MRC Consultants and Transaction Advisers’ Post

🌍🔋 A new study by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) models the impact of delays in renewable energy projects caused by the Irish planning process. ♻In 2023, Ireland set a record high for renewable energy use, with 23.38 TWh helping to avoid 7.4 MtCO2. 2024 is poised to set a new benchmark, with new projects coming online and an additional 1.3 GW of renewable capacity secured in the RESS-4 auction. Ireland is well on its way to achieving the government’s ambitious target of 80% renewable electricity by 2030, however, the biggest hurdle remains the lengthy and complex authorization process. 📈 This study shows that delays can lead to a 10% increase in wholesale electricity prices and a 4% rise in CO2 emissions, and recommends more frequent application windows for grid connections, as well as better coordination between regulatory bodies. Check out the full study here: http://bit.ly/4eM1d88 💡

Invitation to tender: Capacity and Flexibility Markets We invite applicants to submit their proposals for the tender Capacity – and Flexibility Markets – an overview of different possible designs with their advantages and disadvantages. Reviewing the Electricity Market Regulation 2019/943, the EU responded to the energy crisis by changing the provision on capacity markets and introducing the new instrument, “flexibility support scheme”. Therefore, the study shall analyse the advantages and disadvantages of different market designs with regard to how they can work together with integrated cross border electricity markets. The aim of the study is to contribute to a coordinated Nordic implementation of the European regulation on capacity mechanisms and flexibility support schemes. The available budget for the study is 1.1 million NOK. Nordic Energy Research acts as the contracting partner on behalf of the Nordic Committee of Senior Officials for Energy Policies. Deadline for submission is 29 July at 13:00 (CEST). Read more and apply for the tender at: https://lnkd.in/dNKRhHFv #Nordic #Energy #Research #ResearchFunding

And here a good summary of a current discussion in Germany regarding zonal pricing and grid congestions in one of the most meshed power grids in Europe.

Energy storage resources (ESRs) are critical to our power grid—they allow for more flexibility, innovation, and #renewableenergy integration. Since their introduction into wholesale electricity markets in 2018, ESRs have reshaped our energy landscape.   Now, a new EPRI technical brief provides an insightful overview of energy storage’s impact on the wholesale market.   According to the report, a surge of energy storage participation has been observed—with top applications including capacity, frequency regulation, arbitrage, and spinning reserve. However, challenges remain, especially when it comes to State of Charge management, capacity valuation, and interconnection processes.   Check out EPRI’s latest brief to learn more about the transformative impact of #energystorage on the market: https://lnkd.in/euzAaA3i

Bid zone split won’t solve German grid congestion – analyst Germany’s power market is facing grid congestion issues, particularly in transporting wind-generated power from the north to the industrial south. The EU regulatory agency Acer has suggested splitting the market into up to four bidding zones. However, Tobias Federico, managing director at Montel Analytics, argued that splitting the market wouldn't address the core issue of grid bottlenecks. He emphasized that investment in grid expansion is crucial, as price zone divisions alone do not incentivize necessary infrastructure or appropriate power generation location investments. While some economists believe that separate zones could reflect market realities better and enhance flexibility, industry groups like VIK, BDEW, VKU, and Efet support maintaining a single price zone for long-term price transparency and investment stability. They argue that smaller zones could lead to more volatile prices and reduced investment in grid and renewable energy. Reporting by Julia Demirdag. For more details, the full article link can be found in the comments section. #energymarkets #germany #windgeneration #energyprices #renewableenergy

EPRI has been awarded a $2 million grant by the California Energy Commission to demonstrate scalable, community-based virtual power plants (#VPPs) for commercial buildings! This project will increase integration of customer-sited renewables and electric vehicles, and build load demand flexibility to help #California meet its climate and clean energy goals. EPRI, in collaboration with Los Angeles Unified School District, Southern California Edison (SCE), Edo, Brotherhood Crusade, Kliewer and Associates, LLC, and New Buildings Institute, will install an interoperable energy management system at two LAUSD sites, aimed to overcome market barriers through an interoperable energy management system. “Load flexibility is becoming increasingly important as more electric vehicles, heat pumps, wind, and solar come online as part of the #cleanenergy transition,” said EPRI Vice President of Electrification and Sustainable Energy Strategy David Porter. “This project offers significant potential to increase demand flexibility in the commercial space, and could be eventually replicated for residential needs, benefitting consumers as part of an affordable and reliable clean energy future.” 📰 Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eEhvE_K9

#NewsIE | U.S. developers added 11 GW of new utility-scale #cleanpower capacity, marking a 91% increase from Q2 2023.  ➡️ https://lnkd.in/duxyyHEc The American Clean Power Association (ACP) has recently released its Clean Power Quarterly Market Report | Q2 2024, showcasing extraordinary growth and milestones across the U.S. clean power landscape. “Clean energy is answering the call to unleash more American energy, with another record quarter of deployment. While all clean energy technologies are expanding their market share, energy storage is scaling at a stunning speed and has surpassed 20 GW of operating capacity,” said ACP CEO Jason Grumet. fyi: Will Sturgeon, Phil Sgro, MJ Shiao, Susan Nickey, Sheldon Kimber, Matt Tetrault, Diana Godlevskaya, Blake Deeley, Charlie Hemmeline, Carrie Zalewski, Kleber Costa, Kathleen Robertson, Noah Roberts, Sam Ramsey

🌐 Today at the European Commission’s 10th Energy Infrastructure Forum in #Copenhagen, Dr. Annegret Groebel, CEER President, highlighted the findings of the ACER/CEER joint Position on Anticipatory Investments: 🔹 Emphasising the implementation of existing measures rather than introducing new actions. 🔹 System operators' proactive planning to meet future demands. 🔹 Applying similar regulatory treatment for anticipatory and other grid investments. 🔹 Addressing long permitting periods to accelerate grid development. 🔹 Considering the impact of investments on tariffs. Key recommendations include strengthening national energy regulators' roles, improving decision-making processes, encouraging early connection requests, enhancing coordination, and expediting project implementation. #EnergyInfrastructure #RenewableEnergy #GridExpansion #SustainableFuture EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER)

Join us at this forum focused on clean energy resources. We (Divya Chandrashekara, Julia Matevosyan, Emily Hwang and I) will be participating in a panel to discuss the challenges and opportunities unique to utility-scale inverter-based resources. This panel will dive into the increasingly important roles of emerging national and international requirements to address grid stability and reliability challenges. 

The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has just made a final rule to improve transmission planning in our National Energy Market.   Here's what you need to know - the rule: 👉 Enhances cost recovery certainty for Transmission Network Service Providers.  👉Incentivises efficient 'early works' earlier in the planning process. 👉Introduces early works contingent project applications. 👉Embeds principles for cost assessment by the AER. 👉Clarifies AEMO's role in specifying early works examples.   The goal? To reduce unnecessary costs and delays in transmission projects, ultimately benefiting Australian consumers.   To learn more about this work: https://bit.ly/3ATmHkH