Expanding Solar with Virtual Power Plants, Microgrids and Local Storage

“There is a general consensus that we've got an energy problem coming in Washington State,” Cascadia Renewables co-founder and managing partner Markus Virta said. We have to be very intentional about where solar goes, where energy storage goes, and those distributed energy resources.What we're looking at, Markus said, is creating utility systems with communication over all of our energy assets and can actively balance supply and demand via the virtual power plants (VPP).

Advancing Energy Equity and Justice

One of the most engaging panels at the 2024 Solar Summit in early October was about energy equity and energy justice. Solar Washington board member Charlee Thomson, who moderated the panel, said “these two topics, equity and justice, are integral to the clean energy transition and the advancement of solar energy. While we are reaching beyond the typical scope of what folks generally think of as solar energy, we wanted to put solar in the broader context of the clean energy transition.”

Electrify Everything to Save Costs and Decarbonize

“The decarbonization picture is that electricity is more efficient than fossil fuels in many applications, vehicles or cars as well as heating systems,” Solar Washington board member Charlee Thompson said as she kicked off the panel on “Decarbonization and Electrification” at the Solar Summit. Clean Energy Transition Institute Research Analyst Ruby Moore-Bloom, McKinstry senior consultant Scott Foreman-Murray and Rewiring America volunteer Wendy Ferry provided insights on how to make electrification happen and how to achieve Washington’s decarbonization goals.

Innovative Start-ups Abound in Singapore

While Singapore may be viewed as a nation of large multinationals and small low-tech businesses, it’s also a global hub for start-ups. The country has more than 4,500 start-ups as well as more than 200 incubators and accelerators that help these fledgling firms grow their businesses. Singapore also has the highest investment in start-ups per capita in the world, according to Crunchbase, exceeding even the US. (Published by Living in Singapore at https://issuu.com/singaporeamerican/docs/lis_sept-oct_24)

Eratani’s Tech Solutions Tackle Indonesia’s Rice Crisis

Innovative financing empowering smallholder farmers for sustainable growth Even though Indonesia is the third largest rice producer in the world, it imported 3.5 million tons of rice in 2023 and expects to import at least 3 million tons this year. Eratani is working to boost smallholder farmers’ productivity and incomes to help increase rice production and resolve the shortage, according to co-CEO Bambang Cahyo Susilo. Published by Impact Entrepreneur: https://impactentrepreneur.com/eratanis-tech-solutions-tackle-indonesias-rice-crisis/

Financing Solutions Make Solar Affordable for Homeowners

Solar energy cuts costs for homeowners and reduces carbon emissions tremendously, yet many individuals see it as unaffordable. In reality, it is quite affordable for many people, as a multitude of companies offer legitimate financing that makes solar energy practical for individuals. This article was originally published by the ASES (American Solar Energy Society) at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NxDMqugrKPgxSkbx47sy6U6-Y4vZcHlo/view
Load More Articles

Subscribe to get sent a digest of new articles by Richard Hartung

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.