Todd Olinsky-Paul
Over the past year, we have seen a number of states initiate resilient power and microgrid initiatives. But in addition, a few states have begun a process of revisioning their electric grids.
According to a report from the New York City Resiliency Initiative, 88% of the city’s steam generating capacity, 53% of the in-city electric generation capacity, 37% of transmission substation capacity, and 12% of large distribution substation capacity currently lie within the 100-year floodplain.
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and the Patrick administration have awarded $7.4 million to six municipal-led resilient power projects that will support critical infrastructure and services during natural disasters and other emergencies.
Every so often, an idea seems to take on a life of its own. For example, a year or two ago, every energy blogger was talking about “solar soft costs,” and how to reduce them. Recently, the phrase du jour is “utility death spiral.”
We in the Northeast have seen firsthand the enormity of the changes wrought by Hurricane Sandy – not only the storm damage itself, but subsequent and longer-lasting changes in state policy addressing resilient power and the electric grids.
We have been tracking various state and federal initiatives that address resilient power and related issues, such as the integration of renewables and other distributed generation resources, the need to move to a more decentralized power system, and the need to create functioning markets for societal benefits such as resiliency and clean energy.
We here at CEG/CESA have been touting the growing market for solar combined with electricity storage for a while now. But apparently when Morgan Stanley says something, people listen.
Clean Energy Group’s new Resilient Power Project is helping states figure out how to provide resilient power to critical infrastructure, so that needed services can be provided during a natural disaster that knocks out portions of the electric grid.
With renewable energy costs falling and deployment rising, and resilient power a hot topic post-Sandy, it makes sense that a wonky, non-sexy technology like energy storage has stepped out of the shadows to take center stage.
The future for wind and solar energy is bright. But in order to realize even a fraction of their enormous potential, both technologies must address two major constraints, one physical and one financial.