Battery makers face looming shortages of high-quality lithium

The COVID-19 pandemic has also adversely affected financial markets that battery developers and producers rely on, according to developers.

By Guy Burdick • June 25, 2020

Amazon $2B climate pledge draws praise, skepticism as total carbon footprint rises

The venture capital announcement was welcomed by developers in the clean energy space, but Green America said the company's plans are overly vague.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Updated June 25, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Virtual Power Plants

Virtual power plants and their ability to balance energy supply and demand are increasingly sought by utilities as electricity demand increases, but their lack of standardization remains a barrier.

By Utility Dive staff

8 Maryland utility storage pilots get vote of confidence, suggestions on safety, solar integration

Stakeholders weighed in June 19 on four utilities’ proposals to the Maryland Public Service Commission for eight pilot energy storage projects that could launch in February 2022.

By Guy Burdick • June 23, 2020

Xcel to speed up $3B in clean energy spending in response to Minnesota prompt on COVID-19 recovery

The utility plans to aid the state's economic recovery through a variety of programs, including energy efficiency, renewables and storage, that would create an estimated 5,000 jobs.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • June 19, 2020

EnergyHub partners with Vivint Solar as utility incentives for residential energy storage ramp up

"We're seeing double-digit, month-over-month growth in the volume of customers and batteries participating in utility programs," EnergyHub CEO Seth Frader Thompson told Utility Dive.

By Robert Walton • June 18, 2020

SCE, Sunrun partner on solar+storage virtual power plant pilot to drive down peak demand

The utility hopes to encourage greater buildout of residential solar+storage through the initial 300 customer program.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • June 17, 2020

Fluence unveils intelligent, modular storage product with 800 MW/2,300 MWh of projects

The technology stack, which includes digital intelligence that can connect storage systems to energy markets and manage battery degradation, is being deployed by Enel, LS Power, SPower and Siemens.

By Kavya Balaraman • June 17, 2020

COVID-19 pushes energy storage leader out of market as competition intensifies

The energy storage market is both shrinking and growing, according to an analyst. As existing firms are swallowed by competitors, new ones emerge.

By Guy Burdick • June 16, 2020

California utilities, regulators aim to hasten microgrid deployment ahead of wildfire season

Pacific Gas and Electric plans to have 73 microgrids operational by the end of 2020, which are viewed by California commissioners as part of a multifaceted approach to wildfire preparation.

By Emma Penrod • June 15, 2020

Energy storage market for microgrids may exceed $40B by 2030, Guidehouse finds

Nearly 37 GW of new energy storage for microgrids capacity is expected to be installed globally over the next 10 years, according to  a report released June 9.

By Guy Burdick • June 10, 2020

California CCAs seek offers for at least 4 GWh storage

A group of community choice aggregators issued a joint request for information on storage technologies with a minimum duration of eight hours, which could be necessary to meet the state's 2030 carbon reduction goals.

By Kavya Balaraman • Updated Oct. 16, 2020

Falling renewable, storage costs make 90% carbon-free US grid feasible by 2035, UC Berkeley finds

Building out renewables and storage to achieve this target will add more than 500,000 jobs per year as well as $1.7 trillion in investments into the economy, without raising customer bills, a new report concludes.

By Kavya Balaraman • June 9, 2020

The 3 key challenges to expanding the West's real-time energy market to day-ahead trading

Driven by new Western state renewables and zero emissions mandates, the 11 active participants and nine new applicants in the Energy Imbalance Market are pushing to expand it to day-ahead trading.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 3, 2020

New waste-to-hydrogen processes could contribute to a carbon negative future

With the rise in production and sales of hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles and power generators, the technology is entering a new maturation point that could encompass both mobile and stationary storage options, the author writes.

By Jean-Louis Kindler • June 3, 2020

US residential energy storage posts record quarter, but COVID-19 impacts loom: report

Industry deployed a record 44.4 MW of residential storage in the first three months of 2020 while non-residential deployment declined. But the coronavirus is expected to reverse this trend in the months to come.

By Emma Penrod • June 3, 2020

ENGIE, Enel X, Tesla top Guidehouse rankings of energy storage players

Sector leaders who were able to fill multiple roles at once were higher ranked, according to the report's author.

By Guy Burdick • May 29, 2020

Green Mountain Power expands BYOD and Tesla battery programs as it targets fossil peakers

The utility claims to be the first in the country to offer rate discounts for the use of distributed energy storage to lower peak energy demand across its system.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • May 26, 2020

Landfills emerge as promising battery storage sites to back up renewable energy

Like solar panels, batteries may present a new revenue stream for closed landfills. Projects are complete, or underway, in multiple states.

By Matthew Bandyk • May 26, 2020

PG&E's total storage procurements pass 1 GW with latest round of projects

The five projects announced by PG&E last week totaling 423 MW, combined with SCE's 770 MW announcement earlier in May, almost equal the state's entire 1,325 MW storage target for 2020.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 21, 2020

As utilities tackle immediate COVID-19 impacts, analysts stress need to focus beyond the pandemic

Power systems across the country need new approaches for today's shifting loads, but focusing on recovery and tomorrow’s resources can be even better, analysts say.

By Herman K. Trabish • May 20, 2020

El Paso Electric sees record low solar prices as it secures New Mexico project approvals

The utility had submitted one solar and two solar+storage projects for consideration to replace capacity from the Rio Grande plant's natural gas units set for retirement in 2022.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • May 18, 2020

Hawaiian Electric eyes 460 MW solar, 3 GWh storage to help meet renewables goals

The projects, which are scheduled to come online beginning in 2022, would increase the utility's solar capacity by more than 50%.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 14, 2020

Replace NYC peakers with renewables+storage? Plant owners say they're working on it

An environmental justice group has called for renewables and battery storage to replace fossil fuel peaking units in New York City. Generators say the transition is already underway.

By Robert Walton • May 12, 2020

Cold storage: Organic proton batteries show disposal, solar pairing advantages in advance to market

A Sweden-based research team's new battery can withstand low temperatures and more efficiently store renewable energy.

By Lynn Freehill-Maye • May 11, 2020

DC Circuit grills NARUC, FERC on whether Order 841 will harm state ability to regulate distribution

The fundamental question for judges is whether FERC's landmark energy storage order will harm states' ability to operate the safety and reliability of their distribution systems.

By Catherine Morehouse • May 6, 2020