1. Battery-Powered California Faces Lower Blackout Risk This Summer

Learning: "California expects to avoid rolling blackouts this summer as new solar plants and large batteries plug into the state’s grid at a rapid clip.

The state’s electricity system has been strained by years of drought, wildfires that knock out transmission lines and record-setting heat waves. But officials forecast Wednesday new resources added to the grid in the last four years would give California ample supplies for typical summer weather."

Implication: "Since 2020, California has added 18.5 gigawatts of new resources. Of that, 6.6 gigawatts were batteries, 6.3 gigawatts were solar, and 1.4 gigawatts were a combination of solar and storage. One gigawatt can power about 750,000 homes. In addition, the state’s hydropower plants will be a reliable source of electricity after two wet winters in a row ended California’s most recent drought."

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2. Google data center helps heat Finnish homes for free

Learning: "Google and Haminan Energia have powered up a heat recovery project in Finland that taps waste heat from Google's Hamina data center to deliver sustainable recovered heat to the homes of 2,000 people -- free of charge."

Implication: "As it stands, heat from Google’s Hamina data center has been captured and recovered to heat the offices and buildings on site."

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3. Duke to offer expanded suite of clean energy options to Amazon, Google, other large customers

Learning: "Duke Energy is developing a framework for offering clean energy to large commercial and industrial customers in the Carolinas, with an initial focus on Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Nucor."

Implication: "The planned Accelerating Clean Energy tariffs will include financing options that could be used to support emerging technologies such as long-duration energy storage and advanced nuclear power as well as “mega” projects.

Duke expects to begin filing new tariffs with utility regulators in North Carolina and South Carolina within a month or two, but the process will occur in stages... The clean energy tariffs will be available to Duke’s C&I customers."

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4. Survey: Environment and Health Top Consumer Reasons to Transition Homes Off Fossil Fuels

Learning: "A new nationwide survey found that among those interested in transitioning their homes from fossil fuels to efficient electric systems, the most common reasons were the environment, health and safety, and energy efficiency. The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) surveyed nearly 2,000 U.S. homeowners and renters about their interest in electrifying their home heating, hot water, and cooking appliances."

Implication: "​​Ease of cleaning was a major selling point for electric cooktops. People with childhood experience with electric systems were more likely to want to switch to electric appliances, and those who believe in climate change were nearly twice as likely to want to make the switch. Consumers in these demographics could be most receptive to electrification incentive programs sponsored by utilities and others...

For home heating and hot water, the top reasons respondents gave for wanting to switch were that electric options are safer, better for the environment, and more energy efficient. For cooking, the top reason for choosing to switch to electric appliances was a belief that electricity is better for the environment, with the second most common reason being that electric stovetops are easier to clean. People interested in making the switch were about 50% more likely to have childhood experience with electric stoves and ovens.

The survey found that people with electric lawnmowers or solar panels are between one-third more to more than twice as likely to want to transition to high-efficiency electric appliances for heating, hot water, and cooking, as shown in the chart below."

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5. Burj Khalifa designer plans skyscrapers that can be used as giant batteries

Learning: "The designer of the world’s tallest building is now planning to make skyscrapers that would be capable of storing energy.

Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), the firm that designed Burj Khalifa, now aims to turn skyscrapers into batteries using gravity."

Implication: "Based on technology developed by partner Energy Vault Holdings Inc., SOM has designed prototypes that elevate massive blocks using electric motors. The process creates potential energy that can be converted into power as blocks are lowered.

The concept is similar to widely used pumped hydroelectric plants. Energy Vault completed its first major project this month near Shanghai, a stand-alone storage system that can supply as much as 25 megawatts of power for four hours."