Newsom also announced that the state’s battery storage systems have surpassed 21,000 megawatts of solar energy, which is enough to power 15.75 million homes for 4 hours each, after the sun goes down
A series of dangerous heat waves this summer — including one that has left 17 states under an emergency federal order — are putting the electric grid under an intense real-world stress test. Why it matters: Successive summer heat waves are forcing utilities to rethink how they prepare the grid for longer and more frequent periods of extreme stress. - They're raising questions about whether the electric grid can keep pace with surging demand from both climate change and the AI-driven electricity boom. State of play: Heat waves create a double challenge by increasing electricity demand for air-conditioning while reducing the efficiency of some power plants. Zoom in: Texas has become one of the nation's biggest proving grounds for…
U.S. power giants NextEra Energy and Dominion Energy announced plans Monday to merge in the largest electricity deal — by far — since the mainstreaming of AI. Why it matters: The deal, if approved by regulators, would enable massive scale as the industry looks to expand generation and related infrastructure to meet rising demand. - The all-stock merger "creates the world's largest regulated electric utility business by market capitalization and one of the world's largest energy infrastructure companies," the companies said in a joint announcement. - The potential merger would expand NextEra's presence in the fast-growing PJM grid region of the Midwest and mid-Atlantic. Stunning stats: The combined company would serve about 10 million…
Debates over industrial-scale solar, wind, and battery storage have ignited grassroots activism, prompted legal challenges, and fueled legislative battles across Michigan.
Utility-scale solar installations – often paired with large battery storage systems – are transforming large swaths of farmland into energy-producing “solar farms.”