Australian mining giant Fortescue announces plan to develop 235 GW(!) of renewables & hydrogen; Talen Energy ditches 3.6 GW of PJM coal, moves towards solar; DOE releases hydrogen plan; and MISO w/57 GW of solar in queue

1) Fortescue - 4th largest iron mining company on planet, announces plan for 235 gigawatts of renewables & hydrogen. No timeline, but commitment to spend Australian $1 billion through 2023. Plan is to attract billions in financing for projects it IDs. Fortescue has 40 executives working on plan; already visited 23 countries, w/ 24 to go. It aims for net zero on or before 2040.

2) Talen Energy Group strikes deal w/Sierra Club to retire 3.6 gigawatts of PJM power plants in PA & MD, & build 1 GW of solar plants, starting w/100 megawatts adjacent to Montour coal plant late 2021.

3) DOE releases hydrogen program plan, w/aim to coordinate R&D & development activities across agencies "to advance the affordable production, transport, storage, and use of hydrogen across the different sectors of the economy."

4) PV Magazine reports that MISO has 57 GW of utility scale solar in the queue. Typically roughly 20% in the queue gets built. MISO trails ERCOT's 75 GW solar queue, but it's a big step forward.

Eos Energy signs a deal with developer Hecate for about 1,000 MWh of zinc battery energy storage; Chatterjee out of FERC Chair; Dominion continues shift towards sustainability; Engie nixes $7bn US LNG deal;

1) Eos Energy signs w/Hecate for 1,000 MWh of battery projects in New Mexico, Colorado, & Texas. The Eos zinc product has 5,000 cycles of longer duration (up to 12 hrs).

2)The current administration replaces FERC Chairman, Neil Chatterjee, with more conservative James Danly, likely because of Chatterjee stance on Order 2222 and carbon.

3) Dominion Energy quits natgas pipeline biz for good, and intensifies focus on offshore wind, part of "an unwavering path towards net zero energy."

4) Engie pulls the plug on $7 billion LNG import contract, citing concerns with US regs related to CH4.

5) 10% of all vehicles sold in Europe last quarter had a plug in them (about 275,000 total, w/ 50% plug-in hybrids and 50% pure electrics).

6) Don't steal a Tesla and esp. not in Australia from a victim w/attitude and sense of play.

Energy storage is proliferating across the electric grid at a rapid pace, on both sides of the meter. Storage can provide value in numerous applications and use cases are growing quickly, especially as more renewable generation enters the grid.

This four-hour course will help you understand the critical elements related to energy storage – with a focus on batteries - including the technologies, business models and regulatory issues. It will discuss how storage is critical to the future evolution of the grid, and how batteries interact with wholesale markets, distribution utilities, and end users.

Who Should Attend

The same energy professionals who have attended storage workshops at conferences across the country:

Utility employees, staff of renewables companies, investors, public advocates, regulatory staff, lawyers – in short, everybody in the electric energy industry who wishes they understood more about the potential for energy storage across the electric grid.

Blue Bird buses go V2G; France solicits H2 projects; Tesla & Octopus create special offer and VPP; large energy companies w/ huge CCS project in N Sea; RI solicits add'l 600 MW offshore wind

1) Bluebird buses fully V2G, allowing communities to use e-buses as emergency backup power sources;

2) France solicits H2 projects that will push the envelope;

3) UK homeowners w/Tesla Powerwall, solar and EVs can partner w/Octopus & Tesla in VPP and get preferential rate; 4)BP, Eni, Equinor, National Grid, Shell, & Total form Northern Endurance Partnership to develop offshore carbon transport and storage in large N. Sea reservoir, w/potential to cut total UK industrial carbon output by 50%;

5) Rhode Island issues a 600 MW offshore wind solicitation;

6) Maryland, North Carolina, and Virginia to form New Smart Power Alliance to coordinate 6.8 GW of offshore wind

29% of Australian homes w/rooftop solar; Australia govt approves massive 26 GW renewables project involving H2 ; Abu Dhabi also talking H2; solar panel giant Jinko moves into storage game; SK Innovations advances fast-charge battery to extend EV range; LG Chem to triple cylindrical cell prod'n & increase form factor 5x; Tesla w/2 mn mile battery; NextEra sees solid state w/in three years & 50 H2 projects pipeline.

1) 29% of Aussi homes have solar; generated 71% of energy in grid on 9/13.
2) Aussi govt says yes to $36 bn, 2,500 mi² Asian Renewable Energy Hub w/ 26 GW of wind & solar projects to generate green H2.
3) Abu Dhabi's 2 GW PV plant (@ 1.35 cents/kWh) eyeing manufacture of green H2.
4) Jinko moving into batteries w/ LiFP offerings behind the meter & utility scale.
5) SK Innovation developing new cells that need two 10-minute charges to get 500 miles of EV range.
6) LG Chem plans to triple cylindrical cell prod'n, & develop larger cylindrical cells to increase energy density by 5x & power 6x, similar Tesla.
7) Tesla scientist Jeff Dahn presents test results for 10,000+ cycle battery w/ 2 mn miles for EVs.
8) NextEra says next 2-3 yrs will see solid-state batteries, & it has pipeline of 50 potential green H2 projects

The FERC proposes policy statement that it has jurisdiction over markets to incorporate state-determined carbon prices; MHI Vestas promises an offshore turbine well beyond its current 10 MW platform; Port of Rotterdam announces success w/microgrid; and Ohio turbine to convert to burn hydrogen

1) The FERC says it has jurisdiction over market rules to incorporate state-determined carbon prices in wholesale markets. Chairman Chatterjee "Carbon pricing has emerged as an important market-based tool that has wide support from across sectors." Comments due in 30 days.
2) MHI Vestas to upgrade its 10 MW offshore wind platform. They've been getting kicked around by GE and Siemens Gamesa and recently had a contract expire with Vineyard Wind, that was not renewed. Time to go bigger, much bigger.
3) Port of Rotterdam announces microgrid project demonstrated first high-frequency decentralized energy market. Using blockchain participants both reduced electricity costs 11% and increased the amount of renewables by 14% over 1st 2 mos.
4) Partners New Fortress Energy and GE announce they intend to take a 485 MW gas-fired CCT and use it to burn hydrogen, starting small and ramping to 100% green hydrogen by 2030.

Prelim report investigating California's controlled load shed ID's multiple factors; September EV sales in Germany & Norway encouraging;

1) CA report IDs causes of load sheds, including: most heat in 35 years; LDCs under-forecasting; gen plant forced outages; lower than anticipated imports; and some poor planning;

2) Germany sold 21,000 EVs in Sept, - 15% mkt share, and Norway sold 9,500 - 61.5% mkt share;

3) Vestas increased its EnVentus onshore wind platform from 5.6 MW to 6 MW w/ 3% more energy output;

4) Generac buying Enbala Power Networks, jumping into Virtual Power Plant game;

5) Pres. Trump to increase panel import tariffs from 15% to 18% in 2021. P. Navarro recently touted the success of program on $8.5 billion worth of imports to date. Over $2 bn has been paid by Americans to increase price of panels, resulting in a decline in the amount of solar projects, which would have created far more jobs;

6) A new study suggests large-scale solar proj's underperforming by about 6.3% relative to forecasts. 

Vistra announces more coal closures and a move to renewables; LONGi bringing 12 GWs of annual manufacturing online to produce 540 watt bi-facial modules; Dominion/Orsted commission 12 MW Virginia offshore wind project; FERC holds hearings on carbon pricing

1) Vistra to retire 6,800 MW of coal plants in IL & OH, bringing total of existing or planned retirements to 16,000 MW change in leadership in 2016. It also announces portfolio of nearly 1,000 MW of solar, storage, and solar+storage, mostly in ERCOT.

2) Major cell/module maker LONGi achieves volume production - 12 GW - for 540 w bifacial Hi-MO5 series module @ 21% conversion efficiency. Back side offers another 15% additional total energy gain. Put into context, 2019 U.S. solar was 13.3 GW.

3) Dominion Energy/Orsted commissions 12MW offshore wind facility "Coastal Virginia," w/2x6 SG turbines. First offshore project in federal waters. Next up for Dominion, its 2.6 GW offshore wind facility in 2024.

4) FERC holds carbon pricing conference in an effort to find common ground between state policies & wholesale markets. Agreement among many that carbon pricing an efficient approach but a long way to go.

Tesla's Battery Day promises big advances; Daimler Benz announces solid state battery; CA PUC updates Rule 21 for DER Interconnections; China pledges net zero by 2026

1) Musk and team lay out manifesto for cutting battery prices by 50%, down to about $50 per kWh, focusing on multiple targets from the battery architecture, use of solid electrolyte, redesign of plant, and sourcing of raw materials. Tesla plans to scale from 100 GWh to 3,000 GWh or 3 TWh.

2) Daimler Benz announces a solid-state battery for its articulated bus, the eCitaro G.

3) California's PUC updates rule 21, governing the connection of DERs (hosting capacity) to the grid, incorporating data on actual grid conditions at interconnection points, and special rules for batteries.

4) China pledges carbon neutrality by 2060. It's currently responsible for 28% of global greenhouse gas emissions. China now has a net zero pledge and the US does not.

Battery Fire in the UK; FERC Clears the Way for DERS in Wholesale Markets; PA RGGI Fight Heats Up; and Google Takes Next Bold Step in Supplying Portfolio w/Clean Energy 24*7

1) Ørsted's 20 MW battery complex in Liverpool caught fire last week. Not much news out yet, but facility developed by now-defunct NEC had LG Chem batteries, (as did APS McMicken facility w/thermal runaway and explosion last yr).

2) FERC order 2222 sets path for DERs to broadly offer services in the wholesale markets. Commissioner Neil Chatterjee cited studies of between 65 and 380 GW of distributed energy resources coming online by 2025. A huge amount of information and coordination between ISOs & utilities will be required, & much stronger cybersec as well.

3) PA battle over joining RGGI heats up (both Houses oppose).

4) Google's making waves again, to carbon neutralize its entire energy ecosystem, and to match clean supply w/consumption hour for hour, setting a new bar for the industry and those with carbon goals.

FERC rejects NYISO plan to integrate in-state renewables; PG&E shuts power to 170,000 in fire season; Italy's top bank goes negative on coal; Greece follows suit, and so does S. Korea; Nissan hits 1/2 million Leafs; Nikola in a heap of trouble

1) FERC rejects NYISO's proposed changes to capacity market in order to integrate renewables necessary for 70% clean energy goals by 2030. Echoes of PJM's MOPR just begging for state-level insurrection;

2) In Calipocalypse, PG&E began preemptive power shut-offs 9/7 and restored on 9/10, affecting nearly 172,000;

3) Italy's top bank UniCredit limits exposure to coal investments, going to zero by 2028;

4) Greece to spend nearly $6 billion to facilitate shutting of coal plants by 2028. Replacements to include 2.3 GW of solar;

5) S. Korea to close 30 coal power plants by 2034, w/10 by 2022, and rest by 2034. They'll triple solar & wind and bump EVs from 110,000 to 1.3 million;

6) Nissan's 500,000th LEAF rolled off UK production line last week;

7)Nikola & GM announced strategic partnership w/Nikola to use GMs Ultium battery system and Hydrotec fuel cell technology. Two days later, massive fraud allegations threaten entire deal.

Mitsubishi wins order for 3 hydrogen-compatible turbines; NextEra to deploy 700 MW of batteries in CA; EOS w/orders for 1,500 MWh of zinc-based storage in CA and TX; 18% of Europe's July car sales were electric; KIA's 1st 800 volt-capable EV out next year; Total and Macquarie partner on 2 GW of floating wind;

1) Mitsubishi won order for nearly 3,300 MW of hydrogen-compatible turbines for 3 projects in New York, Ohio, & Virginia.
2) NextEra will deploy 700 MW of batteries in CA, w/ additional 2,000 MW in pipeline.
3) EOS announced orders for over 1.5 GWh of long-duration zinc-based battery projects in TX and CA.
4) 18% of July car sales Europe were electric.
5) KIA's first EV that can take 800 V charging coming out next year.
6) Total and Macquarie signed a 50/50 partnership to develop 2 GW of floating offshore wind projects in S. Korea.
7) Fossil-free Steel just got a major step closer with Swedish steel company SSAB, state utility Vattenfall, & mining company LKAB, announcing pilot plan to use clean electricity & hydrogen to make fossil-free sponge iron.

GE looking at 120 meter offshore blades; Portugal nails another record price for solar; Kia looking at 800 volt charging capability; SoCalEd to build out EV charging network: California outage report expected in next few weeks

1) GE and Dutch government working on a rotor test rig that will allow development of offshore blades up to 120 meters;

2) Portugal's recent 670 MW solar tender w/ record-setting bid of $13.16/MWh. Last year's best Portuguese number was $17.40.

3) Kia will introduce 800 volt charging unit, but will focus on European sales in next few years, eventually w/ 20% of total vehicle sales in US to be electric by 2026.

4) Southern California Edison receives approval for $436 million infrastructure charging effort for 38,000 EV chargers over the coming four years, w/make-ready elements up to the charging station.

5) Renewables initially blamed for California blackouts a week and a half ago, but CAISO and the PUC have pushed back. The PUC intends to release an analysis in the next few weeks. It needs to be both fast and thorough report, a difficult challenge.

Painting one blade black reduces wind turbine bird deaths; Neoen w/massive wind/solar/battery project in Australia; battery manufacturer SK innovations shooting for nearly cobalt - free batteries; Capital Dynamics teaming w/Tenaska on 2GW of batteries in CA; 28 double-decker buses doing V2G in UK

1) Norwegian researchers: paint one blade black & birds avoid wind blades, w/deaths down 72%;

2) French developer Neoen files application for $3 bn wind, solar, & storage project in S. Australia w/ 1,200 MW of wind, 600 MW of solar, & 900 MW/1800 MWh of batteries - some transmission required;

3) Korean manufacturer, SK Innovations, plans to cut cobalt content in battery down to 5% by 2023, & to 0.5% by 2030.

4) Capital Dynamics joins w/ Tenaska to develop nine battery storage systems in CA, totaling 2,000 MW. Meanwhile, Avista announced two weeks ago permitting for 1,500 MW and 6,000 MWh of storage in Moss Landing area, near CA's Bay area.

5) 28 electric double-decker buses are being tied together in one of largest vehicle to grid projects in world, to deliver 1 MW of capacity into UK grid. V2G will pop in coming years. There's too much money & too many GWh of storage rolling around on wheels for it not to happen.

Google w/ $5.75 bn in sustainable bonds; Maine floating wind project getting geared up; BP to spend $5bn on sustainable energy; Global coal gen sees first decline ever; Your EV can pay for your parking

1) Google offered $5.75 billion of sustainable bonds - vastly oversubscribed - focused on clean energy, and smart buildings.

2) Mitsubishi and German developer RWE Renewables teaming up w/ the U of Maine's Aqua Ventus to build a 10-12 MW floating wind project off Maine. Floating wind should scale very rapidly.

3) BP plans to cut oil and gas production, invest $5 billion into clean energy by 2030, as part of a major strategic shift. It projects demand in fossil fuels to decline by up to 75% by 2050, if world is to meet global climate goal of 1.5 degrees celsius.

4) ExxonMobil confirmed low energy prices related to COVID have wiped 20% of its projects off the balance sheet. Low COVID demand is merely a dress rehearsal for the future climate constrained world we're about to move into.

5) Bloomberg reported for 1st time in history, coal fire gen capacity declined in 1st half of year as coronavirus cut demand.

6) Nissan announced program w/Nissan LEAF drivers paying for parking with power from car. 

Deutsche Bank to cut investments in fossil fuels; BoA to disclose GHG impacts of lending practices; Panasonic improving battery tech for TSLA; Australia grid operator lays out new 20 yr plan; big hydrogen network planned for Europe; Arizona battery fire report

1) Deutsche Bank to curtail finance of coal mining by 2025, and limiting financing in the oil and gas sector.

2) BoAmerica joined other US banks committed to disclose impacts of lending/financing on GHGs.

3) Panasonic to increase the density of the battery cells for Tesla by 20% over the 5 years.

4) Australian Energy Market Operator 20-yr plan calls for big upswing in DERs, GWs of utility-scale renewables and storage, and a need for optionality in the face of rapid change.

5) 11 gas transmission system operators from nine EU countries announced the European Hydrogen Backbone Initiative, w/15,000 miles of hydrogen pipelines. Stage 1, by 2030, will see 4,500 miles of pipelines connected.

6) Report on APS battery fire finally came out, highlighting dendritic formation in cells leading to a short that propagated into "thermal runaway." Recommendations address a host of issues.

1) CA Utilities: Solo solar not so great, but Solar+Storage rocks the free world;

2) Microsoft update on negative carbon strategy (C-neutral by mid-2020; and C-negative by 2030): started a coalition with 7 big businesses to create a carbon roadmap for other corporations; also investing 1$ billion in innovative technology, issuing an RFP for carbon removal approaches;

3) Renewables king NextEra/FPL looking at $65 million project to create H2 from clipped solar.

4) Morgan Stanley says it can be done with surplus wind as well w/in the next two years,

5) Data giant Switch announced biggest behind-the-meter solar project in the world, w/127 MW solar, 240 MWh of batteries

6) Alliant says it will get to net zero by 2050. It doesn't know it yet, but it will eventually move that goal to 2040, or even closer.

7) NY just released a solicitation for up to 2,500 MW add'l offshore wind and 1,500 MW of land-based renewables.

8) FirstEnergy bribery. A complete cultural rip and replace would seem to be on order for that company.

Distributed Energy Storage Affirmed by US Court of Appeals; Solar Net Metering Challenge Rejected by FERC; BlackRock Fires Climate Warning Shots; and Green H2 Competitive by 2030

1) US D.C. Court of Appeals denied a NARUC and APPA petition to halt passage of FERC 841. As a result, on-site storage can participate in wholesale markets. Tension is now likely to arise between those markets and the distribution utilities that don't know when those distributed assets are activated, which could cause problems.

2) The FERC ruled unanimously to reject a petition that would have quashed state net metering rules allowing customers to sell surplus solar into the grid at a retail rate, essentially running the customer meter backwards. FERC used a procedural argument to say no, so this may recur.

3) Investment management firm BlackRock - with its $7 trillion under management - reported last week that it used its shares to vote against 53 companies not making progress in addressing climate change. 37 of the companies it addressed were energy companies with the combined market cap of $408 billion.

4) IHS Markit says green hydrogen from renewables being cost competitive with fossil fuel-derived gray hydrogen by 2030. 

Pulling the Plug on a Major Pipeline; New South Wales Going Straight From Coal to Renewables; EU Launches Green H2 Strategy; Saudi Arabia Announces Huge H2 Project

1) Duke Energy & Dominion Energy announced cancellation of Atlantic Coast, a 600-mile planned gas pipeline from West Virginia's Marcellus to Southern North Carolina. Gas is increasingly under pressure.

2) The New South Wales government confirmed it will call for 8,000 megawatts of wind, solar and energy storage, shifting away from coal straight to renewables without a gas bridge.

3) The EU launched its new green hydrogen strategy and may need as much as 80,000 to 120,000 MW of wind and solar resources to power electrolyzers, creating 6,000 megawatts of electrolyzer capacity by 2024, producing up to 1 million tons of H2. The plan calls for major R&D investments, regulatory changes, and development of new markets.

4) Saudi Arabia is charging ahead with H2. Air Products signed with Saudi-based ACWA Power International to develop a $5 billion hydrogen-based ammonia plant powered by renewable energy and capable of producing 1.2 million tons of ammonia annually and 650 tons of hydrogen daily. The H2 party is just getting started.

Spain shuts down nearly half its remaining coal plants; Four utilities in three states jump straight from coal to renewables & storage; PGE announces virtual power plant w/storage; Shell writes down $22 bn of assets

1) Spain announced it shut nearly half its remaining coal plants - taking 4,360 MW of capacity offline. Four add'l plants at 3,092 MW have also filed to close.

2) Four utilities in southwestern three states announced plans to move straight from coal plants right to renewables and batteries, without using gas as a bridge fuel.

3) Portland General Electric announced a pilot virtual power plant to connect & direct 525 residential energy storage systems and deliver up to 4 MW of grid services back to the utility. This isn't a new type of a program. Vermont's Green Mountain Power initiated a similar project years ago. It's expanded it with a tariff, enrolling 500 new customers every year.

4) Shell taking a $22 billion haircut, with the asset valuation updates reflecting "Shell's strategy to reshape and focus its refining portfolio to support the decarbonisation of its energy mix leveraging assets and value chains in key markets." My advice for Shell is to keep the write-down pen out. This process is far from over.