Mike Hopkins

DOE proposes ten “national interest” transmission corridors (my latest for PV Magazine USA) Eight of the ten transmission corridors proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy would facilitate transmission between grid regions; one would expand transmission within the Mid-Atlantic’s #PJM grid region; and one would expand transmission in the Northern Plains.

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Grid analysts challenge Bonneville Power’s pace in adopting advanced conductors--my latest for PV Magazine USA. As the White House encourages utilities to use advanced conductors to help interconnect new renewable generation, the federally-owned utility Bonneville Power is moving slowly to use the high-capacity conductors, analysts said. Mike O'Boyle, Casey Baker, Michelle Solomon #AdvancedConductors

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Capacity market prices for energy in PJM surged, signaling a crucial demand for additional generation. PJM Interconnection's footprint is set to allocate $14.7 billion for capacity in the 2025/26 delivery year, a substantial rise from $2.2 billion in the previous auction. Stay informed about the energy sector's evolving landscape: [Link to the article] #EnergyMarket #CapacityAuction #PJMInterconnection

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Interesting read on near term electricity reliability planning - growth of intermittent capacity; asset shifts; growing cyber-threats; sector-coupling gas & grid; inter-regional capacity markets and demand growth. A lot to digest. In my view, district energy systems fit perfectly in the mix to support cities, communities and campuses as the energy transition unfolds. https://lnkd.in/eFQr9uGs

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📈 Corporate PPA activity in the ERCOT market has reached 1.8 GW, YTD 2024. Data from the Enerdatics Energy Transition PPA database indicates that ERCOT has seen ~1.8 GW in corporate power purchase agreements (PPAs) since the start of 2024, constituting over 60% of the U.S. total. 💡 Tech giant Microsoft leads the way, having secured ~800 MW across three deals. Meanwhile, new entrants such as UnitedHealth Group, Sonoco, and AdventHealth are also stepping up their sustainability efforts. 🏆 Key Suppliers Making Waves: > Regional Leaders: Primergy, Leeward Renewable, Scout Clean Energy > International Players: Orsted, ENGIE 🤝 Positive PPA negotiations in ERCOT are driven by the market's lower land and interconnection costs, which help mitigate higher interest rates and supply chain issues. 🌟 Top Deals to Note: > Microsoft and Primergy Solar: 408 MW from Ash Creek solar project > Hyundai and Matrix Renewables: 147 MW (Hyundai’s first U.S. PPA) > RTX and ENGIE: ~38 MW from Priddy wind project #CorporatePPA #ERCOT #RenewableEnergy #Sustainability #Microsoft #Hyundai #RTX #ENGIE #Orsted #Primergy #LeewardRenewable #ScoutCleanEnergy #UnitedHealthGroup #Sonoco #AdventHealth

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Interregional transmission can provide many benefits -- yet power markets and grid operating practices are not set up to fully capture these benefits. This new report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the DOE Grid Deployment Office lays out the barriers that need to be addressed to realize the full value of existing and new interregional transmission: https://lnkd.in/ekzximcU One of the necessary steps to improve seams-related inefficiencies is "intertie optimization," which we addressed here: https://lnkd.in/ew3QtcpQ and here: https://lnkd.in/dptXMG3t Great work by Christina Simeone, PhD and Amy Rose! #gridmodernization

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💡If you get as amped up as Jonathan does about the future of #energy #technology, ARPA-E's 3-day event is for you! Hear from our co-founder Jonathan Scott about energy innovation in Dallas, Texas, later this month.   #keynote #solar #PowerTrip #ARPAE24

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Exciting developments in Pennsylvania's energy sector as Senator Gene Yaw proposes a new loan fund to boost power plant construction! Modeled after Texas' initiative, this could be a game-changer for the PJM Interconnection grid, ensuring stability as demand grows. 📈 Explore how this could transform energy management in the region in this recent article from Utility Dive: https://loom.ly/FiIuQ3A

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Reconductoring could enable 764 GW of transmission-connected solar by 2035. (My latest for PV Magazine USA) Replacing existing transmission lines, known as conductors, with advanced conductors could enable 764 GW of transmission-connected solar by 2035 even if transmission in new corridors was limited, found a study by UC Berkeley and GridLab researchers. 3M CTC Global TS Conductor Amol Phadke #Reconductoring

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PJM has published an addendum to its paper, Energy Transition in PJM: Flexibility for the Future, to provide supporting information and context for the assumptions used in the study’s analysis. The addendum was developed as a companion to the fourth phase of PJM’s ongoing effort to assess the impact of the energy transition, including the escalating integration of renewable resources on the grid. It provides details on the scenario development used in the study, including generation expansion drivers and siting, generation deactivation drivers, load forecast, transmission topology, and external interchange. Read more at PJM Inside Lines. https://lnkd.in/ecYBbzxx

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What a great program from GridLab. Taking the plunge into entrepreneurship can be daunting. Don’t let the fear win out. Support like this in the beginning is a great way to help with the transition. Kudos to GridLab

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💡 Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission has identified pathways for Washington’s investor-owned electric and natural gas utilities to contribute to the state’s overall GHG emission reduction goals. The report highlights key insights gained from our modelling work including: 🔀 multiple options exist to achieve desired emissions reductions targets 🔌 electricity consumption will not outstrip supply with energy efficiency gains 💰 implementing decarbonizing pathways sooner will lead to greater savings You can download the report here: https://lnkd.in/g8SUYTiQ

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At Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s December open meeting, the Commission accepted NERC’s Five-Year Performance Assessment, highlighting our efforts to ensure a #reliable, #resilient grid and advance standards for integrating new #energy resources. Read our full statement: https://lnkd.in/geHRMKYn

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Enerside Energy Restructures Debt, Secures Financing, and Gains New Shareholders #RenewableEnergy #GreenEconomy #Energy #EnergyTransition https://lnkd.in/gSrQdinu

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#ERCOT's recent approval of NPRR1224 means #energystorage asset operators should expect an increase in ECRS deployments, along with a reduction in real time price volatility. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁: Last year’s introduction of ECRS led to an unintentional increase in energy prices for buyers. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯? 💵 The new product created a new revenue opportunity for energy producers. ⛔ As more assets were bidding into ECRS, their capacity was being held in reserves, and therefore were withheld or unavailable to be dispatched in the real-time energy market. 🙈 To ERCOT it appeared as though supply was not able to meet demand, despite the fact that the capacity was there – this is called artificial scarcity. 📈 Due to the appearance of scarcity, real time prices would increase.  In an effort to quell artificial scarcity, ERCOT is implementing NPRR1224, which enables them to manually release up to 500MW of ECRS capacity from the SCED at a 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗺 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗼𝗳 $𝟳𝟱𝟬/𝗠𝗪𝗵 when: 🚨 Energy demand exceeds the supply dispatched by SCED by 40MW or more ⏰ The imbalance lasts for 10 consecutive minutes 

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Instead of forcing large customers to pick from solar projects that lost in the competitive bidding process, we want to allow customers to arrange their own solar projects, then enlist Duke as the go-between — essentially how the green tariff operates now. John Burns our General Counsel: “Our proposal is to keep doing that up to 250 MW a year and make those megawatts supplemental to the targets in the Carbon Plan and the interconnection constraint. That gives the customer an argument as to why they are accelerating or adding megawatts that the utility otherwise would not have added in that year.” https://lnkd.in/eJHGk_bt

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Last week, Arevon Energy, Inc.’s CEO Kevin Smith shared his insights regarding the technologies, market factors, and policy drivers shaping the renewable energy industry. Jonathan Berke, the host of the NPM US (New Project Media) Interconnections Podcast, posed questions about MISO interconnection reforms, Arevon’s growing presence in CAISO, and how the company views transmission investments.  Kevin highlighted Arevon’s growing portfolio of storage assets, the maturation of battery technologies, and the impact of the IRA’s transferability provision on deal flow. He explained that perceptions around standalone storage as an asset class have shifted over the past couple of years, as lenders are more comfortable with underwriting these projects now. Kevin outlined the unique capital structure for Arevon’s Vikings Solar-plus-Storage Project, Condor Energy Storage Project, Cormorant Energy Storage Project, and Eland 2 Solar-plus-Storage Project, noting that Condor was one of the first deals in the market with a tax equity hybrid transfer structure. He highlighted Arevon’s strong relationships with banking partners, and the company’s tailored approach to project finance, which has resulted in more than $2.3 billion in financing in less than six months. To hear the podcast in full, you can access it here: https://lnkd.in/ewxgHHYm  

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