News

AEE Member Silver Spring Networks has announced that it is teaming up with U.K. startup Smarter Grid Solutions to develop software that will indicate when there is too much solar or wind power for the grid to handle. This will allow it to balance distributed energy resources at scales ranging from microgrids to regional networks. Read more about the partnership here.

According to the Energy Information Administration, the U.S. added over 13,500 MW of new generating capacity in 2013. Natural gas accounted for over 55 percent of utility scale generation and was followed by grid-scale solar energy which accounted for 22 percent. Nearly half of the capacity generation was in California, which has a mandate for 33 percent renewable energy by 2020. Read more here.

Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, has announced that the Department of Energy is tweaking its Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program. This is the program that allocated loans to green automakers between 2009 and 2011 and helped fund Tesla and Fisker. The program will now offer loans to vehicle parts makers, as well as automakers, that are making fuel-efficient parts like next-generation engines, new types of powertrains, light-weight auto

AEE member SolarCity is offering another $70.2 million in asset-backed notes as securitization for distributed solar generation. The company also offered $54.4 million of an “aggregate principal amount of Solar Asset Backed Notes, Series 2013-1” which yielded 4.80 percent late last year. Find out the insights that this 2014-1 securitization strategy presents here.

California has developed a new building code which will require a grid-smart thermostat which comes with demand response capability in every facility. This means that every new or retrofit thermostat, HVAC system, networked lighting controller and building automation system in the state must come ready for two-way, automated utility-to-customer energy management. Read more here.

“Today, the Senate Finance Committee took a critical step toward modernizing America’s energy infrastructure by approving a tax extenders package that will support continued investment in advanced energy technologies,” said Todd Keller, vice president for federal policy at Advanced Energy Economy, a national business association. “Business needs stability in tax treatment, and the expiration of vital advanced energy tax credits at the end of last year was disruptive to the marketplace. This legislation goes a long way toward providing the certainty needed to drive the innovation and deployment of advanced energy technologies and services that make our nation’s energy more secure, clean and affordable.

The federal government has produced two new online interactive maps to show the location of the nation’s wind farms, how quickly they were built and the impact that they may have on the energy landscape. One map is housed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s website and shows how fast the farms were constructed. The second is the U.S. Geological Survey mapping tool for assessing the environmental impact of wind farms on a national scale. Read more here.

Greentech Media has compiled a list of technology companies serving the U.S. electric power market and are transforming the industry. Featured on the list are AEE members Opower, Silver Spring Networks and SolarCity. See the complete compilation here.

Tesla has began to add a triple-layer metal shield made of titanium and aluminium to the under bodies of its vehicles to serve as protection for batteries. Tesla says any vehicles made before March 6 can be retrofitted with the shield free of charge upon request. Read more here.

The U.S. Energy Department has announced that it will issue a plan to offer loan aid for renewable energy projects. The department issued a plan last year to offer up to $8 billion in loan assistance for fossil fuel projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The Energy Secretary, Ernest Moniz however, did not specify how much loan aid will be offered or the type of projects that the department will fund.