Grant Fox

#unavoidableopportunity #climateresilience investment now. "Separately, the Department of Energy is trying to help utilities squeeze more capacity out of the existing grid. That includes “grid-enhancing technologies” such as sensors that allow energy companies to send more power through existing lines without overloading them and advanced controls that allow operators to ease congestion on the grid. It also includes replacing existing lines with advanced conductors, which can potentially double capacity along existing routes. The Energy Department is currently offering $3.9 billion in funding that could go toward these and other solutions."

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FERC has approved interconnection reform - and this is *generally* good for the energy transition. That said the devil in in the details of how states and utilities implement these changes. Some improvements like penalties assessed against utilities for tardy studies, trying to clean out queue squatters, and expressly identifying certain technical flexibility into interconnection design are good. However, we have specifically seen "Cluster Studies" and higher financial security requirements stymie development and create very costly and endless loops of re-studies in many markets (utility and DG). Calling on American Clean Power Association (ACP) Solar Energy Industries Association and importantly state level advocacy and watch dog groups to closely watch and actively participate as the implementation of these changes occur at the state level PUCs and DPUs - ensuring proper accountability and fair play. https://lnkd.in/ewehaH52 NYSERDA New York Solar Energy Industries Association MID-ATLANTIC RENEWABLE ENERGY COALITION Renewable Energy Vermont American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) Smart Electric Power Alliance NECEC Cleantech Leaders Roundtable

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🌱 New Blog Alert 🌱 Blue Strike just published a fresh blog post titled "How DERs can Participate in Ancillary Markets," written by Rich Swanson, Ph.D., Director of Blue Strike's Climate & Energy Division. Dive into the world of Distributed Energy Resources and learn how they can play a crucial role in energy markets. Read it now: https://lnkd.in/gYTGSJUn

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Maine is poised for a renewable energy revolution with offshore wind. Sprague is asking the state to consider the updated, low-impact plan at its Mack Point Port Terminal, located in Searsport, Maine, to serve the offshore wind industry in the Gulf of Maine. Sprague has operated Mack Point since 1905, and by reimagining its existing infrastructure and footprint, Sprague ensures a low-impact plan that preserves all current operations, avoids the natural habitat destruction that would be needed if Sears Island is chosen, and leverages a facility with more than 20 years of wind component handling experience. Read more in our latest Op-Ed and explore the future of Maine's energy landscape. https://lnkd.in/e_3qJe4t #SustainableEnergy #RenewableEnergy #WindEnergy #OffshoreWind #MackPoint #SearsportMaine #Maine #EnergySolutions #FuelingPossibilities #SpragueEnergy #OurEnergyMakestheDifference

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NEW: Natural gas will continue to be critically important to America’s economic and energy security for decades to come – and long after 2050. That’s one of the big takeaways from two new National Petroleum Council (NPC) studies issued this morning, both at the request of U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. NPC’s analysis of the natural gas supply chain calls for better measurement and continued reductions of methane emissions (U.S. methane emissions are down 37% since 2015), as well as streamlining of natural gas rules. API President and CEO Mike Sommers said NPC’s assessment lays the groundwork for harmonized federal methane regulations and for a clear and consistent permitting process for energy infrastructure. “To fully leverage America’s energy advantage and advance climate progress,” Mike said today, “continued collaboration between energy producers and policymakers will be essential.” The second NPC study said incentives are needed to boost demand for hydrogen fuel and support hydrogen infrastructure - essential to enable a lower carbon future. NPC said the 45V hydrogen tax credit, as proposed, is too risky and needs adjusting so that a broad array of businesses can feed into this lower carbon energy option. Dig into the details for more: https://lnkd.in/d8Yp-ABU

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Read up on my latest #PowerPlaybook finances column below! National Grid Partners has been curating quite the project portfolio

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Even for an energy transition nerd like me, these are some wonky details - but a decision 3 people are about to make will profoundly affect us all. As we've highlighted in this space several times, the success of the energy transition is going to hinge on the efficiency and effectiveness of our collective ability to build big things - namely, the distribution grid. Doing that part well will require coordination across states and regions, and a setting aside of narrow self-centered calculation, and performative anti-renewable political grandstanding. The TLDR here is that FERC, the regulatory body that sets national rules for, among other things, how states contribute to collective growth projects like grid upgrades, will be issuing a decision on whether states have the right to refuse to pay for the grid upgrades we desperately need to alleviate the existing interconnection backlog and support the expansion of electrification and renewables in the future. It's really simple - we can act collectively to build out the national grid we need - it will be expensive, but the long-term benefits will be lower-cost access to energy for everyone involved. Or we can improve the grid in a way that is piecemeal, reactive, subject to the vagaries of a lot of bad faith political actors, and ultimately far MORE expensive for everyone. Regardless of how we generate electricity, we need a grid to distribute it. Let's hope for all of our sakes that regulators take the long view on building and paying for this resource that benefits us all. In the meantime, if you want to mitigate the risk and uncertainty caused by rising grid infrastructure costs for your business, contact us for a free initial energy evaluation that will highlight some steps you can take right now. https://lnkd.in/euvtTE_3

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Last week, Arevon Energy, Inc.’s CEO Kevin Smith shared his insights regarding the technologies, market factors, and policy drivers shaping the renewable energy industry. Jonathan Berke, the host of the NPM US (New Project Media) Interconnections Podcast, posed questions about MISO interconnection reforms, Arevon’s growing presence in CAISO, and how the company views transmission investments.  Kevin highlighted Arevon’s growing portfolio of storage assets, the maturation of battery technologies, and the impact of the IRA’s transferability provision on deal flow. He explained that perceptions around standalone storage as an asset class have shifted over the past couple of years, as lenders are more comfortable with underwriting these projects now. Kevin outlined the unique capital structure for Arevon’s Vikings Solar-plus-Storage Project, Condor Energy Storage Project, Cormorant Energy Storage Project, and Eland 2 Solar-plus-Storage Project, noting that Condor was one of the first deals in the market with a tax equity hybrid transfer structure. He highlighted Arevon’s strong relationships with banking partners, and the company’s tailored approach to project finance, which has resulted in more than $2.3 billion in financing in less than six months. To hear the podcast in full, you can access it here: https://lnkd.in/ewxgHHYm  

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A few days to go in NY legislative session, and climate groups are pressing NY Assembly to pass #NYHEAT. The bill would speed up transition to electric buildings and put the brakes on the growth of the gas system, (which would continue absent any reforms) The bill does 3 things -ends 100-foot rule, which makes gas connections free (paid by ratepayers) -ends obligation to serve, which prevents faster switch to electric -6% income cap on energy bills for customers “There are a lot of steps that will have to be taken if we are going to gradually downscale and replace the fossil fuel energy system. New York HEAT comes in as one of the key pieces of legislation to actually allow the rules to shift.” -Stephen Edel of NY Renews The costs of new gas connections paid for by existing ratepayers “are essentially public funds going to fossil fuels... It doesnt make sense to make all of NYs utility customers pay for something that is fundamentally contradictory to the long-term vision of our energy system” Here's the state of play: #NYHEAT passed Senate, and Governor has signaled support. The key is passing the Assembly in the next few days. The bill has a majority of Dems in the Assembly as *cosponsors*, so seems likely it will pass if allowed a vote At this point, Speaker Carl Heastie appears to be the roadblock. #NYHEAT could become law if he allows a vote. Speaker Heastie's office did not respond to my phone calls or emails Gas utilities - in particular National Fuel - have hired an army of lobbyists to stop the bill. But climate advocates are still holding out hope. There's some behind the scenes negotiating going on apparently. Session ends on Friday! https://lnkd.in/gr2RqP5y

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Duke Energy sees a need for incremental gas-fired #power to meet demand growth: CEO ▪️ Power demand growth quickly accelerates ▪️ Seeks to relicense all its #nuclear power units ⬇️Story linked in comments #ONGT #electricity #naturalgas

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Duke Energy sees a need for incremental gas-fired #power to meet demand growth: CEO ▪️ Power demand growth quickly accelerates ▪️ Seeks to relicense all its #nuclear power units ⬇️Story linked in comments #ONGT #electricity #naturalgas

REP. HUFFMAN ANNOUNCES $15 MILLION FOR CALIFORNIA FLOATING SOLAR ENERGY BUILD OUT: FUNDING PART OF $19 MILLION INVESTMENT FOR INNOVATIVE SOLAR ENERGY PROJECTS TO FURTHER BUILD RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND EXPAND CLEAN DOMESTIC ENERGY PRODUCTION Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Jared Huffman (CA-02) announced $19.5 million from President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda to install solar panels in irrigation canals as part of an initiative to study the water efficiency gains and amount of clean energy produced for future larger scale implementation. $15 million of this funding has been awarded to the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority for the Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project. The projects in California, Oregon and Utah are funded by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which makes available $25 million for the design, study and implementation of projects to cover Reclamation-related water conveyance facilities with solar panels. Representative Huffman crafted the provision in the IRA that made this funding possible. “This announcement is a significant milestone for our efforts to combat climate change and transition the country to clean, green energy. Deploying solar panels on our canal systems is a smart solution to our growing water and energy dilemmas – it harnesses clean energy technology to increase efficiency while reducing our carbon footprint and water loss from canal evaporation,” said Rep. Huffman. “Thanks to the visionary work of stakeholders, engineers, climate experts, and the many other partners I’ve worked with over the years on this, I was able to craft a provision to secure this funding which will make our vision a reality.” The projects announced include: The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, Delta-Mendota Canal Floating Solar Project (California), $15 million. The Authority, Reclamation and the University of California-Merced will collaborate through a public-private-academic partnership to assess the impacts of floating photovoltaic solar arrays on the Delta-Mendota Canal. The pilot intends to deploy potentially up to three floating solar technologies to assess the viability, costs, and benefits of floating solar over canal technologies on large conveyance facilities like the Delta Mendota Canal. The initiative will also validate floating photovoltaics design for moving water, identify and address issues related to maintaining a canal with panels on it, explore the power generation potential, and develop methods to quantify impacts on water quality. https://lnkd.in/gDQ3wmTZ

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The Pennsylvania Independent Oil and Gas Association has revealing info on the issue of power needs for data centers in the future. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/eAKkEdkq

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The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) passes new rules to require grid operators to conduct long-term planning on transmission requirements, taking into account reliability and changing resource mix. Sluggish grid investment is both a major bottleneck to adding new renewables to the electricity mix as well as a source of risk to reliability. https://lnkd.in/g4QmgcUn

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Investment bankers around the world are starting to pay attention to the growth potential of nuclear energy as part of the ongoing clean energy transition. A May 15 article in International Banker titled "SMALL MODULAR REACTORS ARE PAVING THE WAY FOR NUCLEAR ENERGY’S RENAISSANCE" highlights the reasons why customers want nuclear power as part of their energy supply. https://lnkd.in/eqhAvaZt A careful read provides a new perspective on the ongoing discussion about reactor sizes within the community of nuclear advocates. At a high level, the existence of a vibrant new sector of small and advanced reactors broadens the base of nuclear energy interest and support. If extra large reactors are the only product available, a large fraction of the world tunes out. Only the largest countries, companies and banks believe they can participate. But with near term availability of nuclear projects in a wide range of sizes, a substantially larger portion of the world's decision makers can begin to see nuclear energy expansion as something they should care about. Aside: "Decision makers" as a broad term that encompasses the smallest customers up to the world's most powerful politicians and everyone in between. End Aside. Broader interest in nuclear stimulated by new designs does not eliminate or even reduce interest in large reactors when those are the appropriate answer. SMRs and AMRs merely provide a welcome mat and a wide entry gate. #Uranium fission plays a key role in energy security, energy abundance and energy cleanliness. Its characteristics make it attractive for business, financial and political leaders from across a spectrum of priorities. Almost by accident, the International Banker article makes a compelling case for Japan to invest to regain its status as one of the world's most competent nuclear power plant suppliers, both domestically and for export. While Japan already has almost two dozen completed reactors that can be put back into operation in the next few years, their combined output is described as woefully insufficient to meet the nation's CO2 emission targets and energy supply needs. "If [reactor restarts are] successful, they can provide about 14 percent of Japan’s electricity mix by 2030, far from the government’s goals." The obvious answer would be "start building more now." In its prime, the Japanese nuclear plant construction industry was beginning to complete large modular reactors in less than 4 years. Money is the most important fuel for nuclear power development. When international bankers start paying attention, we're making real progress. Disclosure: At https://lnkd.in/e8GsSmTK we're professionally engaged in gathering monetary fuel and adding it to the nascent, high growth-potential advanced nuclear sector. Please visit to learn more about adding nuclear energy to your investment portfolio.

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Nuclear power like Oklo Inc is the way to enable our future needs- including computation- safetly and sustainably

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PRESS! We’re now at the early majority (vs minority) stage of this global clean energy transformation. It will take time and the discoveries and innovations will keep coming at ever-accelerated rates - stay tuned! Solar accounted for 75% of electricity generation capacity added to the U.S. power grid early this year as installations of panels rose to a quarterly record, according to a report published by Wood Mackenzie and the Solar Energy Industries Association on Thursday. The country's solar industry saw 11.8 gigawatts of new capacity in the first three months of 2024 as electric utilities continued their rapid additions of the renewable power sources, the report said. U.S. solar has benefited from the increased availability of panels and from federal and state policies aimed at increasing the amount of clean energy on the electric grid to meet climate-driven emissions goals. "Not only has the global solar supply chain expanded, but module imports to the U.S. have also risen significantly over the last year," according to the report.

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