SMUD’s My Power Optimizer Companion+ program can scale as much as 54 MWh / 27 MW storage and photo voltaic capability over time.
Michael Schoeck
Swell Power, a digital energy plant and distributed power integrator, has partnered with the Sacramento Municipal Utility District to combine 20 MWh of residential battery capability and 10 MW of co-located solar energy capability into residential digital energy plant (VPP) system.
Referred to as My Power Optimizer Companion+, the VPP program has the power to scale from 20 MWh / 10 MW of preliminary storage and energy capability to 54 MWh / 27 MW over time. Contractual capability underneath this system is predicated on two-hour supply capability, with a day’s advance discover to deal with as much as 240 occasions per yr.
Whereas particular person photo voltaic and battery storage methods assist prospects handle their very own power wants, the My Power Optimizer Companion+ program permits prospects to function their particular person methods with many others in gathering and sending renewable power sources to profit their communities. Collaborating My Power Optimizer Companion+ prospects obtain upfront and ongoing funds, or GridRevenue, primarily based on the capability of their photo voltaic and power storage methods.
“As extra SMUD prospects add photo voltaic panel methods paired with battery storage options, they are going to be higher capable of handle their very own power wants whereas making significant contributions to lowering their group’s carbon footprint, ” stated Lora Anguay, chief zero carbon officer of SMUD.
At the moment, there are about 600 residential power storage methods in SMUD’s service space with a further 400 within the interconnection course of. The utility has a backlog of 1000’s extra coming on-line over the following few years.
SMUD is dedicated to funding batteries for low-income prospects in its service territory by native non-profit packages corresponding to Grid Alternate options.
“We’re honored to work with SMUD in direction of reaching their Carbon Zero 2030 plan by the deployment of a multifaceted digital energy plant within the SMUD territory and the general CAISO grid,” stated Suleman Khan, CEO of Swell. Power. “We imagine this mannequin is a beacon for the way municipal utilities and different public utilities can obtain the dimensions and worth of distributed power assets.”
My Power Optimizer Companion+ will take enrollments in January 2023, with VPP operations scheduled to start in April. Native residential photo voltaic and electrical installers are invited to associate with Swell Power to co-develop initiatives for the VPP program.
On November 22, Santa Monica, California-based Swell Power raised $120 million in fairness financing to broaden its VPP program choices. The spherical was led by SoftBank and Greenbacker Capital, with participation from Ares Administration.
The corporate develops 350 MWh of VPP methods utilizing 16,000 battery methods from residential and business purposes. At the moment the corporate operates utility methods in California, Hawaii and New York.
Swell is on the lookout for new progress alternatives in underserved markets the place grid providers are wanted to strengthen and modernize infrastructure, such because the New England, PJM Interconnection market , in addition to western and southern states the place renewable power and electrical autos are happening.
The power know-how startup is creating VPPs by linking utilities, prospects and repair suppliers to mixture distributed power assets. The corporate was shaped in 2014 and has raised about $582 million in VC funding to this point and counts CIT Group, Aligned Local weather Capital, For Good Ventures and Third Sphere as traders.
Digital energy vegetation or VPPs are digital aggregations of distributed power assets (DERs) corresponding to photo voltaic, power storage, electrical car charging stations and demanding gadgets. that reply like water heaters and sensible thermostats. The advantages of VPPS transcend offering decarbonization and grid resiliency. The networks supply grid operators a big and utility-grade various to new era sources and constructing methods by automated effectivity, capability help, and non-wire alternate options.
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Germany’s RWE and Greece’s PPC electrical utilities at the moment signed an settlement to begin in spring the development of 210 MW of recent photo voltaic pv capability at a former lignite mine in northern Greece. That is the primary stage of the implementation of a 2 GW photo voltaic pipeline within the nation that the 2 firms have been cooperating with since 2019.
Ilias Tsagas
It is a wet day in Athens with fixed bleeding. Nevertheless, Germany’s RWE and Greece’s PPC electrical utilities have taken their first step in direction of creating a 2 GW photovoltaic pipeline geared toward tapping Greece’s wealthy photo voltaic sources.
The 2 firms introduced the development of 5 photo voltaic farms totaling 210 MW within the Western Macedonia area, northern Greece, inside the boundaries of the previous Amynteo open-pit lignite mine. Building work is scheduled to start within the spring and all 5 initiatives needs to be totally operational by the tip of the primary quarter of subsequent yr.
RWE and the Greek state-owned PPC will proceed their photovoltaic enterprise technique in Greece by way of a brand new firm, Meton Vitality SA, which they’ve established for this objective. Meton has already signed bilateral energy buy agreements (PPAs) with third events concerning the acquisition of solar energy generated by the crops. The length of those PPAs ranges from 10 to fifteen years, stated an official press launch.
Meton Vitality has additionally secured financing for a lot of the €180 million funding required for the event of 5 photo voltaic parks. Of this, €90 million will likely be funded by the European Union as a part of Greece’s implementation of the nationwide restoration and stability plan, which is the EU’s post-pandemic restoration plan. The rest will likely be lined by industrial debt financing of €54 million from Greece’s Eurobank and Alpha Financial institution, plus €36 million in shareholders’ fairness. “Financing is topic to monetary shut,” the press launch stated.
By way of their three way partnership, RWE and PPC are working in direction of a 2 GW photovoltaic pipeline in Greece. PPC has contributed 9 photo voltaic initiatives with a mixed complete of as much as 940 MWp to the three way partnership and RWE has contributed a Greek photovoltaic undertaking pipeline of comparable dimension, the press launch stated.
Meton Vitality gives RWE and PPC the chance to diversify their portfolios away from fossil fuels. Each firms have been sluggish to embrace renewable vitality within the final decade, however the brand new decade marks the shift of their pursuits to inexperienced energy, particularly in Greece’s PPC, which three years in the past introduced the plans to put in 3 GW of recent photo voltaic pv capability in Greece. lignite areas.
Final yr, Greece’s plan to part out coal from electrical energy era entered harmful territory due to the battle in Ukraine and the ensuing vitality disaster. Nevertheless, the Greek authorities says it stays dedicated to the nation’s vitality transition. And, three optimistic developments have marked the previous twelve months concerning photo voltaic installations inside former coal mines.
First, PPC introduced final week that it’s near financing to construct a separate 230 MW photo voltaic park in a former coal mine. Second, PPC supplied this summer season to construct an enormous 550 MW photo voltaic farm that can even be in-built a former coal mine. And third, German renewable vitality developer Juwi accomplished a 204 MW photo voltaic plant in a Greek mining area final April. All three developments are separate from the RWE and PPC partnership and so they add to Greece’s efforts to diversify the native financial system in its mining areas.
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