Electricity demand is rising. Prices are climbing. And America needs more power, fast. The good news is solar and storage are delivering. Across the country, from California to Texas to the Midwest, the industry is breaking records at a pace that would have seemed unimaginable just a few years ago. … [continued]
Solar power has grown to enormous levels in California, and that solar power is keeping wholesale prices low. Wind power, water power, and solar power all mean free fuel, and free fuel means low wholesale electricity prices. This is not news, but given how much people love to exclaim “California … [continued]
In our annual survey of power plant activity, we ask operators of utility-scale batteries how they are using their systems, and one use case is increasingly prevalent: price arbitrage. Arbitrage involves buying electricity when prices are relatively low and selling that electricity when prices are high. Utility-scale battery systems can be … [continued]
Trump or no Trump, a new bidirectional clean energy transmission line is on track for construction to commence this year, connecting wind and solar resources in Idaho, Nevada, and California.
Trump or no Trump, a new bidirectional clean energy transmission line is on track for construction to commence this year, connecting wind and solar resources in Idaho, Nevada, and California.
Last summer, U.S. electricity demand in the Lower 48 states was greatest at 6:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on July 15, 2024, when it reached about 745 gigawatthours (GWh), based on data in our Hourly Electric Grid Monitor. In our analysis, we calculate each day’s peak according to the hour with … [continued]
Figure 2. In 2023, average wholesale electricity prices (2023$/MWh) varied strongly by region. Shown are annual average real time electricity market prices based on data from all locational marginal p ce (LMP) nodes in 2023. Energy Markets & Policy Berkeley laboratory
The Renewables and Wholesale Electricity Prices (ReWEP) visualization tool from Berkeley Lab has been updated with nodal electricity pricing and wind and solar generation data through the end of 2023: https://emp.lbl.gov/renewables-and-wholesale-electricity-prices-rewep. ReWEP users can explore trends in wholesale electricity prices and their relationship to wind and solar generation. ReWEP includes … [continued]
The California Independent System Operator (CAISO), the grid operator for most of the state, is increasingly curtailing solar- and wind-powered electricity generation as it balances supply and demand during the rapid growth of wind and solar power in California. Grid operators must balance supply and demand to maintain a stable electric system. … [continued]
States with decarbonization goals must plan, prepare, and test for long-duration energy storage
A bill in the California State Legislature that would start a fully integrated western electricity grid will be heard in the Assembly Utilities and Energy Committee next week
California’s grid reliability struggles have intensified in recent years as extreme summer heat strains the system and threatens power outages. The state’s grid reliability is also inextricably linked to issues of improving energy affordability and achieving California’s ambitious clean energy goals. With California’s power woes apparent, Western grid regionalization has … [continued]
