Advanced Energy Perspectives

AES Storage's SDG&E project is the world's largest lithium-ion battery storage facility. 

Advanced energy is on the march, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the energy storage market. From providing flexibility and ancillary services to the grid to ensuring reliability for utilities and back up for electricity customers, energy storage is on the rise everywhere – as seen in headlines all over this week and last. From a study that takes issue with the economics of installing residential solar-plus-storage to a family Down Under that has done just that, to more and better batteries being built across the nation. Charge up and read on!

Chuck Fernandez takes a selfie with the solar array he just installed in Lancaster, Calif. Image courtesy of Mr. Fernandez and NEXTracker.

Last week, eight major business associations across the spectrum commonly known as “clean energy,” including AEE, held a daylong social media event celebrating the employment impact of our collective industries. Under the #CleanEnergyJobs hashtag, more than 900 companies, organizations, and individuals sent out messages, infographics, videos, and photos – including more than a few selfies and team pics – extolling life on the job in clean energy. It was all to amplify a bit of powerful economic news: Based on the latest data from the U.S. Dept. of Energy, clean energy now supports more than 3 million U.S. jobs – equal to the employment provided by retail stores, and twice as many as building construction. We thought this news was worth shouting, if not from the rooftops, at least via Twitter!

Image: Atlantis Resources has deployed the first AR1500 tidal energy turbine with new Lockheed Martin technology off the coast of Scotland. The installation, part of the MeyGen project, is designed to to provide clean, sustainable power for up to 175,000 homes.

This week, the headlines were full of AEE members doing what they do best: being on the vanguard of advanced energy technology and figuring out new ways to build the 21^st century electricity system. Up this week: Street lights that get smart, aerospace technology put to work on ocean energy, and a new acronym for grid management in a distributed energy age.

Now just a month into the Trump Administration, the new President has remained consistent with the promises he made on the campaign trail. Of note to the business community, including the advanced energy industry, President Trump has made it clear that he wants to grow the economy through unleashing the American private sector. One element of this strategy is the President’s energy agenda. President Trump’s America First Energy Plan, posted on the White House website on Inauguration Day, provides a window into this agenda. The Plan calls for boosting production of the nation’s oil and gas resources but makes no mention of the advanced energy products and services that are pumping $200 billion into the economy annually and supporting over 3 million U.S. jobs. For an “America First” approach to energy, that is a glaring omission.