Morning Brief: How Clean is Energy Storage? New York Clean Energy And California Solar Mandate Under Attack

on February 24, 2020

Is energy storage as clean as we think? As battery storage applications grow, there has been increasing interest in the carbon emissions associated with those applications…there have been few studies to characterize emissions associated with battery usage in storage applications.

In order to do this, we can consider the Hornsdale Power Reserve as an example. It is powered with lithium-ion batteries. In order to do a life cycle assessment of this project’s carbon dioxide emissions, we need to consider 1.) Emissions associated with building the batteries; 2.) Emissions associated with charging and discharging the batteries during normal operations; and 3.) Emissions associated with recycling or disposing of the batteries. Read more: Oilprice.com, author: Robert Rapier

FERC rules clean energy must pay higher market price in New York: Acore, in a release: “FERC delivered a new subsidy to the fossil fuel industry today at the unfortunate expense of New York ratepayers. So called ‘Expanded Buyer-Side Mitigation’ measures directly conflict with policies New York expressly designed to accelerate the transition to pollution-free, renewable power.”

FERC “issued a suite of orders that will require subsidized energy storage and renewable power resource providers to meet a price floor in New York state’s capacity market, making it harder for them to compete with fossil fuel plants. The move, which environmental groups said effectively bolsters fossil fuel generators by forcing renewable resource providers to pay a premium in the capacity market, follows a similar FERC order in December that applied to PJM Interconnection, the largest U.S. power grid operator.” Source: Reuters

Loopholes in the California solar mandate: In a precedent-setting decision, state energy officials Thursday approved a controversial request by Sacramento’s electricity company to allow home builders and buyers an alternative to the state’s 7-week-old rooftop solar panel mandate. California Energy Commissioners gave the Sacramento Municipal Utility District unanimous clearance to offer builders the option of buying solar energy from SMUD, via local solar farms SMUD would build, rather than install solar panels on new-home roofs.

SMUD…argues its proposed Neighborhood SolarShares Program will aid builders of homes or low-rise apartments who find it too expensive or unworkable to mount solar panels on roofs. Read more: The Sacramento Bee.

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Fractal Energy Storage ConsultantsMorning Brief: How Clean is Energy Storage? New York Clean Energy And California Solar Mandate Under Attack