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Forbes
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Forbes
What The Spanish Blackout Says About Renewable Energy In The U.S.
Commuters milling around the darkened Madrid-Chamartin station on April 28, 2025. Like most Americans, with the exception of a soccer match every now and then, I could give a flying handshake about what's happening day-to-day on the Iberian Peninsula. However, the recent blackout, which shut off power to over 55 million people in three countries within five seconds, caught my attention for its implications for the future of renewable energy in the U.S. Renewables promise ample electricity with a low carbon footprint and a low price point, especially compared to coal, so it is no wonder that wind and solar have seen such a huge growth in capacity over the last generation. Note how quickly the green wedge representing wind power grows starting at around the turn of the ... More century. Solar growth started about 10 years late but is on the same trajectory. Critics of renewables will rightly point out that renewables are cheap as long as battery storage is not included in their price, and the sudden collapse of an entire electric grid for 12 hours incurs a staggering economic burden that should be priced into cost calculations. Supporters of renewables argue that the problem is not renewables themselves, but insufficient or outdated control, distribution and storage equipment on the grid. If we spend more money on storage and transmission, everything will be hunky-dory. My intuition was that both arguments held water. Critics are right to include the cost of storage to the low cost of renewables because electricity is an on-demand commodity--it must be there even when the sun is not shining and the wind is not blowing. That said, supporters are right that including the long-term cost of further unbalancing the planet's natural carbon cycle, the 'low' cost of continued fossil fuel consumption is an illusion. Since the blackout, which occurred at the end of April, I've been speaking with Dr. Lorenzo Kristov, one of the world's top experts on grid architecture, and combing through reams of articles on power engineering. I concluded that both critics and supporters of renewable energy are wrong. Both sides are trying to fix current problems with the same mindset that created the problems in the first place: Industrial Revolution thinking. The Industrial Revolution paradigm centralizes production and relies upon long and ultimately fragile supply and distribution chains that are vulnerable to changes in environmental factors. As we head deeper into the post-Climate era, long supply and distribution chains will inevitably face accelerating disruption. Nearly 90% of natural gas processing, fractionation, and storage is concentrated in four regions in the U.S., each subject to various environmental hazards that will incur greater complications and costs as climate change exacerbates natural disasters' frequency and severity. Although concentrating gas production in these areas is efficient (the ultimate goal of the Industrial Revolution paradigm), it results in long, fragile supply and distribution chains. Centralized production allows for economies of scale so is very efficient. However, resiliency is ... More low due to geographical concentration. Similarly, building enormous solar and wind farms deep in flyover country necessitates enormous expenditures on fancy new storage equipment and mechanical devices to manage voltage and grid frequency, and new high-voltage DC transmission lines. All this spending creates exactly the same sort of fragile supply and distribution chains we see in natural gas. Indeed, the root cause of the Iberian grid's failure on a clear, windy day when 70% of Spain's generation capacity was coming from renewables was the Spanish grid's inability to gracefully handle such a surplus of renewables generation. Modern-day grids are trying to cram the power train for a Tesla Roadster alongside the internal combustion drivetrain of a 1959 Edsel, then take this hybrid Frankencar off-roading. It is time for a new paradigm. Kristov and his colleagues have developed a paradigm that envisions individual towns and regions forming self-reliant mini-grids that can attach and detach from the larger grid network as needed. While this architecture would not have prevented the equipment failure that triggered the Iberian Blackout, it would have isolated the problem from the rest of the system, keeping the outage local rather than allowing it to proliferate nationwide. This model upsets the way incumbents competing in electrical generation, transmission, and distribution have been doing business for the last 120 years. Challenging a network of longtime monopolies and their corresponding political structures is tough, even though it's the right thing to do. We need renewable energy in the U.S. Intelligent investors take note. Those interested in a detailed analysis of the causes of the Iberian Blackout and a plain-language explanation of modern grid function and management, please see my recently published research report.
Associated Press
27-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Richardson Electronics, Ltd. Expands Product Portfolio with the Introduction of New Patent-Pending TurbineGuard™ Series
LAFOX, Ill., May 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Richardson Electronics, Ltd. (NASDAQ: RELL), a global provider of engineered solutions for renewable energy and other power management applications, announced a new line of monitoring relays for the wind and renewables markets. The first of these to be launched are temperature and voltage monitoring relays to meet safety needs, as well as the performance of the critical turbine monitoring systems. With the aging fleets of turbines and obsolescence of key voltage and temperature relays, the TurbineGuard™ Temperature Signal Relay and the TurbineGuard™ Voltage Signal Relay devices offer owner-operators visibility into their turbine systems and support winterization efforts to meet regulatory requirements. These products are fully compatible with GE* turbines, ensuring seamless integration and reliable performance. Both products have been meticulously designed and enhanced with the end user in mind, focusing on key features and meaningful improvements. TurbineGuard™ Temperature Signal Relay Key Features: TurbineGuard™ Voltage Signal Relay Key Features: Greg Peloquin, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Power & Microwave Technologies and Green Energy Solutions groups stated, 'Our goal is to create engineered solutions that not only meet the user expectations but deliver real value in their everyday use. Every feature and improvement of the new TurbineGuard products reflect our commitment to putting the user first.' Richardson Electronics is pleased to introduce these new products, which are designed, manufactured, tested, and supported by our team in LaFox, IL, as part of our continued commitment to innovation, quality, and customer-focused solutions. This launch represents a significant step forward in meeting the evolving needs of the renewable power generation market. For detailed information, quotes, and delivery timelines, please contact our team. *All product and company names are trademarks™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. The use of the trademarks is solely for identification purposes and does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by the trademark holders. About Richardson Electronics, Ltd. Richardson Electronics, Ltd. is a leading global manufacturer of engineered solutions, green energy products, power grid and microwave tubes and related consumables; power conversion and RF and microwave components; CT X-ray tubes; and customized display solutions. More than 50% of our products are manufactured in LaFox, Illinois, Marlborough, Massachusetts, or Donaueschingen, Germany, or by one of our manufacturing partners throughout the world. All our partners manufacture to our strict specifications and per our supplier code of conduct. We serve customers in alternative energy, healthcare, aviation, broadcast, communications, industrial, marine, medical, military, scientific and semiconductor markets. The Company's strategy is to provide specialized technical expertise and 'engineered solutions' based on our core engineering and manufacturing capabilities. The Company provides solutions and adds value through design-in support, systems integration, prototype design and manufacturing, testing, logistics and aftermarket technical service and repair through its global infrastructure. More information is available at Richardson Electronics, Ltd. common stock trades on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the ticker symbol RELL. About Richardson Electronics – Green Energy Solutions Richardson Electronics Green Energy Solutions combines our key technology partners and engineered solutions capabilities to design and manufacture key products for the fast-growing energy storage market and power management applications. As a designer, manufacturer, technology partner, and authorized distributor, GES's strategy is to provide specialized technical expertise and engineered solutions using our core design engineering and manufacturing capabilities on a global basis. We provide solutions and add value through design-in support, systems integration, prototype design and manufacturing, testing, logistics, and aftermarket technical service and repair—all through our existing global infrastructure. GES focuses on products for numerous green energy applications such as wind, solar, hydrogen, and electric vehicles and other power management applications that support green solutions such as synthetic diamond manufacturing. For more information, visit us at About Richardson Electronics – Power & Microwave Technologies For over 75 years, Richardson Electronics has been your industry-leading global provider of engineered solutions, RF & microwave, and power products. The Power & Microwave Technologies group continues this legacy and complements it with new products from the world's most innovative technology partners. Richardson Electronics' Power & Microwave Technologies group focuses on what we do best: identify and design disruptive technologies, introduce new products on a global basis, develop solutions for our customers, and provide exceptional worldwide support. As a global company, we provide solutions and add value through design-in support, systems integration, prototype design and manufacturing, testing, logistics, and aftermarket technical service and repair—all through our existing global infrastructure. More information is available at | |
E&E News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- E&E News
Dems assail Burgum on cuts to wind and solar on public lands
A top Democratic appropriator laid into Interior Secretary Doug Burgum at a Tuesday hearing, saying the Trump administration was 'effectively gutting' solar and wind power on public lands. In a lengthy exchange before the House Appropriations Interior-Environment Subcommittee, ranking member Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) pointed to proposed cuts in the administration's budget plan, which would slash $80 million for renewable energy efforts, effectively ending programs for wind and solar on public lands and waters. 'This administration, and you, are disregarding needed investments in renewable energy and focusing solely on fossil fuels,' she told Burgum. 'You do, in your budget, eliminate all funding for renewable energy, effectively gutting this critical sector.' Advertisement Pingree said the move would ignore both the reality of climate change and the low cost of renewable energy for states like Maine.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Energy expert raises concerns about bills' impact on solar, wind industry
The Brief Bills in the Texas Legislature (HB 3356/SB 715) could hinder renewable energy by requiring wind and solar farms to have backup power systems. Energy expert Ed Hirsch warns these measures are ill-timed, as Texas currently relies on renewables to avoid blackouts. Concerns exist that the added costs of mandatory backup systems could slow renewable energy adoption and deter businesses from coming to Texas. AUSTIN - Bills moving through the Texas Legislature could pull the plug on existing and future renewable energy projects, according to some advocates. House Bill 3356 and its companion Senate Bill 715 would require solar and wind farms in Texas to have a backup supply system that would run when the wind does not blow and the sun goes down. FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski spoke to energy expert Ed Hirsch from the University of Houston about the recurring fight over the best way to supply the state power grid. Ed Hirsch: "It's really too late for the legislature to push anything other than renewables at this point. The time to act was 2021." Rudy Koski: "If the gas turbine industry is going to be in trouble and delayed why hit the brakes on wind and solar now and put these extra restraints on?" Hirsch: "That is the question. We're in a catch-up mode and, unfortunately, we're not going to be able to catch up. We don't have enough natural gas, coal and nuclear power plants to cover the full demand on the Texas grid. In fact, today without wind and solar, we would be having rolling blackouts." Koski: "The bill does give an option and say, if you don't put natural gas generator as a backup, have battery power as a backup. Why is that a bad idea? They're going to be required to do that eventually." Hirsch: "We will get to the point where we have enough battery backup, but here's nothing in the bill that requires natural gas generators to add battery backup. We need the manufacturers to scale up, to deliver them and the business and the industry is growing, but it's not growing as fast as we need it to." Koski: "Some officials from the renewable industry don't like this idea of being mandated to have battery power, standby backup power now. And they're saying that this is going to shut down all renewables in the state or a big chunk. Are they overselling? Are they just being Chicken Little?" Hirsch: "It's going to impose a greater cost that they will have to flow through to the customer. It will slow down the rate of adoption for renewables. I don't think it's as extreme as they say it's going to be. But really we have to step back and look at this from a broader perspective. What is this going to do for the business environment for Texas if we're restricting access to the grid? If we're restricting the growth of power supply, this is going to keep businesses out of Texas." Koski: "The long-running argument against wind farms here in Texas has always been that it's a blight on our beautiful landscape. These giant monsters that are spinning constantly and so there's legislation in play that says anything that's built offshore cannot plug in. Are we cutting our nose off to spite our face if we are in such a crisis right now that we're just dooming ourselves to a blackout?" Hirsch: "Yes, we are. I mean, that's just a vanity argument. It makes no sense at all, but keep in mind we had offshore leases last year, or two years ago, nobody actually bid for them. Retiring the wind turbines is an extreme cost. Nobody knows how to take apart these indestructible turbine blades at the end of their useful lives. Solar farms are pretty easy. You just pick them up off the ground and cart them off. We have the largest renewable energy fleet in the nation, much larger than California and we need to expand this now." The Source Information in this article comes from FOX 7's Rudy Koski's interview with energy expert Ed Hirsch.
