Energy Transition Finance LLC’s Post

The scale, pace and complexity of the energy transition is epitomized by grid modernization, which requires significant investment and innovation to upgrade infrastructure. Tune in to a webinar on May 15 at 1pm EDT to hear our experts explore the barriers and enablers of delivering a grid across geographies. Whether you are a company building transmission and distribution infrastructure, a renewable developer dependent on connections, a regulator seeking to upgrade the grid or an investor assessing the risks and rewards of infrastructure build, this webinar will provide useful, actionable insights. Register here: https://lnkd.in/daWrG8d2 #AECOM #GridModernization

The energy transition has strained the U.S. interconnection approval process because it was designed primarily for traditional fossil fuel-based power generation. As renewable energy projects are being developed, the interconnection system struggles to accommodate them, leading to delays, higher costs and potential grid reliability issues. In some instances, power purchase agreement negotiations have stalled, and options on land have expired as projects grind their way through the lengthy interconnection process. Significant upgrades and innovations are needed to build a grid sustainable to meet the growing demand for clean power. #Kiewit #EnergyTransition #PowerDelivery

The Department of Energy on Wednesday released a draft road map for transforming grid interconnection processes, a major hurdle to the Biden administration’s goal of decarbonizing the power sector by 2035. In the last five years, interconnection queues — generators waiting to have their proposed projects studied to see if grid upgrades are required to bring them online — have surged. About 2,000 GW of mostly renewable generation and energy storage are in interconnection queues across the United States, with recent projects taking five years on average to complete the interconnection process, according to Becca Jones-Albertus, director of DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Office. The draft plan, developed through DOE’s Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange stakeholder initiative, focuses on four areas: increasing interconnection data access and transparency; improving the process, including speeding it up; promoting economic efficiency; and maintaining grid reliability. It calls for ensuring more equal access to interconnection queues. #energytransition #electricgrid #gridinterconnection #decarbonization #renewableenergy #climatecrisis #solarenergy #windenergy #energysecurity #energyreliability

Grid upgrade will be a crucial part of the energy transition - hope you can join us at this upcoming webinar to learn more about how we are tackling this daunting task.

TODAY: U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced nearly $3.5 billion for 58 projects across 44 states to strengthen electric grid resilience and reliability across America. These projects, selected through the Grid Innovation and Resilience Partnerships (GRIP) Program, will leverage more than $8 billion in federal and private investments to ensure communities across the nation have a reliable grid that is prepared for extreme weather while also delivering affordable, clean electricity. These projects will enable more than 35 gigawatts of renewable energy, invest in 400 microgrids, and create good-paying union jobs. Read more about the largest-ever single direct investment in critical grid infrastructure: https://lnkd.in/g7xQ8Wdn #GridResilience #BuildingABetterGrid 

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a major investment initiated through the Grid Innovation and Resilience Partnerships Program that will distribute approximately $3.5 billion to 58 projects across 44 states in the U.S.   This funding has been distributed with the goal of enhancing the grid across the nation by supporting projects with strategic focuses. These include wildfire prevention and resilience, investments in microgrids, increasing affordability and accessibility of renewable energy, and investing in disadvantaged communities.   Learn more about this initiative: https://bit.ly/3Q4aJIG

Transmission and distribution grid networks will remain a bottleneck to the global #energytransition, with investments in non-hydro renewable generation capacity outpacing grid #infrastructure spending. In this new report, our analysts share our expectations on current renewable projects and what this means over the long-term. Learn more: https://ow.ly/klQX50R209j #ConnectedThinking #Power #RenewableEnergy

EMPOWERED SOLUTIONS QUESTION OF THE WEEK - The process and complexity of connecting charging equipment to the grid can vary based on the type of charging infrastructure. Due to potential delays at any step of the process, charger interconnection timelines can vary widely from one project to the next. This creates uncertainty for project developers and slows down the transition to electrified transportation. The paper produced by the @Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC), Paving the Way: Emerging Best Practices for Electric Vehicle Charger Interconnection, highlights the interconnection process, identifies the challenges to EVSE interconnection, and discusses the strategies that states and utilities can use to streamline the process to adding EV charging infrastructure: https://lnkd.in/eX-ubwrp #electricvehicles #evinfrastructure #charginginfrastructure Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) #grid #electricvehiclechargingstation

Today, the Solar and Storage Industries Institute (SI2) unveiled a comprehensive white paper addressing interconnection challenges within the solar and storage sectors, presenting innovative solutions to expedite the transition to clean energy. Based on recent analyses by Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy, the report advocates for grid operators and regulators to adopt more holistic regional transmission planning processes and a new funding model for transmission upgrade costs. These recommendations aim to distribute upgrade costs more fairly and reduce uncertainty in the interconnection process, ultimately leading to decreased interconnection expenses, a stronger transmission infrastructure, and accelerated deployment of renewable energy. David Gahl, SI2's executive director, stressed the importance of tackling the root causes of interconnection issues, stating, "We can't continue burdening the interconnection process with all transmission system upgrade costs. It's like hiring a paving company to replace your driveway in upstate New York and receiving a bill for both the driveway and the construction of a new exit ramp off I-95 in New Jersey." https://lnkd.in/g5xBXrtj #SolarEnergy #EnergyStorage #CleanEnergyTransition #InterconnectionChallenges #RenewableEnergy #TransmissionPlanning #GridOperators #Regulators #RenewableInfrastructure #RenewableGrid #SI2 #WhitePaper

At #Canmetvarennes, the Renewable Energy Integration (REI) Division includes R&D activities at all four levels to help develop effective solutions: 1. Resource/technology 2. Technology-grid interface 3. Neighbourhood, community and city 4. Regional and national Our mandate is well aligned with the Government of Canada’s commitments to achieving net-zero electricity by 2035, and net-zero emissions in all sectors of the economy by 2050. Selected highlights of these activities include: 📋 Distributed energy resource assessment and technology development 🔌 Smart grid and microgrid control for resilient power systems 🏙️ Smart cities and communities 🔀 Transition to high renewable integration on the grid