Advanced Energy Perspectives

Record-breaking heat waves and drought in the western U.S. are threatening the reliability of electric power, as electricity use is up and hydropower and energy imports from neighboring states are down. In California, Flex Alerts – asking consumers to conserve energy to relieve grid stress – are becoming a regular occurrence. And these weather patterns are no longer unusual: “This is really the new normal,” AEE policy director Leah Rubin Shen recently told Fox 40 of Sacramento. “These weather events are becoming more and more common and more and more frequent.” The energy crisis that results points to the need for a regional transmission organization (RTO) in the west, connected with a more expansive transmission network, to move power – especially renewable energy – where it’s needed, when it’s needed, at lowest cost.

On this Earth Day, all eyes in Washington, D.C., are watching for news about U.S. climate commitments, but we turn our attention to new developments in the advanced energy industry, whose technologies and services can help fulfill those commitments while providing customer savings, economic growth, and jobs at the same time. And there is news aplenty – in solar power, energy storage, offshore wind, and electric transportation, to name a few. Let’s go to the clips.

Photos by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit and Janitors, used under this Creative Commons license; and by BeyondDC, used under this Creative Commons license.

The federal government may be getting ready to freeze emissions standards in place for conventional cars and trucks, but electric vehicles (EVs) are still on the rise. No longer the stuff of science fiction movies, but not yet commonplace, EVs have yet to fully take off in the mass market. But recent news shows that production of EVs is reaching scale, states are starting to build out the charging infrastructure needed to support a mass market, and even electric scooters are running up impressive numbers, not to mention electric buses. Here is the latest from the front lines of transportation electrification.

It’s been heartbreaking to witness the devastation in Texas, Florida, and now Puerto Rico, from the recent trio of deadly hurricanes pounding our shores, not to mention the impact on our island neighbors. This week’s tides carried in news reports of recovery but also about resilient technologies that helped keep power on and hastened the restoration of power. This deluge of examples demonstrates that preparedness and investment in advanced energy can help communities improve their resiliency in the face of catastrophic storms.

For several years now, we’ve seen advanced energy become the most cost-effective option for utilities. In 2013, Advanced Energy Perspectives first reported that a utility, Xcel Energy, planned to buy solar and wind because they cost less than any other generation resource. This week, Xcel Energy has done it again, this time retiring some older, more expensive power plants in the bargain. Duke Energy also made a major advanced energy announcement, and both energy storage and tidal generation reached new benchmarks. Just another week in the world of advanced energy.