White Papers

Take Charge: A Guidebook to Fleet Electrification and Infrastructure

Spurred by the introduction of new technologies, infrastructure improvements and emission reduction legislation, fleet operators have begun to embrace electrification in earnest. In fact, organizations around the world are evaluating their needs to determine where electrification can fit into their operations.

The backbone of any electric fleet is the charging infrastructure—the physical network that transfers electricity from the grid to the vehicles themselves. In this guidebook you’ll learn the basics of charging: how it works, selecting the right charging option and more. You’ll also get important information on how PG&E can help with charger selection, site planning and design. You’ll also learn about financial incentives from PG&E and others that can cover much of your infrastructure conversion costs.

2019 Battery Performance Scorecard

Certainty in energy storage means confidence that a system will perform reliably and have a predictable life expectancy. The economic viability of the entire project is built on this reassurance.

The 2019 Battery Performance Scorecard—based on battery testing in DNV GL’s Product Qualification Programs at its BEST Test & Commercialization Center in Rochester, New York—provides confidence in the quickly growing global battery market and a roadmap for battery buyers to manage and operate specific battery technologies and estimate warranties and replacement costs. The Scorecard helps investors, lenders and developers and engineering companies inform their purchase strategy and provides a roadmap to effectively manage and operate specific battery technologies and estimate warranties and replacement costs.

What’s new in the 2019 report:

• More participants and data
• New chemistries
• Additional discussions on safety

Download the 2019 Battery Performance Scorecard to read the 10 main takeaways for buyers of battery systems.

The Changing Dynamics of Renewable Asset Sell-Downs

Asset sell-downs are nothing new in the renewable energy industry. But as the scale and number of renewable projects have grown, the appetite for buying and selling major stakes in U.S. solar and wind projects has also increased.

Over the next 18 months, a combination of factors are expected to drive the continued growth of sell-downs, including the growth of renewables, new players entering the market, and changes to tax equity structures.

In this white paper, CohnReznick and CohnReznick Capital experts discuss why renewable asset sell-downs have changed, and what the implications are for IPPs, institutional investors and U.S. utilities.

Accelerating the EV Revolution for Business

Sustainability, carbon goals, and changing customer expectations are driving businesses across all sectors to consider incorporating electric vehicles (EV) into their fleet.

However, even as the cost of EVs continues to fall rapidly, business owners must still navigate the many complex considerations involved in choosing the right EV solution.

In this webinar executive summary, Centrica Business Solutions explores the shifting technological and policy factors that business owners should consider to avoid obsolescence and future-proof their EV investment.

Transforming Predictive Vegetation Management with Advanced Analytics

Due to the rise in extreme weather events and a laser focus on the customer experience, increasing grid infrastructure resiliency has become more important than ever. A leading cause of power outages, and not just during extreme weather events, is tree contact with transmission lines. While advanced analytics are redefining many aspects of the utility business, vegetation management has not seen the same transformation.

But that is changing. Utilities can now leverage advancements in geospatial-temporal data and analytics to improve their approach to vegetation management. Learn how tools such as The Weather Company Vegetation Management – Predict, built on IBM PAIRS Geoscope, applies predictive analytics to massive data sets to generate robust insights. This GTM mini brief covers how predictive analytics can strengthen utility vegetation management, bolster storm preparation, streamline regulatory processes and improve the customer experience.

Defining System Flexibility: Supply is Only Half of the Equation

Definitions of flexibility differ depending on the  portion of the grid one focuses on. As generation portfolios evolve and customer-side resources  continue to contribute variability to the grid,  flexibility should be viewed from both the supply and demand side. In this webinar executive summary, Wood Mackenzie  Power & Renewables provides a holistic view of system flexibility and insights into key drivers to optimize such flexibility.

Workplace and Residential EV Charging Snapshot

According to Wood Mackenzie EV analysts, the development of electric vehicle (EV) charging outlets is accelerating around the globe to both alleviate range anxiety and enable greater EV penetration. Wood Mackenzie research released in H2 2019 explores how this market will scale to supply power to light-duty EVs via residential, workplace and public charging outlets globally, as well as the opportunity for workplace charging in the United States and Europe through 2025.

Connected Thermostats and Low-Income Energy Programs: High Impact, Low Cost

Smart thermostats have now proven they can complement core weatherization and appliance upgrade measures to deliver meaningful savings. Learn how Nest is installing 1 million thermostats in homes that need them most, in collaboration with energy companies, housing agencies, and non-profit organizations that are working to bring energy efficiency to everyone.

The Future of String Inverters for Energy Storage

As the energy storage market grows, demands for innovative, cost-effective inverter technology increase as well. Just as the solar industry has seen an evolution towards smarter, more modular inverters, autonomous string-inverter architecture is emerging as an alternative to central inverters for managing battery systems.

One example is LS Energy Solutions’ PowerBRiC system, a modular building-block string inverter focused on maximizing reliability and creating value-stacking opportunities for energy storage projects. Learn how the flexible stand-alone inverter design offers scalable solutions for a wide range of applications in distributed power generation.

Voice Assistant Platforms: Pursuing an Improved Utility Customer Experience

The explosive growth of voice assistants cannot be ignored by any customer-centric company, and that includes utilities. Google recently announced the release of a Google Assistant developer program that energy companies can use as a platform for fruitful customer interactions. The platform streamlines Google Assistant integration for utilities and helps them improve the customer experience. This white paper offers examples from early adopters, such as Xcel Energy, and insights as to how energy providers can best leverage smart home technologies to offer customers a better experience when it comes to making energy decisions.