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The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) has launched an ambitious new initiative alongside power companies, grid operators, and several tech giants to establish five to 10 “flexibility hubs” that will […]
The post Power and Data Center Sectors Join Forces to Resolve Mounting Electricity Demand Uncertainties appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The post DOE Seeks Power Sector’s Input on Bulk-Power Foreign Adversary Rules appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The Department of Energy (DOE) wants the electric power industry to help the DOE draft rules that will prohibit the U.S. bulk-power electric system from using equipment sourced from, or otherwise susceptible to, harmful influence by “foreign adversaries.”
Asset owners, utility operators, equipment vendors, and other interested parties can voluntarily provide information to the DOE by August 7. The DOE’s solicitation suggests that the forthcoming rules will delve considerably deeper than merely considering bulk-power equipment’s country of origin or the identity of its manufacturer when asking whether equipment is sourced from a “foreign adversary.” Instead, it appears the DOE is considering an evaluation of the entire supply chain used to procure and install a piece of equipment, including involvement from sub-tier suppliers and the development history of associated firmware and source code.
President Trump on May 1, 2020, issued Executive Order 13920 (the “Bulk-Power Order”) which prohibits the acquisition, importation, transfer or installation of “bulk power system electric equipment” in the U.S.…
The post IRS Grants Wind and Solar Sectors Critical COVID-19 Reprieves appeared first on POWER Magazine.
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has granted a one-year extension of the continuity safe harbor, providing much-needed relief for many wind developers, which, crippled by pandemic-related delays, were racing to complete projects before crucial tax incentives expired at the end of this year.
In its May 27–issued Notice 2020-41, the IRS essentially modified prior notices addressing the “beginning-of-construction” requirements for both the production tax credit (PTC), which applies to renewables facilities under section 45 of the IRS code, and the investment tax credit (ITC), for energy property under section 48.
Responding to pleas by industry and a bipartisan group of lawmakers to extend the so-called “Continuity Safe Harbor,” the IRS now gives qualifying renewables projects that began construction in either 2016 or 2017 until December 2021 to complete projects. As crucially, the new notice also provides a three-and-a-half month safe harbor for taxpayer-paid services or property on or after Sept.…
Despite escalating growth over the past decade, the U.S. solar power sector faces potentially crippling issues concerning module supply, workforce deficiencies, and grid interconnection obstacles, according to industry experts attending an international solar and energy storage convention.
The country added an estimated 14.5 GW of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2016, and by 2021, cumulative solar installations are slated to pass the 100 GW mark, driven by net metering, solar leasing, new power purchase agreements, the rise of solar communities, and federal and state policies and tax credits. But this rapid growth has been problematic on many levels, and the industry continues to face hurdles that could stymie future projections.
Here are 11 takes on the solar sector’s current and future standing from experts at Intersolar North America’s ninth annual event held last week in San Francisco, Calif.
“Solar is no longer a niche part of the energy spectrum,” declared Jesse Grossman, CEO of Tenaska’s solar project development arm Soltage.…