The potential of Solar & Storage in Sub Saharan Africa

Grid-connected microgrids hold the potential to facilitate the integration of renewable energy generation without expensive grid reinforcements, improve energy efficiency, resiliency and most importantly cut on costs and carbon. With an increasing number of distributed energy resources and dropping costs of energy storage, balancing energy supply and demand on a local level can create a variety of advantages. Wouter Vermeiden, Manager Business Development at ZOWN, and Demijan Panic, Innovation at E.ON, were joined by Thomas Boersma, Project Manager at Solarplaza, to explore opportunities for grid-connected microgrids.

As the Department of Energy develops its review of the electricity grid and new FERC commissioners take their seats, discussions about the effects of the changing generation mix and federal subsidies on grid reliability are coming to the forefront. Join a group of experts as we discuss the potential consequences for renewable energy growth and identify strategies for U.S. power markets to better integrate variable and flexible resources.

With over $45 billion in U.S. renewables investment last year, renewable energy remains a major economic driver stimulating job growth and development throughout the country. On this member-only webinar, investors will provide perspectives on how recent policy uncertainty is affecting capital flows, how it may affect deployment in 2017 and beyond, and the potential impacts of tax reform.

The risks of electricity outages caused by climate related extreme weather including excessive heat, wildfires, storms and public safety power shutoffs (PSPS) has significantly increased over the past several years. In response, California’s population of backup generators has grown rapidly. An analysis conducted by policy consultancy M.Cubed of the number and characteristics of back-up generators permitted in the Bay Area and South Coast air quality management districts, found that the generator population jumped by 22 percent in South Coast over the last year, with 34 percent growth in less than three years in the Bay Area.