Focus
Smart Cities Dive – April 5
Ninety-five local governments across 33 states procured 3,683 megawatts (MW) of new renewable energy generation capacity in 2020 through 143 deals, the largest amount of capacity ever added in one year, according to the latest update from the Rocky Mountain Institute and World Resources Institute in their Local Government Renewables Action Tracker. The 143 transactions, a 23% increase over 2019 levels, could generate enough electricity to power approximately 812,000 households annually. Solar was the most popular form of renewable energy to be procured, at 79% of all deals, followed by wind at 17% and geothermal at 4%.
News
The Mercury News – April 1
With summer’s heat approaching, California’s plan for avoiding a repeat of last year’s blackouts hinges on a humble savior – the battery. Giant versions of the same technology that powers smart phones and cars are being plugged into the state’s electrical grid at breakneck speed, with California set to add more battery capacity this year than all of China, according to BloombergNEF. By this August, the state will have 1,700 MW of new battery capacity — enough to power 1.3 million homes and, in theory, avert a grid emergency on the scale of last year’s.
The San Diego Union-Tribune – April 5
Sempra Energy’s subsidiary in Mexico has acquired full ownership of a cross-border wind farm along the Sierra de Juarez mountain range, in Tecate, Baja California, for about $80 million. The Energía Sierra Juárez complex consists of 47 wind turbines with a capacity to generate 155 MW of electricity. Via a new cross-border transmission line, Energía Sierra Juárez interconnects with the Southwest Powerlink at San Diego Gas and Electric’s East County substation.
Projects
KSBY – March 29
Last week, Morro Bay city leaders hosted a question-and-answer session with Vistra Energy, which is looking to build the world’s largest energy storage system in Morro Bay. If the 22-acre facility is approved, the developer could break ground at the site of the vacant former power plant as soon as next year. Vistra hopes to have “the facility online by the end of 2024 when the first unit of the Diablo Canyon nuclear generation station goes offline.”
Power Magazine – April 6
A California company has teamed with the U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s largest gas utility to build a major solar power project just outside Houston, Texas. Rosendin and Tokyo Gas America are developing the Aktina Renewable Power Project, a 500-MWac/631-MWdc solar farm spanning 4,000 acres in Wharton County, southwest of Houston. The companies said the project includes 1.4 million solar modules. The Aktina project, expected to begin coming online later this year, would when completed as scheduled be the largest operating solar power project in Texas.
U.S. News & World Report – April 2
A Maryland-based nuclear energy company signed a partnership agreement last week with a public utility company in Washington state to develop, build, and operate a commercial advanced nuclear power reactor. X-energy of Rockville, Maryland, will work with Energy Northwest of Richland and Grant County Public Utility District to build an 80-MW reactor on land already leased by Energy Northwest at the Hanford nuclear reservation in eastern Washington.
Renewables Now – April 7
Solar project developer 174 Power Global Corp, an affiliate of South Korea’s Hanwha Group, has inked a power purchase agreement that supports the development of a 200-MW solar park in Colorado. The off-take contract was signed with Black Hills Energy, owned by utility company Black Hills Corp, and has a term of 15 years.
