Energy Storage, GHG Emissions, Solar, Sourcing Renewables  -  July 28, 2018

Weekend reads: Shaving peaks, saving bucks; Mine is bigger

It's the weekend! Kick back and relax with these must-read energy stories from around the web:

Shave and a rate cut: How solar + storage solutions are shaving peaks, saving big bucks (Solar Builder)  Shaving the peaks off commercial and industrial (C&I) electric bills is the top revenue stream for energy storage systems, and given the trend in increasing utility charges for time-of-use consumption, peak shaving can pay for a system in as little as three years, system providers say. Just how high the peaks need to be in order to justify the investment in an energy storage system varies with geography and jurisdiction, but in general, demand charges of $15 to $20/kW or more are clear candidates, says John Merritt, the director of applications engineering at Ideal Power.

Environment Massachusetts Releases 'Roadmap' To 100 Percent Renewables (iBershires)  Environment Massachusetts is pushing for Massachusetts to get 100 percent of its energy from renewable sources. On Tuesday the organization joined with those heading local renewable energy projects to release its agenda, or roadmap, to do so. "We could produce 19 times as much electricity as the state consumes each year from offshore wind. From solar power, we can get 47 percent of the state's electricity just by putting solar panels on every rooftop in the state - to say nothing of larger, ground-mounted installations," State Director Ben Hellerstein said. "The potential is there. 

A smart business case for GHG reduction (Remi Network IS)  Climate change is the greatest issue of our time, threatening civilization as we know it. This underscores the urgency to significantly reduce urban greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). The commercial real estate industry will be critical in that mission since buildings are responsible for approximately 40 percent of the emissions. This means net zero targets for new construction and, for existing buildings, GHG reduction targets of about 50 percent by 2030. Over the past 20 years, the emissions of existing buildings have been reduced by only 10 to 17 percent. 

Mine Is Bigger: Why Larger EV Batteries Are Not The Answer (Forbes)  I first used the term “range anxiety” publicly in January of 2007 at the North American International Auto Show - NAIAS in Detroit during the unveiling of the Chevrolet Volt concept car, kicking-off the modern age of the electric drive vehicle.  As such, I may be somewhat responsible for both the term’s overuse and misuse.  Having interviewed many of the first electric vehicle users, primarily EV-1 drivers, in our development of the Volt concept, range anxiety was clearly a real malady that they suffered from, in spite of their deep love and hope for the freedom from gasoline that these new inventions provided. 

Space-based solar power: How close to reality? (EarthSky)  The idea of capturing solar energy in space where the sun never stops shining and beaming it to Earth may seem far-fetched, but such technology is further along than most realize. In early 2018, scientists from the California Institute of Technology announced that they had succeeded in creating a prototype capable of harnessing and transmitting solar energy from space. Their prototype is a lightweight tile that consists of three main components. 

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