By David Ferris, E&E News, Wyoming Business Report

The study released by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory modeled how high penetration of solar and wind power — from 40 to 50 percent — would affect system operators in New York, the Great Plains, California and Texas . . . The study looked at four system operators: the New York Independent System Operator (NYISO), the California Independent System Operator and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), all of which neatly cover their home states. It also modeled the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which encompasses part or all of five wind-rich states: Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Click here to read more.

ALSO OF POTENTIAL INTEREST

• What’s in store for the future of energy markets, day to day?, GreenBiz
  Our research team at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory decided to look at what effect a higher share of wind and solar will have on these questions. In our latest study, we found that high shares of these energy resources lead to several profound changes in electric power.
• 320 GW Of Non-Traditional, Untapped Rooftop Solar Potential In USA, CleanTechnica
• Does 112% growth in 2017 mean community solar has finally solved its complexity problem?, Utility Dive. Solar developers and utilities are moving into the sector fast, writing new rules as they go.
• Farm bill energy programs have earned bipartisan support, The Hill
  Congress would be hard-pressed to find a more cost-effective way to build the rural economy. The energy title programs represent less than 1 percent of the federal government’s spending on agriculture and nutrition programs, but they generate a strong return on investment.
• Indigenous communities moving away from government utilities, Phys.Org
• Renewables boom is a bust for gas equipment suppliers like GE, Utility Dive
• 13 projects from the leading edge of the utility transformation, Utility Dive
• Sonnen secures €60 million investment from Shell Ventures, PV Magazine
  Germany-based PV-storage provider sonnen has closed a new funding round from a group of investors led by Shell Ventures. Sonnen has already begun to draw on the funds as it continues to expand market shares in the U.S. and in Australia.
• Here’s how to move LEED forward on climate change, GreenBiz

NEWS FROM OTHER STATES

• Minnesota overhauls interconnection standards to streamline clean energy, Utility Dive
• What is the future of Michigan’s energy infrastructure?, Michigan Radio
• University of Texas develops new solar system integrating energy generation and storage, PV Magazine. Researchers at the University of Texas have been awarded $3 million by the Texan Department of Energy in a bid to accelerate research in battery storage technology to overcome the “Achilles heel” of solar power.
• Governor Phil Murphy Signs Historic Measure to Revive Renewable Energy in New Jersey, Solar Energy Industries Association News Release
• New Jersey joins the 50% by 2030 renewable energy club, PV Magazine
• More than 2,400 solar projects completed through New York Sun’s Solarize Initiative, Solar Power World
• Dedication held for Twin Buttes II wind farm in Prowers County, Lamar Ledger Editor
  “The project is 75 megawatts,” commented Lee Boughey with Tri-State Generation. “What Tri-State does is we’ll purchase the power from this project over a 25 year power purchase agreement and that power will be put on our transmission network supplied to our 43 member systems across Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska and New Mexico.”

MORE REPORTS

• New Moody’s report: Wind power boosts local tax revenue across rural America, Into the Wind, AWEA Blog
• AWEA’s Free Report: Corporate Buyers’ Guide to Wind Energy
• Corporate sourcing of renewables growing, in 75 countries to date, Windpower Engineering & Development
• Corporate demand for renewables put at 465 TWh in 2017, Renewables Now

MORE CORPORATE NEWS

• Intel’s Latest Corporate Responsibility Report Details Commitment To Renewables & Water Conservation, CleanTechnica
• Businesses are locking in huge savings with renewable PPAs, The Fifth Estate
  Globally, companies are finding economic relief and price stability in wind and solar power purchase agreements (PPAs), which are driving corporate engagement on renewables in Australia, the US, Mexico, India and parts of Europe. As of Q1 2018, nearly 20 gigawatts of PPAs have been executed by corporations globally since 2008.
  

EV NEWS

• CSU researchers working on an electric car that recharges itself on roads, Denver Business Journal
• New Fast-charging EV Infrastructure Will Lessen Grid Strain with Batteries, Renewable Energy World