The cumulative value of residential solar installations for utilities is comprised of two different parts: the generation of electricity to the grid, and the avoided cost of building new generation. While the former is fairly straightforward and owners are compensated through net metering or other rate schemes, the latter is difficult to assess and thus far homeowners have received little compensation.
The Australian Renewable Energy Agency announced Thursday that it was launching a new AUD$12.5 million funding initiative for pilot projects and studies that focus on integrating distributed energy resources into the electricity system.
By Ken Munson A recent story in The Wall Street Journal highlighted the conundrum facing many electricity generating companies and PUCs today: How to pay for aging, mostly coal-fired power plants whose only function is as backup power for peak demand? In Ohio, two owners of seven such plants have … [continued]
Originally published on RMI Outlet. By James Mandel, Ph.D. and Owen Smith How pricing affects solar-plus-battery system economics and pricing reform for better grid integration Solar PV, battery storage, and other distributed energy resources (DERs) are becoming cheaper by the day. However, solar-plus-battery economics are not just about what you … [continued]
Originally published on RMI Outlet. By Matt Lehrman Demand charges for commercial and industrial customers have long been a part of the electric industry. Since utilities need to build infrastructure to meet both instantaneous and long-term requirements, the utility bill contains both an energy charge, which measures the amount of … [continued]
Originally published on RMI. By Matt Lehrman This past fall Pandora announced that locational listening data would now be available to bands. Pandora reasoned that bands could see where they were—and weren’t—popular, and thus schedule more strategic tours accordingly. Bands can use anonymized listener data to plan big arena shows … [continued]
A report released moments ago by the Electricity Innovation Lab and the Rocky Mountain Institute indicates that fine-tuning electric utility pricing to reflect a more diverse grid will benefit the utilities, customers, and third-party providers. Rate Design for the Distribution Edge: Electricity Pricing for a Distributed Resource Future offers succinct analysis and answers … [continued]
