Solar-Plus-Storage 101

Solar-plus-storage systems are fast becoming the preferred solution to address the primary interrelated challenges posed by the rapidly advancing renewable energy revolution — namely, intermittency and inconsistencies between maximum generation and peak load. These flexible systems not only help smooth out energy supply and demand dynamics, thereby bolstering reliability, but they also offer photovoltaic plants additional revenue streams in the form of capacity payments and arbitrage.

Utility-scale solar capacity is closing the gap with the wind generation fleet in the US, totaling nearly 120 GW compared to approximately 155 GW for wind. However, most of that solar capacity — approximately …

Reimagining Energy Efficiency Resource Standards

Energy Efficiency Resource Standards (EERS) are a long-standing policy used to advance state goals and priorities, such as reliability, affordability and decarbonization. They ensure cost-effective energy efficiency is used to lower energy consumption, reduce peak demand, and enable grid flexibility. Adapting EERS through strategic design, and integrating EERS into broader energy plans and policies, can help states optimize their approach to meet modern and evolving power system needs and achieve sustainable energy outcomes.

This report examines how states consider energy efficiency in the context of four policy priorities: providing grid benefits, addressing load growth, reducing emissions, and promoting affordability. It …

Distributed Energy Resource Interconnection Roadmap

The Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Interconnection Roadmap (PDF) identifies solutions to address challenges in the interconnection of clean energy resources to the distribution and sub-transmission grids. The roadmap was produced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Interconnection Innovation e-Xchange (i2X)—led by the DOE Solar Energy Technologies Office (SETO) and Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO)—and published in January 2025. It provides the diverse group of interconnection stakeholders with strategies to improve interconnection processes to meet the growing demand for distributed energy resources.

The U.S. electricity system is changing rapidly. An important driver of this change is the growing deployment of …

EV Charging Infrastructure Energization: An Overview of Approaches for Simplifying and Accelerating Timelines to Processing EV Charging Load Service Requests

The United States has seen significant growth in electric vehicle (EV) adoption, leading to increased demand for EV charging infrastructure. Over the past decade, EV charging infrastructure site developers, site hosts, and electric distribution utilities have navigated the process to integrate chargers onto the electric grid. Site developers and site hosts have raised the alarm that the integration process for high-powered EV charging projects does not meet the needs of the EV market for timeliness or cost. High-powered charging stations typically require a load service request or an agreement with the local utility to connect to the grid. The process …

Reimagining Utility Climate Risk Planning

Today’s grid infrastructure is underprepared for the changing trends in weather- and climate-related disasters. Between 2000-2023, extreme weather accounted for most major power outages in nearly every state. Likewise, utilities are not aligned with a transition to a net zero-carbon economy. Together, such physical climate risks (i.e., risks related to the physical impacts of climate change) and transition climate risks (i.e., risks related to the transition to a zero-carbon economy) threaten the affordability and reliability of clean electricity – the keystone of this future economy.

This insight brief explains how to integrate emerging climate risk assessment frameworks with utility planning …

Guide to Decarbonizing America’s Data Centers

The energy use of technological advancements is expected to surge as all companies – not just in tech – start to implement AI and cloud computing. Currently accounting for 4% of the national electricity consumption – equivalent to the energy needs of 14 million US households – the United States is expected to be a global hotspot with projections to more than double energy usage by the end of the decade. Companies with 2030 net zero goals need to start planning ahead. Explore the current landscape, projected growth trends, and potential sustainability solutions in this new white paper, Sustainable Bytes: …

Bill Savings vs. Backup Power: Evaluating Operational Tradeoffs for Home Solar+Storage Systems

This study explores tradeoffs between the use of home solar+storage systems for backup power versus day-to-day utility bill savings. The study focuses specifically on the “reserve setting” available with most home battery storage systems, which allow the customer to maintain some minimum level of storage in reserve in case of an unforeseen power interruption. The more capacity that is held in reserve, the greater the customer’s ability to ride-through possible power interruptions, but less capacity is then available to manage utility bills on a day-to-day basis. This study evaluates this operational tradeoff across a diverse set of locations and residential …

Deploying Long-Duration Energy Storage in Virginia

Energy storage is crucial to enabling new clean energy to serve as firm, reliable electricity generation. Virginia has one of the largest state-level energy storage targets in the country, with a goal to deploy 3.1 GW of energy storage capacity by 2035—enough to power more than 2.3 million homes—and aims to procure 100 percent of its electricity from non-emitting sources by 2045. As the state looks to grow its share of renewable energy, deploying energy storage—and particularly long-duration storage—can help to maximize the utilization of this energy while supporting grid reliability. This brief provides insights from a roundtable hosted in …

Energy Storage Primer 101

Energy storage is a vital component of modern energy systems, providing the flexibility needed to balance the supply and demand of electricity. As energy consumption continues to rise, driven by the increasing reliance on renewable energy sources like wind and solar, the ability to store energy efficiently has become crucial. Energy storage systems capture excess energy generated during periods of low demand and release it during peak demand times, ensuring grid stability and enhancing the reliability of the power supply. These systems are not only essential for integrating renewable energy into the grid but also play a key role in …

An RTO for the West: Opportunities and Options

Over the next few years, many current and prospective political developments have the potential to impact the cost, reliability, and environmental profile of electric power service in the western United States. The formation of a regional transmission organization (RTO) represents the most transformative prospective development. Over the next few years, key decisions about the potential RTO will reshape the region’s electricity landscape. This report aims to illuminate current developments in western power markets and outline what western stakeholders can learn from existing RTOs.

RTOs integrate real-time energy markets with electric transmission grid operations, aligning economic motives with the engineering realities …