Renewable Energy Barriers Fall With New Ferc Order on Energy Storage
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/25/energy-storage-barriers-fall-with-ferc-order-792/
Renewable Energy Barriers Fall With New Ferc Order
Energy storage fans are rejoicing all across the country on the heels of a new ruling by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), which opens the floodgates to connecting more solar arrays and wind farms to the power grid. FERC adopted the new ruling, Order 792, in order to bring its existing rules for small generators up to speed with new developments in the energy storage field.
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In a nutshell, Rule 792 adds energy storage as a power source that is eligible to connect to the grid. It effectively puts energy storage in the same category as the existing Small Generator Interconnection Procedures and makes it eligible for the existing Fast Track process.
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The implications for renewable energy, namely wind and solar, are clear when you take a look back at Order 784, which FERC adopted just last July.
Order 784 opened up the ancillary services market to renewable energy storage sources, by requiring utilities to consider speed and precision when deciding on which source to buy (ancillary services refers to power sources that utility companies can tap into on an as-needed basis).
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Can Energy Storage Beat Gas And Coal?
Heres where the rubber hits the road. Between Order 792 and Order 784, energy storage gets its own box to check when utilities are considering proposals for ancillary services. That puts it in a head-to-head matchup against gas and coal power plants, which utilities typically rely on for ancillary services.
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