Solar and energy storage deployment in the US could be accelerated under new proposals from the country’s Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) aimed at addressing significant backlogs in interconnection queues.
The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) has released a whitepaper outlining the reforms it believes are needed to the US interconnection system, in which it lays out a series of proposals for both regional transmission organisations (RTO) and the US-wide Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has launched an initiative to ease the US’ massive interconnection queues, reduce wait times and lower grid connection costs as it strives to unlock the huge amount of bulk power currently sat dormant in the US.
The US Department of Energy has launched a new collaboration project aimed at making it cheaper and quicker to connect renewables projects to the country’s grid.
There was almost 1TW of renewable energy capacity and an estimated 427GW of storage active in US interconnection queues at the end of 2021 according to a Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) analysis, which also showed that queues were growing year-on-year.
Ryan D. Quint, senior manager at North American Electric Reliability Corporation take a look at the key considerations – and difficult balance – of managing grid connection from a transmission operators point of view.
The US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) should make interconnection reform a top priority to reduce the backlog of projects waiting to connect to the country’s grid, a coalition of three clean energy trade associations has said.
Community solar deployment in the US is set to be boosted by support programmes and clean energy commitments from state governments, according to Wood Mackenzie, which has increased its install projections in spite of interconnection challenges facing the segment.
The Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems ISE and M10 Industries have unveiled a new matrix shingle technology for connecting solar cells which is claimed to produce modules 2 – 6% more efficient than those using conventionally connected half-cut cells.
Italy’s transmission system operator Terna will invest €18.1 billion (US$21.4 billion) in the next ten years to strengthen the country’s grid and support the integration of new clean energy projects.
