Victoria, British Columbia-based wind farm developer EarthFirst Canada said that it has signed three "standard offer" contracts with the Ontario Power Authority to develop 30 MW of wind projects. It hopes to soon sign a fourth 10 MW deal.
Under OPA's standard-offer program, the agency agrees to enter into 20 year power purchase agreements of up to 10 MW each with developers who propose small wind farms.
OPA pays the developers a standard rate – $110/MWh – for their wind power.
EarthFirst said that it is exploring the potential for more than 2,500 MW of wind projects, including "174 MW, which is expected to be in commercial production by the end of 2009, and an additional 226 MW, which are fully permitted and expected to be tendered into the BC Clean Power call this year."
Distributed Energy Resources (DER) are surging as solar PV, battery storage, and demand response decarbonize power, cut costs, and boost grid resilience for utilities, ESCOs, and C&I customers through 2030.
Key Points
DER are small-scale, grid-connected assets like solar PV, storage, and demand response that deliver flexible power.
✅ Investments in DER to rise 75% by 2030; $846B in assets, $285B in storage.
✅ Residential solar PV: 49.3% of spend; C&I solar PV: 38.9% by 2030.
✅ Drivers: favorable policy, falling costs, high demand charges, decarbonization.
Frost & Sullivan's recent analysis, Growth Opportunities in Distributed Energy, Forecast to 2030, finds that the rate of annual investment in distributed energy resources (DER) will increase by 75% by 2030, with the market set for a decade of high growth. Favorable regulations, declining project and technology costs, and high electricity and demand charges are key factors driving investments in DER across the globe, with rising European demand boosting US solar equipment makers prospects in export markets. The COVID-19 pandemic will reduce investment levels in the short term, but the market will recover. Throughout the decade, $846 billion will be invested in DER, supported by a further $285 billion that will be invested in battery storage, with record solar and storage growth anticipated as installations and investments accelerate.
"The DER business model will play an increasingly pivotal role in the global power mix, as highlighted by BNEF's 2050 outlook and as part of a wider effort to decarbonize the sector," said Maria Benintende, Senior Energy Analyst at Frost & Sullivan. "Additionally, solar photovoltaic (PV) will dominate throughout the decade. Residential solar PV will account for 49.3% of total investment ($419 billion), though policy moves like a potential Solar ITC extension could pressure the US wind market, with commercial and industrial solar PV accounting for a further 38.9% ($330 billion)."
Benintende added: "In developing economies, DER offers a chance to bridge the electricity supply gap that still exists in a number of country markets. Further, in developed markets, DER is a key part of the transition to a cleaner and more resilient energy system, consistent with IRENA's renewables decarbonization findings across the energy sector."
DER offers significant revenue growth prospects for all key market participants, including:
Technology original equipment manufacturers (OEMs): Offer flexible after-sales support, including digital solutions such as asset integrity and optimization services for their installed base.
System integrators and installers: Target household customers and provide efficient and trustworthy solutions with flexible financial models.
Energy service companies (ESCOs): ESCOs should focus on adding DER deployments, in line with US decarbonization pathways and policy goals, to expand and enhance their traditional role of providing energy savings and demand-side management services to customers.
Utility companies: Deployment of DER can create new revenue streams for utility companies, from real-time and flexibility markets, and rapid solar PV growth in China illustrates how momentum in renewables can shape utility strategies. Growth Opportunities in Distributed Energy, Forecast to 2030 is the latest addition to Frost & Sullivan's Energy and Environment research and analyses available through the Frost & Sullivan Leadership Council, which helps organizations identify a continuous flow of growth opportunities to succeed in an unpredictable future.
Massachusetts Energy Code Updates align DOER regulations with BBRS standards, advancing Stretch Code and Specialized Code beyond the Base Energy Code to accelerate net-zero construction, electrification, and high-efficiency building performance across municipal opt-in communities.
Key Points
They are DOER-led changes to Base, Stretch, and Specialized Codes to drive net-zero, electrified, efficient buildings.
✅ Updates apply Base, Stretch, or opt-in Specialized Code.
✅ Targets net-zero by 2050 with electrification-first design.
✅ Municipalities choose code path via City Council or Town Meeting.
Massachusetts will soon see significant updates to the energy codes that govern the construction and alteration of buildings throughout the Commonwealth.
As required by the 2021 climate bill, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) has recently finalized regulations updating the current Stretch Energy Code, previously promulgated by the state's Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS), and establishing a new Specialized Code geared toward achieving net-zero building energy performance.
The final code has been submitted to the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy for review as required under state law, amid ongoing Connecticut market overhaul discussions that could influence regional dynamics.
Under the new regulations, each municipality must apply one of the following:
Base Energy Code - The current Base Energy Code is being updated by the BBRS as part of its routine updates to the full set of building codes. This base code is the default if a municipality has not opted in to an alternative energy code.
Stretch Code - The updated Stretch Code creates stricter guidelines on energy-efficiency for almost all new constructions and alterations in municipalities that have adopted the previous Stretch Code, paralleling 100% carbon-free target in Minnesota and elsewhere to support building decarbonization. The updated Stretch Code will automatically become the applicable code in any municipality that previously opted-in to the Stretch Code.
Specialized Code - The newly created Specialized Code includes additional requirements above and beyond the Stretch Code, designed to get to ensure that new construction is consistent with a net-zero economy by 2050, similar to Canada's clean electricity regulations that set a 2050 decarbonization pathway. Municipalities must opt-in to adopt the Specialized Code by vote of City Council or Town Meeting.
The new codes are much too detailed to summarize in a blog post. You can read more here. Without going into those details here, it is worth noting a few significant policy implications of the new regulations:
With roughly 90% of Massachusetts municipalities having already adopted the prior version of the Stretch Code, the Commonwealth will effectively soon have a new base code that, even if it does not mandate zero-energy buildings, is nonetheless very aggressive in pushing new construction to be as energy-efficient as possible, as jurisdictions such as Ontario clean electricity regulations continue to reshape the power mix.
Although some concerns have been raised about the cost of compliance, particularly in a period of high inflation, and amid solar demand charge debates in Massachusetts, our understanding is that many developers have indicated that they can work with the new regulations without significant adverse impacts.
Of course, the success of the new codes depends on the success of the Commonwealth's efforts to transition quickly to a zero-carbon electrical grid, supported by initiatives like the state's energy storage solicitation to bolster reliability. If the cost of doing so is higher than expected, there could well be public resistance. If new transmission doesn't get built out sufficiently quickly or other problems occur, such that the power is not available to electrify all new construction, that would be a much more significant problem - for many reasons!
In short, the new regulations unquestionably set the Commonwealth on a course to electrify new construction and squeeze carbon emissions out of new buildings. However, as with the rest of our climate goals, there are a lot of moving pieces, including proposals for a clean electricity standard shaping the power sector that are going to have to come together to make the zero-carbon economy a reality.
COVID-19 Impact on Electricity Demand, per IEA data, shows 15% global load drop from lockdowns, with residential use up, industrial and service sectors down; fossil fuel generation fell as renewables and photovoltaics gained share.
Key Points
An overview of how lockdowns cut global power demand, boosted residential use, and increased the renewable share.
✅ IEA review shows at least 15% dip in daily global electricity load
✅ Lockdowns cut commercial and industrial demand; homes used more
✅ Fossil fuels fell as renewables and PV generation gained share
The daily demand for electricity dipped at least 15 per cent across the globe, according to Global Energy Review 2020: The impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on global energy demand and CO2 emissions, a report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) in April 2020, even as global power demand surged above pre-pandemic levels.
The report collated data from 30 countries, including India and China, that showed partial and full lockdown measures adopted by them were responsible for this decrease.
Full lockdowns in countries — including France, Italy, India, Spain, the United Kingdom where daily demand fell about 10% and the midwest region of the United States (US) — reduced this demand for electricity.
Reduction in electricity demand after lockdown measures (weather corrected)
Source: Global Energy Review 2020: The impacts of the COVID-19 crisis on global energy demand and CO2 emissions, IEA
Drivers of the fall
There was, however, a spike in residential demand for electricity as a result of people staying and working from home. This increase in residential demand, though, was not enough to compensate for reduced demand from industrial and commercial operations.
The extent of reduction depended not only on the duration and stringency of the lockdown, but also on the nature of the economy of the countries — predominantly service- or industry-based — the IEA report said.
A higher decline in electricity demand was noted in countries where the service sector — including retail, hospitality, education, tourism — was dominant, compared to countries that had industrial economies.
The US, for example — where industry forms only 20 per cent of the economy — saw larger reductions in electricity demand, compared to China, where power demand dropped as the industry accounts for more than 60 per cent of the economy.
Italy — the worst-affected country from COVID-19 — saw a decline greater than 25 per cent when compared to figures from last year, even as power demand held firm in parts of Europe during later lockdowns.
The report said the shutting down of the hospitality and tourism sectors in the country — major components of the Italian economy — were said to have had a higher impact, than any other factor, for this fall.
Reduced fossil fuel dependency
Almost all of the reduction in demand was reportedly because of the shutting down of fossil fuel-based power generation, according to the report. Instead, the share of electricity supply from renewables in the entire portfolio of energy sources, increased during the pandemic, reflecting low-carbon electricity lessons observed during COVID-19.
This was due to a natural increase in wind and photovoltaic power generation compared to 2019 along with a drop in overall electricity demand that forced electricity producers from non-renewable sources to decrease their supplies, before surging electricity demand began to strain power systems worldwide.
The Power System Operation Corporation of India also reported that electricity production from coal — India’s primary source of electricity — fell by 32.2 per cent to 1.91 billion units (kilowatt-hours) per day, in line with India's electricity demand decline reported during the pandemic, compared to the 2019 levels.
Germany's Joint Onshore Wind and Solar Tender invites 200 MW bids in an EEG auction, with PV and onshore wind competing on price per MWh, including grid integration costs and network fees under BNA rules.
Key Points
A BNA-run 200 MW EEG auction where PV and onshore wind compete on price per MWh, including grid integration costs.
✅ 200 MW cap; minimum project size 750 kW
✅ Max subsidy 87.50 per MWh; bids include network costs
✅ Solar capped at 10-20 MW; wind requires prior approval
Germany's Federal Network Agency (BNA) has launched its second joint onshore wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) tender, with a total capacity of 200 MW.
A maximum guaranteed subsidy payment has been set at 87.50 per MWh for both energy sources, which BNA says will have to compete against each other for the lowest price of electricity. According to auction rules, all projects must have a minimum of 750 kW.
The auction is due to be completed on 2 November.
The network regulator has capped solar projects at 10 MW, though this has been extended to 20 MW in some districts, amid calls to remove barriers to PV at the federal level. Onshore wind projects did not receive any such restrictions, though they require approval from Federal Immission Control three weeks prior to the bid date of 11 Octobe
Bids also require network and system integration costs to be included, and similar solicitations have been heavily subscribed, as an over-subscribed Duke Energy solar solicitation in the US market illustrates.
According to Germanys Renewable Energy Act (EEG), two joint onshore wind and solar auctions must take place each year between 2018 and 2021. After this, the government will review the scheme and decide whether to continue it beyond 2021.
The first tender, conducted in April, saw the entire 200 MW capacity given to solar PV projects, reflecting a broader solar power boost in Germany during the energy crisis. Of the 32 contracts awarded, value varied from 39.60 per MWh to 57.60 per MWh. Among the winning bids were five projects in agricultural and grassland sites in Bavaria, totalling 31 MW, and three in Baden-Wrttemberg at 17 MW.
According to the Agency, the joint tender scheme was initiated in an attempt to determine the financial support requirements for wind and solar in technology-specific auctions, however, solar powers sole win in the April auction meant it was met with criticism, even as clean energy accounts for 50% of Germany's electricity today.
The heads of the Federal Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) and German Wind Energy Association (BWE) saying the joint tender scheme is unsuitable for the build-out of the two technologies.
A BWE spokesman previously stressed the companys rejection of competition between wind and solar, saying: It is not clear how this could contribute to an economically meaningful balanced energy mix,
Technologies that are in various stages of development must not enter into direct competition with each other. Otherwise, innovation and development potential will be compromised.
Similarly, BSW-Solar president Carsten Krnig said: We are happy for the many solar winners, but consider the experiment a failure. The auction results prove the excellent price-performance ratio of new solar power plants, as solar-plus-storage is cheaper than conventional power in Germany, but not the suitability of joint tenders.
BEST vigilance raid on Wadala electricity theft uncovered a Mumbai power theft racket in Antop Hill and Sangam Nagar, with operators, illegal connections, sub-stations, meter cabins, FIRs, and Rs 72 lakh losses flagged by BEST.
Key Points
A BEST operation that nabbed operators stealing power via illegal connections in Wadala, exposing a Rs 72 lakh loss.
✅ 35 suspects booked; key operator identified as David Anthony.
✅ Illegal taps from sub-stations and meter cabins in shanties.
✅ BEST filed FIRs; Session court granted bail to accused.
In a raid conducted at Antop Hill in Wadala on Saturday, a total of 35 people were nabbed by the vigilance department for stealing electricity to the tune of Rs 72 lakh, in a case similar to a Montreal power-theft ring bust covered internationally.
It was the second such raid conducted in the past one week, where operators have been nabbed.The cash-strapped BEST is now tightening it's grasp on `operators' who steal electricity from BEST sources and provide it to their own customers on a meagre monthly rent, even as Ontario utilities warn about scams affecting customers elsewhere.
After receiving a tip-off about the theft of electricity in the Sangam Nagar area of Wadala, about 90 personnel of the BEST conducted a raid. After visiting the spots, it was found that illegal connections were made from the sub-station and other electricity boxes of the BEST in the area, underscoring how fragile networks can be amid disruptions such as major outages in London that affected thousands.
According to BEST officials, the residents from the area would come up to the accused, identified as David Anthony, and would pay a fixed amount at the end of every month for unlimited supply of power, a dynamic reminiscent of shutoff-threat scams flagged by Manitoba Hydro, though the circumstances differ. Anthony would with draw power directly from meter cabins and electricity boxes in the area. The wires he connected to these were in turn connected to households who made the arrangement with him. An official from BEST also explained that as soon they reach a location to conduct raids and vehicles of BEST officials are spotted by residents, most of the connections are cut off, which makes it difficult for them to prove the theft case However, on Saturday, BEST officials managed to conduct the raid swiftly and nab 35 people.
All who had illegal connections were named in the complaint and an FIR was registered against them, including Anthony, who himself had illegal connections in his house. They were produced in Session court and given bail, while utilities in other regions resort to hydro disconnections during arrears season. Chief Vigilance Officer of BEST, RJ Singh said, "Most of these are commercial establishments in these shanties, which steal electricity. It is very important to catch hold of the operators as they are the providers and we need to break their backbone."
Australia Electricity Supply Shortfall highlights AEMO's warning of reduced reserves as coal retirements outpace capacity, risking load shedding. Calls for 1GW strategic reserves and investment in renewables, storage, and dispatchable power in Victoria.
Key Points
It is AEMO's forecast of reduced reserves, higher outage risk, and a need for 1GW strategic backup capacity.
✅ AEMO urges 1GW strategic reserves in Victoria and South Australia
✅ Investment needed: renewables, storage, grid and reliability services
Australia’s electricity operator has warned of threats to electricity supply including a shortfall in generation and reduced power reserves on the horizon.
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) has called for further investment in the country’s energy portfolio as retiring coal plants are replaced by intermittent renewables poised to eclipse coal, leaving the grid with less back-up capacity.
AEMO has said this increases the chances of supply interruption and load shedding.
It added the federal government should target 1GW of strategic reserves in the states most at risk – Victoria and South Australia, even as the Prime Minister has ruled out taxpayer-funded power plants in the current energy battle.
CEO of the Clean Energy Council, Kane Thornton, said the shortfall in generation, reflected in a short supply of electricity, was due a decade of indecisiveness and debate leading to a “policy vacuum”.
He added: “The AEMO report revealed that the new projects added to the system under the renewable energy target will help to improve reliability over the next few years.
“We need to accept that the energy system is in transition, with lessons from dispatchable power shortages in Europe, and long term policy is now essential to ensure private investment in the most efficient new energy technology and solutions.”
