Grid edge
This startup turns electric water heaters into grid batteries
Shifted Energy is tapping water heaters in lower-income communities to create virtual power plants that help balance the grid, starting in Hawaii.
Jeff St. John is director of news and special projects at Canary Media. He covers the intersection of technological, economic and regulatory issues influencing the global transition to low-carbon energy in the electricity, transportation and building sectors. He is the former managing editor and senior grid edge editor of Greentech Media, and he previously reported for The Fresno Bee, the Tri-City Herald and the Anchorage Daily News. He lives in Oakland, California with his wife Tara Donoghue and his dog Lily, and enjoys hiking, gardening and playing guitar with his nieces and nephews.
His areas of expertise include renewable energy, smart grid, distributed energy resources, energy storage, demand response and electric vehicles.
He earned a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2001.
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Electrification
BlocPower raises $155M to speed up its all-electric building retrofits
The startup partners with cities and uses software and financing to make electrification pay off for low- and moderate-income residents.
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Clean energy
Here's the good and bad news on the US clean energy transition
A comprehensive new report from BNEF lays out 2022's mixed bag of wins and losses on EVs, emissions, energy storage, climate disasters and much more.
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Batteries
More money for US battery recycling: DOE offers $375M loan to Li-Cycle
It's the second big federal loan this month to help build American facilities that process hard-to-recycle materials — and deal with the future flood of used EV batteries.
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Clean energy
California ups renewables target again with new plan to add 85GW by 2035
The updated carbon-cutting goals will require immense amounts of solar, batteries, offshore wind, geothermal and transmission. Can it all be built fast enough?
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Utilities
This software factors climate risk and energy equity into grid planning
Utilities need to know how their equipment upgrades will impact vulnerable communities. UrbanFootprint’s platform provides the necessary data.
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Grid edge
Inside the software running Sunrun's home solar-battery fleets
Virtual power plants are only as good as the software that controls them. Here's how Lunar Energy is making the most of Sunrun's grid potential.
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Grid edge
PG&E is testing different flavors of virtual power plant
What's the best way for home batteries to help ease summer grid stress? This California utility is trying out two different models with Tesla and Sunrun.
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Emissions reduction
Carbon credits could soon help fund distributed clean energy projects
Voluntary carbon offset markets are under fire. WattCarbon CEO McGee Young sees heat pump retrofits, demand response and community solar as a better target.
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Batteries
Redwood Materials wins $2B DOE loan to recycle EV batteries
The U.S. needs a robust domestic supply of recycled materials to get EVs on the road. Federal support will be a big help in kick-starting the nascent industry.
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