Editor’s note: The Department of Energy released its Quadrennial Energy Review (QER), which explores options for modernizing the nation’s energy grid in a secure and cost-competitive manner. It also identifies vulnerabilities in the system and proposes policy recommendations and investments to replace and expand infrastructure where appropriate. Links to the review’s summary and full report…

Sumitomo Corporation, together with Sumitomo Corporation of Americas (collectively “Sumitomo Corporation Group”), announced their investment in an innovative battery power storage system that will provide a reliable and stable supply-demand balancing service for the frequency regulation market operated by PJM, the largest regional transmission organization of wholesale electricity in the U.S. Sumitomo acquired an interest…

Due to new requirements from utilities, Continental Control Systems has released a new firmware version for the Modbus Revenue energy meter, providing for a Fast Power register reading that updates every 200 milliseconds. Option FP (Fast Power) supports feed-in limit requirements for those utilities with limits on the AC power that may be fed into…

The Board of Governors of the California Independent System Operator (ISO) recently approved an update to its 2014-2016 strategic plan by adding a blueprint for dealing with challenges emerging in the energy industry, while further greenifying the grid. The document, “Pursuing a Strategic Vision for a Sustainable Energy Future,” details changes on the horizon of…

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the New York Power Authority and SUNY Polytechnic Institute have signed an agreement to create a world-class facility devoted to energy technology innovation and the rapid deployment of smart-grid technology to modernize New York’s electric grid. The facility, to be called the Advanced Grid Innovation Laboratory for Energy (AGILe)…

Editor’s Note: Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO) in Canada is projecting that more than 1.7 gigawatts (GW) of wind power will be grid-connected by September 2016. The report, which covers April 2015 to September 2016, forecasts about 2.3 GW of new supply will be incorporated into Ontario’s existing generation fleet. Furthermore, the first energy…

The Energy Department’s Wind Program is seeking feedback from the wind industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders, regarding the program’s activities and priorities in controllable grid simulators. The Wind Program works with electric grid operators, utilities, regulators, and industry to create new strategies for incorporating increasing amounts of wind energy into the…

In ‘Beyond Integration: Three dynamics shaping renewables and the grid,’ a recent global industry research initiative, DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts, gathered views from over 1,600 energy sector participants across more than 70 countries. The study addressed key questions on how to best move forward the integration of renewables into…

Schneider Electric, Ryerson University, and the Ontario Ministry of Energy announced the official opening of the Schneider Electric Smart Grid Laboratory (SESG Lab) at Ryerson’s Centre for Urban Energy (CUE) in Toronto. The facility, Canada’s first university-based smart grid laboratory, is now available to partners and collaborators seeking to test new products or operational strategies,…

NREL says more than a third of the electricity in the western U.S. could come from wind and solar power without installing significant amounts of backup power. And most of this renewable-energy expansion can happen without installing new interstate transmission lines, according to a recent study from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden,…

The best way to store the wind-generated power is anyone’s guess. The equipment for one idea comes from Toronto-based Hydrogenics, a firm that manufacturers industrial electrolysis units, devices that separate hydrogen from oxygen in water. Hydrogen can be used in industrial applications, but the company suggests storing it as a vehicle fuel and provides several…

A recent report, Business Strategy: Optimizing Transmission for Wind Integration examines the role of key transmission technologies essential for the rapid growth of the U.S. wind energy market. The report (Document # EI223579, June 2010) from IDC Energy Insights, Framingham, Mass., (idc.com) describes the impact of current transmission constraints on existing and planned wind farms…