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Solar Austin Happy Hour: Austin Energy SHINES
March 22, 2016 @ 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm
From Solar Austin –
Solar is booming, but the share of electricity coming from solar is still very small. As that changes, it will be important to find ways to integrate larger amounts of solar energy in ways that keep the grid stable. As has already been demonstrated in Hawaii, it’s important to take these steps early to avoid having solar production curtailed from homes and businesses. To that end, Austin Energy has been awarded $4.3 million from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Sunshot Initiative.
The grant will fund the Austin Energy SHINES (Sustainable and Holistic Integration of Energy Storage and Solar PV) Project, which will pilot and research solar, battery storage, and smart inverter technologies. Included in this project is the much anticipated community solar installation, battery storage to be co-located with the community solar and battery storage at the Mueller development.
Karl PophamKarl Popham, Austin Energy’s Manager of Electric Vehicles & Emerging Technologies, will join us this month to talk about the Austin Energy SHINES Program. Karl has 23+ years experience in emerging technologies, leadership, and consulting. He currently leads Austin Energy’s Emerging Technologies and Electric Vehicle teams to include the award winning Plug-In EVerywhere™ program. Additionally, he is a Department of Energy Principal Investigator on 3 separate initiatives that involve renewables, energy storage, and mobility. He also serves on several research and policy boards relating to energy and innovation.