Cleaner, more efficient method found to make cathode material for lithium-ion batteries

Depending on cobalt, a foreign-sourced rare metal, presents risks to U.S. manufacturing supply chains and transportation, Oak Ridge lab researchers say.

By Stephen Singer • Dec. 5, 2022

10 must-read utility sector stories from 2022

Reliability, security and affordability concerns are rising in a U.S. power sector increasingly focused on decarbonization and electrification. Utility Dive has rounded up some of our top stories so far on these and other trends in 2022.

By Larry Pearl • Dec. 5, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Virtual Power Plants

Virtual power plants and their ability to balance energy supply and demand are increasingly sought by utilities as electricity demand increases, but their lack of standardization remains a barrier.

By Utility Dive staff

NuScale, Shell, others to develop hydrogen production concept with heat from small modular reactor

Research will consider the number of NuScale power modules needed in solid oxide electrolysis cell hydrogen production and the quantity of hydrogen that could be stored for subsequent electricity production.

By Stephen Singer • Dec. 2, 2022

Promises of outstanding aqueous zinc-ion battery performance are overstated, researchers say

“Many challenges underlying these claims of outstanding electrochemical performance are overlooked or underestimated,” the researchers said.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 30, 2022

California moves to up PG&E energy storage contract prices amid ‘unprecedented’ market conditions

The four energy storage contracts follow an 11.5 GW procurement order the California Public Utilities Commission approved last year to ensure grid reliability. 

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 30, 2022

DOE labs launch thermal energy storage consortium to spur development, market adoption

The Stor4Build consortium plans to develop a community-scale TES demonstration project.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 29, 2022

Managing NuScale, other SMR waste will be ‘roughly comparable’ with conventional reactors, DOE labs find

The Argonne and Idaho national labs say managing nuclear waste from small modular reactors would have no additional ‘major’ challenges compared with other reactors.

By Stephen Singer • Nov. 23, 2022

DOE awards $100M for innovative floating wind, pumped storage and other emerging clean energy tech

Energy officials look to scale up and bring to market innovative energy technologies that would reduce costs for pumped storage and offshore wind farms.

By Diana DiGangi • Nov. 23, 2022

House lawmakers, advocates want $5B to help Puerto Rico install rooftop solar, storage systems

Dozens of Democratic lawmakers in the House have called for an emergency supplemental spending bill to provide clean energy for underserved Puerto Rican households. 

By Robert Walton • Nov. 22, 2022

Second-life EV batteries can bolster the energy storage market — if major challenges can be overcome

With 80% of a battery’s capacity left at the end of its useful life in a vehicle and current constraints on supply chains for new batteries, repurposing electric vehicle batteries seems like a no-brainer. 

By Emily Goldfield • Nov. 21, 2022

US large-scale battery storage deployments triple to 1.2 GW in Q3 but slowdown possible: S&P Global

Companies are scaling back due to supply chain bottlenecks, with planned storage additions this year down 2 GW from six months earlier, to nearly 8 GW.

By Stephen Singer • Nov. 18, 2022

FERC orders reliability standards, registration requirements for wind, solar, storage to protect the grid

The agency is acting partly in response to reliability risks of inverter-based resources unexpectedly tripping offline.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 18, 2022

Thermal energy systems could boost global long-duration storage capacity to 8 TW by 2040: McKinsey

Thermal energy storage would draw cumulative investment in long-duration storage of between $1.6 trillion and $2.5 trillion by 2040, per a report by the Long Duration Energy Storage Council and McKinsey.

By Stephen Singer • Nov. 15, 2022

US can reach 100% clean power by 2035, DOE finds, but tough reliability and land use questions lie ahead

New aggressive planning is needed to identify the long-duration storage technologies and find the land to grow enough resources to reach the Biden administration’s net zero emissions goals, a DOE national lab reports.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 15, 2022

DOE offers nearly $350M for pilot projects advancing long-duration energy storage

Up to 11 demonstration projects would enable energy storage over long durations as more renewable sources become available.

By Stephen Singer • Nov. 15, 2022

US renewables, storage sectors set to avoid tougher building standards that industry said could kill projects

Solar Energy Industries Association-proposed code changes that are less stringent than those a FEMA advisory panel proposed for solar and storage projects won initial International Code Council approval.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 14, 2022

How the Inflation Reduction Act unlocks the benefits of mobile energy storage

The IRA ensures that energy storage can benefit from the ITC for 10 years, providing long-term certainty that is so important to investors and energy storage owners.  

Nov. 14, 2022

California funds 60 MWh tribal long-duration storage project with nation’s largest vanadium redox flow battery

The project will provide backup power to the Viejas Tribe of Kumeyaay Indians and bolster the reliability of the energy system statewide.

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 9, 2022

Battery development to slow for 3 years, despite massive boost from Inflation Reduction Act, analyst says

Shortages in materials are hampering battery manufacturing as the IRA jumpstarts storage investment.

By Stephen Singer • Nov. 8, 2022

IRA sets the stage for US energy storage to thrive

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) signed into law in August significantly improves the economics for large-scale battery storage projects in the U.S. For the first time, standalone storage systems will be eligible for a 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC) — and up to 70 percent with additional incentives.

Nov. 7, 2022

Texas moves ahead with expanded 80 MW distributed energy resource pilot designed to boost grid reliability

Initial discussions had considered a 10 MW limit on the pilot. “What it shows to me is that we're conservative in the way we think about how we ensure reliability,” said Commissioner Jimmy Glotfelty.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 4, 2022

DTE Electric proposes $9B spend on 5.4 GW renewables, 760 MW storage, coal-to-gas power plant switch

The Detroit-based utility aims to exit coal in 2035, with carbon capture and small nuclear reactors as replacement options.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 4, 2022

AES Indiana says converting 1,052 MW of coal to gas will be $381M cheaper than renewables and storage

The utility’s resource plan includes little near-term solar and fails to take advantage of Inflation Reduction Act tax credits for “energy communities,” said Ben Inskeep, Citizens Action Coalition program director.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 2, 2022

Sunrun to develop 17-MW virtual power plant for Puerto Rico’s electric utility, connecting 7,000 homes

Sunrun says the virtual power plant will be the first large-scale distributed solar resource on the island and is expected to be operational in 2024.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 2, 2022

Zinc-based storage manufacturer Eos delays some production to 2023 to capitalize on federal tax credits

Eos Energy Enterprises CEO Joe Mastrangelo said the company has reshaped its strategy to take advantage of various benefits for energy storage in the Inflation Reduction Act.

By Stephen Singer • Nov. 1, 2022