April 5
TVA to Retire Coal-Fired Units, Build Energy Complex
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Following a multi-year public process, the Tennessee Valley Authority said it has made the decision to retire its Kingston Fossil Plant and build a state-of-the-art energy complex at the site by the end of 2027. TVA will retire the nine coal-fired units at Kingston by the end of 2027. To replace that generation, TVA will build an energy complex that will house at least 1,500 MW of combined cycle and dual-fuel Aeroderivative natural gas combustion turbines with 100 MW of battery storage and up to 4 MW of solar generation.
The power grid has seen substantial growth in smaller-scale renewables, such as household, community and commercial solar and battery systems. The high volume of interconnected distributed energy resources (DERs) has prompted the energy industry to adopt control capabilities and standards to improve grid operations with smart inverters.
In a significant move towards enhancing the customer experience in the solar energy sector, Arkansas Solar Power Inc., one of the leading solar companies in Arkansas, has chosen POWERCONNECT.AI to empower and educate both their residential and commercial customers. Established in 2017 and based out of Little Rock, Arkansas Solar Power Inc. is committed to helping customers go green and save on their utility bills through a variety of solar solutions.
As the world moves towards a more sustainable future, ComEd is leading the charge by electrifying its fleet and embracing innovative solutions to support its growing number of electric vehicles (EVs). As part of its Path to Clean commitments, the utility is on track to plan and operate a grid that’s capable of delivering 100-percent carbon-free power and support up to 1.8 million EVs in northern Illinois by 2030.
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Industry News
Rebates are a cornerstone of the bid to electrify the roughly 115 million U.S. homes that still need to ditch fossil-fuel equipment to meet climate targets. Utilities already offer more than an estimated $2 billion in residential efficiency and electrification rebates across North America each year, which go to installing heat-pump AC/heaters, heat-pump water heaters, insulation and more.
Hawaiian Electric is replacing most of its rooftop solar programs with its Smart Renewable Energy program, also known as Smart DER, which sets payment rates for homeowners with solar panels who return electricity to the grid. Participants in Hawaiian Electric’s Customer Self Supply or Standard Interconnection Agreement programs are not required to switch to Smart Renewable Energy, but they will only get paid for electricity they send back to the grid if they switch.
For years, utilities have grappled with how to handle the ever-growing number of solar and battery systems trying to connect to the lower-voltage grids that deliver power to customers. That’s especially true for midsize projects like, say, a solar array that might adorn the roof of a multiunit apartment complex or a community-solar project that generates power shared by hundreds of dispersed customers.
Tesla had a disappointing quarter with its first EV sales decline in almost four years, but while inventory and pricing trends are not currently in Tesla’s favor, it does appear to have at least one sustainable advantage: its fast-charging network. Competitors may be starting to erode Tesla’s dominance in EVs, but its fast-charging advantage is holding firm.
