Read our Spring 2020 issue for updates on our country activities, events, global technical
platforms, and resources.
The USAID-NREL Partnership addresses critical challenges to scaling up advanced energy
systems through global tools and technical assistance, including the Renewable Energy
Data Explorer, Greening the Grid, the International Jobs and Economic Development
Impacts tool, and the Resilient Energy Platform.
Featured News
Photo by Pat Corkery, NREL
Questions about Navigating the Impacts of COVID-19 within the Energy Sector? We Can
Help.
Our team of experts can answer these types of questions:
How can we ensure a reliable power supply to critical infrastructure as we respond
to COVID-19 impacts?
What are the best practices to respond to disruptions in our supply chains that support
grid-wide operation and maintenance?
How can we consider energy development and clean energy as we turn to economic recovery
and potential stimulus packages?
What are the best practices for building systems operations (such as heating ventilation
or air conditioning) to support the health of occupants given the COVID-19 pandemic?
Energy Sector Workforce Training Enables Colombia's Power Sector Transformation
USAID Colombia and NREL are supporting the government of Colombia in transforming
their energy sector by providing targeted technical assistance and comprehensive workforce
training. USAID Colombia, NREL, the U.S. Energy Association and USAID's Scaling up
Renewable Energy Program are working as a team to develop a series of training modules
designed to ready Colombia's energy sector workforce to participate in the construction
and operation of clean energy projects that deliver variable renewable energy, such
as wind and solar, to the grid. Participants of the training program represent all
the regions and various organizations within the Colombian energy sector. The selection
process, which prioritized the inclusion of women, includes early-career professionals
in positions that could have potential for future leadership roles.
Additionally, USAID Colombia and NREL will provide support for a key aspect of the
program focused on providing electricity to 117 communities identified within Colombia's
ratified peace zones. The goal of this project is to increase the productive use of
electricity in these areas via reliable, constant power and clean energy microgrids.
Originally designed to be presented in-person in Colombia, the program's partners
worked swiftly and diligently to convert seven training modules into a robust online
curriculum because of COVID-19 travel restrictions. Learn more about the workforce training program in Colombia by visiting our program webpage.
Renewable Energy (RE) Explorer provides renewable energy data, geospatial analysis
tools, and technical assistance to support data-driven renewable energy decision making.
New Guides Provide Information on Using RE Data Explorer in Auction Processes and
Project Development
Judith Gap Wind Energy Center, Judith Gap, Montana 135 MW, 90 GE 1.5 MW SLE turbines
Photo by Invenergy LLC
The RE Data Explorer geospatial analysis tool and its underlying data can inform many
types of vital renewable energy decisions. To support decision makers, the RE Explorer
team developed two new guides that specifically feature how the tool can inform renewable
energy auction processes and renewable energy project development stages. Each guide
includes an overview of stages or good practices to support program or project design,
when and how the RE Data Explorer tool can provide insights, and examples of instances
in which the RE Data Explorer tool has been used in related circumstances. The guides
are designed to be concise and user-friendly.
Greening the Grid is a platform for expertly curated information, tools, and technical
assistance to support countries in power system transformation and grid modernization.
Greening the Grid addresses technical challenges around grid modernization and advanced
energy integration through the Grid Integration toolkit, the Renewable Energy Zones
toolkit, and the Distributed Photovoltaics toolkit.
Behind-The-Meter Solar-Plus-Storage Regulatory Considerations Inform Retail Program
Design
Behind-the-meter energy storage systems paired with distributed photovoltaic (DPV)—with
the capability to act as both generation and load—represent a unique and disruptive
power sector solution capable of providing a range of important services to customers,
utilities, and the broader power system.
How should regulators, utilities, and policymakers manage the range of challenges
and opportunities that increased behind-the-meter energy storage deployment will bring
to the power system, in particular when these systems are paired with DPV? The USAID-NREL
Partnership produced two reports intended to offer key regulatory and program design
considerations for facilitating DPV-plus-storage programs for retail customers—one
focused on applying examples from the United States to international contexts and one focused specifically on the power sector in India.
Building on insights derived from the above reports, and followed by a visit from
NREL and USAID's Partnership to Advance Clean Energy Deployment 2.0 (PACE-D 2.0) to
the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission (GERC) in February 2020, PACE-D 2.0
submitted a set of official proposals to GERC's FY 2020–2021 ratemaking process for
improvements to retail tariffs. Two proposals to make retail tariffs for residential
solar customers more grid-friendly were accepted. These also provide incentives for
the deployment of behind-the-meter grid interactive storage that could be dispatched
to both reduce customer bills and reduce grid costs.
Global Power System Transformation Consortium Supports Power System Operators
Photo by Dennis Schroeder, NREL
Through partnership with the newly established Global Power System Transformation (G-PST) Consortium, the USAID-NREL Partnership and Greening the Grid are able to provide USAID Missions
and partners streamlined access to a group of world-class technical institutions as
well as a global network of power system operator peers, such as the California Independent
System Operator and the Australian Energy Market Operator, which can support ongoing
power sector programming and provide cutting edge technical assistance and support
to system operators and utilities.
The G-PST Consortium was founded on the premise that system operators are a critical
stakeholder group responsible for implementing energy transition goals. System operators
also play a critical role in informing and building confidence in goals and policies
for clean energy. The G-PST Consortium provides technical assistance to system operators
and utilities, helping to support scaled up investment in transmission infrastructure
and clean energy, as well as the development of the critical skills and capabilities
necessary to operate tomorrow's power systems with increasing amounts of renewable
energy. For more information about the G-PST Consortium, email greeningthegrid@nrel.gov.
Greening the Grid To Add Transport Electrification and Energy Storage Toolkit
Vehicle electrification and energy storage are both important, emerging clean energy
topics. At this stage, electrifying vehicles is the only economically viable pathway
to achieving clean energy transitions in the transport sector at-scale. Additionally,
energy storage is a topic area where there is clear interest in more foundational,
capacity-building resources and strategic advice for planners and policymakers.
Based on demand from USAID Missions and partners, the USAID-NREL Partnership is developing
knowledge products, resources, and strategic approaches to address transportation
electrification and energy storage, including decision guides, FAQs, webinars, and
targeted technical assistance. These resources will be developed throughout 2020,
so keep an eye on Greening the Grid and this newsletter for more updates. For more information about the USAID-NREL Partnership's
work with emerging technologies, watch Electrifying Transport in USAID Partner Countries: Key Issues and Case Studies.
Resilient Energy Platform
The Resilient Energy Platform provides expertly curated resources, training materials,
tools, and direct technical assistance in planning resilient, sustainable, and secure
power systems. The platform enables decision makers to assess power sector vulnerabilities,
identify resilience solutions, and make informed decisions to enhance power sector
resilience at all scales.
Resilient Energy Platform Adds Cybersecurity Toolkit
Photo from iStock
Digitalization of the electrical grid promises to revolutionize operations and provide
benefits to both utilities and consumers. However, rapid digitalization that does
not address cybersecurity can result in vulnerabilities that expose confidential information
to cyber criminals. The Resilient Energy Platform is developing resources to address
cybersecurity and better understand how power systems can take advantage of the benefits
of digitalization while remaining secure and safe. The first resource produced under
this topic area is a new quick read on cybersecurity and distributed energy resources. Additionally, the Resilient Energy Platform is engaging in a webinar series on cybersecurity
and the power system. The first webinar, Building Blocks To Support Cybersecurity
in the Power Sector, will be held at 8 a.m. MT on June 25. Register at GoToWebinar.
Events
NREL at ACEF: Join Us at the First Virtual Asia Clean Energy Forum
The first virtual Asia Clean Energy Forum (ACEF) will be held June 15–19, 2020. As
one of Asia's leading clean energy events, ACEF connects diverse stakeholders from
across Asia and the globe, facilitates knowledge sharing, and highlights the Asian
Development Bank's groundbreaking work to scale up clean energy investment in the
region. Registration for ACEF and its side events is free and open to any interested
individuals.
You can join experts from NREL at two official ACEF events this year:
Distributed Resources and the Sustainable Energy Transition in Asia – ACEF 2020 Deep
Dive Workshop – Register for ACEF
Geographic Information System (GIS) Tools for Smarter Energy Planning – ACEF 2020 Official Side Event – Register for the side event.
What will power demand in Southeast Asia be in 30 to 40 years? Where will demand be
greatest? What will the hourly demand profile look like with the deployment of advanced
energy systems (such as electric vehicles) and shifting economic sectors? Power system
planners are faced with these and more challenging questions as they model and forecast
long-term electricity demand for increasingly complex and transforming power systems
in Southeast Asia. This course will provide planners with improved demand modeling
and forecasting approaches as well as an understanding of scenario-based planning
to support robust power system planning. Participants will be equipped with the knowledge
and best practices to apply these methods in their planning activities.
REGISTER: Building Blocks To Support Cybersecurity in the Power Sector – June 25,
2020, at 8 a.m.
Cyber security is a critical aspect of power sector resilience. As an activity of
the Resilient Energy Platform, this webinar will present a power sector cybersecurity framework and building blocks
focused on technical, policy, planning, regulatory, and other key areas across power
system technologies such as distributed energy resources, bulk power, and grid modernization.
The webinar will also highlight new work planned through USAID to support developing
countries in designing and implementing cyber security measures. The webinar will
conclude with a moderated discussion on the building blocks and input from the audience
on ways the building blocks can be improved and refined. Register at GoToWebinar.
ANNOUNCEMENT: The Asia EDGE Power Sector Learning Series
The Asia EDGE Power Sector Learning Series provides no-cost virtual training on power
sector planning, resilience, grid integration, and power sector modernization topics.
Supported by USAID's Regional Development Mission for Asia, the series features leading global experts to share cutting-edge approaches and
best practices to enable competitive markets for clean energy technologies across
the Southeast Asia region. The first webinar in the series, A Practitioner’s Guide
to Implementing Solar Rooftop Programs and Navigating Net Metering Policies, will
be held on July 9, 2020. Greening the Grid will be updated with more information and links to register for individual webinars
as they become available.
WATCH: Clean Energy Technical Solutions for Power Sector Resilience
Clean energy technical solutions can enhance resilience across the grid system to
help provide more reliable and resilient power to end users. This webinar gathers
power system resilience experts to share insights about cutting-edge technologies
and approaches that can enable countries to better prepare for and address threats
to the power system. The webinar also includes case studies presented from resilience
projects in Barbados and Puerto Rico. Watch the recording: Clean Energy Technical Solutions for Power Sector Resilience.
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