Tag: Industry
Solar Industry Adds Record Capacity in 2020 in Spite of Pandemic
The post Solar Industry Adds Record Capacity in 2020 in Spite of Pandemic appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The U.S. solar industry installed a record 19.2 GWdc of photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2020, a 43% increase from 2019, according to a report released by the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) and Wood Mackenzie. The numbers are particularly impressive considering the world was dealing with unique challenges as a result of COVID-19.
“After a slowdown in Q2 due to the pandemic, the solar industry innovated and came roaring back to continue our trajectory as America’s leading source of new energy,” said SEIA President and CEO Abigail Ross Hopper. “The forecast shows that by 2030, the equivalent of one in eight American homes will have solar, but we still have a long way to go if we want to reach our goals in the Solar+ Decade.”
Solar accounted for 43% of all electricity-generating capacity added in the U.S. in 2020 (Figure 1), representing solar power’s largest-ever share of new generating capacity and ranking first among all technologies for the second year in a row.…
Biden Presidency Promises Change for Power Industry
The post Biden Presidency Promises Change for Power Industry appeared first on POWER Magazine.
As we get closer to the presidential inauguration, and with President-elect Biden’s announcement of his Cabinet picks for the Department of Energy (DOE), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Department of the Interior (Interior), we begin the inevitable hypothesizing about which “Day 1 actions” will be taken, which actions will be among the administration’s “100 Day actions,” and what priorities will bleed into 2022 or beyond.
COMMENTARY
President-elect Biden has put forth a sweeping platform during the campaign, a platform that if accomplished would completely transform the U.S. energy system within the next several decades by putting the country on a path to achieve net-zero emissions, economy-wide, by 2050, and to generate electricity from renewable sources in order to achieve a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035. To achieve these goals, substantial technological advancement is required, including significant changes to the power generation, transmission, and distribution systems.…
EPA Retains Soot Standards; Drastic PM Reductions Already Achieved, Industry Says
The post EPA Retains Soot Standards; Drastic PM Reductions Already Achieved, Industry Says appeared first on POWER Magazine.
In a significant but controversial final action, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Dec. 7 retained its existing National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for both fine and coarse particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10).
While the EPA said the decision came “after careful review and consideration of the most recent available scientific evidence and technical information, consultation with the agency’s independent scientific advisors, and consideration of more than 60,000 public comments on the proposal,” environmental groups largely viewed the action as a dereliction of the agency’s regulatory duty.
The power sector, meanwhile, supported the measure, underscoring its success at slashing PM and precursor air pollutant emissions and pointing to future reductions from electrification of the transportation and industrial sectors.
Why the Final Action Is Notable
Fine particles (PM2.5), which are 2.5 micrometers in diameter and smaller, are emitted by a variety of sources, including smokestacks, vehicles, and fires, but they also form when gases emitted by power plants, other industrial processes, and gasoline and diesel engines react in the atmosphere.…
Distributed Energy Is Disrupting the Power Industry: Is the Sky Falling?
Utilities are faced with many disruptive changes in the power market. Customers are demanding cleaner energy and turning to distributed generation as a solution. One expert suggested power companies must react and evolve their business models to change with the times.
During a keynote presentation at the Distributed Energy Conference in Golden, Colorado, on October 17, Roy M. Palk, Esq. (Figure 1), president of New Horizons Consulting and former CEO of East Kentucky Power Cooperative, said, “The utility model, in terms of planning, has just been turned upside down. It will stay that way, in my opinion, for years to come.”
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| 1. Roy Palk, Esq., president of New Horizons Consulting, gave a keynote presentation during the Distributed Energy Conference, in Golden, Colorado, on October 17, 2018. Source: POWER |
However, Palk was not pessimistic about the future. He encouraged power utilities to “embrace the changes.” The three points that Palk wanted attendees to take away from his presentation were:
- Power companies were born and thrive on disruption.
Under Competitive Pressure, Nuclear Industry Doing All It Can, NEI Head Says
The nation’s paramount nuclear power trade group has launched a wide-ranging strategy to help generators stay profitable in tight markets, the head of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) told Wall Street analysts on April 12.
In an address broadcast on Facebook, Maria Korsnick, NEI president and CEO, said that nuclear plants that operate in competitive wholesale markets “are obviously under significant economic stress.” Six reactors have retired over the last five years, and plant owners have announced intentions to shutter another 12 in the coming years. “If nothing is done to save those plants, the impacts will be devastating,” she said, pointing to job losses and resiliency worries.
“We didn’t have to stress these virtues 10 years ago, but in today’s market we do,” she said. The nation’s fleet of 99 reactors produces no air emissions, which is important especially in places where downwind air quality is already bad. A unit can operate for months or years after a refueling, making it immune to problems with pipelines, barges, and railroads that sometimes afflict fossil fuel generators, Korsnick noted.…