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Duke Energy

Storage Steps Up

Could grid-integrated batteries change the way power producers operate fossil power plants?
By Scott M. Gawlicki, Public Utilities Fortnightly
Could batteries affect the way power producers evaluate and operate their generating assets – in particular fossil fired generating assets they currently use to supply ancillary services? Duke Energy's Jeff Gates talks about the Notrees project and the future of battery storage.
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Vendor Neutral

Magazine Volume: 
Fortnightly Magazine - October 2012

Constellation completes 16.1 MW PV project in Maryland; Ikea commissions 31st solar project, reaching 38 MW installed; IPL and MidAmerican install $545 million scrubber in Iowa; DTE partners with Enbridge and Spectra on pipeline for Utica shale gas; plus contracts and announcements from Dominion, Sempra, Southern Company, AEP, EPRI, Itron, Landis+Gyr, Opower and others.

Image: 
Spent fuel at AEP’s Cook nuclear plant will move to a recently completed on-site dry-cask storage facility.
IKEA’s Bloomington, Minn., rooftop photovoltaic array—its 31st U.S. solar project.
Suntech says its new utility-scale solar module, the Ve-Series, is certified to withstand extreme winds and snowfalls.
The C.P Crane coal-fired generating plant, one of three Maryland power plants that Exelon will sell to Raven Power Holdings.
Exelon sold its stake in five Constellation power plants in California, including the Chinese Station biomass facility.
Category: 
Vendor Neutral
Category (Actual): 
Generation & Markets
T&D Grid
Finance

Rooftop Tsunami

Byline: 

Michael T. Burr, Editor-in-Chief

Magazine Volume: 
Fortnightly Magazine - July 2012

A growing wave of rooftop PV projects is starting to look ominous to some utilities. Will lawmakers accept utilities’ warnings at face value—or will they suspect they’re crying wolf?

Category: 
Frontlines
Sidebar: 
Sidebar Title: 
Transition to a PV World
Sidebar Body: 

Keeping the lights on in a world of mushrooming solar rooftops requires several key technology and policy developments. During the 2012 EEI Annual Convention, panelists on a session titled “Distribution 2020: Implications of a Rapidly Evolving Distribution Grid,” offered several suggestions for managing the transition.

Technology requirements:

• Bi-directional smart grid

• New safety protocols

• Uniform interconnection standards

• Integrated distribution management systems (DMS)

Policy requirements:

• Focus incentives on installations in preferred locations

• Push the limits of demand response with direct load control

• Plan holistically—account for the total costs of distributed generation

• Apply formula rates to keep utilities whole

• Accelerate depreciation appropriately

Author Bio: 

Michael T. Burr is Fortnightly’s editor-in-chief. Email him at burr@pur.com

Category (Actual): 
Solar
The States
Smart Grid

Utilities sound the alarm as PV nears grid parity.