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Matrix Renewables Announces the Commissioning of Pleasant Valley Solar 1

LCG, April 15, 2025--Matrix Renewables announced today the successful commissioning of the Pleasant Valley Solar 1 power generation facility in Ada County, Idaho. The 200-MWac solar facility includes a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) that was secured through negotiation with Meta and Idaho Power. Matrix Renewables states the facility is the largest operational solar facility in Idaho Power's system. Sundt Renewables, the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) services provider, completed construction of the project on March 2nd.

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Duke Energy Seeks to Extend Operating License for Robinson Nuclear Plant

LCG, April 9, 2025--Duke Energy announced yesterday its submission of a subsequent license renewal (SLR) application to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for the Robinson Nuclear Plant, a 759-MW nuclear unit located near Hartsville, South Carolina. The application requests extending the plant's operations for an additional 20 years.

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Press Release

EIA Releases Study on Drought Effects on California Electricity Generation and Power Market using UPLAN Model

LCG, June 6, 2022 – California is experiencing more frequent and intense drought conditions. One effect of droughts is the reduction in hydropower. In its Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the U.S. Energy Information Administration assumes that monthly generation in the future follows average historical patterns to forecast California's hydroelectric generation. However, cyclic drought conditions demand an alternative approach to modeling hydropower, with more hydrological variables included to account for highly variable hydro conditions. Growth in intermittent generating capacity also magnifies the impact of droughts on power markets. In light of this, EIA performed this study as a supplement to STEO using LCG Consulting’s UPLAN model.

Six major hydropower projects in California are modeled for the critical summer months from June to September using detailed information about water and reservoir storage conditions. These hydropower projects have the biggest influence on the overall hydroelectric generation in California. EIA examines two cases: a median case assuming median water supply between 1980 and 2020 and a drought case representing the current year.

EIA found in the drought case, California's summer hydroelectric share of generation mix was nearly halved from 15% to 8%, with the reduction in generation offset by electricity from neighboring markets and in-state natural gas generation. Increased natural gas generation contributed to higher electricity prices and CO2 emissions. On-peak prices in Northern California increased by 7% relative to the median case, and Southern California by 5%.

The UPLAN model incorporated natural inflow to each hydropower project with initial reservoir inventory, and EIA used this information to produce forecasts of hourly generation.

EIA study link: https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/special/supplements/2022/2022_sp_02.pdf

See previous press release for more on EIA's modeling work using the UPLAN model.http://energyonline.com/Industry/News.aspx?NewsID=25086&EIA_Publishes_Regional_Electricity_Supply_and_Pricing_Forecasts_Using_UPLAN_Model_
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