NextEra Dedicates 250 MW Solar Power Plant, Sells Power to PG&E

NextEra Energy Resources, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy dedicated the company's 250 MW Genesis Solar Energy Center, located in Riverside County, Calif. All of the power generated by the solar facility is being provided to Pacific Gas & Electric under a long-term contract. The solar facility, which is comprised of two identical 125-MW generating units, entered service in November 2013 and March 2014, respectively and is owned and operated by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources.

MidAmerican Energy to Supply Wind Power to Google Data Center

Google and MidAmerican Energy (MidAmerican) established an agreement for MidAmerican to supply Google's Council Bluffs, Iowa data center with up to 407 MW of wind-sourced energy. The wind power will come from several wind projects that are part of MidAmerican's Wind VIII program, an initiative under which MidAmerican will bring 1,050 MW of new Iowa wind power online by the end of 2015.

Southern Company and Turner Renewable Energy Acquire Second California Solar Plant

Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power, in partnership with Turner Renewable Energy, officially acquired of the partnership's second California solar installation. The agreement to acquire the Adobe Solar Facility, a 20- MW solar PV installation in Kern County, Calif., was closed upon successful completion of construction. The facility represents the partnership's sixth solar project and is expected to begin commercial operation in May.

Calpine Agrees to Sell Six Southeast Power Plants for $1.57 Billion

Calpine agreed to sell six power plants in its Southeast region to LS Power for $1.57 billion in cash, subject to working capital and other adjustments. Plants sold include: Oneta Energy Center (1,134 MW), Coweta, OK; Carville Energy Center (501 MW), St. Gabriel, LA; Decatur Energy Center (795 MW), Decatur, AL; Hog Bayou Energy Center (237 MW), Mobile, AL; Santa Rosa Energy Center (225 MW), Pace, Florida; Columbia Energy Center (606 MW), Calhoun County, SC.

SunEdison Closes on 20 MW Adobe Solar Facility in California

SunEdison interconnected a 20-MW AC solar plant in Kern County, California. The project, known as the Adobe Solar Facility, is owned by Southern Company subsidiary Southern Power and Turner Renewable Energy and is composed of 80,000 SunEdison Silvantis Solar PV modules. SunEdison was responsible for building the Adobe facility, and will provide asset management and 24/7 monitoring and maintenance services through its renewable operations center.

EMACS -- The Customer Experience Conference

EMACS - The Customer Experience Conference features industry leaders that deliver top-quality presentations and panel discussions addressing today’s most pressing issues. Learn from peers as they convey actual experiences, highlight best practices and share forward-thinking strategies that improve customer satisfaction. Don’t miss the utility industry’s ideal forum for networking and collaboration - leverage more than 30 hours of learning and interaction across the content-rich agenda. For more information visit www.emacsconference.com

Digest (May 2014)

GE Energy Consulting and the New York Power Authority agree to a license arrangement allowing NYPA to use GE’s MAPS software to perform high-fidelity nodal analysis; NRG acquires Roof Diagnostics Solar, a residential solar company; GE unveils 2.75-120 wind turbine; AEP awards Babcock & Wilcox a contract to provide steam generator services.

Working at the Edge of the Grid

How to find value in distributed energy resources.

Distributed resources create a new multi-directional power grid, achieving the sort of scale-driven cost levels and ease of installation that portend of future mass deployment.

In the Crosshairs

Protecting substations and transformers after the PG&E Metcalf attack.

The latest fallout from the April 2013 Metcalf incident: the unprecedented assault with high-powered rifles on PG&E’s Metcalf substation, in Silicon Valley, which disabled 17 of 20 large transformers.

Future Shock

ERCOT load growth: patterns, possibilities, and second thoughts.

Data from ERCOT indicates that energy intensity is falling markedly, as measured in terms of kWh usage per number of nonfarm jobs. That suggests much less future load growth, yet EIA data based on nationwide scenarios do not seem to agree.