July 28, 2023 - Your Scoop in CDR!

In a 'watershed moment,' interconnecting the US grid just got a lot … 07/27/2023- In a much-anticipated move, the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) passed a new rule today that’s finally going to streamline the backed-up US grid interconnection process.

At the end of 2022, there were more than 2,000 gigawatts of bottlenecked new power generation and storage waiting to be connected across the US. That’s the same amount of electricity generation capacity as all the power plants currently operating around the country. FERC Press Release 07/27/2023; Fact Sheet; Staff Presentation

Solar panels on water canals seem like a no-brainer. So why aren't … The idea is simple: install solar panels over canals in sunny, water-scarce regions where they reduce evaporation and make electricity.

A study by the University of California, Merced gives a boost to the idea, estimating that 63 billion gallons of water could be saved by covering California's 6,437 kilometres of canals with solar panels that could also generate 13 gigawatts of power. That's enough for the entire city of Los Angeles from January through early October.

But that's an estimate - neither it, nor other potential benefits have been tested scientifically. That's about to change with Project Nexus in California's Central Valley.