By Anne Hoskins Nov. 28, 2018
“The recently released Fourth National Climate Assessment provides yet another warning that our 100-year-old electricity system was not designed with our changing climate in mind and that communities will bear severe consequences if we do not take action. We must adapt and embrace technological solutions like rooftop solar and home batteries, which will help build a safer, more resilient and modern electricity grid.”
by:Dan Gearino, InsideClimate News
“There was a time when utility companies could say coal plants were a bargain. Many of the same companies viewed wind and solar as too expensive to do on a large scale.
I’m not talking about ancient history. This was 2008, when I started covering energy.
Since then, the costs of wind and solar have fallen so dramatically that they have upended the economics of energy generation. I see this as the most exciting economic story of our time.”
“PG&E Corp. plans to replace three natural gas-fired power plants in California with battery-storage systems as the state continues its push to squeeze fossil fuels out of the electricity mix.”
With renewables now mainstream, Wood Mackenzie argues power markets must shift to greet the change…
“The combination of distributed energy storage and distributed solar is reversing the power flow, allowing customers and communities to generate most of their energy at home or nearby. It’s also reversing the political power in the system, enabling customers to evade most utility strategies for curtailing competition. In short, it’s a technology shift that enables energy democracy, where electric customers can — individually and collectively — have greater choice over the source and structure of their energy system.”
How the Humble Lamp-Post Could Help Power our Cities…
“Cement mixtures made from power station waste could turn buildings in to batteries, for example. These potassium-geopolymetric (KGP) composites are cheaper than ordinary cement and can store electricity. A six-metre tall lamp-post made from KGP and equipped with a small solar panel could hold enough energy to power itself throughout the evening, researchers say.”
“We have shown that KGP cement mixtures can be used to store and deliver electrical energy without the need for expensive or hazardous additives,” says Lancaster University professor Mohamed Saafi, who is heading up the research.”
“By 2020, California’s three major investor-owned utilities (IOUs) will begin rolling out the first U.S. system-wide default TOU rates to their 22.5 million residential customers. But some say TOU rates should be a lot simpler than those being proposed by California’s IOUs and that they are not doing enough to educate customers.”
“When you add storage you increase the gross margin for the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) partner, you increase customer returns and then you provide utilities with the value they’re seeking by shifting those rates. Rate shifts are designed to change consumer behaviour, [but] we allow customers to operate how they want to, and everyone benefits from the improved economics.”….Says Alan Russo of Stem Inc.
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“Home batteries: What are they, and is it worth it for you to get one? Will the lights stay on in a blackout? How long can you run a home on batteries?….Batteries are mostly used to take advantage of utility rate plans that charge more for electricity during on-peak hours and less during off-peak hours. A home battery can be charged with power from solar panels or from the grid during times when utilities charge low rates for electricity, and be used to power the home when rates are higher. This reduces the amount of expensive energy a customer buys…” Read more in link below…