Duke Energy’s decision to replace 36 MW of Xtreme lead-acid batteries shows the risks of backing emerging storage tech. Utilities are leery of new battery technologies, no matter how groundbreaking they seem. That’s because they sometimes don’t perform as promised, and fixing that problem can turn out to be an expensive proposition. Last week, Duke… Keep reading →
Transformation of the ageing electric power grid in the US is inevitable and urgent; most people in the energy industry can agree on that.
But exactly at what pace and how the future electric system will look are hotly debated. Keep reading →
Though Duke and Progress Energy have been pursuing a merger for nearly a year, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission stalled it significantly this Wednesday claiming it would not allow for fair competition in local electricity markets.
The decision, based on FERC’s 1996 Merger Policy Statement, comes at a time of increasing consolidation and specialization in the energy industry and will set a new standard for future merger proposals. Keep reading →
Investments rose in the last quarter in the cleantech sector despite market volatility and the collapse of Solyndra, CEO of Cleantech Group said today.
Sheeraz Haji said that $2.23 billion in capital investments across 189 clean tech deals were made in the third quarter this year, a 12% increase from the last quarter, and a 23% in the same quarter last year. Keep reading →
Fewer coal plant closures may result from pending Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rules than previously estimated, says a new analysis from ICF International.
Combined with delays in federal greenhouse gas regulation and new expectations of rising natural gas prices, the latest estimates cut ICFI’s projection of forced coal closures from 50 gigawatts to 39 GW. Of that, 17 GW are coal plant closures already announced by operators. Keep reading →
