The Pennsylvania Solar Center will host another in its series of Watts & Learn webinars September 22 on Solar + Storage + Micrograms = Energy Freedom starting at 1:15 p.m.

Over the past few years, Pennsylvania state agencies, advocates, utilities, and other stakeholders have looked more closely at the potential of electricity-storage, microgrids, and other systems that support the growth of solar and other renewable energy in Pennsylvania.

But what have we learned?

Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission recently issued a Proposed Policy Statement Order on electricity storage that defines “electricity-storage asset” and “non-wires solution” and encourages electric companies to consider electricity-storage as part of their system planning.   [Read more here]

The proposed policy statement follows a proceeding that was initiated in December 2020 by the PUC to receive feedback on how electric storage could facilitate improved reliability and resilience in Pennsylvania and if electric utilities should include electric storage in their planning and rate base.

While the PUC was collecting and analyzing comments from 30 groups, the Department of Environmental Protection convened energy storage stakeholders on advancing energy storage more broadly in Pennsylvania.

It published a 100+ page Pennsylvania Energy Storage Assessment: Status, Barriers and Opportunities in April 2021, which surveys the current energy storage landscape and provides recommendations to enhance the energy storage market in the state.  [Read more here]

Around the same time, DEP’s Energy Programs Office worked with ProtoGen to conduct microgrid feasibility analysis for critical facilities across Pennsylvania, including Sharpsburg, Montgomery Township Municipal Sewer Authority, and the Perry County Courthouse/911 Call Center with more assessments expected in the future.

Join the Pennsylvania Solar Center and the experts for an update on all of these timely and relevant activities.

We’ll be joined by Dave Edinger at the Public Utility Commission to provide an overview of the PUC’s Proposed Policy Statement, and Kevin Wright, President of ProtoGen, a Pennsylvania-based microgrid developer, to talk about ProtoGen’s evaluation of microgrid feasibility across Pennsylvania.

The full list of speakers include--

-- Dave Edinger, Policy Analyst, Bureau of Technical Utility Services, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission

-- Garrett Strunk, Energy Program Specialist, Energy Programs Office, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection

-- Kevin Wright, President, ProtoGen Energy

-- Representative from Eos Energy Storage, Pittsburgh

Click Here to register and for more information.

The Pennsylvania Solar Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit effort to raise the awareness of the benefits of solar energy in Pennsylvania. Click Here to sign up for regular updates.

(Photo: Eos Energy Storage, Pittsburgh)

[Posted: September 15, 2023]

9/18/2023