportunities for workers statewide by partnering with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers and their industry partner the National Electrical Contractors Association to open a Global Wind Organization Training Center.

This center will provide broad labor union training related to Global Wind Organization-approved courses and educational credits through an agreement with Empire State College.

All union tradespeople seeking the Global Wind Organization safety certification will be able to use this facility, one of only five in the United States expected to offer the full-suite of Global Wind Organization -certified safety courses, as well as recertifications.

At full capacity, the IBEW Global Wind Organization Training Center will issue more than 400 certifications each year.

The joint venture is also collaborating with the National Offshore Wind Training Center — the result of a cooperative labor partnership between the Long Island Federation of Labor, AFL-CIO, the Building & Construction Trades Council of Nassau & Suffolk Counties, Suffolk Community College and others.

NOWTC will offer Global Wind Organization training on Long Island. Attentive Energy One is committed to utilizing the NOWTC for a portion of its training offerings, opening opportunities for Long Islanders to access training for jobs in offshore wind.

PJM Transition to New Interconnection Process Gets Underway

July 10, 2023

by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
July 10, 2023

The transition to the PJM Interconnection’s new interconnection process kicked off on July 10, setting the stage for more than 260,000 megawatts of mostly renewable projects to be studied over the next three years, the grid operator said.

More than 95% of the projects requesting grid connection are renewables or batteries, or a hybrid of both, PJM noted.

Among other reforms, the process moves from a “first-come, first-served” queue approach to a “first-ready, first-served” cycle method. It includes decision points along the way at which the developers must submit readiness deposits and demonstrate site control or withdraw their projects. These requirements are expected to weed out the large number of speculative projects that have contributed to existing backlogs, PJM said.

 Starting on July 10, PJM opened a 60-day window for developers in transition to post the readiness requirements.

In September, PJM will update its models with those generators qualifying to enter the transition and begin processing projects with no or minimal system impacts that qualify for a “fast-lane” process.

PJM also created the new Queue Scope tool, which enables developers to better assess the engineering and financial impacts of a project at various locations on their own before they formally enter PJM’s interconnection queue. This should save them, particularly smaller developers, time and money and result in more viable projects to be studied by PJM.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved the interconnection process reforms on Nov. 29, 2022.

About 44,000 MW of projects have completed the PJM study process but have yet to move to construction, due to siting, financing, supply chain, or other issues. In 2023, less than 2,200 MW of projects have come online; in 2022, that number was 2,000 MW.

By the end of 2024, PJM expects to have cleared about 62,000 MW for connection, another 100,000 MW by the end of 2025, and an additional 100,000 MW by the end of 2026.

The PJM system’s current total capacity is about 184,000 MW.

Additional information and frequently asked questions about the transition to the new interconnection process can be found on the Interconnection Process Reform webpage.