The interconnection queue (click here) is a collection of power generation and transmission projects requesting to connect to the power grid. Generation projects can be pre-construction, construction, built/non-operational and operating.
The backlog of new power generation and energy storage seeking transmission connections (click here) across the U.S. grew again in 2023, with nearly 2,600 gigawatts (GW) of generation and storage capacity now actively seeking grid interconnection, according to new research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab). Active capacity in U.S. interconnection queues increased nearly eight-fold over the last decade, and is now more than twice the total installed capacity of the existing U.S. power plant fleet. The queues indicate particularly strong interest in solar, battery storage, and wind energy, which together accounted for over 95% of all active capacity at the end of 2023.
But this growing backlog has become a major bottleneck for project development: proposed projects are mired in lengthy and uncertain interconnection study processes, and most interconnection requests are ultimately cancelled and withdrawn. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) adopted major interconnection reforms in 2023 that have not yet taken effect in most regions; project developers continue to cite grid interconnection as a leading cause of project delays and cancellations....
- In total, over 1,480 GW of zero-carbon generating capacity is currently seeking transmission access. Solar (1,086 GW) accounts for the largest share of generation capacity in the queues. Substantial wind (366 GW) capacity is also seeking interconnection, 1/3 of which is for offshore projects (120 GW).
- Solar and battery storage are – by far – the fastest growing resources in the queues. Combined, they account for over 80% of new capacity entering the queues in 2023.
- Proposed fossil fuel generation much lower, with 79 GW of natural gas and 1.5 GW of coal currently proposed.
These fossil fuel projects need to move to the bottom of the list and quite possibly be eliminated. They are part of the problem, not the solution.
Hybrid projects (co-locating multiple generation and/or storage types) comprise a large – and increasing – share of proposed projects, particularly in CAISO and the non-ISO West. 571 GW of solar hybrids (primarily solar+battery) and 48 GW of wind hybrids are currently active in the queues. Over half of the battery storage capacity in the queues is paired with some form of generation (mostly solar).
However, much of this proposed capacity will not ultimately be built. Among a subset of queues for which data are available, only 19% of the projects (and 14% of capacity) seeking connection from 2000 to 2018 have been built as of the end of 2023.
- Interconnection wait times are also on the rise: The typical duration from connection request to commercial operation increased from <2 years for projects built in 2000-2007 to over 4 years for those built in 2018-2023 (with a median of 5 years for projects built in 2023)....
By Jason Plautz
As concerns grow (click here) about what a flood of new computers, data centers and artificial intelligence operations means for the electric grid, one industry remains a massive question mark: cryptocurrency.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that mining for bitcoin and other digital currencies accounts for 0.6 to 2.3 percent of the nation’s electricity use. But that figure is just an approximation based on worldwide data collected by Cambridge University and publicly available information about 52 crypto mining sites.
A bid to have the agency — a nonpartisan data arm of the Department of Energy — collect more detailed information on how crypto miners use electricity was stymied by a lawsuit and won’t be revived until after a public review. That means regulators, legislators and even power providers don’t have detailed data about how an industry that has exploded in just a decade could affect the grid in the future....
Carbon Removal Projects are far too late. The operative word is IF. Greenhouse gas capture has to be measurable, exact, and reliable in it's CAPTURE of the gases that bring about warming.
An example of a real joke is the packaging industry that uses dry ice in shipping. Dry ice is solid carbon dioxide. Back in the day, due to the dangers of exposure to dry ice, it was packaged in cans. The cans were full of solid carbon dioxide and was an effective cooler for picnic baskets. The cans were always marked "do not open." Over time they rust, but, then they were discarded because no rust should come in contact with food.
This is not a sustainable practice. It should never be considered a greenhouse gas capture protocol for investment or tax advantages.
April 10, 2024
By Emily Pontecorvo
Money (click here) seems to be pouring into the field of carbon removal (click here) from every direction. Every other week there’s an announcement about a new project. Multimillion dollar carbon removal procurement deals are on the rise. The Department of Energy is rolling out grants as part of its $3.5 billion “direct air capture” hubs program and also funding research and development. Some carbon removal companies can even start claiming a $130 tax credit for every ton of CO2 they suck up and store underground.
The federal government alone spends just under $1 billion per year on carbon removal research, development, and deployment. According to a new report from the Rhodium Group, however, the U.S. is going to have to spend a lot more — roughly $100 billion per year by 2050 — if carbon dioxide removal, or CDR, is ever going to become a viable climate solution....
