Energy & Water

What is happening? NM legislators are proposing a Green Amendment to the state constitution that would “recognize the rights of present and future generations to clean water and air, a stable climate and healthy environments, as well as recognizing the cultural, natural and human health values of the environment.”

Why is this important? The amendment also makes state officials trustees of the environment & adds environmental rights.

How will this be important?  constitutional Green Amendments exist in Pennsylvania, Montana and New York.  In addition to New Mexico, constitutional environmental rights amendments are being advanced in in Arizona, Washington, New Jersey, Hawaii, Delaware, Vermont, Iowa, West Virginia, Maine, Maryland and Kentucky.

GreenAmendment.Org

ABQ.News | Legislators Galore Propose Adding Green Amendment to State Constitution

What’s happening? MIT Energy Initiative tells us that wood is a natural form of carbon sequestration.

Why is this important? Concrete and steel industries together account for as much as 15% of global carbon dioxide emission

How will this be important? Some countries are starting to call for more timber buildings.

@mitenergy

What’s happening? GAF Energy recently released its solar shingles. GAF Energy has 10,000 contractors in the US

Why is this important? This is allegedly the first nail-able solar shingle. Meet Timberline Solar Energy Shingles that look similar to usual shingles, but are a bit bigger and about twice as heavy and are installed by roofers. Yes, that’s the kicker the solar shingles installed by roofers. Check your roofing legislation for solar rules…

How will this be important? Oh the laws, rules and regulations that are forth coming….

@goodgoodgoodco

What is happening? California enacted AB 1346 (2021 | CA) that prohibits the sale of gas powered lawn equipment and gas powered generators.

Why is this important? The legislation and authors stressed that there are alternatives to gas powered machinery for lawns. However, there is no 24 hour alternative to a gas powered generator.

How will this be important? One size fits all doesn’t work well in legislation. As a result of this bill,  hospitals, homes and businesses in potential wildfire areas have stocked up on gasoline-powered generators

North Bay Business Journal | CalFocus: When ideology collides with reality at the Legislature

What’s happening? An amendment to a Vermont Energy bill prevents HOAs and other entities from preventing clothes lines, which naturally save energy over the use of a dryer that can account for 15% of a household’s energy use.

Why is this important? There is no direct line for amendments, keep your minds nimble.

How will this be important? Have a land use issue that can be tied to energy saving, give a big energy bill a go. In the alternative, want to ensure that dryers and energy are used- check out land use bills to make certain that clothes lines can be banned.

Route Fifty | 5 Unusual State Laws Across the US

What is happening? The CT Governor used an Executive Order 21-3 to call for all electric building codes, thereby moving natural gas out of building codes.

Why is this important? The Governor action is attributed to the state not being on track to meet its emission reductions.

How will this be important? In addition to building code changes, the Executive Order will impact decarbonization of industrial thermal processes, updates to the state’s electric vehicle plan and updates to the state’s Integrated Resources Plan. 

Utility Dive | Connecticut targets building emissions, energy equity as it moves to update energy strategy

What is happening? Federal licensing of hydropower often takes 7 or more years to complete. A proposal in Congress would establish a two-year licensing process for adding generation to non-powered dams and provide market changes so hydro projects can be paid for services they provide the grid.

Why is this important? Currently it takes longer to license hydro power than it takes to license nuclear power facilities.

How will this be important? Shortening licensing timelines is very popular

Utility Dive | Senate energy committee considers calls to speed ‘glacial pace’ of hydropower permitting

What is happening? As the government stopped buying power from the hydro plant during the pandemic, the hydropower plant began selling its power to crypto miners.

Why is this important? This isn’t unique to hydro, when power isn’t being purchased or is in the case of natural gas being flared, there is a market to sell power to crypto miners.

How will this be important? As a result of this use of hydropower for crypto mining, Costa Rica’s central bank is providing for technological innovation for a Fintech industry

Reuters | Costa Rica hydro plant gets new lease on life from crypto mining

What is happening? West Virginia is considering reversing its prohibition on nuclear power.

Why is this important? The information that fueled this reversal, including the use of microreactors that produce 1 mw to 10 mw of power and may serve remote communities or areas prone to brownouts and blackouts. Also mentioned are small modular reactors that produce 300 mw or less and make a good replacement for coal plants in line to be phased out.

How will this be important? Does nuclear enter the discussion more as a means of power with lower emissions.

The Dominion Post via Governing | West Virginia Considers Lifting Ban on Nuclear Power

What is happening? Vermont Electric Co-op  has a list of EV credits that include:

• a bill credit of $250 for purchases (new or used) and $50/year for leases; for all-electric vehicles, a bill credit of $500 for purchases (new or used) and $100/year for leases
• For home Level II chargers, $250 (with additional $50 incentive if members allow VEC to communicate with the charger); and for publicly-available charging stations, $500 per connection
• https://www.driveelectricvt.com/incentives

Why is this important? Vermont’s list includes other items like heat pumps too, an issue crucial for Vermont, less crucial for Southern California

How will this be important? EV incentives come in multiple layers. (1) government: federal, state and local (2) utility incentives (3) manufacturer incentives

Vermont Biz | VEC energy transformation incentives continue for 2022

What is happening? Carbon capture isn’t just for fossil fuel facilities, it is also invading breweries where breweries can capture CO2 released during fermentation and use it to add carbonation to their beers or in the bottling process

Why is this important? Have you seen how many craft breweries there are…. PLus, the technology was developed by a company in Austin, TX,  @earthlylabs

How will this be important? Thinking about CO2 capture outside the traditional sense is a new phase for policy makers

@GoodGoodGoodCo

What is happening? 2021 saw Spain’s major source of power become wind power.

Why is this important? Wind power will increase 10% in 2021, making 23.3% of Spain’s power source. Next up at roughly 21% is nuclear power.

How will this be important? Overall 14.3% of power in Europe is wind power. Soaring natural gas prices are attributed to a move away from fossil fuel sourced power.

@goodgoodgoodco

Reuters | Wind spins more power in Spain while weaker elsewhere

What’s happening? We’ve been talking about projects in Arizona that involve agriculture production under the shade of solar panels. The crops require less water to grow in the shade.

Why is this important? it isn’t some new fangled idea. Native American farmers for 1000s of years planed under the shade of Mesquite and Palo Verde to allow crops to grow in the cooler microclimate and require less water

How will this be important? The agricultural goal is to fit the crops to the environment rather than change the Environment

@wahingtonpost

What’s happening? Oklahoma is considering joining California in implementing EV charging station standards.

Why is this important? I feel like I’m stating the obvious, but there are no standards for EV charging stations that’s why CA and OK are setting some. There are no current guidelines on locations for EV charging stations, inspection or calibration standards, fees, record keeping, and meter testing.

How will this be important? Oklahoma’s Corporations Commission is adopting regulations as required by the State’s DRIVE Act of 2021, HB 2234 (2021 | OK).

The Oklahoman via Governing | Oklahoma Considers Establishing EV Charging Station Standards

What is happening? Edison Electric Institute estimates that utilities will need to increase the number of EV chargers 10x by 2030. That amounts to 100,000 EV fast-charging ports being needed to support the projected 22 million electric vehicles that will be on U.S. roads in 2030.

Why is this important? National Electric Highway Coalition supports this estimate and is comprised of 53 utilities. One of its members is TVA, and Tennessee is the biggest EV manufacturing state in the South.

How will this be important? The Coalition supports ste projects like Drive Electric Tennessee that seeks to have at least 200,000 light-duty electric vehicles in the state by 2028

Electrek | 53 US utilities will build a nationwide fast-charging EV network by end of 2023

Chattanooga Times | Laying the electric vehicle highway will require 100,000 recharging stations by 2030

What’s happening? We talked about this last week in relation to the ERCOT report that texas will account for 20% of global cryptocurrency mining by the end of 2022.

Why is this important? There’s the economic development and tech innovation part of this, but what’s making news now is the impact to the grid.

How will this be important? Let’s watch and see how these arrangements with miners play out to stop mining during peak times.

Dallas Morning News | Why cryptocurrency miners pose the next big threat to the Texas electric grid

What’s happening? Exxon announced it expects to spend $15 B to curb greenhouse gases, and that it can meet its 2025 emissions reduction goal this year.

Why is this important? They plan to get to their goals by taking measures to cut emissions at facilities by reducing flaring and cutting methane emissions, and by investing in carbon business solutions.

How will this be important? Overall the company will make capital investments of $20 billion and $25 billion per year through 2027

Dallas Morning News | Exxon Mobil commits to spending $15 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

What’s happening? California worries about weather and its electric grid as it relates to summer heat and wildfires. To address this, the California Public Utilities Commission told its 3 investor owned utilities to procure 2-3GW of additional demand and supply side resources.

Why is this important? Also included is double incentives to home owners who conserve when the grid is strained & authorized 4 microgrids with storage

How will this be important? All this action started with the Governor’s Proclamation of State Emergency that said extreme heat and transmission lines near wildfire prone areas create an emergency.

Utility Dive | California OKs bridge measures to bolster grid

What is happening? Public Utility Commissioners in MN cut a rate increase request and cited the impact of rising energy costs on rate payers.

Why is this important? let’s look to the commissioners. “As regulators, we can’t have our heads in the sand and ignore significant [economic] constraints, particularly for the residential class,” said Katie Sieben, chair of the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission (PUC).

How will this be important? Did this ruling start a trend…

Minneapolis Star Tribune | In unusual move, utility regulators slash CenterPoint’s interim rate request

What’s happening? World wide battery storage projects attached to solar account for:

• connected 2.4 gigawatts of utility-scale solar projects to its power grids
• that’s 46% growth over same period last year
• addition of 127 megawatts of battery storage paired with utility-scale solar PV systems
• Texas added 37% of these
• pipeline for new utility-scale solar projects grew by 6 GW in the third quarter

Why is this important? We just keep watching these numbers go up

How will this be important? Keep an eye on what companies are installing utility scale solar PV systems

Power Engineering | U.S. records red-hot quarter for utility-scale solar, battery storage

What’s happening? By the end of 2022, Texas crypto mining may account for 20% of electric use for crypto globally.

Why is this important? As we’ve talked about China banned crypto mining recently, leading to the uptick in places like Texas and Ireland.

How will this be important? Whether Texas power grid can sustain an additional pull of 5000MW annually, about double the size of Austin, is the big question.

Dallas Morning News | Why cryptocurrency miners pose the next big threat to the Texas electric grid

What’s happening? Earlier this month, Tesla Energy Ventures was authorized to sell electricity to retail customers in Texas on the ERCOT grid.

Why is this important? This isn’t new. Tesla has a virtual power plant up and running in South Australia and this summer began a beta version in California too.

How will this be important? “Usually an electricity service provider that doesn’t have generation on the ground essentially acts as a middleman, they buy on the wholesale market and turn around and sell to customers,” Ted Kury, director of energy studies for the Public Utility Research Center at the University of Florida, told UtilityDive at the time of the Tesla filing. “Tesla would have the ability to act as a buyer and seller simultaneously and have access to a lot of data. Regulators are going to have to think about what the implications might be.”

Gizmodo | Elon Musk Is Officially in the Texas Electricity Business

What is happening? ERCOT CEO gave an interview to NBC DFW 5 in which he made it clear that  “he is concerned that the plan could cause fuel supply issues for power plants that run on natural gas”

Why is this important? The ERCOT CEO also said there is time for RRC to make the right decision.

How will this be important? The sentiment is in the Legislature too with this characterization from Texas State Senator Lois Kolkhorst: “This is the Achilles heel right now. Right now.”

NBC5 DFW | ERCOT CEO Worries $150 “Easy Out” for Gas Companies Could Threaten Grid

What’s happening? The EV funds in the Infrastructure bill appear to be level 2 charger focused. “Companies applying for funding to build out more chargers can’t use a proprietary plug and have to work with local governments to figure out a long-term maintenance plan so the stations aren’t abandoned.”

Why is this important? It means most EV drivers will predominantly charge at home.

How will this be important? Since Level 2 chargers are cheaper to build, it will feel like the ubiquitous charger.

The Verge | Biden’s $7.5 billion EV charging plan will require a lot of patience

What is happening? Chem-Energy Corp. will invest $1 billion in solar and battery power plants with two facilities in Caldwell County. Solar Plant #1 will be in Uhland with construction beginning in spring 2022 and opening in 2023. Solar Plant #2 will be in Martindale.

Why is this important?  They will provide 600 megawatt/1,200 megawatt-hours in battery storage and 1 gigawatt of solar power generation over a decade. The power will serve ERCOT and will work in petrochemicals and refinery projects.

How will this be important? Included is an economic development deal under Chapter 381 that Caldwell County commissioners unanimously approved for performance-based incentives. Caldwell Co. will establish tax abatements and administer loans and grants of public money to promote economic development. 

Austonia | $1 billion solar and battery plants coming to Central Texas

Power Engineering | Texas lands $1 billion investment in solar and battery projects

What’s happening? Miami was one of the cities that saw its council move away from new building codes that would electrify new building and prohibit natural gas lines. The move was to support the city’s long term goal of net zero carbon emissions.

Why is this important? Miami is now walking back that change after the local gas utility said it was problematic for the industry.

How will this be important? The city will instead focus on carbon capture at landfills and waste water facilities as well as a switch to hydrogen for fuel.

Miami Herald via Governing | Miami Backs Away from Plan to End Natural Gas Hookups

What is happening? EIA Annual Electric Generator Report shows utility scale battery projects are being deployed 59% for frequency regulation, 39% for ramping or spinning reserve, 37% for arbitrage, 26% for load following, 17% for excess wind and solar, 15% for system peak shaving

Why is this important? “Frequency regulation remains the most common use for batteries, but other uses, such as ramping, arbitrage, and load following, are becoming more common as more batteries are added to the electric grid.”

How will this be important? Watch the percentages

EIA | Battery storage applications have shifted as more batteries are added to the U.S. grid

What is happening? The New York Independent System Operator anticipates ample reserves, even though NY generators are starting off with lower natural gas reserves.

Why is this important? The New York Independent System Operator winter planning now includes “once in a century” scenarios in its risk assessments and experts say the more cautious approach is now common across the country. It is estimating that during century lows, capacity margins could decrease to 526 MW.

How will this be important? NY is also relying on a report from North American Electric Reliability Corp. that found that “most of the outages were due to gas-fired plant failures, including frozen equipment and fuel shortages.”

Utility Dive | Texas blackouts prompt New York ISO to consider ‘once in a century’ winter events

What is happening? The “Port of Corpus Christi is the largest U.S. port in total revenue tonnage,”

Why is this important? An estimated  671 million barrels of crude oil will pass through the port. Liquified natural gas carriers more than doubled to 153.

How will this be important? In auditioning to the Governor welcome supply chain ships to texas ports, the Port of Corpus Christi is also “widening and deepening the ship channel, opening it to greater commercial traffic “

Caller Times | Chairman: Community should take pride in Port of Corpus Christi during record-setting 2021

What’s happening? Ithaca, NY became the first city int he US to approve electrification + decarbonization for every building in the city.

Why is this important? Ithaca has 30,000 people and approximately 6,000 homes and buildings. It estimates it will save approximately 160,000 tons of carbon dioxide

How will this be important? Saving 160,000 tons of CO2 is the equivalent of 35,000 cars annually

@washingtonpost

What’s happening? St. Louis region has new  local development ordinances that will impact EV chargers going into effect in 2022.

Why is this important? The new ordinances will:

• requires all commercial, entertainment, and institutional locations undergoing construction or extensive renovations within the county to reserve 2% of their parking spaces to be reserved for EV charging beginning in January. 2022
• require 10% of a project’s total parking spaces to be ready to supply power if the demand for EVs increases. 
• A $500 daily fine until compliance
• Separate ordnance will require multi-family residential and non-residential construction and building rehabs to include EV-ready spots for 5% of spots for parking lots housing more than 50 spaces. 

How will this be important? As a result of these ordinances, “investor-owned utilities and electric cooperatives across Missouri are investing in EV infrastructure in cities and rural areas of the state.”

Missouri Times | St. Louis region enacts EV development regulations

What’s happening? GM is partnering with its dealers to install up to 40,000 electric vehicle chargers across North America & to pour nearly $750 million into charging infrastructure .

Why is this important? Dealers will then identify and partner to install chargers locally. Dealers will also be empowered to provide incentive programs.

How will this be important?  The project is marketed as Ultium Chargers, so they’ll have clear GM branding, but the chargers will not be proprietary like Tesla chargers and will be open to all EVs

Tech Crunch | GM will work with dealers to install 40,000 EV charging stations across North America

What’s happening? California has banned gas powered lawn equipment in AB 1346 (2020 | CA) . To offset the cost of new equipment, the prohibition comes with $30 million in funding to help aid the transition

Why is this important? People say : “Operating a gasoline-powered leaf blower for one hour produces as much volatile organic compounds and NOx as driving a 2017 Toyota Camry from New York City to Orlando, Florida”

How will this be important? This debate occurred in Texas when TERP was being debated. Opposition in California included the National Association of Landscape Professionals. Hawaii has a leaf blower restriction and cities, including Washington D.C., also have prohibitions on certain gas powered lawn equipment.

Route Fifty | California First State to Outlaw Gas-powered Lawn Mowers and Leaf Blowers

What is happening? Texas elected officials are welcoming cryptocurrency touting the renewable reserve power in Texas. Energy experts are split.

Why is this important? Supporters say for this work and help the grid, cryptocurrency has to be willing to shut down when the grid asks it to do so.

How will this be important? Opponents say:

• miners draw a lot of electricity & will increase ratepayer costs if new generation isn’t added
• there will be a CO2 increase
• simply adding new demand doesn’t fix the grid or automatically add supply

Houston Chronicle via Governing | Can Texas’ Power Grid Withstand Cryptocurrency Mining?

What’s happening?  Gazelle Wind Power opened its first U.S. office in Austin, Texas. 

Why is this important? this is the company’s 1st US office and its focus is offshore wind. Offshore wind is growing from Massachusetts to Lousiana.

How will this be important? “The addition of this U.S. office is a significant milestone for Gazelle as we take our innovative technology to the global market. We chose Austin for our U.S. office because several leading sources rank the city as a top cleantech innovation hub, which gives us unparalleled access to potential partners. Austin also provides Gazelle with convenient access to the robust offshore wind market that is taking off in the Gulf Coast region and throughout the United States.” — said Jon Salazar, founder, and president of Gazelle Wind Power

Windpower Engineering | Offshore platform developer Gazelle Wind Power opens Texas office

What’s happening? In Jack County and Palo Pinto County, Texas Hecate Energy will use 7,000 acres along the Jack and Palo Pinto County line to build a solar energy plant and a battery storage facility. 

Why is this important? The project sweet spot is 10,000 acres.

How will this be important? With battery storage the project will be a  $2 billion capital investment

Jacksboro Herald Gazette | HECATE ENERGY SEEKS TO BUILD SOLAR PLANT

What’s happening? Maryland Counties are looking to creating a resilience authority. Resilience authorities are unique to Maryland,. They can seek grants, issue bonds and even levy fees to carry out projects that would otherwise compete with schools or health or safety for public funds.

Why is this important? An authority created by Anne Arundel County and the city of Annapolis is “tackling a $56 million problem, the redevelopment of the capital’s often-flooded City Dock.”

How will this be important? Know any Red states with Blue Counties?

Baltimore Sun via Governing | Maryland Counties Propose New Agency to Combat Climate Impacts

What is happening? Illinois’ Ameren Corp.’s Sioux Energy Center added a data center to mine bitcoin “to guzzle energy from the electric grid and help its power plants avoid ramping their production down and back up again, which wastes energy and stresses the plants.”

Why is this important? If it works, it could cut power plants’ carbon emissions and make millions. Opponents at the regulatory level want to ensure that ratepayers are not on the hook for the bitcoin mining.

How will this be important? Critics say this can’t be used as a reason to support coal and that same energy should be used to power other technologies like battery storage or electric vehicle charging stations

STL.com via Governing | Illinois Electric Utility Mines for Bitcoin to Reduce Emissions

What’s happening? In the past year electric generation from coal has increased 22% , with high demand from the Pacific and Asia. In contrast 2020 was a 50 year low for coal.

Why is this important? Coal is stably priced

How will this be important? With continued supply chain interruptions and inflation, stable prices become alluring. Energy Information Administration does not expect long term growth.

NPR | U.S. coal production is up sharply after hitting a 50-year low last year

What’s happening? Health and Science experts stand behind a new drilling buffer zone of a 3,200-feet — equal to roughly one kilometer or just over half a mile — that will go into effect in California in 2023.

Why is this important? The impacts of drilling disproportionally impact Black and BIPOC neighborhoods. The set back would apply to homes, schools and healthcare facilities.

How will this be important? The rules will also require emissions monitoring of existing wells within those buffer zones, because of the disproportionate impact to Latino and Black communities.

Los Angeles Times | New California oil drilling must be set back from homes and schools, Newsom says

What’s happening? Tarrant Water District adopted new rules concerning nepotism and board management.

Why is this important? A former general manager of the district hired his girlfriend, and fast forward to the former GM and the district getting into a legal kerfuffle over a $300,000 payment from the Board President to the GM.

How will this be important? New nepotism rules go beyond state law to include: three degrees of separation from a domestic partnership or dating relationship.

Star Telegram | Tarrant Regional Water District adopts new rules on nepotism and board management

What is happening? This week the Texas Public Utility Commission released its blue print to winterize electric facilities in Texas. The two phase process will begin with resolving known, acute issues and implementing the recommendations of the 2012 Quanta Report, a study commissioned by state regulators after another winter storm caused outages in Texas in February of 2011.

Why is this important? Phase 2 will include winterization requirements after a comprehensive weather study is completed by the Texas State Climatologist and ERCOT.

How will this be important? Whether market reforms enter the vernacular of the PUCT.

WFAA | PUC imposes new winterization rule on the state’s power generators and transmission companies

NBC DFW | Texas Two-Step Proposed to Protect Power Plants in Winter

Power generators must winterize in Texas | kvue.com

PUCT | Project No. 51840 – Rulemaking to Etablish Electric Weatherization Standards

Texas Regulators Tee Up Market Changes | Utility Dive

What is happening? Denmark is using decommissioned wind turbine blades as bike shelters, pedestrian bridges and guard rails working through an organization called, Re-Wind Network.

Why is this important? The lifespan of a wind turbine blade is 20 years. The blades are often made with components that are difficult to recycle.

How will this be important? It is estimated that by 2050 40 million tons of wind turbine equipment will need to be repurposed.

@goodgoodgoodco

What’s happening? Massachusetts Governor is proposing $750 million in ARPA funds be put into clean energy and pull back strict pricing requirements on procurements to further offshore wind development by repealing a 2016 price cap, and move procurement power from utilities to the state oversight agency.

Why is this important? The state wants to be a leader in offshore wind. It currently has 1600MW of offshore wind generation, soon to add another 1200 MW, and this final funding pushing to add an additional 1000 MW.

How will this be important? Lousiana is looking to do the same in the Gulf and as we’ve talked about has taken actionable steps to move that program forward.

Boston Herald via Governing | Massachusetts Proposes $750M Offshore Wind Energy Investment

What’s happening? MIT Energy Researchers along with Shell are studying the role of hydrogen and electric power.

Why is this important? With an eye on a future low-carbon, integrated energy system, the researchers found that co-optimizing electric power & hydrogen supply chain infrastructure can lead to emission reductions and decreased infrastructure costs.

How will this be important? Everyone seems to be talking about hydrogen lately.

@MIT Energy

What’s happening? Scientists inspired by agrivolatics, growing crops under solar panels, are encouraging solar panels to be installed over aqueducts to limit evaporation while also generating power.

Why is this important? Evaporation is a major cause of shrinking water supplies. If California covered 4000 miles of aqueducts with solar panels, it could save save 63 billion gallons of water from evaporating

How will this be important? There is a potential emissions savings if farmers, who usually use diesel to pump water, could use the solar power generated from the aqueducts to pump their water, then the diesel emissions could be eliminated.

Wired | Why Covering Canals With Solar Panels Is a Power Move

What’s happening? The Carbon Neutral Coalition has formed in Texas to ”  partner with stakeholders, government, and industry to make Texas carbon neutral by 2050 and preserve our quality of life.” Its board includes:

• Susan Combs
• Thurmon Andress
• Mike Belenkie
• Sarah Biller
• Sarah Biller
• Tina Yturria Buford
• Tom Carter
• James H. Clement, Jr.
• Dan E. Cole
• Elizabeth Coleman
• Jack Coleman
• Robert Eckels
• Don Evans
• Scott Frazier
• Maynard Holt
• Devin Hotzel
• Jodie Jiles
• Tom Luce
• Dave Marchese
• Tim Matthews
• Charles McConnell
• Kenneth Medlock
• Reed Morian
• Harriet O’Neill
• Julie Parsley
• Carl Ray Polk Jr
• Beth Robertson
• Ron Simmons
• Sean Strawbridge
• Cliff Thomas
• Bobby Tudor

Why is this important? Their offering solutions including:

• renewables
• Permanent Storage For Nuclear Waste From Nuclear Electricity Generation
• Mitigate Methane Emissions
• End Routine Flaring
• Carbon Capture with Storage underground
• Create a Hydrogen Economy

How will this be important? New Mexico is vying to be A Hydrogen hub. Since when has Texas not wanted to outshine its neighbors?

Carbon Neutral Coalition

What’s happening? Orlando is building partnerships to build vertiports, which are landing pads for oversized drones. It’s like the Jetsons are arriving.

Why is this important? The infrastructure fora vertiport requires that they be electric vehicle charge ready.

How will this be important? Yep, add vertiports to your electrification plans.

Orlando Sentinel via Governing | Orlando Partners With NASA to Prepare for Flying Vehicles

What is happening? Northwest Power and Conservation Council 20 year power plan for the energy needs of Washington, Idaho, Oregon and Montana focuses on renewables and resiliency. The plan gets revised statutorily every 5 years.

Why is this important? This year’s review of the power plan is the most “dramatic changes in the future power supply.” They’re planning is robust to ensure that they spend enough money to ensure they don’t overbuild, but spend enough to keep rates good.

How will this be important? Onlookers say the dramatic revision of the power plan is because these elements came together:

• At least 2 coal plants are being retired
• Cities & states within the area are setting carbon emission reduction goals
•  Rapid cost reduction for solar and wind power technologies

Spokane Review via Governing | Northwest’s 20-Year Energy Plan Emphasizes Solar and Wind

What’s happening? MIT Sloan Business School paper concerning Decarbonizing Our Toughest Sectors — Profitably. Let’s check in on their arguments supporting their theory.

Why is this important?

• Costs keep going down for new green technology that can replace obsolete equipment
• Opportunity to create novel incentives, reward innovative competitors challenging incumbent industries with breakthrough technologies
• Integrate new technology
• Migrate production and manufacturing to make use of renewables and cut costs
• Reward frugal infrastructure design

How will this be important? In 2020, during the pandemic, the growth of renewables accelerated by 45%

MIT Sloan Management Review | Decarbonizing Our Toughest Sectors — Profitably

What’s happening? WeaveGrid and Elemental are building software to connect EVs to the Grid.

Why is this important? The software compares grid needs as well as learns driving patterns and EV chartering patterns to ensure capacity limits on transmission lines are adequate.

How will this be important? Utilities are using the software to enroll EV customers in time of use charging programs

Fast C0mpany | The Next Step for electric cars is to make them part of the grid

What’s happening? NM is one of 4 locations receiving federal funding as a hydrogen hub. It is in the process of transforming the coal-fired Escalante Generating Station into a hydrogen production and generating facility. Libertad Power is constructing the state’s first newly-built hydrogen production and generating facility to be up and running by 2025. BayoTech Inc. has mobile generating facilities.

Why is this important? NM lists these attributes as the reasons it is well positioned to be a carbon hub:

• highly skilled workforce
• topography for underground storage
• vast reserves of natural gas needed for steam methane reform
• availability of grey, blue and green hydrogen to being

How will this be important? Beyond oil & gas industry of carbon storage and capture. Being a carbon hub will include state Legislation that will:

• establish industry standards such as designed to measure the carbon intensity of the entire life-cycle process for hydrogen production to determine how much operators actually lower emissions
• establish a regulatory framework that is technology neutral
• creative incentives for this innovative industry

GOVERNING & Albuquerque Journal  | New Mexico Wants to Be the Nation’s First Hydrogen Hub

What is happening? A public private partnership is combining data from flyovers and satellite images to identify high concentrations of methane. Minimizing high concentrations of methane is said to be the fastest approach to mitigating climate change.

Why is this important? We have the technology to minimize methane it is efficient and cost effective. Using data will make targeting methane concentrations much easier. More than 50% of methane emissions is related to human behavior from agriculture to oil & gas to landfills.

How will this be important? Let’s look at the public private partnerships that are flying over Texas, Utah, Arizona, California, New Mexico, Colorado, Louisiana, Pennsylvania and offshore platforms in the Gulf of Mexico

• Carbon Mapper, a nonprofit that will deploy satellites to spot methane emissions and alert regulators and facility operators of their existence
• California Air Resources Board
• JPL (NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab)
• the satellite imagery firm Planet
• University of Arizona
• Arizona State University
• renewable energy research organization RMI

Governing | How Satellites and Planes Are Fighting Climate Change

What is happening? Private businesses have to put up the cost for EV charging infrastructure themselves. And utilities across the country are already seizing the opportunity to control the EV charger market as they can pass the cost of installing and operating new EV chargers onto their consumers by simply increasing rates.

Why is this important? In Maryland  we have the Exelon EV charging network to support private businesses with EV infrastructure.

How will this be important? Utilities will be vital as private businesses transition to EV charging infrastructure and EV use

Maryland Matters | Fraser-Hidalgo: Private Sector Is Critical in Meeting Demand for EV Charging Stations

What’s happening? Australia is supporting the Regional Australia Microgrid Pilots Programme with $50 million to fund microgrid pilot projects

Why is this important? The program has 2 goals:

• improve the resilience and reliability of electricity supply in regional communities
• demonstrate solutions to technical, regulatory or commercial barriers to the deployment of microgrid technologies

How will this be important? For local communities this program will help coordinate local energy resources, like solar panels and battery storage, to provide secure and reliable electricity as well as optimise renewable energy generation and usage. For remote communities, microgrids offer a pathway to switch to renewable energy, reduce emissions, costs and fuel security issues while improve reliability and security 

Energy Live News | Australia launches $50m fund to ramp up microgrid projects

What is happening? Georgia Power  “Make Ready” Electric Transportation Program allows businesses to apply for funding for the installation of infrastructure required to charge EVs at business, manufacturing and corporate facilities. 

Why is this important?  Georgia Power will install, own and maintain all of the charging infrastructure behind the customer meter through the EV charger.

How will this be important? Georgia Power’s Make Ready Program funds passenger vehicle, transit bus, short- and long-haul package delivery, school bus, airport ground support, fork-lift charging, and more

www.GeorgiaPower.com/ET.

Metro Atlanta CEO | Georgia Power’s Make Ready Electric Transportation Program Helps Fund EV infrastructure for Georgia Businesses

What’s happening? A former landfill in the Sunnyside area of Houston., TX will become the largest urban solar farm in the U.S. The landfill has been closed for 50 years. 120 million pounds of CO2 per year is expected to be offset.

Why is this important? The 240 acre urban solar farm will be on land will be leased from the City.

How will this be important? Converting environmentally sensitive land to a renewable use will lead to local jobs and increased property values with revitalization. It can be done in other communities as well according to Mayor Sylvester Turner.

KHOU 11 | The largest urban ‘solar farm’ in the country is being built in Sunnyside

What’s happening? An energy storage tax credit that will improve long term storage innovation is the key to reaching industry decarbonization goals

Why is this important? 80-90% of decarbonization can occur from existing technologies is an industry perspective

How will this be important? the 10-20% final decarbonization will be green carbon, carbon capture, long term storage, sequestration, and advanced nuclear

Utility Dive | New technology needed to meet utility decarbonization goals, EEI, others warn

What is happening? Equity is being talked about in terms of energy policies and operations. Edison Electric Institute’s (EEI’s) Board of Directors June statement included 5 points on diversity and inclusion.

Why is this important? Edison’s Board highlighted these 5 points:

• ​Promote racial and social justice.
• Advance DEI goals and diversify their workforce at all levels. 
• Provide more equitable access to employment opportunities for underrepresented and underserved members of their communities.
• Create a workforce that is more representative and responsive to people of all backgrounds.
• Take measurable actions that can address the racial and gender gaps within our industry and accelerate the ability to reach and support those suffering from systemic racism, poverty, and economic disadvantages.

How will this be important? Edison is asking it members to affirm these policies because COVID has led to companies asking how can we park better with each other.

Utility Dive | Taking Charge: Equity must be ‘baked in’ to energy laws, tax policy, says ASE President Glover

What’s happening? Xcel Energy is expanding its EV incentive program to include:

• Incentives to purchase used EVs
• $5,500 off a new EV purchase or lease, and $3,000 off of used
• Home charging station incentives that include a demand management program for the electricity with a $50 annual credit for customers
• Xcel will now lease a double-speed fast charger, or Level 2, to customers for $13.29 a month, installed and maintained by the company
•  $500 rebate for the wiring work, with up to $1,300 for lower-income customers. 

Why is this important? The program is more expansive than the state of Colorado’s and reaches more families

How will this be important? Xcel’s program is hailed as one of the most expansive in the country

Colorado Sun | Xcel Energy’s new electric vehicle incentives include used-car rebates, wiring homes for chargers

What’s happening? 11 companies include Calpine, Chevron, Dow, ExxonMobil, INEOS, Linde, LyondellBasell, Marathon Petroleum, NRG Energy, Phillips 66 and Valero agreed to scale deployment of carbon capture at their facilities

Why is this important? By 2030, the group will capture and store to 50 million tonnes per annum by 2030 & by 2040, 100 million tonnes per annum

How will this be important? Carbon Capture, according to Houston Mayor Turner, will help meet clean air goals

Power Engineering International | Texas energy giants throw weight behind carbon capture and storage

What’s happening? V2G- Vehicle to Grid- supporters say that the system of equipping EVs with bidirectional charging capabilities will have these benefits:

• furthers scaled adoption of EVs
• eliminates range anxiety
• theoretically a vehicle could earn money while parked, thereby lowering the cost of the EV
• Denmark has a fully operational commercial grid to vehicle fleet
• North Boulder Recreation Center piloted a program of V2B to reduce building costs

Why is this important? it will also cover vehicle to home or vehicle to building V2H and V2B

How will this be important? Texas may find out in 2022 when Ford F-150 Lighting owners in Texas with the additional bidirectional charging system will be able to potentially power their homes for days next time the grid goes down. 

GreenBiz | How V2G financial incentives could inspire EV adoption

What’s happening? The UK is requiring all EV chargers to automatically be off for 9 hours during peak times. Chargers will be equipped to be shut down for 30 minute intervals if demand is high.

Why is this important? It is 1st time in the world regulation like this and it dovetails with the requirement that all UK houses have smart meters by 2025.

How will this be important? If any other country picks up the mantra and runs with similar or identical legislation.

Can the UK lead the world in smart EV charging?

What’s happening? Xcel Energy has a EV program in Colorado that offers $5,500 rebate on a new electric car and a $3,000 rebate on a pre-owned car, with a vehicle price cap of $50,000.

Why is this important? Xcel also offers for $13.29 per month the installation and maintenance a high-voltage charger with a $500 rebate for any necessary electrical work

How will this be important? Xcel is aligning their program with Gov. Jared Polis’ goal to have 940,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030. It all stems from a 2019 bill SB19-077 (2019- CO) that allows for rate base recovery.

CPR News | Xcel Energy Will Now Help Pay For An Electric Car — Depending On Your Income

What’s happening? Over Labor Day weekend a 300-megawatt battery storage facility in California overheated.

Why is this important? Industry says adjustments are needed from battery chemistry to management systems

How will this be important? Looking holistically, the outage caused no overall impacts to the stability of the bulk electric system in California.

Energy Wire | Major Calif. battery outage highlights energy storage risks

What’s happening? Lockdowns due to COVID led to a reduction in commercial electric demand that  hampered the global distributed energy storage system market.

Why is this important? 37% of projects are seeing a 6 month delay

How will this be important? The industry is looking to include energy storage technologies into state, local governments, and communities

Maniomet Current | Covid-19 Impact on Distributed Energy Storage System Market

Energy Storage Association

What’s happening? Bosch introduced a new charging cable for electric vehicles equipped without the traditional “charging brick.”

Why is this important? “flexible smart charging cable a “world’s first” to feature its integrated universal charging technology without the in-cable charging box”

How will this be important? The charging equipment is a lighter weight and can offer Level 1 and level 2A AC charging

Electric | Bosch unveils unique EV cable without bulky ‘charging brick’

What’s happening? Chinese renewable energy infrastructure company MingYang Smart Energy is building a wind turbine that is 800 feet tall with 387 feet blades

Why is this important? The DOE Report Wind Turbines: The Bigger the Better released on August 30, 2021 says this is the future.

How will this be important? Wind speed increases with altitude which in turn increases turbine capacity

Vice | The Future of Green Energy Is Comically Large Wind Turbines

What’s happening? The national EV charger landscape looks like this:

• 43,000 public EV charging stations
• 106,000 total outlets
• 1/3 of all outlets are in California

Why is this important? EV owners can expect to save $6,000 to $10,000 over the lifetime of the car

How will this be important? The initial version of the infrastructure bill in Congress has $363 billion in clean energy tax credits

Governing | Climate Change Is an Infrastructure Problem – Map of Electric Vehicle Chargers Shows One Reason Why

What is happening? The Biden administration intends to shore up offshore wind because offshore wind will:

• By 2030, offshore wind will be at 30 GW
• 55% reduction in offshore wind costs by 2030
  • to 5.4 cents per kilowatt hour from about 11.5 cents per kilowatt hour
• By 2030, 10 million homes could be powered for a year

Why is this important? This May, the Bureau of Offshore Wind Energy approved 62 turbines 15 miles off the southern coast of Cape Cod, Mass.

How will this be important? The opposition is the seafood industry which signed a letter opposing the project in Massachusetts

Los Angeles Times via Governing | In Renewable Energy Push, Offshore Wind Power Is Key Option

What’s happening? an EV charging Study by JD Power and Associates found that:

• 43,514 charging stations in the U.S
•  105,671 plugs
• Serving 2% of the market that is electrified
• It takes 10 times longer to charge, at fast chargers, than it does to fill a gas tank
•  58% of EV drivers said they’ve experienced situations in which chargers either were out of service or wouldn’t power up 
• Consumers gave fast chargers  737 points of a total of 1000 points
• Tesla’s Supercharger network received top marks followed by Chargepoint and Volta

Why is this important? Consumers like accessible, fast and free

How will this be important? Building a consumer driven network means building to what consumers want

Forbes Wheels | J.D. Power EV Public Charging Study: High Satisfaction When It’s Free

What is happening? Ikea in partnership with Svea Solar, will be bringing renewable energy subscriptions to Sweden’s consumers. Ikea will purchase power from European power exchange Nord Pool and sell it to consumers without a surcharge.

Why is this important? Ikea intends to roll this program out globally

How will this be important? This program fits with the company clean energy goals of halving its supply chain emissions by 2030 and by 2050 to be carbon nuetral

Dezeen | IKEA launches “accessible and affordable” subscription for renewable energy in Sweden

What’s happening? 8 states have energy storage goals. This year Connecticut became #8 when the legislature adopted a goal of 1,000 megawatts of energy storage by 2030

Why is this important? Let’s dig into the numbers of the 1000 MW of storage

• 9 year program
• $7500 maximum incentives for ratepayers to purchase and install storage systems
  • highest incentives reserved for low- to moderate-income customers
  • including environmental justice communities and distressed municipalities
• additional performance incentives if ratepayers agree to allow the utilities to draw on their storage systems during critical demand periods.
• 50% project cost maximum incentives for Commercial and industrial customers

How will this be important? Talk about the benefits of a third party facilitator as they look to setting up non-wires alternatives. A facilitator would review all proposed distribution system upgrades over $500,000, working with various stakeholders, determine if lower-cost or more resilient alternatives, and help eliminate potential conflicts of interest. “

Energy News Network | Connecticut regulators plan major growth in battery storage, EV charging

What’s happening? Connecticut regulators working to fit charging infrastructure program into the 10 state compact on clean air to which Connecticut is a member.

Why is this important? They also created a new incentive where multifamily dwelling owners may opt to pay a monthly fee to the utilities to supply charging stations. Other commercial buildings and multifamily buildings will get rebates up to 50% and utilities will cover the cost of any infrastructure investments required between the distribution system and the charger. 

How will this be important? States and localities will look to other successful incentive programs as EV programs spread.

Energy News Network | Connecticut regulators plan major growth in battery storage, EV charging

What’s happening? This week the California Energy Commission adopted energy efficiency standards for newly constructed and renovated buildings incentivizing all electric construction

Why is this important? The list of policy goals in these new standards:

• increase energy efficiency
• lower emissions
• opportunity for load flexibility
• electric ready standards for single family residential property

How will this be important? State Utilities support the new standards

STATE ENERGY RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION | Docket No. 21-BSTD-01

Utility Dive | California greenlights first-of-its-kind energy code to encourage electrified buildings

What’s happening? The experts say green hydrogen needs a a regulatory framework & say it can bolster the grid.

Why is this important? Hydrogen, green hydrogen in this case, doesn’t have to be sold exclusively for explicitly but can be sold for differing purposes, making it flexible and requiring flexible regulations. Key word: interconnectivity

How will this be important? Fingers are pointing to Oregon’s SB 98 (2019 | OR) that created voluntary carbon reduction targets

Utility Dive | Hydrogen could fill multiple gaps in the US energy system, but will energy regulations allow it to?

What’s happening? Earlier we chatted about the tidal power near Scotland. Maybe Ireland. Y0u get the general geographical gist. Well, let’s move across the Atlantic to Nova Scotia, which will be home to the most powerful tidal turbine in the world.

Why is this important? Nova Scotia’s tidal turbine is a partnership between  Ireland-based DP Energy and two Japanese companies.

How will this be important? 15-year electricity purchase agreement with Nova Scotia Power Incorporated at $ 530 per megawatt hour with a capacity of 9MW.

Texas News Today | Canadian tidal power project secures support from Japanese companies

What’s happening? We’ve been talking about green hydrogen, let’s look at other carbon neutral hydrogen. In Corpus Christi, TX Howard Midstream Energy Partners is converting its Javelina Refinery into carbon neutral.

Why is this important? New hydrogen production will be through a combination of hydrogen entrained in the six local refineries’ waste gas that the facility processes + hydrogen produced through a steam methane reformer process

How will this be important?  “University of Texas at Austin have determined that the Texas Gulf Coast is well suited for injection and storage of pressurized CO2 in permanent geological storage formations offshore.”

Splash 247 | Carbon-neutral hydrogen production facility planned for Port of Corpus Christi

What’s happening? Solar panels aren’t just for roofs, buildings in Sweden are being built with solar charging capacity walls.

Why is this important? Meet the new kid on the block: Soltech Energy installed a 646 kW solar facade on the wall of a garage in Sweden that hosts 300 EV-charging posts

How will this be important? Building Codes have been the new go-to for clean air rules and clean energy. Eyes open. The project in Sweden added solar to the outside of an existing building, took 1.5 months to install and have the 300 EV charging posts operational.

PV Magazine | New PV facade design in Sweden

What’s happening? MIT Technology review looked into green hydrogen as a panacea to fossil fuels by using the green hydrogen produced during solar and wind energy generation

Why is this important? Looking for alternatives for hydrogen sources is intensifying

How will this be important? Europe is a roadmap for utilizing green hydrogen. Follow the map.

MIT Technology Review | Cheap renewables could make green hydrogen a practical replacement for fossil fuels

What’s happening? The federal infrastructure bill did not include provisions governing EV charge installation at rest stops which are viewed as a means for utilities to build out EV charging stations.

Why is this important? Some say there is a tradition to not commercialize rest stops. Convenience stores, fuel retailers, restaurants oppose utilities installing EV fast chargers at rest stops.

How will this be important? This article interviews gas station chain owners some who are experimenting with chargers, but don’t know how to price it; some who are waiting to see; and some who just say No it’s not worth the investment cost.

WSJ | Gas Stations Face Tough, Costly Choice on EV Chargers

What’s happening? The convenience store chain, Kum & Go, is partnering in its 22nd DC fast charging store by partnering with the Colorado Energy Office.

Why is this important? The partnership also involves Charge Point. Charge Point has a contract with the Colorado Energy Office to build out the corridors project at 34 locations

How will this be important? In 2010 Kim & Go started a sustainability push that led to  Kum & Go becoming the world’s first convenience store certified under the Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) Volume Program.

CStore Decisions | Kum & Go Partners With Colorado Energy Office for New EV Stations

What is happening? The Port of Prince Rupert is utilizing shore power to reduce port pollution.

Why is this important? Shore power generate energy by way of electrical devices that spread power from port facilities to ships themselves

How will this be important? Each Port is tackling emissions in different ways. Long Beach is adopting EV freight vehicles. Port of Houston has a pilot program for an emission free train/pod to move cargo.

Governing | Our Ports Have a Problem. They Can Solve It If We Let Them

What’s happening? We’ve talked about Congress’ Energy Storage Caucus, and now it has a new topic on its list: Green Hydrogen

Why is this important? Green Hydrogen is bipartisan: U.S. Representative John Curtis (R-UT) & U.S. Representative Mark Takano (D-CA)

How will this be important? Currently hydrogen is extracted from natural gas, green hydrogen can be extracted from plain water via electrolysis. Look for tax credits, incentives etc…

Triple Pundit | New Bipartisan Energy Storage Caucus Has Green Hydrogen Up Its Sleeve

What’s happening? A pilot program in Kansas City led by a nonprofit, the Metropolitan Energy Center is adding EV chargers to street lights

Why is this important? The project says charging by street lights bring charging to more neighborhoods, more equitably. This includes not only BIBPOC neighborhoods but also renters.

How will this be important? The coalition in the project includes universities, utilities, construction firms, and charging and e-mobility firms. Emulate at your leisure.

Smart Cities | Kansas City Street Light Mounted EV Charging Pilot

What’s happening? Scotland is touting its new Tidal generating power station in the Fall of Warness that will:

• 15 years of research
• 80 yard length of machinery
• 15 years of operation
• Annually power 2,000 UK homes with clean, reliable power

Why is this important? it connects to the power grid via undersea cable

How will this be important? The U.S. is starting to dip its toe in water based power generation- like wind in the Gulf and the Northeast. After the E.U. adopted wind power that was water based, it is moving into tidal based power.

@goodgoodgoodco instagram

What’s happening? In 2017, California passed AB-574 (2017 | CA) that requires California’s Water Resources Control Board to adopt uniform criteria for direct potable reuse of recycled water by the end of December 2023. This will allow purified water to be sent directly to surface water reservoirs.

Why is this important? Recycling of waste water is an ongoing effort in California since the 1990s and bolsters regional water planning.

How will this be important? There will always be an area of drought that must consider new options.

Governing | California Invests in Recycled Water as Droughts Take a Toll

What’s happening? CT will offer incentives to residential and business customers who install energy storage as part of its Equitable Modern Grid Initiative. The goal is 1000 MW of storage statewide by 2030.

Why is this important? Every market is tackling energy storage differently. Incentives aren’t common, but times change. Residential incentives will be up to 50MW and 7500 and business incentives will $225 tp $270 KWHr for up to 50MW through 2024.

How will this be important? 8 states have storage goals: CT, NY, NJ, CA, NV, MA, OR, VA.

Utility Dive | Connecticut Details Incentives

What’s happening? EV manufacturer, Fisker, is investing in Allego, an EV Charging Company, for its merger with Spartan Acquisition Corp III.

Why is this important? The goal is a  “seamless charging experience” for Fisker drivers using Allego chargers. This is sounding like the week’s trend.

How will this be important? Watch who partners with whom, who controls the power charger infrastructure and where the electricity is sourced.

Tech Crunch | Fisker invests in EV charging network Allego’s SPAC merger

What’s happening? The UK is talking about decarbonization by taking their lories and powering them with overhead power lines.

Why is this important? A test run of the project will bring together trucking company, Scania, electrical giant Siemens and infrastructure company Costain. 

How will this be important? Keeping big trucks on the roads and Supporting Electric Companies

Daily Mail | The truck that thinks it’s a tram! Lorries could run on overhead power lines motorways in latest green bid to ‘decarbonise’ road freight

What’s happening? SunPower and Spain’s Wallbox have partnered to integrate EV chargers into customers’ homes and businesses.

Why is this important? It builds on their current business model to allow for “a more comprehensive system to let EV owners repower their cars with energy they’re producing at home”

How will this be important? Sunpower is following a model created by Tesla and followed by Ford & Sunrun. More to follow.

Forbes | SunPower Joins Market For Solar-Fueled EV Charging, Teaming With Wallbox

What’s happening? Developers were planning the largest home solar array to power 500,000 homes outside Las Vegas. Then residents created Save our Mesa, ran with messaging and the developers pulled out.

Why is this important? The messaging focused on:

• the project is an eyesore
• the project would curtail the area’s popular recreational activities — biking, ATVs and skydiving
• the project would deter tourists from visiting sculptor Michael Heizer’s land installation, “Double Negative”

How will this be important? Even though the majority of NV voters this year approved higher clean air standards, the coalition of conservationists, endangered species advocates and local businesses that cater to tourists won out over solar.

AP | Plans for largest US solar field north of Vegas scrapped

What’s happening? Rivian reached an agreement with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation to install waypoint chargers at TN state parks that will be open to the public and accessible to all electric vehicle brands with a J1772 plug.

Why is this important? A similar proposal was floated in Texas legislatively in 2021. Rivian 4 months ago announced a similar deal with CO parks.

How will this be important? Rivian in its agreements agree to service and maintain the chargers, at no cost, for 10 years

Rivian | Rivian plans to install EV chargers in Tennessee’s 56 state parks

What’s happening? California regulators have approved an expedited process for utilities to have their EV charger plans approved. California has already approved $1.5 Billion in transportation electrification by utilities

Why is this important? To meet the state’s 2025 clean air goals, they need to build charging networks faster, hence the expedited approval system for utilities. Plans that  promote resilience; serve customers without access to home charging; investments in medium and heavy-duty vehicles; & new building constructions will qualify for expedited approval.

How will this be important? There’s a catch to get expedited approval, utilities must limit the infrastructure they will own to only 50% of what’s in the proposed program

Utility Dive | California approves expedited pathway for near term utility EV investments

What’s happening?

• CO2 emissions decreasing about 10% between 2019 and 2020
• Fueled by increased renewable generation and coal-to-gas transitions
•  Power produced by non-hydro renewables increased 20% from 2019
• coal-fired generation decreased by roughly 17%

Why is this important?

• 20 states have aggressive plans for 100% sustainable power
• 12 states have not initiated any clean energy plans

How will this be important? “From 2000 to 2020, US power sector CO2 emissions decreased 37%, while the gross domestic product grew 40%”

S&P Global Platts | US reducing power sector CO2 emissions while growing economy: study

What’s happening? The Financial Times and the Nikkei are opening a joint office in Houston to cover energy news

Why is this important? they want to cover a variety of subjects including:

• the shift toward a low-carbon economy
• the influx of tech companies
• energy policy
• corporate management trends
• latest developments in the U.S. economy

How will this be important? “Houston is an obvious place to position ourselves to capture a big, globally relevant story”

Nikkei Asia | Nikkei and FT to open Houston bureau, strengthening energy coverage

What’s happening? Crypto miners are buying old power plants and manufacturing facilities to use for mining cryptocurrency.

Why is this important? Miners are looking for stranded power facilities or dormant energy facilities

How will this be important? redeveloping abandoned utility and manufacturing facilities has new face

Curbed | Got an Old Power Plant Lying Around?

What’s happening? Maine’s Governor vetoed the legislation that would have allowed the state to acquire the two electric utilities operating in Maine to create one state consumer owned utility. The Governor said the bill was rushed and creates more problems than it solves.

Why is this important? Supporters are moving to add this to the state ballot for approval by voters if the Legislature cannot override the veto, which seems to be the case.

How will this be important? We’ve seen through t he years localities buying up private water utilities to make them city owned water utilities. Now we’re moving into electric utilities converting to governmental entity owned utilities.

Mount Desert Islander | Mills vetoes bill to buy out power companies

What’s happening? This week ERCOT released the following 6 initiatives:

•  Taking a more aggressive operating approach. ERCOT is bringing more generation online sooner if it is needed to balance supply and demand. The grid operator is also purchasing more reserve power, especially on days when the weather forecast is uncertain.
• Requiring CEO certifications. After a rule change, all market participants who own or operate generation resources and/or transmission/distribution power lines will be required to submit a letter signed by their CEO twice a year certifying their companies have completed their weatherization preparations to protect the electric grid for the summer and winter seasons.
• Adding new requirements for generation owners. ERCOT is proposing a new market rule that requires generators to provide operational updates more frequently.
• Assessing on-site fuel supplies. ERCOT is reviewing the need for on-site fuel supplies for some generators.
• Performing unannounced testing of generation resources. This testing helps verify that generators have provided accurate information about their availability.
• Addressing transmission constraints in Rio Grande Valley. ERCOT and the PUC are initiating a process to address RGV transmission limitations and provide increased market access for resources in the Valley. This will improve reliability for customers during normal conditions and high-risk weather events.

Why is this important? After February 2021 Winter Storm Uri, ERCOT is under the microscope from policymakers, the public, business interests, and consumer advocates.

How will this be important? ERCOT wants to balance grid reliability with consumer protections and free market incentives.

ERCOT | ERCOT unveils Roadmap to Improving Grid Reliability

What’s happening? Looking for a way to reduce greenhouse gases that doesn’t hit the energy industry? Well, follow NY which passed a bill to limit the amount of food waste that goes into landfills to cut down on methane and greenhouse gases.

Why is this important? 8 states in the North East and California require food waste to be reprocessed before hitting landfills to limit greenhouse gases.

How will this be important? The food waste instead gets mixed with microbes and manure, and turn it into fuel, fertilizer and bedding for dairy cows. In New Jersey the target was producers of food waste such as hospitals, prisons, restaurants and supermarkets recycle food garbage rather than send it to incinerators or landfills.

Route Fifty | Waste Not? Some States Are Sending Less Food to Landfills