Hybrid Power Plants & Flexibility — The Future Of The Grid
Aerial photos of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Flatirons Campus near Boulder, Colorado. Photographed from an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). (Photo by Joshua Bauer / NREL)
Imagine an electric grid powered by clean, renewable energy. Now imagine that this grid provides all the comfort and convenience consumers have come to expect as well as grid reliability and resiliency services that are similar to—or better than—conventional plants. That is the promise of the FlexPower project.
With support from the U.S. Department of Energy Grid Modernization Laboratory Consortium, FlexPower brings National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) researchers together with other National Laboratories to develop a colocated variable hybrid generation power plant enhanced with energy storage at NREL’s Flatirons Campus. Participants include the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and Sandia National Laboratories (Sandia).
As renewables displace conventional generation, hybrid renewable power plants combined with energy storage can transform variable resources such as wind and solar photovoltaics (PV) into fully dispatchable and flexible energy sources. These hybridized power plants will be capable of operating in day-ahead and real-time energy markets and providing essential reliability and resiliency services to the grid.
Rethinking Renewables
“This research will help accelerate the adoption of utility-scale variable wind and PV resources by demonstrating how hybridization can smooth the transition to clean energy,” said NREL Chief Engineer Vahan Gevorgian. “For the power grid to economically and reliably integrate large amounts of variable renewable generation, it will require robust energy storage capabilities and a rethinking of the value renewable energy assets bring to the grid.”
To support this transformation, researchers will test a variety of energy storage systems, including pumped storage hydropower, battery, hydrogen, flow battery, kinetic, and ultracapacitor energy storage. In addition, the project will focus on advanced control strategies and resource forecast techniques. Sophisticated controls can improve the dispatchability and availability of variable generation by taking advantage of the complementary nature of wind and PV resources and increasing capacity factors for renewable projects with minimum or, in some cases, no additional transmission buildup. Improved forecasting allows hybrid plants to participate in energy and ancillary services markets in the same way conventional generation plants do.
By combining generation, storage, advanced controls, and improved forecasting in hybrid plants, operators can achieve economies of scale by sharing infrastructure as well as siting and permitting costs. These plants can also provide the full spectrum of existing essential reliability services as well as new, evolving grid reliability services. For example, hybrid plants can provide self-black starts as well as power system black starts, can operate in islanded mode, and can participate in power system restoration schemes. And hybrid plants are scalable, ranging from small microgrids to large, interconnected power systems.
The FlexPower project is of great interest to a wide range of stakeholders, including regulators, reliability organizations, system operators, utilities, plant owners and operators, equipment vendors, and island power system owners and operators.
“Hybrid renewable energy plants could introduce the national and global energy sectors to a new and potentially disruptive class of power systems,” Gevorgian said. “The FlexPower project will demonstrate the value of renewable energy assets and suggest strategies for using them more efficiently to reduce curtailment, increase energy production, and smooth variability. The result could be high-value grid services and a more secure and resilient power supply.”
Sharing the Findings
The FlexPower research results will be freely accessible to all stakeholders in the form of public domain information and other assets. Specifically, stakeholders will have access to the FlexPower controller architecture; control codes developed by NREL, INL, and Sandia for industrial control platforms; hybridization-potential assessment maps and databases; results of regional impacts studies; and reports, publications, regional webinars, conference presentations, and other outreach materials.
NREL’s Flatirons Campus grid-scale hybrid system will provide a test bed for companies and researchers to validate and demonstrate their hybrid plant concepts and strategies. The fully operational multi-MW hybrid power plant will be capable of demonstrating all types of dispatchability, reliability, and resiliency services. It will also provide a grid-scale test bed that offers hybrid system demonstrations for a range of stakeholders, opportunities for control and equipment vendors to test new hybrid controls and hardware, a venue for workforce education and new international collaborations, and a validation platform for standardizing hybrid technologies.
FlexPower was funded in part by U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office, Water Power Technologies Office, Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office, and the Office of Electricity.
Article courtesy of NREL
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Environment
Ram is once again delaying its first electric truck: Here’s when you can expect to see it now
If you’re waiting on Ram’s electric pickup, you’ll have to wait a little longer. Ram is yet again delaying its electric pickup truck, the 1500 REV, and the Ramcharger plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version. Here’s when you can expect to see them reach dealerships now.
When is Ram delaying its electric pickup truck until now?
Ram’s first electric pickup truck was initially scheduled to arrive by the end of 2024. Last year, former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares said the launch date would be pushed back to the first half of 2025 and then 2026.
Here we are, and the Ram 1500 REV is still nowhere in sight. According to a new memo sent to suppliers, Ram is again delaying the electric pickup truck.
The note, viewed by Crain’s Detroit Business, said production is now being pushed back until summer 2027. It will now arrive as a 2028 model year. The plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Ramcharger version will also be delayed until the first quarter of 2026.
Stellantis confirmed the news in a statement to Crain’s, saying the delay was due to “extending the quality validation period.”
A company spokesperson explained in an email that Stellantis “continues to reassess its product strategy in North America to align it with our competitive advantage with the Range Extended Ram and in light of slowing consumer demand for half-ton BEV pickups.”
After pulling the PHEV Ramcharger ahead of the EV pickup last year, Stellantis blamed weak demand for electric trucks.
Outperforming the competition, or falling behind?
The Ram 1500 REV will be available with a massive 168 kWh battery, which provides an estimated 350-mile range. Ram said a larger 229 kWh battery option would be available later, with at least 500 miles range.
Tavares promised for years that Ram’s EV pickup would “outperform all competitors” where it matters most in range, towing, and charging times. The Ram 1500 REV is expected to arrive with a towing capacity of up to 14,000 lbs and a 2,700 lb max payload.
In comparison, Ford’s F-150 Lightning offers a driving range of up to 320 miles, a 10,000-lb max towing capacity, and a 2,000-lb max payload capacity.
The 2025 Chevy Silverado EV offers up to 492 miles of range, 12,500 lbs of towing capacity, and 1,800 lbs of max payload capacity.
Tavares said last year that Stellantis is “facing a very significant amount of workload” with the first electric Jeep and Dodge models, the Wagoneer S and Charger Daytona, rolling out.
Stellantis sold 2,595 electric Jeep Wagoneer S and 1,947 Dodge Charger EV models in the US in the first quarter of 2025.
Ford F-150 Lightning sales are down 7% compared to last year, with 7,187 models sold through March. Meanwhile, GM sold 2,383 Chevy Silverado EVs, 3,479 GMC Hummer EVs (including the SUV), and 1,249 GMC Sierra EV models in the first three months of the year.
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Tscherning, a large Danish construction company, announced that it returned its entire corporate fleet of Tesla vehicles because of Elon Musk.
In Europe, Tesla is suffering from major brand damage due to its CEO’s involvement in politics.
Sales had already been declining in 2024, but the decline dramatically accelerated in 2025 after many people started to become increasingly concerned about Musk’s backing of Trump and far-right political parties in Europe.
The problem is that not only is Tesla missing out on new sales, but current Tesla owners are also rushing to sell their vehicles because they don’t want to be associated with the brand at all.
This is also true of corporate sales, which are popular in Europe.
Last year, we reported on Rossmann, one of the largest pharmacy chains in Europe. Rossmann had a large Tesla corporate fleet and decided to sell it because of Musk’s actions.
Tscherning, a large Danish construction company, was in a similar situation. It had electrified its corporate fleet using Tesla vehicles, but it announced this week that it returned them all:
At Tscherning, we not only decide how we drive – but also who we drive with. That’s why we’ve chosen to hand over the keys to our Tesla company cars – not because Tesla has become a bad car, but in light of Elon Musk’s political commitment and the opinions he has publicly expressed (and which are increasingly hard to overlook), we as a company have chosen to say “thank you for the ride.”
The company added that it doesn’t want to be “associated with the values and political direction that currently accompany the Tesla brand.”
It will instead buy “European alternatives” to Tesla vehicles.
Tscherning shared a video of returning its Tesla vehicles:
Electrek’s Take
The situation for Tesla in Europe right now is not sustainable. I’m afraid there will likely be major layoffs and even store closures.
Despite the availability of the new Model Y for the full quarter, Q2 is currently tracking about the same as Q1, which was down 40% year-over-year:
The two lines at the bottom are Q1 and Q2 2025. As you can see, they are tracking way bellow every single quarters in the last 3 years.
And now with corporate fleets being returned and existing owners selling their cars, if you really want a Tesla, you are way better off buying it used with those cratering prices.
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North American homeowners who drive EVs can bump up against limited residential electrical capacities when it comes to installing Level 2 chargers. ELECQ is changing the game with the debut of its Power Monitor, which places smart EV charging at the core of home load balancing and solar integration.
ELECQ Power Monitor solves home energy headaches
Home EV charger installation can be tricky due to limited electrical panel capacity and the high cost of upgrading a home’s service. Without smart systems, that often means wasted solar power, higher energy bills, and chargers that trip the system when too much is running at once.
Active Load Management (ALM) solves this by dynamically balancing a home’s total energy usage, allowing EVs to charge without overloading the system or requiring costly upgrades. This is where ELECQ’s home energy management system comes in. The ELECQ Power Monitor tracks your home’s load and communicates with the ELECQ Level 2 EV Charger.
ELECQ Power Monitor automatically balances residential loads in real time, eliminating the need for expensive electrical infrastructure upgrades. It intelligently prevents overloads, enhancing the safety and reliability of your home’s electrical system. By proactively managing your home’s energy use, ELECQ ensures you avoid overload risks, keeping your family safe and your electricity stable.
Seamless solar EV charging
ELECQ’s real-time monitoring and intelligent algorithms maximize EV charging directly from solar-generated energy. This reduces reliance on the electrical grid and fully utilizes your solar investment, and it also improves household energy efficiency. The ELECQ Power Monitor unlocks three solar charging modes to maximize the use of excess solar energy to charge your EV:
- Only Solar mode: Exclusively uses solar-generated power for EV charging, entirely bypassing grid power.
- Solar Priority mode: Prioritizes solar power for EV charging but supplements with minimal grid power if necessary.
- Unlimited mode: Utilizes solar power primarily while the grid provides supplementary energy as needed, ensuring maximum charging speed.
Using the ELECQ app is a breeze
ELECQ’s intuitive app offers homeowners effortless management and scheduling of EV charging, providing real-time visibility into your home’s energy consumption and solar production.
The ELECQ EV charger hooks up to both 2.4G and 5GHz Wi-Fi, plus Bluetooth, so you can manage charging straight from the Elecq app—anytime, anywhere. Set it to juice up during off-peak hours and save cash on your energy bill. And you’ll automatically get the latest over-the-air updates.
The ELECQ app makes setting up and using the Power Monitor a breeze, too. You can schedule charge times, track how much power you’re pulling from the grid or your solar panels in real time, and see exactly what each session costs. Need the receipts? You can export detailed reports for every charge, right from the app.
Safe and reliable technology
The ELECQ Power Monitor and Level 2 EV charger are built with safety and reliability at the core, so you don’t have to worry when the weather or the grid gets unpredictable. The system keeps an eye on your home’s electrical load and solar production, using high-precision sensors that help it operate smoothly with panels up to 200 amps. Everything is UL certified, RoHS compliant, and tested to prevent overheating, short circuits, or fire risks.
Whether it’s a lightning strike or a power surge, ELECQ has your back. With 10kV/5kA surge protection and tough NEMA 4 and IK10 certifications, this setup is made to handle just about anything, from blizzards to blazing heat. That means it not only protects your home, but also your EV battery and charging hardware. The EV charger is safe to install indoors or out. Plus, the ELECQ Power Monitor uses Wi-Sun technology to automatically communicate with the ELECQ Level 2 EV Charger – it doesn’t even need wifi.
The ELECQ Power Monitor is UL-certified, ensuring it meets strict U.S. safety and performance standards.
Why choose ELECQ?
ELECQ stands distinctively apart from other home energy solutions like Tesla and other traditional chargers because it’s universally compatible with solar installations and actively optimizes energy consumption.
- Unlike Tesla’s more closed ecosystem, which often requires proprietary components like the Powerwall and Gateway, ELECQ offers an open and flexible solution. This reduces installation complexity and minimizes ecosystem lock-in, ensuring broader compatibility with diverse home energy setups.
- Compared to traditional chargers, ELECQ enables millisecond-level data transmission with high reliability and strong wall penetration by adopting Wi-SUN, and minimal interference—unlike traditional Wi-Fi connections, which often suffer from instability and limited coverage.
ELECQ saves money and energy
The ELECQ Power Monitor and Level 2 EV charger not only combines smart home energy management with Level 2 charging but also delivers substantial savings on money and energy.
ELECQ smartly taps into your solar setup to make sure you’re squeezing every drop of clean energy out of it. That means less grid power, lower energy bills, and more money in your pocket. And since you’re using more renewable energy and less fossil-fueled electricity, you’re also shrinking your home’s carbon footprint without even thinking about it.
Order the ELECQ Power Monitor on Amazon here.
Order the ELECQ Level 2 EV charger 50A on Amazon here.
Transform your home energy future with ELECQ
ELECQ empowers homeowners across North America to manage energy more efficiently, reduce energy costs, enhance safety, and fully capitalize on solar investments. With ELECQ, smarter, greener home energy management is finally accessible and effortless.
Discover how ELECQ can redefine your energy future today. Follow ELECQ on Facebook here and on LinkedIn here.
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