Unlocking the full potential of Quebec hydropower to balance renewables through the Northeast will require major efforts to overcome barriers to transmission planning, according to speakers at a webinar led by the Acadia Center.

Hybrid power plants, especially projects combining solar and storage, represent a growing amount of new generation online and in interconnection queues across the U.S., signaling a shift in how renewable power can be integrated into electric power markets, according to a new report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

While frequently discounted as renewable energy, hydropower accounts for close to 30% of carbon-free generation in the U.S. and provides 40% of the nation's black start capacity.

The world’s largest coal consumer will not be replacing that domestic resource with imported natural gas, IEEFA said in its report.