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Energy & Water
Energy & Water
Water Pollution. Regulations. Cannabis. New Alliance
What’s happening? Illegal cannabis growers in state and national parks are polluting water sources
How are these growers polluting water sources? The use of insecticides and other chemicals used in illegal marijuana operations
What alliance has formed to solve the issue through enforcement & regulation?
- environmentalists
- law enforcement agents
- politicians
- wildlife ecologists
- representatives of the legal cannabis industry
Texas Pubkic Radio | Illegal Pot Operations In Public Forests Are Poisoning Wildlife And Water
New Kid on the Block. Energy Storage in West Texas
Who: Denmark’s Ørsted , formerly Danish Oil and Natural Gas, known as “vanguard of old energy companies transitioning rapidly toward renewables”
Where:West Texas, near existing oil and gas infrastructure in the Permian Basin
What: Permian Energy Center, 460-megawatt solar-plus-storage project to be completed by mid-2021
Storage capacity: 40 megawatts with 1 hour of capacity, running alongside a 420 MW AC solar array
Green Tech Media | Orsted Brings 460MW Solar-Plus-Storage Project to Texas Oil Country
Anatomy of a School District Energy Efficiency Project
Where: La Villa Independent School District
How much will the school district save by improving energy efficiency?
- 30% cut in utility costs
- $2,840,501 in guaranteed energy savings
- Over 15 years of savings
What energy efficiency improvements were made?
- LED lighting
- building controls
- modern heating and air conditioning equipment throughout the district
How was it financed? Texas Comptroller’s Texas LoanSTAR Revolving Loan Program
3 Reasons Texas Should Modernize Distributed Energy Resources Regulations
Who is saying this? Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance
What are they saying?
- Electricity consumers in Texas could save nearly $5.5 billion over the next decade
- Texas households could save an average $456
The proposal to save Texans: “integrating distributed energy resources into transmission and distribution planning and allowing small-scale generation facilities to participate in existing wholesale markets.”
Houston Chronicle | Texas needs better management of small power sources
Anatomy of a Battery Storage Partnership
Where: Michigan
Who: Sunverge + Consumers Energy
What: residential battery storage pilot
Why?
- evaluate the energy provider’s distribution circuits
- identify grid locations suitable to test the potential benefits and value from behind-the-meter battery storage
- identify potential investment deferral, resiliency, and reliability
Renewable TREND. Tech Giants and Clean Energy
What? Apple is partnering with eBay, Samsung, and Sprint to buy clean energy from White Mesa Wind project
Where? Crockett County, Texas
How much clean energy? purchase totals 75 megawatts of clean energy (power for roughly 20,000 homes)
What is Apple saying about its Corporate Social Responsibility? “We’re proud to be powering all of Apple’s operations around the world with 100 percent renewable energy and driving the private sector to support the clean energy transition. Businesses of all sizes and of varying energy needs can help bring new, renewable energy online. This collaborative agreement in Texas is a model we hope others will replicate.”
Apple Insider | Apple partnering with tech giants for big clean energy buy
Legislative TREND. Local Incentives for EV Charger Installations.
Where: New Jersey
The legislation: A1371 (2019 | NJ)
How does A1371 encourage local governments to include EV chargers?
- Adds EV chargers to master planning criteria
- Adds EV chargers to state green building codes
What economic incentives for local governments for EV chargers?
- Create jobs
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Reduce our reliance on foreign fuels
3 Ways Utilities Voluntarily Offer to Reduce EV Demand Charges
Where: Minnesota
What are the 3 ways utilities are offering to reduce EV rates?
- Xcel Energy
- Decades-old pricing system limits demand charges with sporadic loads, including from DC fast chargers
- Minnesota Power
- Pilot program that prohibits demand charges from exceeding 30% of a DC fast-charging company’s bill
- Otter Tail Power
- Pilot rate plan reduces demand charges + promotes third-party ownership of DC fast chargers
Why is this important for EV innovation?
- Demand charges wipe out any profits a fast-charger developer earns
Energy News Network | Minnesota utilities offer to lessen demand charges on EV fast chargers
Executive TREND. State Energy Czar
Where? California
Why? Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s prolonged power outages and PG&E’s bankruptcy
Who else will work with the Energy Czar?
- legal secretary
- energy policy adviser
- legislative strategist
Regulatory TREND. Data Privacy Standards Require Separate Utility Data Privacy Standards.
Where: Australia
What: Data Standards Body said the appointment of 14 members to the Energy Advisory Committee
Why: Protecting consumer data key to switching energy providers
ZD Net | Australia’s consumer energy data to be made open under CDR
Increase Renewables with Reimbursements
Where: Oklahoma
What: Oklahoma Corporation Commission implemented rules for new excess-energy payment requirements publicly regulated utilities must follow to compensate owners of solar and small-wind systems
3 ways the reimbursements will be limited:
- existing net metering rules that will allow utilities to offset energy production by energy use on the property
- reimbursement for each excess kilowatt hour will be at wholesale rates, not retail rates
- reimbursement cap of 125% of what the property historical peak load is
Governing | Oklahoma Encourages Renewable Energy with Reimbursements
Settlement of a Pipeline Protest Lawsuit
Where: South Dakota
Which pipeline? Keystone XL
What did the state agree to after the courts found provisions unconstitutional?
- “never enforce current state laws that prohibit protected speech and are aimed at suppressing protests”
- pay plaintiff attorney fees
Anatomy of Small Scale Local Water Project Funding.
Who is bankrolling this water funding? Federal Government
Who is proposing this small scale water funding project? Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va, & Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland
How will it work?
- The Senators are amending the Safe Drinking Water Act
- Giving the EPA power over a $5 Million grant program
- To fund local governments for infrastructure improvements and asset management
What type of project would qualify?
- water systems with fewer than 10,000 customers
New Clean Air Battleground: Universities
What? 50 faculty members at Texas A&M University System asked Chancellor Sharp to develop a plan to cut methane emissions on land the university profits from by 1/2 within the next 5 years
What specific clean air practices do the faculty members want implemented? Best practices for the oil and gas industry on West Texas Permanent University Fund Lands
Who signed? John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas State Climatologist and director of A&M’s Texas Center for Climate Studies and 49 of his colleagues
Courthouse News Service | Texas Researchers Urge Cuts in Pollution on University Land
Cities: More Regulation of Pipeline Routes
Where: Texas
Who: Texas Municipal League
What: A resolution calling for requiring greater oversight of oil and gas pipeline routes
How do they want this increased oversight?
- before establishing or publishing pipeline routes, there should be input from affected communities & landowners
- requires route negotiation if municipalities find substantial threats to economic development, natural resources, or standard of living
- required compliance with environmental & economic impact studies
- require pipelines to maintain performance bonds
Is this unusual? 6 local jurisdictions have taken similar action including:
Anatomy of a Renewable Energy Law Overhaul
Where: Michigan
Who is in the coalition to change existing law?
- Clean energy
- Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council
- Michigan League of Conservation Voters
What are their legislative goals with their bill package to Powering Michigan Forward?
- remove the cap on distributed generation
- establish a fair value for solar
- monthly netting of renewable energy
- support residential customers + support industrial consumers
The opposition: State utilities
2 Reasons Utility building 5MW Battery Storage
Where: South Carolina
Who: Duke Energy
Why build a 5MW battery storage?
- grid services
- emergency service
Business TREND. Funding for Battery Storage Doubles.
Who is saying funding for battery storage technology is doubling? Mercom Capital Group, an energy communications and consulting firm in Austin.
What do the funding numbers look like?
- 2019: investing $1.6 billion in 25 deals
- 2018: $783 million in 38 deals (over same time frame)
Is the increase in funding true across other energy technology? No.
- energy efficiency is flat at about $268 million
- Smart grid funding is down 27%
Houston Chronicle | Venture capital firms double funding of battery storage projects
How cities & utilities work together for EV electrification
3 ways cities & utilities work together to meet Electric Vehicle demand:
- Distribution system upgrades. City codes and laws must be navigated by customers. Utilities are working with customers to meet their electrification needs.
- Sacramento is working to utilize EV chargers as a grid resource
- City Fleets.
- 60% of cities have green vehicle purchasing policies
- 26% of cities are considering green vehicle policies
- Utilities are offering grants to cities for transportation electrification
- City Policy Changes. Report shows “strong collaborative relationships with utilities in particular appear to be key components of successful climate efforts”
- 58% of cities are or are considering partnering for energy efficient building codes
- 57% of cities are or are considering partnering for advanced climate solutions in transportation
- 55% of cities are or are considering partnering for renewable energy standards
Utility Dive | Electric revolution: As EV demand increases, can utilities and cities keep up?
New Water Rules to Stop Water Profiteering?
Where: Colorado
Who is buying up water rights that concerns Colorado legislators?
- Wall Street investment firms
- local finance groups
What’s the overall framework for selling water rights in Colorado?
- CO has anti-speculation laws
- CO permits the sale of water rights, if a water court approves
The Gazette | Colorado lawmakers consider tougher rules to stop water profiteering
+1 City to Own its Power Grid
Where: San Jose, CA
Why does San Jose want to buy its power grid from PG&E?
- improve resiliency
- fewer blackouts
How does San Jose envision its power delivery?
- multiple micro grid generating systems throughout San Jose
- potentially use eminent domain to acquire PG&Es utility property
KTVU 2 | San Jose looking to build and maintain its own electrical grid, dumping PG&E in the process
Local Battery Storage Laws. When there are no State Rules. Cities Act.
Where: Arizona cities of Phoenix, Peoria & Surprise
Why did these 3 cities act? A fire at a battery storage facility
What rules did the cities implement? Safety standards for battery storage
Who do the battery storage rules apply to?
- homeowners
- businesses
- schools
- utilities
What do the rules require?
- notification to cities when building battery storage facilities
- local permits
- local inspections
- local building requirements with certain safety features
Lege TREND. Cost Recovery for Blackouts
Where: California
What: SB 378 (2019 | CA)
How does SB 378 allow for cost recovery for stakeholders?
- require the California Public Utilities Commission to create a cost recovery process
- allow for the recovery of lost costs associated with planned blackouts
- mandate greater risk assessment
- require more utilities to report the consequences that resulted from planned power outages
What are people saying in support?
- The Governor:“Californians should not pay the price for decades of PG&E’s greed and neglect
- The bill author: “we can’t let PG&E normalize these blackouts.”
Sacramento Bee | Reducing blackout risks + Lawmakers convene to talk vaping
+1 City to ban Fluoride in Water
Where? Fredericksburg Texas
What? Voters in the city will have fluoride on their Nov. 5th ballot
Have other Texas cities banned Fluoride? Yes, Buda and San Marcos
How did they get there? Citizen petition on the issue
KUT | Fredericksburg Could Be The Next City In Central Texas To Ban Fluoride From Drinking Water
Business TREND. Emission Free Jet Fuel.
Where: The Netherlands
Who: Urban Crossovers
How? kerosene, made from passing electricity through a mixture of carbon dioxide and water taken from ambient air
Marketplace | A new jet fuel offers the prospect of no-carbon, “guilt-free” flying
New Solar Power standard for policymakers + governments large & small + business opportunity
Where is this issue brewing? Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology
What’s the problem with solar? solar panels are not always recyclable
Who will be impacted as solar power systems age? The holy trinity of governments, businesses and homeowners
What standards are researchers looking at?
- Create baseline measure for what solar panels are still usable
- How big is the PV recycling industry
- What should the standard be for % of solar panels that are recyclable?
- Do local recycling facilities need to be improved?
3 Ways an Oil & Gas Coalition against EVs failed
Where: Minnesota, specifically at the Minnesota State Public Utility Commission
How did the oil & gas coalition against EVs fail in Minnesota?
- The issue failed to win over the regulators. The Oil & Gas coalition argued that the PUC did not have authority to regulate the utility for behind-the-meter charging & raised ratepayer concerns
- New action by opponents to EVs. The action was unusual to see oil and gas actively involved in electric utility regulation
- MN PUC believes that it has “full rights” to regulate behind-the-meter charging infrastructure as a utility
Utility Dive | Minnesota shuts down oil, manufacturing groups’ attempt to derail Xcel EV pilot
Business TREND. Regulatory TREND. Largest Battery Storage in New England unveiled.
Where: Nantucket
Why? Cost prohibitive to bring a new utility cable to the island.
What is the price differential between new lines and storage for the island? Large scale battery cost is 1/3 of cable lines for utilities
What is the battery composed of? 234 Tesla power packs are lined up in 3 long rows which translates to 8 hours of service for 13,000 homes
WBUR | Biggest Battery In New England Is Unveiled In Nantucket
Why producers are flaring gas in Texas.
Who is saying this: Former State Representative Jim Keffer
What is he saying are the reasons that gas is being flared in Texas?
- persistent infrastructure challenges (pipelines)
- lack of enough takeaway capacity
- lack of natural gas storage
- unexpected outage on a key pipeline
What are the economic costs of this?
- limit exploration and production
- weaken realized prices until late 2019
TribTalk | Jim Keffer| Texas benefits from investing in safe pipelines
New Report. Utility Operational Equipment Cyber Security Threats Increase.
Who issued the report? Siemens
What did the utility sample look like?
- 1,700 utility professionals worldwide
- electric utilities with gas
- solar
- wind assets
- water utilities
What utility operational equipment is poised for hackers?
- machines
- networks
- systems
- involved in transmitting or distributing power
What did the report find?
- Attacks are increasing
- The results of attacks will be severe financial, environmental and infrastructure damage
- 54% of utilities say = they expect a cyberattack on critical infrastructure within a year
- 64% of utilities say cyberattacks are a “top challenge”
Siemens | Caught in the Crosshairs: Are Utilities Keeping Up with the Industrial Cyber Threat?
The Hill | Report finds cyberattacks on critical utility operating systems are increasing
Business TREND. Utility Divests from Fossil Fuels
Who: Green Mountain Power
What is Green Mountain Power Divesting from? GMP pension is divesting from fossil fuel investments
How has the divestment trend moved? State pension systems, colleges & university funds and religious institution investments to now utilities.
Has GMP made a sustainability pledge? Yes, 100% carbon-free power by 2025, & 100% renewable power by 2030
Regulatory TREND. How to set rates for electric vehicle charging?
Where: California
Who: PG&E
How does PG&E want EV charging to be billed?
- Subscription based charging, like your smart phone
Where can I read the details of PG&E’s rate plan? Here
Why are regulators skeptical?
- EV rates “do not employ cross-subsidies”
- “any collections from the new class beyond marginal cost will be considered overcollections to be redistributed to other customer classes,”
- reducing subscription rates will “burden those customers that build and operate electric vehicle charging stations with low utilization rates.”
Utility Dive | PG&E wants EV demand charges to mimic smartphone plans. Regulators are skeptical
2 More Steps Toward Resiliency for Regulators +2 Key Supporters
Who is recommending more regulator action on resiliency? Government Accountability Office
What does the GAO recommend?
- fully encompassing federal guidance on grid cybersecurity, not just mandatory grid cybersecurity standards
- coordinate with other relevant federal agencies to develop a plan
Who is indicating support with the GAO recommendations?
- DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
- FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee
GAO | CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION
The Hill | Watchdog: Energy Department not doing enough to protect grid against cyber attacks
Business TREND. US has its 1st All EV gas station
Where: Takoma Park, Md
What: A gas station has been converted to EV charging station only. It is the first of its kind in the US.
What coalition helped the traditional gas station owner convert to EV charger station only?
- Electric Vehicle Institute
- Maryland Energy Administration state grant program ($786,000)
Is there a business advantage to EV stations? Yes, because EV charging takes 15-30 minutes, you have customer’s attention to service at a restaurant, lounge, coffee shop, bookstore, etc…
Washington Post | D.C.-area gas station shuts off the pumps and goes all-electric
Reasons Texas Oil Makes Market Resilient.Via Ray Perryman
How is Texas oil economy making the market resilient?
- the United States is the world’s largest producer of crude oil
- 2/3 of domestic output is in the Permian Basin
- technological advances in exploration and production techniques support US oil production
- when a problem happens elsewhere, operations resume more quickly than in the past
3 Recommendations for Texas to be a Leader on Climate Change
Who is making the recommendations?
- regional director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas
- faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Policy & the inaugural director of the LBJ Urban Lab
What are they recommending?
- more resilient infrastructure
- greener Texas cities with climate-ready infrastructure
- energy efficient economies
- “spongier” city landscapes to mimic natural ecosystems
- installing cisterns
- rain gardens
- green roofs
- planting “buffer strips” of vegetation in largely concrete areas
Benefits of these recommendations:
- improves biodiversity
- improves air quality
- strengthens mental and physical health
- helps manage urban heat
Houston Chronicle Opinion | Texas must lead the charge on climate change [Opinion]
What happens when critical infrastructure legislation catches the attention of Rolling Stone?
Where was the protest that caught everyone’s attention? Houston
Who was protesting? Greenpeace
Are criminal charges being brought against the Greenpeace protestors? Yes
What makes the case legally interesting? The protestors were repelling from a bridge over the Houston Ship Channel and dangling in the air
Who is credited as the creator of these critical infrastructure laws? American Legislative Exchange Council / the Koch brothers
Is there a constitutional issue? yes, free speech, protestors arrested in Lousiana are challenging a similar law in Lousiana in federal court
Rolling Stone | New State Laws Are Criminalizing Protest to Protect Oil and Gas Companies
Environmental Impact of Adopting EV School Buses
Where: Virginia
What is the impact of replacing 75 buses with EV buses?
- lifetime savings of 670,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide
- 41,000 pounds of particulate matter population
- 36 million pounds of greenhouse gas tailpipe emissions.
- equivalent to taking 3,500 cars from the road
New Regulatory Horizon in Texas. Mining Regulations.
What 3 reasons are given to support increased regulations of mining in Texas?
- no extensive application process for quarries
- bad actors are outpacing lax regulations
- regulations vary, and are more specific in groundwater districts
What does the industry say?
- 15 local, state and federal agencies oversee mining operations
- industry should build stronger partnerships in communities as opposed to increasing regulation
+1 State Methane Tax Credit
Where: Pennsylvania
What is the methane tax credit? a way to boost the use of methane in manufacturing, specifically targeting production of ammonia, methanol and urea.
What is the Keystone State calling the tax credit? the Energy and Fertilizer Manufacturing Tax Credit program
How much is the tax credit? 5 cents per-gallon credit for methane purchased and used by large facilities
KDKA | Pennsylvania House Of Representatives Passes Tax Credit To Boost Methane Use In Manufacturing
Why do regulators want larger bonds from oil and gas?
Where: Iowa
Who are the regulators?
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Minerals and Mining Program
What sparked the increased bonding request?
Abandoned wells, specifically a failed 40-well natural gas project
What is the new bond requirement?
- $50,000 per well
- OR $100,000 blanket bond for an unlimited number of wells
Are there legal limitations on the use of abandoned well bonds? Yes, the bond proceeds cannot be moved between sights. So left over funds from a project cannot be used to clean up another well site
Rapid City Journal | Regulators want bigger bonds from oil and gas drillers
Anatomy of an energy storage bill
Where: Virginia
The bill: SB 966 (2018 | VA)
What did SB 966 of 2018 do for energy storage?
- excepted it from the definition of utility
- included some storage in new rate adjustment clause category for expenses of electric distribution grid transformation projects
- pilot programs for the deployment of electric power storage batteries with capacity limits of up to 10 MW for APCo and 30 MW for DEV
What is the relevance of SB 966 in 2019? It is included as a way to bolster the Governor’s Executive Order on Clean Air and 100% carbon free by 2050
2 Reasons for Veto of Net Metering Cap Expansion
Where: New Hampshire
What bill? HB 365 (2019 | NH)
What did the bill do? Raise the net metering cap from 1 MW to 5 MW and would apply to residences and businesses
What were the reasons Governor Sununu offered for the veto?
- tantamount to subsidies for solar
- would cause rates to rise
Governor Chris Sununu Vetoes HB 365
Concord Monitor | Sununu goes 23-1 as House overturns only one veto on ‘grow your own’ bill
+1 Gov. Executive Order on Clean Air
Where: Virginia
What does the Executive Order require?
- Carbon free by 2050
- reduce barriers to achieving these solar and onshore wind goals
- develop energy financing programs and enhancing building codes
- integration of storage technologies into the grid and pairing of such storage technologies with renewable generation
- energy equity and environmental justice
Energy Use by Cannabis Growers. Reporting Requirements.
Where: Illinois
What energy requirements are tied to cannabis legalization in Illinois?
- energy efficiency requirements
- capping the amount of power used per square foot
- reporting requirements to help control for electricity load
What electric problems have other states seen from legalization?
- 7 Blackouts in Portland after legalization
- Denver saw energy use from growers increase by 4% in the last year
Energy News | Illinois marijuana growers will face energy efficiency and reporting rules
Water Fee Aimed at Municipalities
Where: Florida
Who is pushing a municipal water fee? Florida Governor DeSantis
What is the water fee proposal?
- A fee for spilling sewage into water ways
- 50% increase to $15,000
- Add daily fees
How is this targeting municipalities? Most sewage treatment centers are owned & operated by municipalities.
Legislation to Stop Power Shut Offs in Emergencies
Where:
California
The legislation:
What shutoffs will be prevented during an emergency?
- Shutoffs during a electric transmission line de-energization
- For low income people who depend on life supporting equipment
What is required of utilities?
- utilities to submit plans to the California Public Utilities Commission
- plans must support power for critical-care equipment for low-income customers during temporary power shutoffs
Sierra Sun Times | California Legislature Approves Power Shutoff Protection Bill
+1 County Resolution to Ban Styrofoam Containers
Where:
Rensselaer County, New York
What:
Rensselaer County looks to support a statewide legislative ban of styrofoam containers
How are styrofoam bans progressing in 2019?
- Maine passed a statewide ban. Read more here on info hive archives.
- Albany County NY moves to ban styrofoam county wide
WNYT | Rensselaer County Legislature may push for state Styrofoam ban
New Changes to Water Management in a state with a lot of people & limited water.
Where:
California
the legislation:
How does SB 19 change water management in California?
- improve data collection of stream and water levels
- increase funding for stream gauges, currently only 54% of stream gauges are active
- ensure real time water data collection
CA State Senator Dodd | Legislature Approves Sen. Dodd’s Plan to Improve Water Management
+1 State Critical Infrastructure Felony Legislation
Where:
Kentucky
The legislation:
2020 Bill Request 29RS BR 204 by Gooch
What critical infrastructure will Kentucky protect?
- pipelines
- telecommunications
- utilities
What’s the history with this issue in Kentucky?
- Previously failed to pass creating a felony for interfering with critical infrastructure
- It would apply to churches
- Kentucky has a history with pipelines and church lands
WFPL | Bill Pre-Filed In Kentucky Legislature Would Make Pipeline Protests A Felony
UPDATE:Local Government Stops LNG Terminal in Texas
Port of Corpus Christi made 2 legal maneuvers against Port Aransas after the city council unanimously voted to halt an LNG terminal:
- Asked for an injunction against the Port Aransas City Council
- Port Aransas lease with the PCC’s Harbor Island Marina was cancelled
LAST WEEK:
Where: Port of Corpus Christi
What local government moved to stop development? Port Aransas
How did Port Aransas do this?
- An ordinance calling for a 60 day moratorium
- Potential to rezone parts of Harbor Island to prevent development
Who makes up the opposition? tourism industry, environmentalists
Mitigating factors? Port Aransas suffered damage to emergency services from Hurricane Harvey that have not been fully restored
CC BizNews | Port Aransas Approves Moratorium on Port Corpus Christi
New report. US Cyber Security Incidents.
WHO:
North American Electric Reliability Corp
WHAT:
“Lesson Learned” document on unprecedented cyber disruption during Spring of 2019
What do I need to know?
- utilities should add additional defenses beyond a firewall
- stay on top of firewall updates and firmware updates
- limit internet facing devices
- Use virtual private networks
- Use access control lists
- Segment your network
- Monitor your network
E&E News | Report reveals play-by-play of first U.S. grid cyberattack
SMU’s Maguire Energy Institute: 5 Reasons Texas Power Grid Needs Regulatory Help for Pricing
Who: Bernard L. Weinstein, Associate director of SMU’s Maguire Energy Institute
Why do Texas regulators need to address power pricing?
- Weather hot weather that is stressing the power grid.
- Population. Texas has a growing population that demands more power
- Wind reliant. Texas has a heavy reliance because tax incentives fuel investment in renewables
- More base load generation needed. Texas lacks an investment in base-load generation
- More cost recovery. “capacity payment” or “resiliency charge” should be able to be recaptured part of their fixed costs.
TribTalk | The straining Texas power grid needs some pricing help from regulators
Local Government Stops LNG Terminal in Texas
Where: Port of Corpus Christi
What local government moved to stop development? Port Aransas
How did Port Aransas do this?
- An ordinance calling for a 60 day moratorium
- Potential to rezone parts of Harbor Island to prevent development
Who makes up the opposition? tourism industry, environmentalists
Mitigating factors? Port Aransas suffered damage to emergency services from Hurricane Harvey that have not been fully restored
CC BizNews | Port Aransas Approves Moratorium on Port Corpus Christi
What is an insurance policy for renewable heavy grids?
What is a renewable energy grid insurance policy? reliable backup power generation
Why is this important?
- No wind impacts wind power and nuclear power
- Drought impacts hydropower
How have different places addressed this?
- Australia brought in temporary power solution of mobile gas turbines for a heatwave
What are the environmental impacts? 90% less nitrogen oxide & 20% less noise than high-speed diesel engines
Power | Developing an ‘Insurance Policy’ to Ensure Stability for Renewables-heavy Grids
Texas Dealmaker. Wind + Facebook.
Where: Texas’ Aviator Wind project
What: Facebook signed on for 200-megawatt
How big is the Aviator Wind Project? Projected to be the largest single site wind power in the nation
How much of Facebook’s power needs are encompassed by Aviator deal? 100%
Is this a trend? Yes. “A recent analysis from WoodMac and AWEA identified as much as 85 gigawatts of renewable energy demand within Fortune 1000 companies through 2030″
Green Tech Media | Facebook Signs 200MW Wind Deal With Apex Clean Energy in Texas
Anatomy of an EV Partnership: Utilities + Governments
Where: Scotland
What are the parameters for Scotland & utility EV deployment?
- 7.5 Million pound investment
- will include grid-tied EV charging points
- will include rural infrastructure upgrades to sustain EV charging stations
2 Reasons Utilities Win in Cannabis Legalization
How has energy use been impacted in the Pacific Northwest?
- new power demand ranging between 80-163 megawatts
- the Northwest Region accounts for approximately 21% of production within the U.S
- This includes Washington where 100% of legal cannabis is grown outdoors
What would be the total power demand in the US for cannabis growing and production:
- between 381 MW and 776 MW
Is this utility use impact other agricultural trends? Yes, local grown crops
Utility Dive Opinion | An unexpected twist to the cannabis revolution
Legislature Tosses Utility’s Multiyear rate plan
Where: North Carolina
What rate plan: SB 559 (2019 | NC) that established a rate case for 5 years
How did opponents argue against it?
- Biggest change in rate policy in 100 years
- Little to no stakeholder input
- The Utility Commision should study rate case and plan alternatives
Utility Dive | Controversial Duke multiyear rate plan upended in North Carolina House
New Report. High Voltage EV Chargers Lose MONEY
Who authored the report? Great Plains Institutes for the Midcontinent Transportation Electrification Collaborative.
What 2 factors most impact high voltage EV chargers?
- current economic atmosphere
- utility rates
What are 4 benefits of EVs to utilities?
- load growth opportunities
- without necessarily increasing coincidental load peaks
- minimize new investments in generation and distribution infrastructure
- actively match load with expanding renewable generation
3 Issues with a US-Mexico Pipeline
Where: South Texas marine pipeline running under the Gulf of Mexico from South Texas to the port of Tuxpan in northeastern Mexico
Who is raising issues against the pipeline? Mexico’s state owned utility
What issues are the utility raising?
- $900M in construction delays (original open date was fall 2018)
- reduce the capacity
- reduce usage rates it is charged under the contracts
The economic costs to Mexico:
- raising costs for industries that depend on gas-fired electric power
- the economy moves from contracting to low growth with a lack of private investment
- the ability to enter into contracts and continue existing contracts
Wall Street Journal | Legal Tussle Prevents $2.5 Billion Gas Pipeline to Mexico From Opening
Anatomy of a 1st of its kind Flood Water Commission
Where is the Flood Water Commission being established? South Carolina
Who called for the creation of the Flood Water Commission? Gov. Henry McMaster in October 2018 by Executive Order, modeling it after a system in the Netherlands
What stakeholders are brought together?
- government
- academia
- the military
- environmental groups
- nonprofits
3 goals of the Flood Water Commission:
- proactively mitigate disasters
- protect lives
- protect property
10 subcommittees of the Flood Water Commission:
- artificial reef systems
- living shoreline
- infrastructure and shoreline armoring
- smart river and dam security
- grid security
- landscape beautification and protection
- national security
- stakeholder engagement
- federal funding
- economic development
Columbia Star | South Carolina’s unique approach to battling disastrous flooding
No Federal Methane Rules = States Passing Methane Rules
Where do we find no methane state rules? Texas and North Dakota
How many states have enacted rules concerning methane? 6
- Colorado was first in 2014
- Ohio, Wyoming and California followed Colorado’s lead
- Pennsylvania began rule making process in December 2018
- New Mexico used Governor Executive Order to jump start the issue
What is industry saying?
- Industry has pressed for federal rules
- Industry has voluntarily cut methane emissions
E&E news | EPA may roll back methane rules. Will states fill the gap?
Making the Case for New Power Plants in Texas
Who is making this case? energy research fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
What are the arguments supporting new power plants in Texas?
- heatwave this week saw costs soar
- record electricity demand
- the alternative is a move a capacity-market style according to chief data analyst for commodities broker OTC Global Holdings
New Study: EV hacking = Blackout
Who conducted the research study? NYU Tandon’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
What did researchers discover?
- Policymakers must take steps to take steps “to protect the data generated between electric cars and charging stations”
Why? hacking EV chargers is easy and the fall out is city wide blackouts
Public Plug-in Electric Vehicles + Grid Data: Is a New Cyberattack Vector Viable? via Utility Dive
Anatomy of Government Backed funding of Charging Stations
Where: UK
What funding is being provided to install charging stations? support the on-street residential charge point at 1000 locations
How will the funding flow?
- funds go to local governments
- installation will fund chargers connected to existing infrastructure like utility poles and lamp posts
AirQuality News | Government doubles funding for on-street EV charge points
States Allow KW pricing for EVs
How many states allow for kilowatt pricing? 30
What is an example of Kwh state legislation? HB 329 (2019 | NC)
Who is left out of Kwh pricing? Tesla owners
How do the EV charging companies align on pricing regulations?
- Tesla prefers KwH pricing
- Chargepoint leaves pricing to the third party property owner on which their charger sits
- Electrify America and EVgo set their own pricing
- EVgo charges by charging duration
How have regulatory reacted when utilities enter EV charging? Left pricing untethered to cost of delivery
Electrek | 30 states allow kWh pricing, but non-Tesla EV drivers mostly miss benefits
Water v. Pipelines. When a Water Agency Blocks a Gas Pipeline
Where: Maryland
What happened?
- A Pipeline sued the state claiming eminent domain over public land under a river
- Maryland Board of Public Works voted unanimously, with the backing of 62 legislators, to deny the permit to dig under the Potomac
3 Points from Fuel Retailers on EV Infrastructure Projects
Who is in the Fuel Retailers camp?
- NATSO -truckstops and travel plazas
- National Association of Convenience Stores
- Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America
What 3 points are they making to legislators about EV infrastructure policy?
- encourage a vibrant, competitive market for alternative fueling
- support federal financial support to private entities & private investment in EV infrastructure
- concerned about efforts by electric utilities to charge all of their customers for the costs of electric vehicle infrastructure
Fuel Retailers’ Joint Statement on EV Charging Infrastructure Investment Policies
Regulatory TREND. Safety and Battery Storage.
Where: Arizona
What sparked a safety concern about battery storage? A fire at a battery storage facility on April 19, 2019
What issue did an Arizona regulator raise? that lithium ion battery storage create a unacceptable risk
3 goals of utility scale battery storage according to this Arizona utility commissioner:
- sustainable
- less risky
- do not utilize chemistries that have a potential to release hydrogen fluoride in the event of a fire or explosion
Petrochemical Product Ban at Airports
Where: SFO
What: No single use plastic bottles. Travelers will be required to bring refillable bottles and cups
What exceptions exist? flavored water is exempt
Is this based on a city ordinance? Yes, San Francisco’s ordinance approved in 2014 that bans the sale of plastic water bottles on city-owned property
San Francisco Chronicle | No fly zone: SFO bans sale of plastic water bottles
Distributed Networks + EV Chargers. Think of Partnerships & Policies Now.
What: urban chargers in a distributed network are used more with a lower cost of operation than one giant centralized charging hub
Who: Data Scientists at Stable determined the best location for chargers
How: Stable is a , a 10-person company with employees from:
What data set the conclusion supporting distributed EV chargers?
- installation costs
- available power
- real estate costs
- travel time for the given vehicle
- time to get back on the road to service customer
Anatomy of Climate Change Provisions in an EV Bill
Where: Congress
The legislation: S. 2302, the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act,
The climate change provisions create a grant program for:
- “to strategically deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and natural gas fueling infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors that will be accessible to all drivers of electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, and natural gas vehicles.”
- $1 BILLION over 5 years
What partnerships open up? Grantees and Industry partnerships
Energy Manager Today | Senate Committee Green Lights Bipartisan EV Charging Funding Bill
Local Government Climate Initiatives by the numbers
265 local initiatives from January 2017 and April 2019
The top 10 cities are:
- Boston
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Minneapolis
- Washington, DC
- New York City
- Los Angeles
- Denver
- Austin, TX
- Portland, OR
Local government climate initiative trends:
- public and private sector collaboration
- engaging marginalized communities in energy efficiency
- time-of-sale policies that require sellers to disclose energy efficiency information prior to sale
Utility Dive | Few US cities on track to meet climate goals: ACEEE
Energy Storage Regulation: Installation
Where: California
Agency with oversight of energy storage installation: Contractors State License Board
Who would be permitted to install energy storage systems? C-10 electrical license which may not include all solar installation licenses
Opposition: California Solar and Storage Association
PV Magazine | California could restrict who can install energy storage
Electric Thermal Energy Storage What you need to know:
Where: Germany
Who: Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy
What is electric thermal energy storage? “store large quantities of energy, using volcanic rock as the storage medium.”
New Kid on the block. Utility Scale Energy Storage
Who: Tesla new product, Megapack
Goal of Megapack: alternative to natural gas “peaker” power plants.
Where is the Megapack at work? Moss Landing energy storage project in California with PG&E
What is the output? 182.5 MW of the upcoming 567 MW
+1 State Adds EV Chargers to Interstates
Where: Florida
Who is paying for EV charge expansion? VW settlement
What will the EV plan look like?
- 23 sites with fast-charge public stations
- covering I-95, I-75, I-10 + the Miami metro area.
Jacksonville | On the road: EV Charging got Expand on Florida Roads
Anatomy of Utility v. Oil & Gas Fight Over EV Regulations
Where: Arizona
What? Allegations of an oil and gas company working against utility EV projects
Why the inter-industry brouhaha? Chevron partners with EVgo for charging stations at its gas stations. These chargers would compete with public chargers — and public rates.
What is the Arizona Corporation Commission calling for in the EV projects?
- focus on infrastructure, education, and outreach
- make-ready
- rate design
- incentives/rebates
- cost recovery
- underserved and disadvantaged communities
Elektrek | Arizona asks utilities to present public EV charging projects, oil lobby campaign fails
TREND. Additional Utility Fees for Cryptocurrency miners
Where: Iran
What: Tariff for electric use by crypto currency miners
What policy reasons? Electricity is affordable and crypto miners, that use high volume of electricity, impact residents electric use
Is this unusual? No, Wyoming plan ed electric use regulations on crypto miners
OBN | New electricity tariff for crypto-currency miners in Iran
Legal TREND. Pipeline Sues City over ordinance.
Where: Kyle, TX
What does the lawsuit allege? Kyle TX overstepped its authority with its July 2nd ordinance prohibiting natural gas pipelines
What does Kyle’s ordinance require?
- all natural gas pipelines with a diameter of 30 inches must obtain a city permit
- buried at least 13 feet below the surface
- located at least 200 feet away from schools, day cares, hospitals, retirement homes and other sensitive facilities
- several fees, including a $2,500 permit application fee and a fee per linear foot for city right-of-way used
Houston Chronicle | Kinder Morgan sues Austin suburb over anti-pipeline ordinance
Local TREND. Distance Ordinances déjà vu. Texas Cities.
Where: Denton TX
What: City Council looks to increase minimum required distance between new homes and old gas wells
Policy justifications?
- fast growth area
- protecting health and safety of residents
- growing body of research concerning health issues for those near oil and gas facilities
Legal issues?
- Does state law prevent Denton from acting/do they care?
- Does it open the city to a reverse taking that would require compensation?
Denton Record Chronicle | Denton ponders longer distances between new homes, old gas wells
Top States for Battery Storage. 3 Commonalities.
Top states:
- California, with roughly 230 MW;
- Texas, with slightly under 100 MW;
- West Virginia, with about 60 MW;
- Alaska, with slightly under 50 MW;
- Ohio, with about 40 MW; and
- Pennsylvania, rounding out the top 10 with roughly 30 MW.
What do the states have in common?
- oil and gas producing states
Natural Gas Intel | Top States for Battery Storage Power Growth also Major Oil, Gas Players
Lege TREND. Petrochemical TREND. Statewide pesticide bans.
Where: California
What does the bill look like? AB 1788 (2019 | CA)
How is this bigger than killing pests? The pesticides sought to be banned also kill unintended animals up the food chain like large cats, mountain lions
Who is the opposition to statewide ban?
- pest control companies
- California Chamber of Commerce
- apartment owners
- food processors, restaurant associations and other industry groups wary of rodent infestations.
As a hard to pass bill in California, what did pass? a pesticide ban limited to areas prone to wildfires
Sacramento Bee | As rats overrun California cities, state moves to ban powerful pest-killers
Local TREND. Ban Natural Gas from new buildings.
Where? Berkeley CA
What? City Council unanimous vote to ban natural gas infrastructure in new low-rise residential buildings starting 1.1.2020
Exceptions? Yes, 2. new industrial & commercial buildings
Supporters?
- PG&E
- Sierra Club
- atural Resources Defense Council
What will be required in new buildings instead? electrification of space and water heating and air conditioning
Smart Cities | Berkeley, CA sets historic law banning natural gas from new buildings
Business TREND. Funding Boost for Energy Storage
What is happening? Increasing private equity (venture capital) funding for energy storage
Show me where:
- Energy Capital Partners acquired energy storage developer Convergent Energy + Power
- solar sector investments in Q1 2019 totaled $176 million, up from $161 million in Q1 2018
What are the market projections for energy storage? will be a trillion dollar market
Utility Dive | Private equity investment in storage expected to increase as ECP buys Convergent
Funding Energy Storage from the North.
Where: Montana
The energy storage: Storing 400 MW of pumped storage hydro power in central Montana
How was funding secured? Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners
AP | Montana energy storage project lines up financial partner
Regulatory TREND. Regulators Deny EV Pilot. Utility Offers 3 Defenses to EV Program.
Where: North Carolina
What EV pilot program is involved? Duke Energy’s $76 million electric transportation pilot program
What did regulators say when they said no?
- it would be giving pre-approval to consumers paying for EV infrastructure
- the EV pilot is being used to avoid a full rate case
What did the utility say in defense of the pilot?
- it will help NC meet clean air thresholds
- it is necessary for the state to meet its own EV goals of 80,000 electric vehicles by 2025
- the pilot program is necessary to understand the market
S&P Global | NC public staff questions need for Duke Energy EV pilot program
TX Attorney General Opinion. New utility easements in Special Districts?
What question is being answered in KP-0262? May Jackson County Navigation District (the “District”) require an easement for new and existing aerial utility lines which cross over its boundaries?
The answer: Yes as long as it does so to meet statutory and constitutional provisions
A caveat? Yes, if the land was acquired by patent from the state. Then the state can set the limitations.
Energy Issues. New Study. Consumers Rank Issues.
The study: Authenticity Gap report by FleishmanHillard Fishburn
What did consumers say for this 7th annual Authenticity Gap report?
- 66% consumers want companies to show greater purpose & societal impact
- 59% expect companies to stand up on climate and environmental issues (that’s up from 39% in 2018)
- 84% of the 160 companies studied don’t meet consumer expectations concerning environmental issues and climate change
What did it say about how this message should be conveyed?
- 76% expect CEOs to first and foremost communicate issues that impact customers
- 71% expect CEOS to first and foremost communicate issues that impact employees
- 55% believe Companies should act on issues with a large societal impact, even if there is no significant affect to the company
- 48% consumers think companies must take a stand on controversial issues that influenced government policy changes
- 43% consumers think corporations should take stands on issues concerning the CEOs own personal views and beliefs
The Holmes Report | Study: Consumer Expect Brands To Take A Stand On Climate Change & Data Security
TREND ESG Investment in clean water
What’s happening? traditional mutual funds & exchange-traded funds are investing in clean water
Why? As clean water becomes scarcer, the price goes up
How are they investing? Companies that contribute to the delivery, testing and cleaning of potable water.
NY Times | As Fresh Water Grows Scarcer, It Could Become a Good Investment
Regulatory TREND. Utilities and Cloud Storage
Who wants cloud storage rules? Utility security experts
Who are these utilities asking for these rules? FERC
What does this mean to the industry?
- It should shift data storage away from onsite data storage for grid and facility security purposes
- Supporters say it is more cost effective for smaller utilities
- PPL Electric Utilities is looking at it
- Southwest Power Pool raised the issue at 2018 Reliability Technical Conference
Are any others tackling cloud storage and grid security? Yes NERC is working on proposed standards
Texas State Auditor Report. 7 Groundwater Conservation Districts. Who. What. How good or bad is it?
Who are the 7 groundwater districts?
- Calhoun Co. GCD
- Headwaters GCD
- Live Oak Underground water CD
- Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer CD
- Gonzales Co. Underground Water CD
- Mesa Underground Water CD
- Evergreen Underground Water CD
What did the SAO say? The Priority District is Live Oak has issues identified present risks or effects that if not addressed could critically affect the audited entity’s ability to effectively administer the program(s)/function(s) audited. IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED
What did Live Oak not do?
- Obtain an annual audit of its financial condition
- Obtain bonds for district officers, employees, or consultants who are
responsible for handling district funds
- Obtain bonds for district board members
- More regular meetings
- More written policies need to be adopted to establish an audit or
- finance committee of the board.
Is there a runner up? Yes, Evergreen has issues identified present risks or effects that if not addressed could substantially affect the audited entity’s ability to effectively administer the program(s)/function(s) audited. PROMPT ACTION REQUIRED
What did Evergreen not do?
- Management plan goals did not control & prevent waste of groundwater.
- Management plan goals address conjunctive surface water management issues.
- Management plan goals did not address conservation.
Governor Executive Action. Climate Change Policies
Friendly reminder that gubernatorial power includes issuing executive orders that would:
- direct staff to explore alternative paths to climate change
- Direct agencies to take action concerning alternative paths to climate change
Where is this happening? Oregon
How did the Legislature get to a threat of Executive Action? By killing a Climate Change bill that resulted in the threat of executive action
TX Comptroller. New Study. Endangered Species. Animals. Plants. Matagorda Bay
What: Texas Comptroller Natural Resources Program new research on imperiled and listed bird and turtle species in Matagorda Bay
Where do I find this? Here
Business TREND. Water and the Gig Economy
What? Sharing laundry services by an app. Make money from your washing machine.
Where did this start? UK
What are the apps? Washare & Cashare (for appliances generally)
How does this overlap water regulations? Depending on the water usage changes in residential areas and the impact to water service
Forbes | Washapp! Now Even Your Washing Machine Can Make Money In The Sharing Economy
Regulatory TREND. 2 States Move to Performance based Rate Making.
Nevada joins Hawaii in moving to performance based rate making.
What is performance based ratemaking?
- Utilities forego rate cases and instead
- Generate earnings by meeting efficiency and clean energy goals, & delivering new services
The legislation: SB 300 (2019 | NV)
Policy goals: “to leverage and benefit from technological changes and innovative operating practices,”
Utility Dive | Nevada follows Hawaii, moves toward performance-based ratemaking
Lege TREND. A Clean Air Bill that Ditches Utility Renewable Mandates.
Ohio’s HB 6 (2019 | OH) will:
- end renewable mandates on utilities
- this also ends a $5 fee on customers
- subsidize nuclear and coal plants
- generate $190 million annually with a $1 per month fee through 2026
- allow electric distribution utilities to charge customers a monthly fee
TREND. Energy Generation from Cow Manure. Who?Where?What?How Much?
Who: Maas Energy Works, 1 of 2 companies building methane digesters, with grants to add 6 more dairies to the plant
Where: California
What:
- A network of farms that turns manure gas, from 35,000 cows, into a biofuel
- Help dairies slash greenhouse gas emissions
How much is the project? $30M with grant from the state’s cap-and-trade program
Lege TREND. Grid Security Bills in Texas
SB 475 (2019 | TX) and SB 936 (2019 | TX)
SB 475 (2019 | TX) will:
- Create the Texas Electric Grid Security Council
- To coordinate the sharing and implementation of best security practices
- within the industry
SB 936 (2019 | TX) will:
- creates a a cybersecurity monitor program
- backed by a framework for collaboration among state regulators, utilities and the reliability coordinator
- to secure critical grid infrastructure against cyberattacks
- permits electric utilities to “recover reasonable and necessary costs incurred in connection with activities under the cybersecurity monitor program.”
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