News and Events
New Resource: Xcel Energy's Guidance No. 1 for the Interconnection of Electric Storage as Stand-Alone Sources, Parallel Operation for Customers without Generation, and in Parallel with Self-Generation
The Greening the Grid team has updated the Grid Integration Energy Storage page to highlight Xcel Energy's Guidance on the interconnection of batteries as a standby source or for operating in parallel with the utility.
New Resource: Xcel Energy's Guidance No. 3 for Interconnection of Energy Storage Systems Operated Behind a Production Meter and Paired with Onsite Renewable Generation Connected Under a Net Metering Tariff
In Proceeding No. 15AL-0048, the Company agreed to terms guiding the installation of customer sited storage facilities
New Resource: Xcel Energy's Guidance No. 2 for Interconnection of Energy Storage Systems Operated in Front of a Production Meter and Paired with Onsite Renewable Generation Connected Under a Net Metering Tariff
In Proceeding No. 15AL-0048, the Company agreed to terms guiding the installation of customer-sited storage facilities.
Upcoming Webinar - "Distributed Photovoltaic Economic Impact Analysis in the Philippines"
The Clean Energy Solutions Center—in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—will host a webinar focusing on the economic impact analysis of distributed photovoltaics in the Philippines. The webinar will be held on 21 October 2019, 12:00 p.m. EST.
Updated Resource - Greening the Grid: Vietnam
USAID's Vietnam Low Emission Energy Program (V-LEEP), supported by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute (HNEI), is partnering with the Government of Vietnam to build capacity for energy sector growth and renewable energy integration.
New Page - Energy Storage
The Greening the Grid team has published a new page on Grid Integration titled, “Energy Storage.” This page provides basic background on energy storage technologies and the factors that influence their deployment.
New Resource - Grid-Scale Battery Storage: Frequently Asked Questions
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a fact sheet titled, "Grid-Scale Battery Storage: Frequently Asked Questions." This fact sheet addresses questions and concerns policymakers and grid system operators may have regarding grid-scale battery energy storage systems.
New Resource - Philippines Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) Planning Calculator
This calculator is designed to help utilities understand when they will need to procure additional renewable capacity, and how procuring additional renewables could result in cost savings.
New Resource - Solar and Wind Participation in Automatic Generation Control Systems
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has released a report titled, "Solar and Wind Participation in Automatic Generation Control Systems." This report focuses on emerging technological and regulatory considerations for using solar and wind generators to provide essential reliability services through participation in area-wide automatic generation control (AGC) systems.
New Resource - Distributed Photovoltaic Economic and Technical Impact Analysis in the Philippines
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have released a report titled, "Distributed Photovoltaic Economic and Technical Impact Analysis in the Philippines." The report details the issues surrounding the development of disrupted solar photovoltaics in the Philippines.
Upcoming Webinar - "Interaction Between Transmission and Distribution Planning with DER Deployment"
The Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG) is hosting a no-cost webinar titled "Interaction Between Transmission and Distribution Planning with DER Deployment". The webinar will be held on 8 May 2019, 3:00 p.m. EST.
Launch of the Imperial College London Clean Power Program
The Imperial College London in partnership with the Grantham Institute and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) has launched the no-cost "Clean Power Program" which consists of three online courses about the transition to a low-carbon energy system.
Upcoming Webinar - "Interconnection of Distributed Generation (DG): Technical and Regulatory Aspects"
The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with the 21st Century Power Partnership’s Distributed Generation Campaign, is hosting a no-cost webinar titled "Interconnection of Distributed Generation: Technical and Regulatory Aspects". The webinar will be held on 8 May 2019, 3:00 p.m. EST.
New Recorded Webinar: Utility-Scale Battery Storage
A recording of the webinar "Utility-Scale Battery Storage: When, Where, Why and How Much?" has been published. The webinar introduced key concepts for understanding the value of BESS; reviewed the services they can provide to the grid; and explored when, where, why and how BESS can be deployed economically.
Upcoming Webinar - "Utility-Owned Distributed Generation in Latin America"
The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with the 21st Century Power Partnership’s Distributed Generation Campaign, is hosting a no-cost webinar titled "Utility-Owned Distributed Generation in Latin America". The webinar will be held on 6 March 2019, 11:00 a.m. EST.
Upcoming Webinar - "Utility-Scale Battery Storage: When, Where, Why and How Much"
The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is hosting a no-cost webinar titled "Utility-Scale Battery Storage: When, Where, Why and How Much". The webinar will be held on 27 February 2019, 9:00 p.m. EST.
New Resource - An Introduction to Grid Services: Concepts, Technical Requirements, and Provision from Wind
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory has released a new report titled "An Introduction to Grid Services: Concepts, Technical Requirements, and Provision from Wind". The report details the issues surrounding the provision of key ancillary services for grid reliability and stability by wind energy generators.
Upcoming Webinar - "Minnesota’s Smarter Grid Report"
The Energy Systems Integration Group is hosting a no-cost webinar titled "Minnesota's Smarter Grid Report" featuring speakers from Vibrant Clean Energy and the McKnight Foundation. The webinar will be held on February 6, 2019 2:00 pm EST.
New Resource - Solar Potential Analysis Report for Minnesota
Clean Power Research has released a new report as part of the Minnesota Solar Pathways initiative. The report details the results from their grid integration study on the generation cost to achieve 10% of Minnesota’s electricity from solar by 2025 and 70% of Minnesota’s electricity from solar and wind by 2050.
Upcoming Webinar - "Investigating the Economic Value of Flexible Solar Power Plant Operation"
The Energy Systems Integration Group is hosting a no-cost webinar titled "Best Practices for Grid Codes for Renewable Energy Generators", featuring speakers from First Solar and Energy and Environmental Economics (E3). The webinar will be held on 23 January 2019, 2:00 p.m. EST.
New Resource About Greening the Grid's Mission
There is now a new resource highlighting the mission and context of Greening the Grid and its related Toolkits.
New Recorded Webinar: Best Practices for Grid Codes for Renewable Energy Generators
A recording of the webinar "Best Practices for Grid Codes for Renewable Energy Generators" has been published. The webinar explains in detail the purpose and key elements of grid codes, explores the evolving challenges to the grid that have prompted new and more rigorous grid codes and highlights the development of grid codes within the United States and internationally.
New Resources - "Xcel Model Wind and Solar PPA, Model Semi-Dispatchable PPA and Semi-Dispatchable RFP"
Xcel Energy has released their new Model Power Purchase Agreement for Wind and Solar Generators, their Model Power Purchase Agreement for Semi-Dispatchable Renewable Resources and the Request for Proposals for Semi-Dispatchable Renewable Resources.
Upcoming Webinar - "Best Practices for Grid Codes for Renewable Energy Generators"
The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with USAID and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is hosting a no-cost webinar titled "Best Practices for Grid Codes for Renewable Energy Generators". The webinar will be held on 04 October 2018, 10:00 a.m. EST.
New Resource - "Updated Power Purchase Agreements for Renewable Dispatchable Generation"
The Hawaiian Electric Light Company (HELCO) recently released their new models for Power Purchase Agreements for Renewable Dispatchable Generation for wind and solar PV.
New Resource - "Status of Power System Transformation 2018"
The International Energy Agency recently released a new report titled "Status of Power System Transformation 2018: Advanced Power Plant Flexibility".
Upcoming Webinar - "IEEE 1547 Implementation Update"
The Energy Systems Integration Group (ESIG) is hosting a webinar titled "IEEE 1547 Implementation Update." The webinar will take place on Tuesday, 14 August, 2018 at 2:00 pm EST.
Webinar - "Operating High Variable, Renewable Generation Power Systems: Lessons Learned from Ireland and Northern Ireland"
The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with EirGrid, is hosting a webinar titled "Operating High Variable, Renewable Generation Power Systems: Lessons Learned from Ireland and Northern Ireland." The webinar will take place on 16 September, 2015 at 10:00 EDT, 16:00 CEST.
Deep Dive Workshop Highlights Global Grid Integration Experiences and Good Practices
The workshop provided and opportunity for Asia Clean Energy Forum participants to gain knowledge and tools to enable a clean, modern, flexible, and affordable power system.
New Recorded Webinar: Building Blocks for Distributed PV Deployment, Part 1: Goals, Definitions and Compensation
A new webinar titled “Building Blocks for Distributed PV Deployment, Part 1: Goals, Definitions and Compensation” has been published. Due in part to the low cost of photovoltaic system hardware and scalability for deployment, grid-connected distributed photovoltaic (DPV) technologies are increasingly permeating global power markets. While this trend could help substantially reduce the carbon footprint of global power generation, empower citizens across the socio-economic spectrum, and expand local PV markets, there are a number of technical and policy issues—especially in countries that have limited technical resources and need to “get things right” the first time.
Postponed: Webinar on Utility-Scale Storage
The webinar "Utility-Scale Storage: If, When, What Type, How Much, and Where?" at Wed, May 16, 2018 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM EDT has been postponed. Due to unforeseen events, we are postponing this webinar and will reschedule for a later date. An announcement with the new date and registration link will be sent in the near future. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Building Blocks for Distributed PV Deployment, Part 2: Interconnection and Public Policy
Building Blocks for Distributed PV Deployment, Part 1: Goals, Definitions and Compensation
Workshop on Grid Integration of Variable Renewable Energy: Innovative Solutions at the Transmission and Distribution Levels
An exciting opportunity for participants to the Asia Clean Energy Forum to gain knowledge and tools to enable a clean, modern, flexible, and affordable power system!
New Resource - Understanding the Impact of Distributed Photovoltaic Adoption on Utility Revenues and Retail Electricity Tariffs in Thailand
Utilities worldwide are concerned about the financial impact of increasing distributed PV adoption among their retail customers. This report analyzes the impact of distributed PV deployment on distribution utility revenues and retail electricity tariffs in Thailand. It provides policymakers, utilities, and other energy practitioners a real-world example of how distributed PV affects certain stakeholders.
New Resource - Grid-Connected Distributed Generation: Compensation Mechanism Basics
This short report defines compensation mechanisms for grid-connected, behind-the-meter distributed generation (DG) systems as instruments that comprise three core elements: (1) metering & billing arrangements, (2) sell rate design, and (3) retail rate design.
New Resource - Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) Transmission Planning Process
Achieving clean energy goals may require new investments in transmission, especially if planners anticipate economic growth and increased demand for electricity. The renewable energy zone (REZ) transmission planning process can help policymakers ensure their infrastructure investments achieve national goals in the most economical manner.
Webinar: Transmission Planning for a High Renewable Energy Future
Lessons from the Texas Competitive Renewable Energy Zones Process
Upcoming Webinar - "Transmission Planning for a High Renewable Energy Future"
Lessons from the Texas Competitive Renewable Energy Zones Process
New Topic Page: Planning for Grid Integration
A new topic page is available on Greening the Grid! See the Planning for Grid Integration Topic Page on the Integration in Depth tab.
New Webinar Available: Power Purchase Agreements for Grid-Aware Renewable Energy Procurement
Power purchase agreements (PPAs) are a key mechanism that utilities use to procure variable renewable energy from independent power producers.
Webinar: Power Purchase Agreements for Grid-Aware Renewable Energy Procurement
Power purchase agreements (PPAs) are a key mechanism that utilities use to procure variable renewable energy from independent power producers.
Upcoming Webinar: Power Purchase Agreements for Grid-Aware Renewable Energy Procurement
Greening the Grid, in partnership with USAID, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), and the Clean Energy Solutions Center, is hosting a no-cost, webinar-based training titled Power Purchase Agreements for Grid-Aware Renewable Energy Procurement.
New Cross-Cutting Resource: Getting Wind and Solar onto the Grid
This recently released report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) provides a comprehensive review and clarification of the challenges and solutions for integrating grid-connected wind and solar energy.
New Cross-Cutting Resource: Maintaining Reliability in the Modern Power System
The U.S. Department of Energy recently released a new resource that summarizes traditional and new approaches to maintaining a reliable electric system in the U.S.
New Technical Assistance Resource Launched: Renewable Energy Explorer
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory, with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, has recently launched the Renewable Energy (RE) Explorer.
New Webinar Available: "Distributed Solar on the Grid: Key Opportunities and Challenges"
Distributed, grid-connected photovoltaic (DGPV) systems pose a unique set of opportunities and challenges. Key technical and economic challenges related to DGPV integration are shaping how we plan, operate, regulate and even conceptualize the power system.
Recent workshop on "Flexibility in future energy systems"
The International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN) and the International Energy Agency (IEA) recently held a workshop on "Flexibility in future energy systems."
Webinar: Distributed Solar on the Grid: Key Opportunities and Challenges
The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with USAID and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), is hosting a no-cost webinar titled Distributed Solar on the Grid: Opportunities and Challenges. This webinar is part of the GreeningTheGrid.org toolkit, a USAID and NREL collaboration designed to support countries in integrating renewable energy into the power system.
New Webinar Available: Big, Fast and Flexible: Grid Operations for Efficient Variable Renewable Integration
A growing body of research and operational experience highlights the value of large balancing areas and fast system operations to cost-effectively integrating high penetrations of wind and solar on the grid.
Webinar: Big, Fast and Flexible: Grid Operations for Efficient Variable Renewable Integration
New Resource: Eastern Renewable Generation Integration Study
A new resource is now featured on the Grid Integration Studies topic page: the Eastern Renewable Generation Integration Study (ERGIS)
New Resource: Storage Needs For Very High PV Penetration
A new resource is now available on the Demand Response and Storage topic page: Energy Storage Requirements for Achieving 50% Solar Photovoltaic Energy Penetration in California
New Fact Sheets on PPAs, Grid Integration Studies
Two new resources on important grid integration topics are now available on Greening the Grid. The "Grid Integration Studies: Advancing Clean Energy Planning and Deployment" fact sheet overviews the types of and process for conducting grid integration studies. The "Designing Wind and Solar Power Purchase Agreements to Support Grid Integration" fact sheet provides a brief summary of key PPA components that can enable VRE generators to enhance grid stability and serve as a source of power system flexibility.
REZ training at the Asia LEDS Partnership Regional Workshop in Hanoi, Viet Nam
GreeningTheGrid will deliver a training on Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) at the Asia LEDS Partnership Regional Workshop in Hanoi, Viet Nam.
New Fact Sheet Published: Renewable Energy Zones
The Renewable Energy Zone (REZ) concept has emerged as a transmission planning tool to help scale up the penetration of solar, wind, and other resources on the power system.
Four Facts Sheets now available in Spanish
Four Spanish-language Fact Sheets are now available.
Greening the Grid Webinar: Implementing Wind and Solar Power Forecasting
Greening the Grid, in partnership with the Clean Energy Solutions Center, is hosting a no-cost, webinar on Implementing Wind and Solar Power Forecasting.
New Fact Sheet Published: Grid-Integrated Distributed Solar
Distributed, grid-connected photovoltaic (PV) solar power poses a unique set of benefits and challenges. This fact sheet overviews common technical impacts of PV on electric distribution systems and utility operations (as distinct from other utility concerns such as tariffs, rates, and billing), as well as emerging strategies for successfully managing some of the priority issues.
Scaling up Clean Energy: Early Actions to Facilitate Integration of Variable Renewable Energy into Existing Power Systems
This Deep Dive workshop will be held as part of the the 2016 Asia Clean Energy Forum in Manila, Philippines.
New Forecasting Resource: Model Wind Power Purchase Agreement
A new example has been added to the Forecasting topic page.
Integrating Variable Renewable Energy to the Grid: Training for U.S. Government Staff
Variable renewable energy, such as wind and solar, provides a clean, carbon-free source of power. At high penetration levels, however, wind and solar variability, uncertainty, and geographic concentration can affect the planning and operation of the power system. This training is intended to help USAID and other U.S. Government staff understand and communicate grid integration concepts and develop a portfolio of grid integration activities that enable large scale-up of renewable energy on the grid. In addition to overviewing emerging grid integration strategies from around the world, the training will share experiences from USAID fieldwork that is currently supporting policy-makers, regulators, and grid operators in integrating wind and solar to meet renewable energy and climate change mitigation targets.
New Fact Sheet Published: Forecasting Wind and Solar Generation
A new Greening the Grid fact sheet titled “Forecasting Wind and Solar Generation” has been published. Forecasting is a crucial and cost effective tool for integrating variable renewable energy (VRE) resources such as wind and solar into power systems. This fact sheet overviews the benefits, tradeoffs, and analysis challenges associated with integrating VRE forecasting into power system operations.
Advancing the Use of Wind and Solar Forecasting to Facilitate the Integration of Variable Renewable Energy to the Grid (Asia)
Advancing the Use of Wind and Solar Forecasting to Facilitate the Integration of Variable Renewable Energy to the Grid (LAC)
Geospatial Toolkits Available for Wind and Solar Resource Analysis
The Geospatial Toolkit (GsT) is a free, open-source, map-based software application that provides an intuitive, user-friendly interface for visualizing and quantifying a country or region’s renewable energy potential.
Greening the Grid: Implementing Renewable Energy Zones for Integrated Transmission and Generation Planning
Greening the Grid, in partnership with the Clean Energy Solutions Center, is hosting a no-cost, webinar-based training on Implementing Renewable Energy Zones for Integrated Transmission and Generation Planning. This webinar is part of the recently launched GreeningTheGrid.org toolkit, a USAID and NREL collaboration designed to support countries in integrating renewable energy into the power system.
Upcoming Webinar - "Flexibility Strategic Roadmap"
This webinar, organized by Leonardo Energy and scheduled for October 29th at 16:00 CET, will present a new Ecofys report, "Power System Flexibility Strategic Roadmap." The report synthesizes for a less technical audience the policies, technical changes, and institutional systems that will contribute flexibility to power systems to facilitate the integration of renewable energy.
New IRENA report on designing national roadmaps for power sector transformation
The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) has published a new report, "The Age of Renewable Power: Designing National Roadmaps for Successful Transformation." This report provides a guiding framework that policymakers can adapt to identify options and develop national roadmaps for integrating variable renewable energy to the power system.
Greening the Grid Webinar: Best Practices in Conducting Grid Integration Studies
New Fact Sheet Published: The Role of Storage and Demand Response
A new Greening the Grid fact sheet titled “The Role of Storage and Demand Response” has been published. Storage and demand response provide means to better align wind and solar power supply with electricity demand patterns: storage shifts the timing of supply, and demand response shifts the timing of demand. This fact sheet overviews the benefits, tradeoffs, and analysis challenges associated with employing demand response and storage to increase the penetration of variable renewable energy.
Upcoming Webinar - "How Distribution Grids Can Integrate More Renewable Energy: Lessons Learned from the GRID4EU Project"
The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with the International Smart Grid Action Network (ISGAN), is hosting a webinar titled "How Distribution Grids Can Integrate More Renewable Energy: Lessons Learned from the GRID4EU Project." The webinar will take place on 29 September, 2015 at 9:00 EDT, 15:00 CEST.
Upcoming Webinar - "Operating High Variable, Renewable Generation Power Systems: Lessons Learned from Ireland and Northern Ireland"
The Clean Energy Solutions Center, in partnership with EirGrid, is hosting a webinar titled "Operating High Variable, Renewable Generation Power Systems: Lessons Learned from Ireland and Northern Ireland." The webinar will take place on 16 September, 2015 at 10:00 EDT, 16:00 CEST.
First MAIN Energy Transformation Dialogue facilitates knowledge sharing to accelerate clean, distributed power
The first Energy Transformation Dialogue of the Mitigation Action Implementation Network (MAIN) was held August 5-7 in California. Co-hosted by the Center for Clean Air Policy and the California Energy Commission, the event brought together senior energy officials from several Latin American and Asian countries to share lessons from the power sector transformation underway in California and other countries. Greening the Grid contributed to the event with a presentation titled "Greening the Grid: Integrating Renewable Energy into the Grid.”
Greening the Grid Webinar: Integrating Variable Renewable Energy into the Grid- Key Issues and Emerging Solutions
USAID, in partnership with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, is pleased to announce the launch of GreeningTheGrid.Org, a toolkit designed to support countries in integrating renewable energy into the power system. This toolkit provides fact sheets, in-depth guidance, training materials, and an “Ask the Expert” service for remote assistance on grid integration topics. As part of this launch, please join us for a no-cost, webinar-based training on Integrating Variable Renewable Energy into the Grid – Key Issues and Emerging Solutions, to be conducted on Wednesday, July 29th, 10am EDT. This webinar will review the challenges to integrating significant quantities of variable renewable energy to the grid and the emerging solutions that policy-makers, regulators, and grid operators have taken to integrate wind and solar and meet RE targets. Webinar participants will learn about the myths, misperceptions, costs, and options for scaling up grid connected RE, as well as the Greening the Grid website and technical assistance opportunities.
Renewable Energy Grid Integration – Issues, Enabling Policies, and Finance Measures