2017 in Review: Our Top 10 Energy in Transition Blogs
As we find ourselves at the beginning of 2018, we’d like to take a moment to look back at our most popular blog posts from the past year, which included hot topics around energy storage, wind, energy efficiency, cybersecurity and electric vehicles.
As we find ourselves at the beginning of 2018, we’d like to take a moment to look back at our most popular blog posts from the past year, which included hot topics around energy storage, wind, energy efficiency, cybersecurity and electric vehicles.
Here are the top 10 blog posts:
1. 10 Factors that Prove Energy Storage is on the Rise by Davion Hill
The aim of the ACORE REFF Wall Street Energy Storage Workshop was to educate our renewable energy finance audience on the opportunities in energy storage and alert them to near term actionable changes in the market. Given that many attendees were from the financial sector, the main message was: deploy your capital in storage starting today. You’ll be glad you did…
Read the full blog post on Energy Storage.
2. UK windiness 2016: Wind sets a new UK generation record despite lower than average wind speeds by Gemma Daron
In December 2016, the UK wind industry set a new record by generating more than 10,000 MW of electricity for the first time and providing 23% of the UK’s electricity demand. We continue to see wind energy playing a pivotal role in the UK’s electricity mix, even in a year that saw wind speeds approximately 5.5% lower than the long-term average. This blog reviews 2016 UK wind speed trends and…
Read the full blog post on wind speeds in the UK.
3. Five trends for Energy Efficiency in 2017 by Steve Baab
I think everyone will agree that 2016 was a year full of surprises and many people are looking forward to putting it behind us. However, 2016 was a good year for energy efficiency. There were major legislative initiatives, industry mergers, and many states “doubling-down” on energy efficiency to meet their energy needs. As we started the new year, Babb predicted the major trends in energy efficiency for 2017…
Read the full blog post on the energy efficiency trends of this year.
4. Pitfalls of LED Linear Tubes and Smart Lighting Systems by Wesley Whited
At first glance, retrofitting an existing fluorescent fixture with an LED Linear tube seems like an appealing option. You achieve some of the energy savings associated with LEDs without having to purchase and install a new fixture. The popularity behind LED tubes is their simplicity and low cost. However, LED tubes have many pitfalls, including leaving a considerable amount of energy savings on the table…
Read the full blog post on lighting and LEDs.
5. NERC Regulations changes regarding low impact BES facilities by Craig Reeds
What is a Low Impact BES? A simple definition of a facility rated as Low Impact to the Bulk Electric System Systems (BES) is a system that is not categorized as being High or Medium Impact. The new NERC Low Impact requirements that are a part of CIP-003-6 take effect April 1, 2017. The new requirements include sections associated with cyber security awareness, physical security controls, Electronic Access Controls and Cyber Security Incident Response…
Read the full blog post on NERC Regulations.
6. EV uptake will be fast and vast by Mark Irvine
After more than a century of fine-tuning, the internal combustion engine (ICE) is an engineering wonder. Yet, suddenly, its future doesn’t look so turbo-charged.
What is going on? Why are (normally silent) EVs making such a buzz?
Read the full blog post on Electric Vehicles.
7. The utility’s role in zero energy and resiliency by Tiina Aadremae
Worldwide goals are being developed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, plan for extreme weather events, and pave the way for affordable and clean energy communities. Policymakers, city planners, architecture and design firms, and businesses are responding by pushing for ‘greener’ cities and buildings, and adopting stricter building codes to enhance local resiliency. As a result, the concept of Zero Energy is starting to gain more traction with utility customers…
Read the full blog post on Zero Energy.
8. Integrated Resource Planning returns to Michigan by Curt Puckett
On March 10, a meeting was held in Lansing to launch Integrated Resource Planning (IRP) in Michigan. The renewed interest in IRP is the result of a new state law that requires the commission to initiate a process that establishes a framework for a utility’s IRP within t 120 days of the effective date. There were more than 60 interested parties and the four largest utilities in attendance. The requirement for IRP opens the utility planning process to stakeholder engagement, and this meeting was the first step…
Read the full blog post on Integrated Resource Planning.
9. Dear Energy Storage Market: It’s Time to Grow up! by Davion Hill
In this blog, Davion Hill addresses a problem in energy storage. That problem is the refusal to share, just like similar situations with his young children. Until some compromise is made, the storage industry will be stuck in a pattern of limited progress toward mutual growth…
Read the full blog post on energy storage.
10. Advancing the game on M&V 2.0 by Miriam Goldberg
What can advanced Measurement and Verification (M&V) methods do that “traditional” methods can’t? What benefits do they provide, to whom, and at what costs? What is advanced M&V or “M&V 2.0,” and what makes it advanced? Miriam Goldberg’s top blog answers these questions and more…
Read the full blog post on M&V.
We want to thank you for your readership in 2017, and look forward to sharing more of our insights and ideas with you this year! Please use the comments section below to share an opinion or suggest new topics for the upcoming year.