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08.25.20 Energy 2

This week's order revamps PREPA's proposal, which was prepared by gas turbine supplier Siemens.

In Blow to Natural Gas, Puerto Rico Regulators Affirm Solar-Centric Grid Overhaul

A regulatory order this week calls for a more extreme build-out of renewables than utility PREPA proposed.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

08.25.20 Grid Edge 1

Power metering and billing are critical to building robust grids in developing countries. (Photo: SparkMeter)

SparkMeter Closes $12M Round to Expand From Metering Minigrids to Analyzing ‘Broken Grids’

With the world electrifying, this startup sees an opportunity to provide data analytics for utilities in places with unreliable power grids.

by Jeff St. John

07.30.20 Energy Storage 4

Northern California community-choice aggregators target 6,000 homes for batteries to ride through blackouts.

Sunrun Lands Contract for 20MW Backup Battery-Solar Project in Blackout-Prone California

It will be one of the largest solar-battery aggregations for grid services to date, and the deployment timeline is aggressive.

by Jeff St. John

06.30.20 Solar 11

Australia is home to many key clean energy reference projects.

Is Australia Losing the Race for a Clean Energy Breakthrough?

Australia has a proud history of renewables innovation and big ambitions for decarbonization. When will homegrown technology companies benefit?

by Jason Deign

06.25.20 Energy 4

Luma Energy plans to train lineworkers in Puerto Rico and hire some employees from PREPA.

Puerto Rico Selects New Grid Manager, Prompting Concerns

A new joint venture out of Canada and the mainland U.S. will manage and operate Puerto Rico’s grid.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

06.22.20 Solar 0

Zero-cost C&I solar systems are making up for losses from customers cancelling self-funded projects. (Credit: IBC Solar/Solsquare)

C&I Solar Investment Holds Up as COVID-19 Hits Africa

Investors are aware the cleantech sector offers significant opportunities; the C&I solar market is proving resilient.

by Jason Deign

06.19.20 Solar 14

Zero Mass Water's solar systems generate flows of potable water. (Image: Zero Mass Water)

BlackRock Leads $50M Investment Into Off-Grid Solar Technology That Generates Water

With backers that include Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Zero Mass Water is scaling up its distributed solar technology — but not for electricity production.

by Julian Spector

06.02.20 Grid Edge 41

California will rely heavily on mobile diesel generators to keep the lights on during this year's wildfire season.

Natural Gas Microgrids Do What Solar and Batteries Alone Can’t for California Resiliency, Report Says

California utilities face resistance to deploying natural-gas generators. But the alternative may be dirtier diesel.

by Jeff St. John

06.01.20 Grid Edge 9

Emerging markets are taking a more thoughtful approach to electrification planning.

Research Spotlight

Minigrids Are a Missing Piece of the Integrated Electrification Puzzle

Solar home systems are effective for rural households. But for hundreds of millions, minigrids may be lowest-cost path toward electrification.

by Benjamin Attia, Caitlin Connelly, and Isaac Maze-Rothstein

05.21.20 Grid Edge 5

Smoky air over San Francisco Bay. PG&E will look for a longer-term solution to its blackout problem in 2021.

PG&E’s Plan to Mitigate Blackouts This Wildfire Season: Lots More Diesel Generators

Stymied in its attempts to build gas-backed microgrids and running out of time, the California utility will again turn to a low-tech solution.

by Jeff St. John

05.12.20 Grid Edge 2

Span's smart electrical panel adds circuit-by-circuit control for homes with batteries. (Photo: Span)

Span Raises $10M to Scale Up Deployments of Smart Electrical Panels

Led by a Tesla alum, the California startup looks to tap growing demand for solar and storage in key markets of California and Hawaii.

by Jeff St. John

05.06.20 Solar 1

The Navajo Generating Station shut down last fall, leaving transmission capacity that could ship solar power.

Developer sPower Teams Up With Navajo Power to Replace Coal Plant With Solar

Solar heavyweight sPower and local startup Navajo Power are chasing a 200-megawatt deal with Arizona utility Salt River Project, but that’s just the beginning.

by Julian Spector

05.01.20 Grid Edge 7

California's wildfire season is approaching. (Credit: Wikicommons/Peter Buschmann, USDA)

California’s Plan to Equip Vulnerable Citizens With Batteries Stumbles Out of the Gate

Another wildfire season is approaching, and little progress has been made installing batteries for those most at risk from blackouts.

by Jeff St. John

4 Ways Batteries Are Getting Paid for Multiple Values in 2020

GTM Squared

4 Ways Batteries Are Getting Paid for Multiple Values in 2020

Energy storage projects can do so many things, but that only matters if they get paid for it. Here’s how developers are making sure that happens.

by Julian Spector | April 22, 2020

04.08.20 Grid Edge 12

A residential standalone power system in Western Australia. (Credit: Western Power)

The Utilities That Want to Kick Their Customers Off the Grid

Australian power firms save cash and offer more uptime by taking clients off-grid, but red tape threatens the rollout.

by Jason Deign

04.02.20 Solar 4

Layoffs have started across the residential solar sector. (Binh Nguyen/GTM)

‘No One Is Being Spared’: Coronavirus Shutdowns Sap Demand for Residential Solar

Shelter-in-place and stay-home orders in key state solar markets have left many residential developers in limbo.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant

03.25.20 Energy 1

Social distancing and travel bans are slowing construction at projects like Hinkley Point C. (Credit: EDF)

How Europe’s Energy Sector Is Responding to the Coronavirus

Power sector “won’t be as hard-hit as other industries,” but it can’t expect to escape the crisis unscathed, said E.ON CEO Johannes Teyssen.

by John Parnell

03.17.20 Grid Edge 3

Utilities may face workforce shortages at a critical time for power supplies.

Keeping the Lights On: US Utility Sector Braces for Coronavirus Impact

An industry that must stay on its feet to keep homes and hospitals powered faces its own economic and workforce challenges.

by Jeff St. John

Despite 100% Renewables Legislation, Future of Puerto Rico’s Grid Remains Unclear

GTM Squared

Despite 100% Renewables Legislation, Future of Puerto Rico’s Grid Remains Unclear

The island remains far from meeting even its former RPS of 20 percent by 2035, and questions about gas-fired generation persist.

by Emma Foehringer Merchant | March 16, 2020

03.12.20 0

An estimated 420 million people globally now use standalone off-grid solar, while another 47 million people rely on mini-grids for access to electricity.

Research Spotlight

WoodMac: Nearly $470M Invested Into Off-Grid Energy Access Companies Last Year

Perhaps counterintuitively, the on-grid sector must be healthy in order for off-grid to flourish.

by Benjamin Attia

02.24.20 Solar 0

BHP plans to power its Spence mine in Chile entirely with renewables. (Credit: BHP)

Mining Giants Embrace Renewables, But Decarbonization Remains a Steep Climb

Rio Tinto is building its first self-owned solar project in Australia, as the mining industry seeks ways to save money and decrease carbon emissions.

by Jason Deign

02.20.20 Grid Edge 0

Smart Electrical Panel Startup Span Lands LG Chem as Battery Partner

The sleek, remote-controlled panel from a Tesla alum’s startup is now part of LG Chem’s customizable solar-storage solution.

by Jeff St. John

02.17.20 0

The State of Off-Grid Energy Access

This week on The Energy Gang: the cutting-edge business of bringing power to the last billion people on earth without it.

by Stephen Lacey

01.02.20 Energy 3

Countries are grappling with costly decisions about rebuilding energy infrastructure. (Credit: Antti Lipponen)

Industry Perspective

Behind the Buzzword: A Brief History of Energy ‘Resiliency’

The energy industry has overcome many “resiliency” challenges. Climate change is the biggest one yet, the author writes.

by Bruce Levy

12.18.19 Grid Edge 1

PG&E is rapidly deploying microgrids in Northern California ahead of next year's fire season.

US Microgrid Market Slowed in 2019. PG&E Could Single-Handedly Reverse the Trend

The bankrupt California utility seeks the biggest U.S. microgrid portfolio ever, to be built in record time — a potential inflection point for the market.

by Julian Spector

How Cheap and Abundant Can Clean Power Get?

Climate Fintech Startup Atmos Financial Puts Savings to Work for Clean Energy

Could Chile’s Auction Help Save CSP From Oblivion?

What the Coming Wave of Distributed Energy Resources Means for the US Grid

Extreme Weather Keeps Maxing Out the Grid

A Wartime Plan for Electrifying America

An Island’s Path to 100% Renewables

Greentech Media Chronicled Clean Energy Before It Was Cool

Are Batteries at a Turning Point?

Vestas Ventures Makes First Investment With Stake in Wooden Tower Start-Up

Vestas Launches World’s Largest Turbines as 'Big 3' Competition Ramps Up

BP, RWE and EnBW Win Big in UK Offshore Wind Leasing Round

How Cheap and Abundant Can Clean Power Get?

Climate Fintech Startup Atmos Financial Puts Savings to Work for Clean Energy

Could Chile’s Auction Help Save CSP From Oblivion?

Off Grid/Energy Access

In Blow to Natural Gas, Puerto Rico Regulators Affirm Solar-Centric Grid Overhaul

SparkMeter Closes $12M Round to Expand From Metering Minigrids to Analyzing ‘Broken Grids’

Sunrun Lands Contract for 20MW Backup Battery-Solar Project in Blackout-Prone California

Is Australia Losing the Race for a Clean Energy Breakthrough?

Puerto Rico Selects New Grid Manager, Prompting Concerns

C&I Solar Investment Holds Up as COVID-19 Hits Africa

BlackRock Leads $50M Investment Into Off-Grid Solar Technology That Generates Water

Natural Gas Microgrids Do What Solar and Batteries Alone Can’t for California Resiliency, Report Says

Minigrids Are a Missing Piece of the Integrated Electrification Puzzle

PG&E’s Plan to Mitigate Blackouts This Wildfire Season: Lots More Diesel Generators

Span Raises $10M to Scale Up Deployments of Smart Electrical Panels

Developer sPower Teams Up With Navajo Power to Replace Coal Plant With Solar

California’s Plan to Equip Vulnerable Citizens With Batteries Stumbles Out of the Gate

4 Ways Batteries Are Getting Paid for Multiple Values in 2020

The Utilities That Want to Kick Their Customers Off the Grid

‘No One Is Being Spared’: Coronavirus Shutdowns Sap Demand for Residential Solar

How Europe’s Energy Sector Is Responding to the Coronavirus

Keeping the Lights On: US Utility Sector Braces for Coronavirus Impact

Despite 100% Renewables Legislation, Future of Puerto Rico’s Grid Remains Unclear

WoodMac: Nearly $470M Invested Into Off-Grid Energy Access Companies Last Year

Mining Giants Embrace Renewables, But Decarbonization Remains a Steep Climb

Smart Electrical Panel Startup Span Lands LG Chem as Battery Partner

The State of Off-Grid Energy Access

Behind the Buzzword: A Brief History of Energy ‘Resiliency’

US Microgrid Market Slowed in 2019. PG&E Could Single-Handedly Reverse the Trend