Go to Source
Author:
Go to Source
Author:
Go to Source
Author:
Go to Source
Author:
Go to Source
Author:
Today, everything is becoming intelligent, instrumented, and interconnected. By 2025 there will be over 38 billion connected devices globally generating more than 180 trillion gigabytes of data. Nowhere is this trend more pervasive than renewable energy, especially when there are so many expectations for renewables to pave the way for a greener future. In the next decade, the US must produce 24% of its energy from renewables to meet the White House’s aggressive goal to create a net-zero emissions economy by no later than 2050.
Operators across wind, solar, and battery storage are quickly diversifying the kinds of assets in their fleets. Many operators now have all three, and while there are operational similarities between each of these asset types, optimizing the performance of a mixed fleet is challenging. In this webinar, you’ll hear the top 10 lessons learned on how AI has played a pivotal role in the day-to-day operations of 8.5 GW of wind, solar, and battery storage assets, and how your company can:
Go to Source
Author: Renewable Energy World
The Department of Energy awarded 20 companies a total of $2.8 billion in infrastructure law funding to expand domestic manufacturing of batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and the electrical grid, and for materials and components currently imported from other countries.
The companies are expected to build and expand commercial-scale facilities in 12 states to extract and process lithium, graphite and other battery materials, manufacture components, and demonstrate new approaches, including manufacturing components from recycled materials.
The federal investment will be matched by recipients to leverage a total expected to top $9 billion.
The largest award went to Massachusetts-based Ascend Elements to establish industrial-scale U.S. production capacity of sustainable, low-cost precursor cathode material. Its process integrates the separation of critical cathode materials from spent lithium-ion batteries (LiBs) with the production of both precursor cathode active materials (pCAM) and metal salts to support domestic production of cathode active material (CAM).
CAM can then be used in new LiBs for electric vehicles and energy storage systems. The proposed “Apex” facility would be one of the first domestic, commercial-scale, integrated metal extraction and pCAM facilities in the United States, and would be located in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, labeled as a disadvantaged community in the southwestern part of the state.
The federal money is expected to be matched dollar-for-dollar with a cost-share from Ascend Elements. In September, Jaguar Land Rover’s In Motion Ventures and SK ecoplant, the environmental unit of South Korean conglomerate SK Group, were among the investors putting more than $300 million into Ascend Elements. The funding was split between equity and debt and valued Ascend at more than $500 million.
A second, awardee, Group14, will receive $100 million for battery materials processing and battery manufacturing to support surging electric vehicle and energy storage demand.
Group14 launched its first commercial-scale Battery Active Materials factory (BAM-1) in Woodinville, Washington in April 2021. Engineered to produce 120 tons per year of the company’s silicon-carbon battery technology, SCC55, BAM-1 delivers to around 60 customers representing 90% of worldwide battery production. Group14 raised $400 million led by Porsche AG to fund its second U.S. BAM factory (BAM-2) to be located in Moses Lake, Washington. BAM-2 is engineered for modular manufacturing, and each module will have an annual production capacity of 2,000 tons per year, equivalent to powering at least 100,000 electric vehicles.
A third factory is slated to come online later this year in South Korea and is being developed along with SK Group. Group14 said it would use the DOE funding to build two 2,000-ton-per-year commercial manufacturing modules as part of its BAM-2 facility.
DOE said that the U.S. depends on foreign sources for many of the processed versions of critical minerals needed to produce EV batteries. Funded projects are expected to support:
Doe said that virtually all lithium, graphite, battery-grade nickel, electrolyte salt, electrode binder, and iron phosphate cathode material are produced abroad, and China controls the supply chains for many of these inputs.
Of the 20 companies selected, five will build new facilities in disadvantaged communities, and 15 in locations adjacent to disadvantaged communities. Additionally, six announced projects have established goals for hiring residents of disadvantaged communities into permanent roles, and 13 included commitments to negotiate Workforce and Community Agreements.
The funding is the first phase of $7 billion in total provided by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which was signed into law in 2021. DOE’s Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains will manage the portfolio of projects with support from DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office.
Go to Source
Author: Renewable Energy World
More than 300 leading clean energy companies are calling on International Code Council (ICC) voters to reject a code proposal from FEMA that will upend U.S. clean energy progress, and instead, approve a set of compromise solutions, states the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA).
The proposed FEMA change to the 2024 International Building Code, S76-22, would require solar, storage and wind projects to meet Risk Category 4 requirements, the most stringent category possible.
“The stated goal of FEMA’s proposal is increased grid reliability, but when you needlessly make it harder to build resilient clean energy, the obvious effect is a reduction in reliability,” states Abigail Ross Hopper, SEIA’s president and CEO. “This overreach is being made in an opaque process without input from experts on economic impacts, electric reliability and climate change. America’s solar and storage industry is urging International Code Council voters to consider the real-world impact of this code and approve SEIA’s compromise proposals.”
FEMA officials themselves confirmed they support the proposals put forward by SEIA and supported by the Distributed Wind Energy Association (DWEA), according to oral testimony on Sept. 15 and a voter’s guide that FEMA mailed out to voters on Oct. 13.
This compromise framework (S79-22 and S81-22) includes an important carve-out for solar projects to be designated as Risk Category 2. It balances a significant increase in the structural requirements for solar facilities with enough breathing room for project construction to move forward.
By contrast, the FEMA proposal will require clean energy projects, which are critical to fighting climate change, to be built to withstand damaging natural disasters far beyond what is needed. The result will be a dramatic spike in construction costs and dozens of gigawatts of cancelled clean energy projects, without improving electricity reliability.
“The FEMA proposal is well intended, but not well considered,” says Mike Bergey, president of DWEA. “It’s like saying that the cars for VIP’s should be bulletproof and then requiring all cars to be bulletproof. Besides that, FEMA totally misses that the grid is the weakest link and requiring more steel and concrete on solar and wind installations won’t strengthen the power grid.”
The voting period for ICC members runs from Oct. 17 through Nov. 1.
The post SEIA, Clean Energy Companies Oppose ICC Risk Code Change appeared first on Solar Industry.
Go to Source
Author: Michael Bates
7-Eleven Inc. has enrolled in MIGreenPower, DTE Energy’s voluntary renewable energy program. The enrollment will enable 7-Eleven to achieve 100% renewable energy for all 160 of its southeast Michigan locations for 20 years beginning in 2025. 7-Eleven’s 32,000 MWh clean energy commitment has the environmental benefit equivalent to taking nearly 3,000 gasoline-powered passenger cars off the road each year.
7-Eleven set a goal of reaching a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions from its stores by fiscal year 2027 and achieved this goal well ahead of target with a 25.8% reduction in carbon emissions in fiscal year 2019. After a significant acquisition in 2021, 7-Eleven continued to show progress with a 27% reduction in CO2 emissions in 2021[1]. As a result, the company has expanded its goal to achieve 50% reduction in carbon emissions by fiscal year 2030. Going forward, 7-Eleven will continue to promote activities aimed at reducing its environmental impact, including the installation of electric vehicle charging stations and the expansion of stores that use 100% renewable energy.
“As Michigan’s largest producer of and investor in renewable energy, we are proud to work with 7-Eleven on our shared goal of reducing carbon dioxide emissions through clean, renewable energy,” says Brian Calka, vice president of renewable sales and project development for DTE Energy. “Through its enrollment in our MIGreenPower program, 7-Eleven is helping to bring new Michigan-based wind and solar resources online that will support Michigan’s clean energy transition, create jobs and strengthen Michigan’s economy.”
DTE’s MIGreenPower program enables DTE Electric’s residential and business customers to attribute an even greater percentage of their electricity use to Michigan-made wind and solar beyond the 15% DTE already provides. On an annual basis, MIGreenPower customers have enrolled 2.8 million MWh of clean energy in the program. DTE’s renewable energy portfolio includes more than 50 wind and solar parks generating enough clean energy to power nearly 700,000 homes. Over the next three years, DTE plans to add thousands of MW of new renewable energy to meet the continued growth of its MIGreenPower program.
The post 7-Eleven Participates in MIGreenPower for 160 Michigan Locations appeared first on Solar Industry.
Go to Source
Author: Ariana Fine
Entergy Services LLC has selected GridUnity‘s cloud-based Interconnection Lifecycle Management software product to streamline the interconnection process for distributed energy resources. Entergy delivers electricity to approximately 3 million customers through five operating companies in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
GridUnity’s platform was selected to simplify and accelerate the process of adding distributed energy resources including solar power and energy storage to the grid. The GridUnity platform provides the flexibility and scalability to address the full lifecycle of the interconnection process and will enable standardized automation across all jurisdictions resulting in a consistent experience for Entergy’s five utilities and their respective customers.
With the GridUnity tool, applicants receive immediate, automated feedback if an entry is incomplete, ensuring all submitted applications meet established standards. Entergy staff will now be able to review and respond to submitted applications in less time than was previously required, providing guidance throughout the rest of the interconnection process. Use of the GridUnity tool will create a more transparent and near-real-time interconnection queue, freeing Entergy’s engineers and other employees involved with the interconnection process to spend more of their time addressing the higher-value needs of customers.
“Over the past five years, through our work with numerous utilities, we’ve been able to hone our platform to perform notably better than legacy tools and processes,” says Brian Fitzsimons, CEO of GridUnity. “Our goal is to help move the industry forward through technology innovation that allows for increased penetration of distributed energy resources. The ability to streamline interconnection processes is one of the keys that unlocks access to the future of energy.”
The post Entergy Utilizes GridUnity Interconnection Software to Manage Distributed Energy appeared first on Solar Industry.
Go to Source
Author: Ariana Fine
A brand of Budhia Steel for all steel roll forming requirement. We will be happy to be a part of your journey.
Don’t miss our future updates! Get Subscribed Today!
©2022. Budhia Steel All Rights Reserved.