distributed generation - The Handbuilt City

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Energy Utilities

Community Solar: Coming To A Michigan Near You?

October 26, 2021October 26, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments CMS, coal, Coalicia, community solar, community solar power, Consumers Energy, decarbonisation, decarbonization, DERs, distributed energy resources, distributed generation, energy, fossil gas, jackson michigan, lobbying, natural gas, net metering, photovoltaic, photovoltaics, pv, pv solar, rooftop solar, sarah nielsen, solar, solar panel, solar power, solar pv, utilities, war on coal

DTE and CMS took the unusual step of tag-teaming a new announcement about community solar, a novel model for photovoltaic power generation development, in the Mitten state, where fossil fuels continue to dominate the generation mix.

Energy Utilities

Solar Power and EV’s, If Your Local Grid Is Up For The Challenge

July 1, 2021July 1, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments anacostia, anacostia river, community solar, DC, DERs, distributed, distributed energy resources, distributed generation, distribution losses, district of columbia, exelon, feeder lines, local power grid, microgrid, photovoltaics, power grid, power grid capacity, rooftop PV, rooftop solar, solar power, solar thermal, solar united neighbors, transmission losses, utilities, ward 7, ward 8, Washington DC

Power grids are complex things. Understanding the local grid capacity– as visualized by one mapping tool- can help us plan for things like rooftop solar or electric vehicle adoption.

Business & Economics Mobility Energy Automotive

EV Charging Networks: Drive Infrastructure, Not Just Cars

June 8, 2021June 7, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments acquisition, ampacity, battery storage, chevrolet bolt, chevrolet volt, distributed energy resources, distributed generation, electric grid, electric panel, EV chargers at home, EV charging infrastructure, ev charging networks, general motors, GM, grid storage, insourcing, level 1 charger, level 2 charger, level 3 charger, li-ion, lithium-ion battery, load center, outsourcing, photovoltaics, power grid, public ev charger, public ev charging networks, rick waggoner, rooftop solar, utility-scale battery storage, utility-scale solar, v2g, vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-grid connectivity, who killed the electric car

A few weeks ago, I had a chat with some folks from A Major Automaker, one of the Big Two-And-A-Half,

Energy Efficiency Policy Energy Utilities

“Electrification Is Not Enough For Decarbonization” – Consumers Energy

April 6, 2021April 6, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments building decarbonization, carbon transition, decarbonization, demand response, demand-response, distributed generation, electrical grid, electrification, energy efficiency, energy policy, energy transition, energy waste reduction, EWR, Gretchen Whitmer, just transition, michigan, michigan public service commission, MPSC, photovoltaics, policies, policy, pv, rooftop solar, solar panels, state of michigan, utilities, utility, utility infrastructure, utility policy

A new workgroup seeks to address some questions about the future of infrastructure in a state that continues to lag in regulatory and technical innovation.

Infrastructure Utilities

Centralization: Economy of Scale? Looming Disaster? Lil Bit of Both?

March 26, 2021March 26, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments 1.21 jiggawatts, ann durkin keating, blair kelley, centralization, charles perrow, chicago streetcars, coal power, decentralization, detroit edison, detroit public lighting, detroit public lighting authority, distributed generation, DTE Energy, electrical generation, georg leidenberger, hazen pingree, hazen s. pingree, history of street lighting, invisible networks, mehrsa baradaran, mistersky power plant, municipal streetcar systems, municipal water systems, municipalization, networks, normal accidents, power grid, power grids, private responsibility, public responsibility, samuel insull, social contract, solar power, street lighting, streetcar systems, Streetcars, texas winter storms, the detroit edison, transit systems

Streetcars, gas and water pipes, power lines, and other “invisible networks,” to borrow a line from the title of Ann Durkin Keating’s book, make up a vibrant history of infrastructure in which centralization vs. decentralization is a big debate.

Public transit Transit infrastructure Energy Utilities

BUILD GREEN Act Charges Forward With Electric Transit. Is It The Right Move?

March 22, 2021March 23, 2021 Nat M. Zorach 0 Comments alexandria ocasio-cortez, andy levin, AOC, build green act, DC fast charger, decarbonization, decarbonizing transportation, distributed generation, electric buses, electric charging infrastructure, electric vehicles, electrification, electrification of vehicles, electrifying buses, fleet electrification, fleet vehicles, fossil fuels, grid infrastructure, grid modernization, House of Representatives, IOU's, IOUs, michigan, microgrid, modernizing the power grid, power generation, power grid, power grids, public utilities, rashida tlaib, transit, transit electrification, US Congress

Public utilities are apprehensive about vehicle electrification because it’ll require a huge amount of investment in grid infrastructure. A new legislative proposal to electrify transit systems might make this a bit easier by delivering a big economy of scale.

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Business & Economics Energy Efficiency Climate

Epilogue from the Climate Leadership Conference: We Cannot Stop Asking The Tough Questions

March 11, 2020March 10, 2020 Nat Zorach 0 Comments apiculture, capitalism, climate crisis, distributed generation, DTE, ecological restoration, energy poverty, native landscaping, photovoltaics, solar power

The Climate Leadership Conference did a great job of bringing powerful stakeholders together. What it didn’t do such a great job of was asking tough questions of those stakeholders. But there is always opportunity to continue the dialogue.