Energy Storage, Regulation, Sourcing Renewables  -  October 24, 2020

Weekend reads: The rise of geothermal energy; IKEA's pursuit of 100% clean energy generation

It's the weekend! Kick back and catch up with these must-read articles from around the web.

How one obscure federal agency is clearing the path for a US carbon price (Quartz) Most economists agree that the single most effective policy to spur a transition to cleaner forms of energy is to put a price on carbon emissions. If fossil fuels were much more expensive to burn, then power companies, factories, drivers, and other consumers of oil, gas, and coal would have an incentive to switch to renewables, even without special tax credits or mandates. But in practice, that approach is a bear to execute.

Geothermal energy is poised for a big breakout (Vox) Geothermal power is the perpetual also-ran of renewable energy, chugging along in the background for decades, never quite breaking out of its little niche, forever causing energy experts to say, “Oh, yeah, geothermal ... what’s up with that?” Well, after approximately 15 years of reporting on energy, I finally took the time to do a deep dive into geothermal and I am here to report: This is a great time to start paying attention! After many years of failure to launch, new companies and technologies have brought geothermal out of its doldrums, to the point that it may finally be ready to scale up and become a major player in clean energy.

Webinar: No Capital Needed:
 A Guide to No-Cost Energy Projects (Enel X) Wednesday, October 28, 2020, 2:00 PM EDT/11:00 AM PDT. Distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar panels, battery storage systems, and backup generators offer major benefits to large commercial and industrial energy consumers. They can help businesses reduce energy costs and earn more revenue through market programs, incentive payments and more. Many organizations lack the capital to invest in DERs upfront—but that does not mean they cannot pursue a successful, revenue-generating project. This webinar from Enel X will show the wide variety of no-cost energy projects available, and will discuss: The business case for distributed energy resources; financing opportunities for solutions like energy storage and solar; and how new automation maximizes the ROI of these assets. REGISTER HERE

The next generation of power plants will be virtual (The Verge) Increasing numbers of homes outfitted with solar panels and batteries have the potential to help power entire regions with renewable energy. Working together, homes with solar setups are turning neighborhoods into virtual power plants that can feed power back to the grid and prevent blackouts. These interconnected solar power systems are popping up across the globe — from apartment complexes in California and Utah, to public housing in South Australia. In the future, virtual power plants might even be made up of fleets of electric vehicles. It’s the next generation of solar power technology.

States can lead on climate and clean energy (The Hill) Western states like New Mexico and Colorado share a deep heritage of valuing our natural environment, which drives our economies, our daily lives and our cultures. And as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us to be separated from our friends, families and workplaces, the great outdoors have become a true sanctuary for all of us, a refuge where we remember what is good and beautiful about the world we all share. But that heritage is under threat as the federal government continues to rescind critical environmental protections and deny the impacts of climate change. New Mexico this year experienced an extended wildfire season, and Colorado had its largest wildfire in state history. States around the West struggled to control blazes that claimed lives, burnt millions of acres and sent smoke across the continent.

IKEA turns stores into power stations (The Sydney Morning Herald) Furniture giant IKEA wants all of its stores to be powered by 100 percent clean energy within ten years. (Video)

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