Texas’ ADER Task Force Makes Progress on VPPs, Challenges Remain

Posted by Micalah Spenrath on Jan 17, 2024 10:02:14 AM

Workshops Drive Progress for Distributed Resources in Texas (1)

Roughly one-third of Americans report having a side hustle to supplement their income. Side hustles range from delivery drivers to social media influencers and may soon include something surprising—electricity providers. That’s the promise of a Virtual Power Plant (VPP), letting consumers sell their unused energy back to the grid and get compensated for it. A VPP is formed when distributed energy resources – like solar panels, batteries, and EVs – are combined, or “aggregated” together and managed as a single resource like a power plant. 

Read More

Topics: Wholesale Markets, Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, Texas, Distributed Energy Resources

Energy Efficiency Reforms Stall in Texas as the Grid Staggers Under Record Demand

Posted by Micalah Spenrath on Aug 29, 2023 12:14:51 PM

A Critical Tool, Energy Efficiency Can Enhance Texas Grid ReliabilityThe Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) began this year by engaging stakeholders on energy efficiency. The pace was ambitious, but now progress has stalled. Through the Energy Efficiency Implementation Project (EEIP), stakeholders participated in biweekly working groups that ran from January through March culminating in a number of recommendations and best practices for the Commission. But the trail has since run cold; Now as ERCOT, Texas’ primary grid operator, issues rapid-fire notices asking Texans to voluntarily reduce their electricity use to avert a grid emergency, we are left to wonder when the Commission will take up the EEIP’s recommendations and unlock Texas’ full energy efficiency potential. 

Read More

Topics: Texas

Discussing the Future of Distributed Energy Resources at the Public Utility Commission of Texas

Posted by Micalah Spenrath on Jul 19, 2023 5:30:17 PM

Workshops Drive Progress for Distributed Resources in Texas copyTexas’ demand for electricity breaks records year after year as the state battles extreme weather. Although Texas accounts for about 1/7th of the nation’s total energy consumption and uses more energy than any other state, demand for electricity keeps rising. Unlike traditional power plants that require years to become operational, distributed energy resources (DERs) are a readily available tool that Texas can use to meet this significant electricity demand.

Read More

Topics: Texas

A Lone Star Showdown: What Was Decided By the 88th Legislative Session, and What It Means for Texas' Advanced Energy Sector

Posted by Matthew Boms and Micalah Spenrath on May 30, 2023 11:01:21 AM

Texas Blog Post Legislative Session_May 2023

The 88th Texas Legislative Session featured a clash of two forces struggling to influence the future of Texas energy—one side looking to reverse the Texas energy miracle, characterized by rapid development of large-scale wind and solar power generation, and the other side staunchly defending the competitive market, a hallmark of the state's energy system.  

Read More

Topics: State Policy, Texas

Pilot Project Will Reward DER Owners for Aiding the Texas Grid

Posted by Angela Kent on Nov 15, 2022 11:00:00 AM

TAEBA Aggregated DER Pilot

In Texas, regulators and stakeholders are paving the way to a cleaner, more reliable future with a pilot project that puts flexible energy resources at the forefront of the state’s grid planning efforts. Following a months-long effort involving industry stakeholders and state regulators, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) voted unanimously on November 3 to greenlight a pilot project that will allow residential participants to receive compensation for their contributions to the state’s electrical grid.

Read More

Topics: Wholesale Markets, Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance, Texas

Search

About

Advanced Energy Perspectives is Advanced Energy United's blog presenting news, analysis, and commentary on creating an advanced energy economy. Join the conversation!

Subscribe Here!

Recent Posts

Posts by Topic

See all