A study by Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance identified two ways distributed energy resources can reduce costs: act as non-wires alternatives to avoid investment in tranmission and distribution ($2.45 billion over ten years), and decrease peak energy costs in the wholesale market which is worth $3.01 billion.
Last week as Texas’ ERCOT grid reached its price cap of $9,000 per megawatt-hour and the price map on ERCOT’s website became a solid and deep red, many energy market wonks highlighted that this is a feature, not a failure, of the market.
In January 2019, the District of Columbia passed the most ambitious clean energy legislation in the nation. However, local climate activists say the hard work is just beginning — they want to know who will lead the DC
and whether the law will benefit the least-privileged residents of the District.
The industry may be getting some traction to fight municipal restrictions after the Texas Senate passed a bill that would prevent cities from placing restrictions on solar panels.
More than a dozen states are adopting “community solar” programs that are bringing solar power and lower energy bills to low-income households from New York to California.
A proposal making its way through the Iowa legislature would impose new monthly fees on homes and businesses that own solar power systems, adding years to the payoff period before customers' utility-bill savings would cover the cost of adding solar.
The Green New Deal that some Democrats are now championing is unlike anything this country has ever done before. But scientists have been studying policies like these for decades. And their research can tell us a bit about what might happen if we pass this sweeping new vision for climate action and economic equality.
Though still an industrial metropolis, Chicago is actively becoming a clean energy innovation hub for microgrids, electric cars and next generation battery research. But the startup momentum in the energy sector isn’t matched with enough venture capital enthusiasm.
