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While the costs of distributed energy resources (DER) continue their remarkable decline, potentially more important new data reveals their growing value to both customers and the bulk power system, experts say.
Planning by utilities and system operators has traditionally been based on complex forecasts about bulk system factors like resource cost and customer demand to balance supply and load. Local resources have been an afterthought. A new modeling tool claiming unprecedented processing power and detail offers the potential for a new level of joint transmission-distribution planning strategy not undertaken before. I don t know how this modeling tool fits into regulatory proceedings, but it s unreasonable for regulators whose duty is to protect customer interests to not investigate it, said former Maryland utility commissioner and Sunrun Chief Policy Officer Anne Hoskins. If I were still a regulator, I would ask our energy staff to determine whether the commission sh
Alex Wong/Getty Images
toggle caption Alex Wong/Getty Images
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks as Vice President Kamala Harris looks on during an event at the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC. Alex Wong/Getty Images
For four years, the Trump administration didn t consider the fight against climate change a priority.
But just hours after taking office, President Joe Biden signed several executive orders to address climate change. In one day, the U.S. rejoined the Paris climate agreement and permits approving the development of the Keystone XL pipeline were canceled.
But how much needs to be done to reverse years of inaction on climate change? Do scientists and other experts say what the Biden administration wants to accomplish is enough to avoid the crisis s most devatasting consequences?
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2020 was among the most unexpected years in American history but despite a global pandemic, a renewed civil rights movement, and the most tumultuous election in memory one trend held steady: clean energy’s unstoppable rise.
From coal’s complete collapse, to plummeting clean tech prices and booming renewable energy installations, not to mention every Democratic presidential candidate running on ambitious climate action, decarbonization proved it is the path forward to a strong economy and safe climate future.
But how will 2021 shake out? Five leading policy experts shared their predictions for the year ahead, envisioning an even faster acceleration to a clean energy economy than ever before. From unprecedented federal climate policy to surging energy storage installations and a shift away from gas toward sustainable investment and just transitions, the next 12 months could mark the turning point away from fossil fuels.
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Editor’s note: This story is part of the Utility Dive Outlook on 2021, a series on the trends that will shape the industry in 2021. For a look at the business trends affecting other industries, see the Dive Outlook on 2021.
At this time last year, few people if anyone could have predicted what 2020 would bring.
That tumultuous year has not yet led to a calmer one, but if January 2020 taught us anything, it s that the first days of a new year may not always be a sign of what s to come. With that being said, Utility Dive spoke to over half a dozen power sector experts who tentatively predict big changes on the horizon in 2021.
This is the Jan. 7, 2021, edition of Boiling Point, a weekly newsletter about climate change and the environment in California and the American West. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
With less than two weeks until Joe Biden takes office and with Democrats taking control of the Senate the growth of clean energy is poised to accelerate. Even if Congress doesn’t fully embrace the president-elect’s $2-trillion climate plan, there will be plenty of actions his administration can take to support renewable power and put pressure on fossil fuels.
So here’s some food for thought: If Biden’s appointees want to help consumers save money, they might consider devoting a big chunk of their efforts to solar panels and batteries that can be installed at homes across the country.