Energy Efficiency, Energy Procurement, Solar  -  October 26, 2019

Weekend reads: Are utilities missing DER opportunities?; The nation's first all-Tesla cab fleet

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

Utilities' failure to plan for DER surge promises missed opportunities, increased costs, analysts say (Utility Dive) The failure of utilities to prepare for the surge of distributed energy resources (DER) expected to come onto their distribution systems will harm both their customers and their own bottom lines, analysts told Utility Dive. But proactively planning for new waves of customer-sited DER can both serve growing customer demand and provide flexibility to address the rising penetrations of variable renewables.

Illinois Opens State's First Net Zero Government Building (Contractor Mag) Housing Countryside’s city hall and police department, the 34,500-square-foot, tri-level complex was built as a sustainable and environmentally responsible solution to replace the current 16,945-square-foot city hall and police department, which opened in 1967. Dewberry served as the complex’s architect and Frederick Quinn Corporation (FQC) as the construction manager.

New Jersey Town Welcomes Floating Solar Project (Solar Industry) Ciel & Terre USA has announced the completion of a 4.4 MW floating solar project in Sayreville, N.J. The project was implemented by local developers J&J Solar Power LLC and Solar Renewable Energy LLC, with engineering by RETTEW. According to the partners, the project represents the largest floating solar array installed in North America to date.

Madison Green Cab goes electric; to be nation's first all-Tesla cab fleet (Madison.com) When Green Cab of Madison launched in 2010, it was the city’s first all-hybrid taxi fleet. Now it is poised to become one of the nation’s first all-electric. In partnership with local startup Zerology, Green Cab plans to roll out 20 battery-powered Teslas next week, with plans to convert the rest of its fleet by early 2020. Green Cab co-founder Jodie Schmidt said she’s proud to be the first ride-share company in the nation with an all-Tesla fleet.

How Croissants Could Help Solve One of Solar Power's Biggest Problems (VICE News) Scientists, inspired by croissants, just invented a device that could deliver solar-powered energy even when the sun isn’t shining. Unlike coal and nuclear power, wind and solar can’t be turned on or off. That makes storing their energy and releasing it later, when it’s cloudy and the wind isn’t blowing, one of the biggest challenges for renewable energy.

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