Solar is booming in the United States as power demand surges, outpacing the growth of any other electricity source and disproving claims that the energy transition is a failure. To be sure, solar remains a small portion of total electricity generation in the U.S., standing at just 3.9% of the nation’s power mix in 2023 compared to the 43% share held by natural gas, according to the Energy Information Administration, the statistical unit within the Department of Energy. 🔗Read more about this story and our other notable updates mentioned below in this week's Renewable Energy Update: https://hubs.li/Q02DZdcN0 ✔️ NYSERDA opens latest solicitation for large-scale, land-based renewable energy ✔️ City of Pasadena, California, unanimously approves $100M, long-term contracts for renewable energy, battery storage ✔️Energy Dept. announces $900M for modular nuclear reactor projects #RenewableEnergy #Solar #Energy
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Solar and wind generation in the contiguous 48 states decreases when people need more energy according to the EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute), using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) website (https://lnkd.in/g8iTcx5S). The following chart shows the generation of the four major green power sources vs the hourly demand data in the last week. It reveals that solar and wind produce more energy when people need less, and less energy when people need more. Hydro, on the other hand, grows with the demand, delivering when needed, and nuclear always delivers regardless of the demand. This has different implications. 👉 One implication is that solar and wind capture lower valued demand, while hydro and nuclear can capture value during those hours with higher demand when the energy is more valuable and better paid. 👉 Another implication is that solar and wind are not producing when the country requires more energy at peak hours, or during extreme weather conditions. This strong negative correlation makes intermittent clean options a poor choice for any grid unless they are backed up by fossil fuels. This illustrates how reliable green sources such as hydro, nuclear or geothermal are always a better option as they can deliver when needed without requiring a parallel fossil fuel backup generation fleet required by intermittent, uncontrollable sources.
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Energy transition issues are not that simple....
Solar and wind generation in the contiguous 48 states decreases when people need more energy according to the EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute), using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) website (https://lnkd.in/g8iTcx5S). The following chart shows the generation of the four major green power sources vs the hourly demand data in the last week. It reveals that solar and wind produce more energy when people need less, and less energy when people need more. Hydro, on the other hand, grows with the demand, delivering when needed, and nuclear always delivers regardless of the demand. This has different implications. 👉 One implication is that solar and wind capture lower valued demand, while hydro and nuclear can capture value during those hours with higher demand when the energy is more valuable and better paid. 👉 Another implication is that solar and wind are not producing when the country requires more energy at peak hours, or during extreme weather conditions. This strong negative correlation makes intermittent clean options a poor choice for any grid unless they are backed up by fossil fuels. This illustrates how reliable green sources such as hydro, nuclear or geothermal are always a better option as they can deliver when needed without requiring a parallel fossil fuel backup generation fleet required by intermittent, uncontrollable sources.
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This is the root of the challenge with renewables powered by the diurnal cycle (direct solar and indirect solar via wind). The energy isn't when and where you need it, especially in the winter when overcast skies remove direct solar as a resource when energy for heating is needed. Firm generation backup, energy storage, lots more long-distance transmission capacity and demand management are the costs that are often ignored. Space Solar Solves all of that. #sbsp #spacesolar #solar
Solar and wind generation in the contiguous 48 states decreases when people need more energy according to the EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute), using data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) website (https://lnkd.in/g8iTcx5S). The following chart shows the generation of the four major green power sources vs the hourly demand data in the last week. It reveals that solar and wind produce more energy when people need less, and less energy when people need more. Hydro, on the other hand, grows with the demand, delivering when needed, and nuclear always delivers regardless of the demand. This has different implications. 👉 One implication is that solar and wind capture lower valued demand, while hydro and nuclear can capture value during those hours with higher demand when the energy is more valuable and better paid. 👉 Another implication is that solar and wind are not producing when the country requires more energy at peak hours, or during extreme weather conditions. This strong negative correlation makes intermittent clean options a poor choice for any grid unless they are backed up by fossil fuels. This illustrates how reliable green sources such as hydro, nuclear or geothermal are always a better option as they can deliver when needed without requiring a parallel fossil fuel backup generation fleet required by intermittent, uncontrollable sources.
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The Amprion Market Report 2024 is now live! ✅ In our webinar, we presented the key developments we have seen in the German grid over the past year: ▶ The electricity mix has changed: Renewable electricity generation in Germany increased to 260 TWh and the last nuclear power plants were decommissioned. ▶ While overall electricity consumption dropped, imports increased, making Germany a net importer for the first time in 21 years. ▶ Electricity prices decreased, as did our congestion management costs. The latter by around 700 million €. ▶ For the first time, there is a Network Development Plan for a carbon-neutral energy sector in Germany. ▶ Our message to Brussels is clear: there is no transition without transmission! The completion of major grid expansion projects is a key for Europe's energy transition. Amprion and the other European TSOs are ready to accelerate grid expansion even further. Thanks to all 330 participants of our webinar. The report and all slides of the webinar are available here: https://lnkd.in/enD3CrZ8 Want to dive deeper into the details? Browse the report below 👇 #PowerGrid #ElectricityMarket #Renewables #EnergyTransition
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The report is well written, concise, with many interesting facts. My recommendation is to have a look at it to see how the #electricity #market really works.
The Amprion Market Report 2024 is now live! ✅ In our webinar, we presented the key developments we have seen in the German grid over the past year: ▶ The electricity mix has changed: Renewable electricity generation in Germany increased to 260 TWh and the last nuclear power plants were decommissioned. ▶ While overall electricity consumption dropped, imports increased, making Germany a net importer for the first time in 21 years. ▶ Electricity prices decreased, as did our congestion management costs. The latter by around 700 million €. ▶ For the first time, there is a Network Development Plan for a carbon-neutral energy sector in Germany. ▶ Our message to Brussels is clear: there is no transition without transmission! The completion of major grid expansion projects is a key for Europe's energy transition. Amprion and the other European TSOs are ready to accelerate grid expansion even further. Thanks to all 330 participants of our webinar. The report and all slides of the webinar are available here: https://lnkd.in/enD3CrZ8 Want to dive deeper into the details? Browse the report below 👇 #PowerGrid #ElectricityMarket #Renewables #EnergyTransition
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#EEC24 Agenda Announced ✨ This year’s EEC agenda will feature a diverse range of topics including oil and gas, hydrogen, carbon capture, offshore wind, floating offshore wind, and nuclear industries. Agenda highlights include: 📢 Keynote Opening Plenary - From Vision to Victory: Leaders Shaping the Energy Industry 🎤 Main plenary sessions - Experts from across various energy disciplines will delve into important topics, share their expertise, present on opportunities, and engage in key discussions. 👷♀️ Energy Major and Contractor updates - Hear valuable updates from organisations involved in energy projects, offering insights into project developments, challenges, and opportunities. 🌍 In country opportunity sessions - Learn about specific global projects, regulatory environments, and investment prospects in various countries, helping to identify potential avenues for growth and expansion. Register for your free place today to hear about projects from around the world! 👉 https://lnkd.in/e_zhefmf #Energy #SupplyChain #Export #Agenda #Announcement
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LCOE is a misleading term should not be used to be to compare dispatchable energy. LCOE Doesn't show the reality.
When Lazard calculated how wind power cost change by “firming” it with battery backup, it grossly underestimated wind’s intermittency and its impact on Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). I reviewed 2022 wind power data for Texas, as measured by ERCOT, to determine what battery it would take to ensure that 34% (TX wind capacity factor) of the nameplate 35 GW wind capacity works 95% of the time. Sorry, that is a complicated way to ask for 12 GW of wind power to work as reliably as a nuclear, coal or natural gas power plant. TX wind misses the required 12 GW 45% of the time with its current ~10 GWh storage backup. In what Lazard calls "firmed" wind power with 4-hr of battery backup, wind power under-delivers 35% of all time. To decrease the power shortcoming to only 5% requires a whopping 7 TWh in battery storage. That’s 700x the size of today’s battery system and increases wind power LCOE 30x from about $40/MWh to 1,200/MWh. There are other ways to ensure reliable power at low cost, but cheap & reliable wind power is an oxymoron. https://lnkd.in/eyHFC6CC #renewables #batterystorage #windenergy #energytransition #LCOE
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Leen Weijers wow, I knew it was expensive....and impossible, but your analysis is spot on, and needs significant attention. How is it the Biden administration thinks offshore wind, no less, makes any sense...in the mean time we are destroying our marine habitats for useless generation that is not going to show up on time and when needed at an incredibly high expense to the rate payers. #wind #intermittent #costprohibitive #notgreen #unreliable #thermodynamics #secondlaw
When Lazard calculated how wind power cost change by “firming” it with battery backup, it grossly underestimated wind’s intermittency and its impact on Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE). I reviewed 2022 wind power data for Texas, as measured by ERCOT, to determine what battery it would take to ensure that 34% (TX wind capacity factor) of the nameplate 35 GW wind capacity works 95% of the time. Sorry, that is a complicated way to ask for 12 GW of wind power to work as reliably as a nuclear, coal or natural gas power plant. TX wind misses the required 12 GW 45% of the time with its current ~10 GWh storage backup. In what Lazard calls "firmed" wind power with 4-hr of battery backup, wind power under-delivers 35% of all time. To decrease the power shortcoming to only 5% requires a whopping 7 TWh in battery storage. That’s 700x the size of today’s battery system and increases wind power LCOE 30x from about $40/MWh to 1,200/MWh. There are other ways to ensure reliable power at low cost, but cheap & reliable wind power is an oxymoron. https://lnkd.in/eyHFC6CC #renewables #batterystorage #windenergy #energytransition #LCOE
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