The Duck Curve#new jersey
Thea Energy's Helios stellarator design lands in 16 peer-reviewed papers
Thea Energy said on September 9, 2026 that 16 peer-reviewed papers on its Helios stellarator power plant appear in a special issue of Fusion Engineering and Design. The preconceptual design, posted as an arXiv preprint in December 2025 and, per Thea, certified by DOE in January 2026 after an independent expert review, is a two-field-period quasi-axisymmetric stellarator with an 8 m major radius that the preprint says produces 1.1 GW of thermal power and 390 MW of net electric power. Thea says its Eos integrated stellarator is scheduled to be online by 2030; no site has been announced.
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Virtual power plants in the US
As of October 6, 2026, US virtual power plants are growing through state programs and private capacity deals while FERC Order 2222 market access arrives operator by operator: live at CAISO since November 2024, due at ISO New England November 2026 and at MISO and SPP in 2030.
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New Jersey exempts balcony solar up to 1,200 W from utility sign-off
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill signed the Garden State Balcony Solar Act (S2368) on September 1, 2026, exempting plug-in solar devices of up to 1,200 watts from utility interconnection agreements and net-metering requirements, with new limits on landlord, homeowner-association, and municipal bans. The law takes effect six months after enactment, in early March 2027.
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PSE&G pays $5,000 toward home batteries in new VPP pilot
PSE&G launched the GridSmart Battery Program, announced August 26, 2026: a $5,000 incentive toward a qualifying home battery plus up to $25,000 in interest-free on-bill repayment. Participating systems may be called on during scheduled GridSmart Battery Events under the utility's residential virtual power plant pilot in New Jersey; the release names no megawatt target or program size.
New Jersey proposes 10-year payments for up to 150 MW of home batteries
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities released a straw proposal on August 19, 2026 for Phase 2, Block 1 of the Garden State Energy Storage Program: up to 150 MW of behind-the-meter home batteries earning performance-based payments of up to $200 per kilowatt-year over 10 years, administered by the state's four electric utilities, with enrollment targeted to open by July 2027.