DOE: Distributed Energy Resources Need to Be Designed with Cybersecurity Protection

Cyber-protection-of-DERs

By Utility Dive:

Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) present major obstacles in grid reliability and protection against cyberattacks and threats. DOE states “they should be designed with security as a ‘core component.’

An attack on distributed solar or battery storage resources would have ‘negligible impact’ on grid reliability today, DOE said, but the capacity of DERs on the electric system is expected to quadruple by 2025 and the agency warned that each of those systems could be hacked.”

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Dominion Energy Proposes New Solar and Energy Storage Projects in Virginia

Dominion-PV-and-Energy-Storage

By Power Engineering:

“Dominion Energy has proposed nearly two dozen new solar and energy storage projects, according to new filings with Virginia regulators. If approved by the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC), the projects will provide more than 800 MW of electricity.

Ten solar and storage projects totaling nearly 500 MW would be directly owned and operated by Dominion. The proposal also includes PPAs with 13 solar and storage projects, totaling more than 300 MW.

Construction of the projects is projected to support nearly 4,800 clean energy jobs and will generate more than $920 million in economic benefits across Virginia.”

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AES Increases Its Battery Energy Storage by an Additional 908 Megawatt-hours in California

AES-Energy-Storage

By Renewable Energy World: AES confirmed two new future battery storage sites in Lancaster CA for a total of 227 MW / 908 MWh capacity. “The two facilities are expected to provide a boost to California’s grid, storing renewable energy to be dispatched during periods of high demand.”

AES is awarding contracts for both Clean Power Alliance and PG&E for purchasing the renewable energy from its Luna and Lancaster (LAB) facilities. “In its own announcement, Fluence said the LAB system will use its Mosaic platform for intelligent bidding in the state’s wholesale market, operated by CAISO. Mosaic will “integrate directly with Gridstack, processing operating constraints and parameters in real-time, and employ advanced machine learning and artificial intelligence to generate bids that maximize LAB’s market earnings.”

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Duke Energy Is Planning $145 Billion in Critical Energy Infrastructure Upgrades Over the Next Decade

Duke

From T&D World: “Eighty-five percent of the planned investment will fund the company’s generation fleet transition and grid modernization.”

Duke is planning the critical energy infrastructure upgrades to in order to meet customer demands on affordable, reliable, and green energy. Over the next ten years in energy upgrades, Duke plans to move towards its goal of achieving zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Our customers’ expectations are clear – they want affordability and reliability to remain a central focus as we work to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050,” said Lynn Good, Duke Energy chair, president and CEO. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with customers, regulators, community leaders and other stakeholders to meet these expectations. These critical energy infrastructure investments will also provide substantial economic benefits, including job creation and tax revenue for essential governmental services in our regions.”

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To build or not to build: TVA asks public to weigh in on construction of large solar farm

TVA-PV-Solar-Farm

RenewableEnergyWorld – The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is asking for public input on the draft Environmental Impact Statement for the North Alabama Utility-Scale Solar Project in Lawrence County.

In January 2019, TVA announced that it holds a two-year purchase option on 3,000 acres in Lawrence County to study the feasibility of building a large solar farm in order to continue reducing its carbon footprint.  

The purpose of this EIS is to address the potential environmental effects associated with constructing, operating, maintaining, and decommissioning the solar facility.

The draft EIS includes two alternatives: a No Action Alternative and an Action Alternative. Under the No Action Alternative, TVA would not execute the purchase under the Purchase Option Agreement, and TVA would not develop a solar facility at this location. Under the Action Alternative, TVA would execute the purchase under the Purchase Option Agreement for the Lawrence County, Alabama, property. 

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Minnesota governor accelerates state’s carbon-free power target 10 years, to 2040

Minnesota-Carbon-Free-Electricity

UtilityDive – Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, D, on Thursday proposed a series of policies that would bring the state to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040, a decade earlier than the goal he proposed in 2019.

His proposed policy goals follow a report from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued earlier this month, finding the state is not on track to meet its previous goals of reducing economy-wide greenhouse gas emissions 30% below 2005 levels by 2025, and 80% by 2050. Overall, greenhouse gas emissions have declined 8% since 2005, according to the agency’s latest data, which measures emissions through 2018.

Minnesota’s largest investor-owned utilities (IOUs) — Xcel Energy and Minnesota Power — are pursuing 100% carbon-free energy by 2050 targets, and said their plans are more realistic.

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