The U.S. federal government’s production tax credits (PTCs) for wind energy were undoubtedly the topic of conversation at Windpower 2013. The unpredictability surrounding the PTCs—from the rules around what investments will qualify for the current PTCs, to questions about whether the PTCs will again be extended—continue to impact the U.S. wind energy in a big [...]

Maximizing Renewable Energy Plant Investment with Energy Storage Systems
Energy storage solutions offer great benefit for power grids by shaving peak demand and improving power quality and reliability. They can also mitigate the effects of intermittent wind and solar energy generation on power systems. But renewable energy plant owners and operators—who don’t necessarily operate utility power systems—may ask: how can energy storage help improve [...]

Three Solutions for Integrating Renewable Energy to the Grid
With Earth Day 2013 this week, we saw renewed focus on what actions should be taken to protect the planet against the effects of climate change. Not surprisingly, increasing global use of clean energy sources ranks high on the list. It’s a pressing goal for anyone who wants to reduce carbon emissions, particularly as worldwide [...]

The Modern Microgrid: Three Major Benefits
As we’ve written previously on this blog, microgrids are not a new concept. They have existed in one form or another for decades. But microgrids today provide new capabilities that offer great promise, and have sparked significant interest. Here are three major benefits offered by modern microgrids: A more resilient energy supply. Particularly following Hurricane [...]

Solar Energy Storage: The Key to Installing Solar Generation on a 1940s Grid
Feed-in tarrifs were recently created by the UK government to ensure targets are met and that by 2020, 15% of the UK energy’s supply will be made up of renewable energy. This has pushed solar to become one of the fastest-growing renewable energy sectors. The integration of renewable energy sources, such as solar, is a [...]

Natural Gas vs. Renewable Energy: Competitors or Complementors?
Development of renewable energy resources in the U.S., and in particular wind power, has boomed in the past few years, thanks to federal renewable energy tax credits and cheaper and more efficient renewable installations. In 2011, for the first time ever, global investments in renewable energy even surpassed investments in fossil fuels. The historically low [...]



