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Energy & Water
Energy & Water
Add Connecticut to States Expanding Offshore Wind
What’s happening? The Connecticut legislature is purchasing 2 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030. CT Commissioner of the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection says if the state wants to meet its goal of sourcing all of its electricity from zero-carbon sources by 2040, it will need more offshore wind.
Why is this important? CT’s projections show it will need 5000 megawatts of offshore wind in total by 2040.
How will this be important? The state needs the Biden Administration help. To that end, to 800,000 acres in the New York Bight have been recognized the Biden Administration for wind turbine leases. Offshore wind is a state-federal partnership
Governing | Connecticut Expected to Increase Off-Shore Wind Contracts
Power Outages By the Numbers.
What’s happening? I’ll admit when I read the headline, I thought oh has to be California or maybe Texas if we factor in Winter Storm Uri. I was wrong. Maine has the highest number of power outages per year at an average of 4 outages per year and ranks 2nd in outage duration of 14 hours annually over a five-year period from 2015 to 2019
Why is this important? Watching Maine grapple with consistent electric power could be instructive. They are adding Hydropower to Western Maine & say that “expensive backup generators or battery storage are answers for some, but are not affordable to everyone, nor are microgrids for communities or islands.” A 2019 Maine law requires utilities to establish and file their emergency response plan for recovery and restoration every two years.
How will this be important? Watch their utility regulator who is considering “possibly holding utilities to performance-based standards”
Bangor Daily News via Governing | Maine Works to Resolve the Worst Power Outages in the Nation
New Report. OffShore Wind & Texas. More Power than TX Needs.
What’s happening? Environment Texas Research & Policy Center research says off shore wind could produce 166% of Texas Energy needs.
Why is this important? Earlier this year we talked about Louisiana partnering with Massachusetts, or one of the colonies, to build offshore turbines in the Gulf based on the turbines working in the Atlantic.
How will this be important? Winter Storm Uri has changed how people view energy in usually warmer states and by the looks of it, every option is on the table.
Renew Biz | Offshore wind ‘could deliver 166% of Texas power’
Texas A&M researchers. Dow Like Index for TX Energy
What’s happening? A recent Texas A&M study published in the journal Nature Communications researchers devised a metric that reflects the average price of energy in the United States
Why is this important? Researchers say pricing for energy should be beyond supply and demand. “Energy is affected by all kinds of events, including political developments, technological breakthroughs and other happenings going on at a global scale.”
How will this be important? “This metric can help guide lawmakers, government or non-government organizations and policymakers on whether, say, a particular tax policy or the impact of a technological advance is good or bad, and by how much,” Pistikopoulos said. “We now have a quantitative and accurate, predictive metric to navigate the evolving energy landscape, and that’s the real value of the index.”
Texas A&M Today | Dow-Like Index For Energy Prices Might Help Smooth Transition To Clean Power
Here’s How Kansas is Limiting Wind Farms
What’s happening? Kansas is considering SB 279 (2021 | KS). Currently Kansas gets 41% of its energy supply from wind. Makes sense, I’ve seen the Wizard of Oz. This bill will limit where wind turbines can be built. Imagine wind farms are strip clubs or bars and pull out your measuring tape, because this bill would limit wind farms to least 1.5 miles from a home, 3 miles from an airport or park, and one mile from another person’s property line.
How is this important? It is a model for those who seek to limit wind energy.
Why will this be important? Limiting where businesses or resources can be built or collected isn’t unique to Kansas or wind energy.
PA State Government Choosing Solar Power for its Buildings
What’s happening? Pennsylvania Governor announced the state would “build seven new solar arrays and create more than 400 construction jobs, calling it the largest solar commitment of any state or local government in the United States.”
Why is this important? By 2023, 1/2 of the state government’s energy needs ill be met by solar. Plus, the state is locking down its energy prices for 15 years.
How will this be important? The project is a viable template for other state governments
Route Fifty | Solar Project to Produce Half of State Government’s Electricity
State Laws and Microplastics in Water Supplies
What’s happening? In 2018 California passed a bill that required 4 years of testing water supplies for micro plastics. Now California will release the world’s first guidelines for microplastics in drinking water.
Why is this important? Last Week Tonight covered Microplastics last week. think of Microplastics like bans on plastic bags, straws, styrofoam. Its going to appear in all levels of state government.
How will this be important? Microplastics and plastics in water has impacted everything from the Arctic to the pool of plastics floating in the Pacific
CalMatters | California Is First to Tackle Microplastics in Drinking Water
Re-routing Transmission Lines with Conservation Easements
What’s happening? Imagine lands with no hard zoning so you have a conservation easement to avoid things like transmission lines in your backyard. Well, a new new Transmission Authority in Colorado would supersede the easement with eminent domain thanks to SB21-072 (2021 | CO)
Why is this important? The Transmission Authority will be funded by the existing fixed utility fund.
How will this be important? Unlike most eminent domain bills, this bill moves the power of eminent domain to a new entity that is not accountable to voters or a direct governing body that is elected.
Colorado Politics | OPINION | Pending bill gives away your say over utilities
Maine Legislature: Pause Community Solar
What’s happening? Maine Legislature wants to pause community solar so that those projects cannot get ratepayer-sponsored credits that are provided under the so-called “net energy billing” program through at least June 2021.
Why is this important? This move is in response to 2019 legislation that created an array of new incentives for community solar. Regulators warned that the incentives could add tens of millions of dollars a year to electricity bills in Maine.
How will this be important? In reacting to the impact of incentives, the legislators left residential roof top solar in tact.
Maine Public Radio | Legislative Committee Proposes Temporary Moratorium On Community Solar Projects
Why did Australia Switch Off Solar to Stabilize the Grid?
What’s happening? To stabilize the grid, Australian regulators remotely switch off thousands of household solar panels to avoid blackouts.
Why is this important? Unlike what we hear about in North America, this was a result of South Australia experiencing “near-record minimum demand levels for electricity from the grid” during a planned outage of circuit. Earlier in the weekend the grid experienced too high demand.
How will this be important? Grid stabilization is key when use is too high and too low. Plan accordingly.
Funding the Plugging of Abandoned Wells
What’s happening? Colorado has 60,000 abandoned wells that need to be plugged at a cost of $140,000 each for a total of more than $8 billion.
Why is this important? CO’s law says industry is to pay in a system of blanket bonding for the clean up. The state has only collected $125 million. IN 2019, the state gave local government more powers over oil well clean up.
How will this be important? When Colorado dug into this, other regulations were changed too. Including that regulators banned the burning off or releasing of natural gas, a routine drilling practice, & created a broad range of wildlife and public health protection policies
Route Fifty | In Colorado, the Looming Liability of Oil and Gas Cleanup
Meet the New Kid: Gambit Energy Storage LLC
What’s happening? Gambit Energy Storage LLC is an entity under the Elon Musk corporate umbrella that is installing more than 100 megawatt energy storage project in Angleton, Texas. It could power 20,000 homes on a Texas summer day.
Why is this important? Commercial operation date of June 1, just when Texas heat begins to ramp up.
How will this be important? “It wouldn’t surprise me if Musk is thinking about starting his own power company.”- Former City Manager of Angleton, TX
Gov Tech | Tesla Quietly Plugs Giant Battery into the Texas Energy Grid
How ME & MA are using batteries for grid resiliency.
What’s happening? A $5 million battery project in Maine, will charge at night with cheaper electricity, and can be released by the region’s grid operators in Massachusetts, who can remotely dispatch those batteries and send enough power flowing to run 4,000 or so homes for up to two hours
Why is this important? 3 benefits the grid operators point to is (1) reduced reliance on fossil fuel generation (2) the ability to soak up excess output from a fast-growing fleet of solar and wind projects (3) to keep the region’s electric system stable and reliable.
How will this be important? Safe, stable grids are policymakers golden ticket whether the state faces blackouts, wildfires, tornadoes, hurricanes, or just peak usage.
Portland Press Herald via Governing | Batteries Will Store and Send Excess Power to Maine Households
Winter Storm 2021 Relief. Kansas Small Business Loan Programs
What’s happening? Kansas policy makers reached an agreement to use idle funds in the state treasury to power $100 million. It will offer the loans at a below-market rate.
Why is it important? States that experienced WinterStorm 2021 are struggling for way to help businesses.
How will this be important? Stakeholders agree there is more to do to address structural problems in the system, but these below market rate loans
Governing | Kansas Rushes Bill to Help Residents With High Energy Bills
WinterStorm 2021 Legislation. High Consumer Bills in Kansas.
What’s happening? Kansas has a new program to provide loans to municipalities. The loans would be repaid over 10 years, ensuring protection of ratepayers.
Why is this important? Kansas isn’t the only state hit by energy issues because of the Winter Storms of 2021.
How will this be important? The Governor of Kansas signed the bill, after it had passed the House Committee 12 hours earlier.
Governing | Kansas Rushes Bill to Help Residents With High Energy Bills
The Power of 6 Utilities to Proliferate EV Chargers
What’s happening? The Electric Highway Coalition, made up of the Tennessee Valley Authority, Southern Co., Duke Energy, American Electric Power (AEP), Dominion Energy and Entergy Corp are joining forces to develop a network of DC fast chargers to quickly recharge electric vehicles (EV) traveling along major highways from the Atlantic Coast to the Gulf and Central Plains regions
Why is this important? The companies are building out EV chargers in their own territories and will join with other networks of rapid chargers being added by EVgo in 34 states and Electrify America
How will this be important? As economist predict the growth of EV, charging infrastructure supports more EV purchases and the jobs to build the backbone of charging infrastructure and operation.
Is charging your EV the new gig economy entrant?
What’s happening? SparkCharge that we talked about earlier this year after it announced its partnership with AllState, is moving toward on demand charging. It also has partnerships with vehicle services startup, Spiffy
Why is this important? Its the first company to allow EV customers to say that they want a charge at this point in time at this location and this much range.
How will this be important? All services are working toward greater personalization for the end user. And now it’s EV charging.
Tech Crunch | Is EV charging the next gig for the gig economy? SparkCharge thinks so
TX Winter Storm 2021. Ripple Effect in SC
What’s happening? South Carolina legislators are reviewing their electric generation capacity and grid access to determine whether the state can withstand storms.
Why is this important? South Carolina’s review came after its Governor asked for the review by regulatory staff. A full study is due at the end of the year.
How will this be important? We’ll see more of this where one state experiences a tragic event, and a second state asks its regulator to test run the tragic event to determine flaws in state two’s response.
WIS 10 | Lawmakers review SC’s electric grid in aftermath of Texas winter storm
Bill to Push Natural Gas Use in Homes
What’s happening? Indiana is considering HB 1191 (2021 | IN) that will limit cities and local governments from banning any specific type of fuel source for appliances and heating homes.
Why is this important? IN is enacting the exact opposite of other states and cities where we’re seeing an electrification of building codes, and specific prohibitions on natural gas.
How will this be important? The battle between natural gas and electrification is ongoing.
Indianapolis Star | Indiana Proposes Bill to Protect Natural Gas Use in Homes
Homes as Power Stations. Is this the future?
What is happening? Sweden is is transforming homes into highly efficient ‘prosumers’ – buildings which both produce and consume the vast majority of their own energy. 54% of Swedens power is renewable from hydropower and biomass.
Why is this important? In 1948 Sweden began using excess steam from power generation facilities to heat nearby buildings and roads through a series of underground pipes. Practicality is their nature.
How will this be important? Their politics might be quickly dismissed by some, but the data people think Sweden has managed to balance high carbon taxes with low energy rates to top the Forum’s Energy Transition Index
The Print | How Sweden is transforming its homes into power stations
How does Cyber Security & Texas Grid Blackout Relate to each other?
What’s happening? Former Texas Congressman Will Hurd said the Texas blackouts raise cyber security issues because enemies of the state could use what happened in Texas as a model for a cybersecurity attack.
Why is this important? Resiliency, Reliability and Security are all up for grabs in the reforms that will follow the 2021 Texas Winter Storm.
How will this be important? Hurd has backed the Future Leaders Fund to increase diversity in the Republican Party.
KTSA | Former Congressman Raises Cyber Security Concerns Following Texas Power Grid Failure
On Demand EV Charging Start Up.
What’s happening? SparkCharge has a portable electric vehicle charging system, the Roadie. They’re partnering with Allstate Roadside, Spiffy, HONK Technologies, and Mark Cuban to launch BoostEV, an on-demand mobile EV charging network.
Why is this important? How to charge for EV charging is a legislative and regulatory great area. Sparkcharge is launching across the country in 12 cities including New York, Chicago, San Diego, Dallas, Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
How will this be important? Is SparkCharge pricing model of SparkCharge’s partners being responsible for setting the pricing for the BoostEV charging service the right model? Who knows. This is largely unchartered waters.
Business Insider | Tech startup SparkCharge to roll out an on-demand EV charging service
Texas Winter Storm 2021. Impact of Export Ban on Natural Gas.
What’s happening? During the power outages in Texas last week, Governor Abbott declared a statewide emergency that led to an order prohibiting oil and gas companies from exporting natural gas. Priority of natural gas was given to residents and facilities in Texas.
Why is this important? 60% of Mexico’s power generation relies on Texas natural gas supply.
How will this be important? “The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, known as ERCOT, that oversees most of the state’s electrical power grid, also did not have an actual number of power generation plants forced offline due to insufficient natural gas. ” One of the big questions Texas officials will resolve.
WFAA | Abbott’s natural gas export ban causes energy crisis across the border in Mexico
The Next 35GW in Texas
What’s happening? Data from ERCOT (Electric Reliability Council Of Texas Inc.) says texas will add 35 gigawatts (GW) of solar and wind power capacity in the coming few years & 26GW of battery storage.
Why is this important? The benefit of solar, wind and battery storage are at issue during the hearings related to the blackouts from the 2021 Texas Winter Storm.
How will this be important? The Texas electric system has been declared an emergency legislative item by Governor Greg Abbott.
4 Part Energy Storage Study
What’s the deal? National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) launched its Storage Futures to create a framework for a “dramatic increase in deployment” and “answer the big questions around the role of storage in our future grid.”
Why is this important? Report 1 of 4 covers deployment and breaks battery storage into 4 categories that can help jurisdictions adopt battery storage.
- Units that function as operating reserves and last about an hour fall under phase 1
- Phase 2: devices that help with peaking capacity and last 2-6 hours
- Phase 3: includes daytime capacity and energy-time shifting units that last 4 to 12 hours
- Phase 4: multi-day or seasonal capabilities as well as energy-time shifting potential in storage units that last 12 hours or longer.
How will this be important? Physical scientists, utilities, and policy makers could find common terms to use when discussing the evolution of the grid.
Renewable Energy from Waves
What’s the deal? Tasmania joins Denmark & Oregon to harness energy from waves.
Why is this important? The pilot project, Wave Swell Energy, will provide data about expansion to nearby areas. Current research estimates that wave energy could take on as much as 11% of Australia’s energy needs by 2050.
How will this be important? The globe has more water than land, and a growing interest in renewable energy.
Cool Hunting | TASMANIAN ISLAND TO HARNESS ENERGY FROM WAVES
Anatomy of a Utility Debt Clearing Bill.
What’s the deal? New Mexico is considering HB 206 (2021 | NM ) this bill will clear 50% of the debt, if the customer agrees to a payment plan for the remainder. NM’s regulator, the Public Regulation Commission, would approve discounted rates for low-income families; & create an Energy Efficiency Development Block Grant program to provide local and tribal governments with money to retrofit homes in underserved communities to conserve energy and lower utility bills
Why should we care? Supporters say the bill will have a positive impact on families suffering during the pandemic.
How can this impact me? Depends if ratepayers will foot the bill. Bill authors say currently the bill would have utility write-offs recovered first with any federal, state or philanthropic funds available through COVID-19 programs. The remainder would be added to rate base.
Governing | New Mexico Bill Would Wipe Utility Debt for Low-Income Homes
Industry with 22 Million Tons CO2 per year?
What’s the deal? Bitcoin uses a lot of energy to mine. The industry is responsible for 22 million metric tons of CO2 emissions. That’s the same as Sri Lanka & Jordan.
Why should we care? Tesla, of the clean emission sect, bet big on bitcoin this week. It bought $1.5 billion of bitcoin & said it would soon allow purchase by bitcoin.
How could this impact me? How the market and regulators reconcile a clean energy ethos with bitcoin that is responsible for tons of emissions could set the tone for many. Watch closely.
Reuters | Elon Musk wants clean power. But Tesla’s carrying bitcoin’s dirty baggage
What if wind and solar were taxed the same way?
What’s the deal? Wyoming is considering HB 94 (2021 | WY) that would apply the same tax that wind energy faces to solar. A $1 tax on each MW/hour of electricity produced from larger solar energy facilities.
Why should we care? Finding a way to tax large scale solar and not tax residential, rooftop solar is the future. Solar industry doesn’t like it, saying it makes solar less competitive than in neighboring states. The idea first came from Wyoming’s House Appropriation committee last legislative session. It’ll make the rounds.
How can this impact me? The treatment of renewables by legislators and regulators is in perpetual fluctuation.
Casper Star Tribune | Wyoming lawmakers want to tax solar like they tax wind
Wyoming Overhauls Net Metering
What’s the deal? SF 16 (2021 | WY) asks for net metering that is fair for all in Wyoming. From the bill “ensure it balances the interests of customer generators with those of electric utilities and ratepayers to ensure the availability of safe, adequate and reliable electricity service at just and reasonable rates,”
Why should we care? Wyoming is taking first step into new territory a lot lately and other states follow. Think about it’s laissez faire take on bitcoin & blockchain. If Wyoming goes full free market on net metering, watch Arizona it tends to move next.
How can this impact me? Legislation that combines renewable energy, talk of subsidies and fairness… that’s catnip.
KPVI | Energy Journal: Bill to overhaul net metering system approved by Wyoming Senate
Utility Bill Spikes + EV Chargers
What’s the deal? A comprehensive transportation bill in Massachusetts included language that requires utilities to give state regulators ways for people/businesses with fast chargers to avoid excessive bills.
Why should we care? Everyone is trying to figure out how to get more fast chargers out there, and right now the way traditional billing works doesn’t encourage deployment of fast chargers that take a large surge of electricity quickly.
How can this impact me? Every state and city is working on solutions for this, so let’s all see what the utilities in MA propose because the answer might be in there.
Energy News | Massachusetts asks utilities for ways to avoid bill spikes from EV fast-charging
Add Seattle to the List of Cities Removing Natural Gas from Buildings
What’s the deal? Seattle City Council unanimously prohibited natural gas use in new commercial and apartment buildings taller than three stories. We’re talking no natural gas for heating. People who like to cook with gas may in the clear., granted you still have to clean those gas stoves and that’s a task that breaks fingernails.
Why should we care? Electrification is seen as to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas pollution from fossil fuels that drive climate change.
How can this impact me? Building Codes like this are spreading quickly. So far cities are keeping houses out of the code changes.
What do utilities need to know about GM’s move to EVs?
What’s the deal? By 2035 GM plans its vehicle offerings will be all EV. By 2040, Gas plants will be carbon neutral. They’ve signed the UN pledge. GM is all in.
Why should we care? Utilities should care because in the fine print, GM is intent that 100% of its electric vehicle batteries to be reused as other forms of energy storage. GM’s energy storages systems are designed to be repairable.
How could this impact me? This is future seeing, GM sees today’s filling stations will be converting to tomorrow’s charging stations. GM is sourcing 100% renewable energy to power its U.S. sites by 2030 and global sites by 2035.
Detroit Free Press via Governing | General Motors Aims for All Zero Emission Vehicles by 2035
Meet Wire Free Charging
What’s the deal? Meet FreeWire Technologies Inc.its bringing wire free EV charging stateside. In Germany EON SE and VW are partnering for similar wire free EV charging.
Why should we care? EV is innovation central right now. A new day, a new start up.
Why does this matter to me? Investors include BP. Energy companies are entering green infrastructure and alternative energy.
Transport | EV Charging Firm FreeWire Closes $50 Million Funding Round
Wildlife is Impacting Energy Regulations in Colorado
What’s the deal? new oil and gas rules in Colorado require permission from Colorado Parks and Wildlife for drilling and development on certain identified Wildlife lands.
Why should I care? We’re doing more for wildlife in Texas two with at the wildlife bridge in San Antonio and one planned in Houston. Not to mention the list of endangered species in West Texas.
Why does this matter to me? Issues aren’t black and white. Information is easily accessible. People generally want to protect animals. Get in the game and balance the interests.
Fox 21 News | New oil and gas rules protect wildlife in Colorado
More Pensions Divest from Oil
What’s the deal? 2 NYC pensions are divesting $4 billion from oil. This has mostly been a west coast trend. Now it’s in the east.
Why should we care? Investors have been calling for environmental actions. NASDAQ has new ESG requirements for listing like diversity and inclusion. This isn’t just a game for “activist investors.” Some pensions want their members to have options like ESG focused investments.
Why does this matter to me? Symptomatic of the new economy. People are paying attention to what is happening. Not just when a group on reddit invests in GameStop.
Chief Investment Officer | Two NYC Pension Funds Divesting $4 Billion from Oil Companies
Brackish drilling wastewater saves aquifers?
What’t the deal? On January 15th, the EPA allowed TCEQ to manage permitting for oil and gas discharge. Before permits came through the Texas Railroad Commission and the EPA. New game, new rules?
Why should we care? New kid is in charge, new rules could be up next. Add to it State Senator Perry who says the brackish water could ultimately replenish aquifers.
Why does this matter to me? UT scientists have found a cheaper way to remove salt from brackish water. So, desalination could be more affordable. It’s estimated that the total value of water management from oil and gas to be $33.6 billion.
Salon | Lawmakers to weigh whether wastewater from oil fields could replenish the state’s aquifers
Model Legislation to Prohibit Banning Natural Gas
Sample legislation: In Kansas it is SB 24 (2021 | KS)
Who is behind it? American Public Gas Association & American Legislative Exchange Council
Other states: Tennessee, Arizona, Oklahoma and Louisiana
Supporters say: Protect consumer choice
Energy News Network | Proposals to prohibit natural gas bans may threaten cities’ clean energy goals
What did German Regulators Remove from EV Regulations?
In promulgating EV rules, German regulators removed “a draft law that would have allowed grid operators to limit the load of some households for up to two hours in order to reduce peak demand”
Who opposed the removal: utilities
Where did the load limit rule come from? a utility work group
S& P Global | German ministry scraps peak power shaving draft law for EV roll-out
Emerging Consideration for Renewable Energy Projects
What’s an emerging consideration for renewable projects? Input from Native American Tribes, Indigenous tribe on the land and cultural impact
Why? A solar project that was built over a pre-contact trade route used by Indigenous peoples for millennia ultimately led to $3 million on an ethnographic study and scholarships for Native students.
How have circumstances changed? The Department of the Interior is being led by an Indigenous person for the first time in history
How much of new capacity will be carbon free in 2021?
80% of the US Grid generation capacity that is added in 2021 will be carbon emission free according to the US Energy Information Agency
Is carbon free being led by nukes or batteries? Batteries will offer more than 10%, 4.3GW of the total new 40 GW capacity
What’s the rest of the new capacity look like?
- natural gas is down 34% from last year and down 60% over 3 years
- 12.2GW of new wind capacity
- 15.4GW of new solar capacity
Ars Technica | US grid will see 80 percent of its new capacity go emission-free
Anatomy of a Cheaper Energy Program
What is this project? FEWtures, a research group focused on how the future of Food, Energy and Water are intertwined and can be used to strengthen rural communities.
Who is behind it?University of Kansas
Why? Rural Revitalization
What are the project’s tenets?
- minimize external subsidies and support
- economic viability
- “build an online virtual tool that will take information about rural communities, such as its’ population size, number of available acres, average wind speed and amount of money the community has available to invest in projects.”
What are some practical examples from the project?
- a battery for energy storage made that stores energy in ammonium and is made from “nitrogen from the air and will use energy from wind turbines to combine it with hydrogen from water to make ammonia, a compound of hydrogen and nitrogen”
- to power water treatment
- to have water for livestock
- to have water for drinking
Wichita Eagle | Kansas Researchers to Help Rural Communities Thrive
+1 City to require EV Chargers in New Parking Lots
Where: Madison, WI
The EV charger requirements:
- 1% of parking spaces in new multifamily residential are required to have EV chargers
- 10% of the spaces must be wired for future chargers
- By 2041, at least 10% of spaces must have chargers and half must be wired
- Existing parking lots, when at least 10,000 square feet are repaved, also must meet the above standards
- Parking spaces for EV chargers are required for schools, hotels, hospitals, office buildings and other public and private lots where people park for 6+ hours at a time
- Exceptions: restaurants, retail and service businesses, warehouses and factories.
Government Technology | Madison, Wis., to Require EV Chargers in New Parking Lots
TX Researchers Found a new Way to Desalinize
The researchers: University of Texas at Austin, along with DuPont
How does this new deal mechanism work? An electron microscopy technique to identify membrane thickness that can make desalination more cost effective and accessible.
Texas Standard | An New Desalination Approach Could Help Texas Conserve Scarce Water Resources
EV Fast Charger with No Installation?
Meet Splitvolt which works from existing 240 volt plugs, like for your dryer.
The Splitvolt will allow charging when your dryer is not in use.
It’s compatible with compatible with third-party chargers & works with EVs from Fiat Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Tesla, Volkswagen, and Volvo.
Kelly Blue Book | Startup Offers Fast EV Charger That Requires No Installation
Harris County TX Renewable Energy Requirements.
Harris County Commissioner Garcia is proposing solar, wind and battery back up for when Harris County Commissioner decide how to purchase their power in 2023.
Is this new for the Energy Capital? No, Since July 2020, the city of Houston says it uses 100% renewable energy
Anatomy of a bill creating a moratorium on transmission lines
Where: Nebraska
The legislation: LB 409 (2021 | NE)
This bills calls for a study to determine if new transmission lines, longer than 200 miles, are necessary & creates the Electric Transmission Line Study Committee of the Legislature
So what gives? What do the legislators want to know?
- more information on routing lines
- more information on the property rights impacted
- more information on the impact to consumers through rate increases
The Home Data + Clean Energy Connection
What will the next wave in clean energy need? smart meter/smart home data like rooftop solar, in-home energy storage systems, electric vehicles and smart home technologies like app-controlled lighting and smart thermostats
How does this translate to regulation and legislation?
- A need for policy leadership
- Creation of regulations governing the intersection of smart homes and smart grids
- Clear rules/laws surrounding data ownership and security between consumer devices and utilities
- Utility data such as the value of distributed energy resources for critical grid services, including voltage regulation, frequency stabilization, energy arbitrage, peak demand reduction and ramping reserves
- Incentives for utilities to tackle this data
That’s a lot, what are the 3 big buckets of data? data ownership, data access and grid security
Pecan Street Inc via Forbes | Regulating Consumer Data Will Catalyze Clean Energy Deployments
State Legislation: Renewable Gas Mandate for Utilities.
The State: Colorado
The legislation: SB20-150 (2021 | CO)
What are we talking about renewable gas?
- compel utilities to capture and consume gas to produce electricity
- by tapping into energy generated from the methane emissions of coal mines, natural coalbeds, landfills, wastewater treatment plants and agricultural operations
Environmentalist opposition says biogas isn’t all that because it promotes the growth of polluting industries like factory farming
Route Fifty | Colorado Lawmakers Eye Renewable Natural Gas Mandate
Florida Power Reliability Model
Which other states are looking to Floria as a model for power reliability? Oklahoma
What is Florida doing to ensure power reliability since hurricane Wilma in 2005?
- Received regulatory approval for large scale resiliency upgrades to systems
- Hardening main power lines that serve police and fire stations, hospitals and 911 centers
- Annually review of 15,000 miles of line
- Annually trimming vegetation
- Installing more than 172,000 smart devices that automatically detect faults, reroute power or provide the utility with additional situational awareness
- Pilot program to explore cost-effective ways of moving lines underground
- Underground lines are significantly more reliable (50% or more)
The Oklahoman via Governing | Oklahoma Looks to Florida to Improve Its Power Reliability
Anatomy of Large Public Utility Push for Electric Vehicles
The EV, electric vehicle, is being pushed by the largest public utility in the U.S., the Tennessee Valley Authority.
Here’s the info:
- Estimating that at least 200,000 EVs will be operating in its 7-state region by 2028
- Their partners in the EV push:
- state and local governments
- power companies
- car manufacturers
- service stations
- environmentalists to promote that EV adoptions means cleaner air, climate action, and economic benefits for local communities
- TVA is revamping its rates so that new power rates improve the price of fast-charging stations
- looking at ways to promote or even add and operate more rapid-charging stations
Chattanooga Times Press Press | Tennessee Utility Aims for 200,000 Electric Vehicles by 2028
State’s Energy Plan for a Long Hot 2021 summer
The State: California
The energy options California is considering to protect itself from blackouts and brownouts:
- Lithium storage (battery storage) of solar energy
- as grid resources to form “virtual power plants” that bring together hundreds or thousands of batteries
- as residential energy back up
- Incentivizing energy conservation
What do stakeholders, like California Solar and Storage Assn. say?
- must simplify the process of applying for clean energy subsidies
- maintain “net metering” compensation program
- change the system to allow households, with batteries, to export electricity to the grid during emergencies
- speed up local government approval processes
LA Times via Governing | California Looks for Ways to Alleviate Coming Energy Squeeze
2020 Recap: Innovation Roars
This year, energy got creative and innovative. The industry was impacted by building code changes, the sheer proliferation of renewable plus battery storage as part of utility planning, recycling wind turbine blades, powering buildings with EVs and smart roads, energy from land fills, ocean based wind farms, energy generating bicycles that power street lights, and new and original partnerships between diverse industries.
Oil companies announced that they would focus on sustainability and back away from fossil fuels. Creative tax entities want to apply utility taxes apply to Zoom or other streaming services. Quick thinking COVID tracers used wastewater to track the disease. It was innovation on top of innovation.
City partners with Utility + EVs to Reduce Building Costs
Where: Boulder, Colorado
What is the goal of Boulder’s partnership? to reduce the city’s building energy costs with an innovative pilot with EVs and utilities
Welcome vehicle-to-building charging.
How does vehicle to building charger work? The charging station enables two-way electricity — from the building to the car and from the car back to the building.
How does it reduce city energy costs? it gives the city new ways to manage its energy load and reduce energy costs
Factor in a city fleet charging at a city building and viola!
T&D World | Boulder to Explore How EVs Can Reduce Building Energy Costs
Minnesota Prioritization for EV Charger Grants
What agency is in charge of EV charger grants in Minnesota? Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
What will be given priority in funding? EV chargers that use solar panels or source renewable power from another local source
Other priority items: locating chargers in areas with poor air quality and health issues or by installing more powerful Level 2 chargers.
Why? the goal of the funding is to incentivize using renewable energy
1st Wind Blade Recycling Program
Who: GE
What: a multi-year agreement with Veolia North America for the first U.S. wind turbine blade recycling program
How does it work? It mirror commercial sales of composite materials for cement manufacturing made from shredded blades to create a “circular economy for composite materials,”
The environmental impact of the program:
- make wind turbines fully recyclable
- will reduce carbon dioxide emissions from cement production by a net 27%
Utility Dive | GE announces first US wind turbine blade recycling program with Veolia
Virtual Power Plants. Get to know them.
Who: Swell Energy is an installer and manager of residential renewable energy, energy efficiency and storage technologies
How much funding is Swell raising for virtual power plants? $450 million to finance the construction of four virtual power plants
What is a virtual power plant? For Swell it is the pairing of 200 megawatt hours of distributed energy storage with 100 megawatts of solar photovoltaic capacity
How are utilities involved?
- Utilities in 3 states want to establish dispatchable energy storage capacity
- To get there, there will be construction and aggregation of approximately 14,000 solar energy generation and storage systems
What’s the goal for the grid that these 3 utilities look to meet? To make local grids more efficient.
MA State Auditor: Solar Tax Laws Outdated. Harms Solar.
How could tax laws harm solar energy?
- Solar tax laws were written to favor large communities that are property wealthy
- Solar tax laws create a disadvantage for property poor areas and rural areas
- Large solar operations took leave of a tax credit that was intended for small and rural solar projects
Solar Power World | Massachusetts State Auditor says tax laws for solar operators are outdated
Record High in Battery Storage Deployment
3rd Quarter in 2020 saw US energy storage industry deploy record setting high of 476MW / 764MWh in a single three-month period between July to September
How high are these numbers? more than double previous record highs for battery storage deployment
The US Market is expected to grow to 7.5GW / 26.5GWh by 2025
Epicenter of growth: California
Energy Storage | US’ record-high quarterly energy storage deployments a ‘sign of things to come’
City Bans Gas Stoves
Oakland, CA has banned gas stoves in new homes, restaurant and shop buildings, and offices.
Why? According to Oakland’s Building Department “substituting natural gas with electricity is one of the quickest, safest, and least expensive pathways to eliminating [greenhouse gas] emissions from buildings”
By 2030, Oakland’s new Equitable Climate Action Plan calls for a citywide switch to electric construction
Berkeley Side Nosh | No more gas stoves? Oakland unanimously votes to ban them in new buildings
Florida Approves 3 Optional EV Charging Tariffs
Florida’s Public Service Commission approved 3 optional EV tariff for Florida Light & Power that includes:
- Utility-Owned Public Charging for Electric Vehicles (UEV)
- establishes a charging rate for utility-owned direct current fast charging stations
- price of US$0.30/kWh for electricity sold to motorists
- Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Riders for General Service Demand (GSD-1EV)
- General Service Large Demand (GSLD-1EV)
- establish a rate for competitive market charging stations operating in FPL’s service area
Corporate Climate Change Supporters
Supports of climate change action:
- Bank of America • BASF Corporation • BHP • bp • Cargill • Carrier Corporation The Chemours Company • Citi • Danone North America • Dominion Energy • Dow Inc. • DSM DTE Energy • DuPont • Edison International • Entergy Corporation • Exelon Corporation Ford Motor Company • General Motors • Goldman Sachs • Google • HP Inc. • IBM
- Intel Corporation • Johnson Controls • JPMorgan Chase • LafargeHolcim
- Microsoft Corporation • Morgan Stanley • National Grid • Nestlé • NRG Energy, Inc. Ørsted Offshore, North America • PG&E Corporation• PSEG • Schneider Electric • Shell TOTAL • Trane Technologies PLC • Unilever United States • Walmart
Are urging the U.S. to rejoin the Paris Climate Accord & support these policy goals:
- establish durable national policies that harness market forces
- mobilize investment and innovation
- provide the certainty needed to plan for the long term
- meet the needs of marginalized communities, low-income households, and workers and communities disadvantaged by the energy transition.
“Leveraging American investment and innovation toward the technologies of tomorrow will create jobs, drive growth, and strengthen U.S. competitiveness.”
IN SUPPORT OF AMBITIOUS, DURABLE, BIPARTISAN CLIMATE SOLUTIONS
WSJ | Big Companies Urge Biden, Congress to Address Climate Change
City to Ban Natural Gas in Construction
Where: San Jose, CA
Why is San Jose, California city council voting to ban natural gas in new construction?
- trading movement to welcome all-electric energy to fight climate change
- the city has an existing ban in new residential building that went into effect in January 2020
What type of construction does the ban apply to?
- new commercial and high-rise residential buildings
- beginning in August 2021
- “Limited hardship exemptions” for new food service establishments and manufacturing and industrial facilities until Dec. 31, 2022
What other cities have similar bans?
- San Francisco, CA
- Berkeley, CA
San Jose Mercury News via Governing | San Jose Expected to Ban Natural Gas in New Construction
Anatomy of an EV Infrastructure Bill
The legislation: HR 8807 (116th Congress)
What will HR 8807 do?
- Create a $10M grant program for local governments and utilities
- To determine where to locate EV charging stations
3 Benefits Supporters point to:
- communities will save money on transportation costs
- reduce environmental impact from emissions
- allow access to transportation technology
- offer better data, that is publicly accessible, to make planning and investment decisions.
Next Gen Transportation News | Lawmakers Introduce EV MAP Act to the House
Arizona Republicans Mandate Cleaner Energy
How did Arizona end up with a clean energy mandate from its energy regulator? Republican members of the Arizona Corporation Commission supported a rule calling for the state to eliminate carbon emissions from its power grid by 2050
The vote break down: YES: 3 Republicans + 1 Democrat | NO: 1 Republican
What factor worked in favor of a clean energy mandate?
- falling cost of renewables
- innovative technology like battery storage is being regularly deployed
Is there a take away: Arizona followed a similar road map to that taken by Colorado
Scientific American | With GOP Support, Arizona Mandates Cleaner Energy
Regulatory Proposal Integrates electric vehicles as grid resources to Aid in Disasters
The regulatory body: California Public Utilities Commission
The CPUC proposal: Agenda ID # 18973
What is the disaster tie in? That EVs could be an alternative source to maintain a grid during a disaster
What would utility need to do? Prepare vehicle-to-grid integration as a resiliency plans
Green Jobs Bill with a Utility Installed EV Charger Component
Meet AB 841 (2020 | California) which includes a requirement that the state Utilities Commission ramps ups the pace to approve utility installed EV chargers.
Legislative Climate Change Committee
The state legislature considering a climate change committee: Florida
Is this against the grain? No, under Republican Governor DeSantis leadership, the state has begun talking about climate change (AKA their tourism dollars need beaches)
Tampa Bay Times | Florida environmentalists want Legislature to create climate change committee
New Alternative Energy Partnership in Texas
The Partnership: UT- Arlington is partnering with North Central Texas Council of Governments
The alternative energy source: diverting food waste from landfills to anaerobic food digesters.
Funding for the partnership: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently awarded NCTCOG $300,000 in funding to help reduce food waste.
The study will be entitled: North Central Texas Food Waste to Fuel Feasibility Study adn will consider eight existing wastewater treatment plants with digesters
The environmental/climate change angle: Methane, the biogas produced from the food waste, is a greenhouse gas. Capturing this gas has a positive environmental impact.
EurekAlert | UTA partners with NCTCOG to generate energy from food waste found in landfills
Arkansas School District + Solar = More Pay for Teachers
A school district in Arkansas installed 1400 solar panels, saving 1.6 kW in 3 years.
The school district turned a $250K energy cost deficit into a $1.8 M surplus that is being used to fund teacher pay raises
E& E News | This Arkansas school turned solar savings into better teacher pay
What People say will Make Distributed Energy Resources Work for Texas
Who is saying it? R Street
What does R Street say makes Texas ripe for distributed energy resources? electric distribution remains under a regulated monopoly system in Texas and as such offers transparency in the planning of resources
What actions should Texas take?
- review its rules governing interconnection
- Texas PUC should require transparent distribution planning
- require utilities to consider non-wires alternatives before embarking on expensive grid upgrades
R Street | How to Make Distributed Energy Resources Work for Texas
TX Governor Opposition to Nuclear Waste Storage
What? Texas Governor submitted an opposition letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission opposing a nuclear waste storage facility in Andrews County
Who is involved in the project? Interim Storage Partners (ISP), a joint venture between Waste Control Specialists and Orano USA
Why does the Governor oppose the project?
- “imperil” oil and gas production
- could make the region subject to a terrorist attack
- imperils America’s energy security
- “specialized emergency response” required fort he facility would disrupt other local industries
What did the NM Governor say about the project? Also opposed, the Governor called the project “economic malpractice”
Legislature vs. Regulator. Clean Energy Rules.
Where: Virginia
The latest salvo in clean energy regulation in Virginia: Lawmakers say the State Corporation Commission rules implementing the Clean Economy Act violate the spirit of the law.
Who is on what side?
- Utilities support the regulators proposed storage rules
- Lawmakers say the proposed storage rules violate the spirit of the law to open up the sector to innovation
- Industry groups are calling for the adoption of more aggressive interim targets
What are industry and lawmakers asking for?
- A required 3rd-party administrator
- To oversee bidding on future energy storage projects to increase transparency
- Open permitting to allow for small third-party developers to enter the market
Louisiana Governor: Renewable Energy Initiative for Gulf Of Mexico
How did the Lousiana Governor start this process? By creating the Climate Initiatives Task Force
What is the goal of the Renewable Energy Initiative for the Gulf? To harness the renewable (wind) power in the Gulf
Does Louisiana have federal partners? Yes, U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to help us establish a task force of federal, state and local officials
Is this long term industry movement? Yes, Louisiana energy companies have been engaged in a wind program off the coast of Rhode Island
The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory says one, single 600-megawatt, off shore wind facility will:
- create 4,400 jobs during construction
- produce $445 million in economic output during construction
KATC 3 | Gov. Edwards Announces Renewable Energy Initiative for Gulf of Mexico
COVID. Minnesota Asked Utilities for Economic Recovery Help. Things Get Weird Fast.
What happened? In the spring of 2020, Minnesota utility regulators asked state electric and gas utilities to pitch investments that could help jump-start the state’s economy.
The response: multibillion dollar plans.
Then other state agencies caught wind: The state Attorney General’s Office and Department of Commerce support economic recovery but non utility regulators have more experience with statewide economic recovery.
The biggest dispute: who should pay for the recovery.
Ask the commerce people and they say ratepayers shouldn’t bear all costs; the company should pay 50 percent. Shareholders should not be exempt from sharing a portion of the burden of rate relief.
Star Tribune via Governing | Minnesota Asked Utilities for Economic Help; Now Isn’t Sure
2020 Ballot Propositions ENERGY
- Nevada 50% renewables by 2030
- Passing with 57%
- New Mexico de-politicizing regulators moving the regulators from elected to appointed
- Passing with 56%
- Columbus OH 100% renewable by 2023
- 76% approval
- Denver CO 0.25% sales tax to fund climate-related initiatives
- 64% approval
- Boulder CO wants to know if it should continue its contract with an electric provider or go to a municipal electric provider
- 56% support a new 20-year franchise agreement with Xcel Energy
Utility Dive | 5 ballot initiatives poised to propel states, cities to 100% clean energy
Legal TREND. Consumer Refunds of Overpayments from Utilities
Where: Texas Courts
What: A 3rd Court of Appeals Opinion could make it harder for Texas consumers to receive a refund for overpayment
Why is this important? Read the room- making an argument to keep costumer refunds isn’t COVID friendly and the Legislature is about to convene
The Future of Energy Storage: Automated Bidding
Why is automated bidding the future of energy storage? Following studies of European base load market, and its optimization through asset-level and portfolio control to increase the value of energy storage assets by leveraging artificial intelligence
Where can we find regulatory road maps for automated bidding in competitive markets? California and Australia
Utility Dive | Automated bidding is the next step in the evolution of energy storage
Local Incentives. Water Conservation.
Where: Plano, TX
What incentives are offered in Plano for water conservation?
- instead of utilizing the highest annual usage, rates will transition over time to a five-year rolling average
- incentivized conservation will bring long term or ‘generational’ savings for member cities who conserve while ensuring the long-term financial health of the water district
Dallas Morning News | Plano city leaders applaud new water deal that ‘incentivizes conservation’
Ballot 2020. How many climate change propositions on the ballot?
- Alaska wants to increase by a factor of almost 4, the tax on oil production
- Denver wants to raise the sales tax by 1/4 a cent to fund $40 million per year for programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- LongBeach wants to increase the local oil production tax by 15 cents a barrel to fund a climate change action and adaptation plan.
- Berkeley wants to raise taxes on gas and electricity utilities by 2.5%
- Albany, CA wants to also raise utility taxes to fund pollution-reduction efforts, like electrifying buildings
- Columbus OH wants permission to buy clean energy credits
- Nevada will not whether solar, geothermal, and other renewable resources will provide half their electricity by 2030.
Grist | Climate change is on the ballot in 7 cities and states
Do utility taxes apply to Zoom?
Zoom announced that start collecting & remitting local utility and communications taxes in California, New York, Maryland, and Virginia
Does the Tax Foundation agree that Zoom should pay utility taxes?
Not at all. The Tax Foundation says utility taxes are “inappropriate for software-as-a-service companies”
Why should we care? Lawsuits like this are popping up everywhere, we see you New Boston, Texas, as technology bumps up against the old ways of taxation.
Tax Foundation | Zoom Calls Not a Taxing Matter
Netflix, Hulu Face Suit Over Alleged Unpaid Texas Utility Fees
COVID resilience. Houston Wastewater Treatment
How has Houston’s treatment of wastewater grown more resilient during COVID?
- Houston deployed a new wastewater testing solution for early detection of COVID-19 in communities
What impact does that have on COVID spreading?
- By identifying locations from wastewater samples, Houston can focus its contact tracing and prevention efforts in those area
How did Hurricane Harvey help Houston cope with COVID?
- The City accelerated its smart city plans in 2017 after Hurricane Harvey
- The City has experience working with its community partners
State Tech | Smart Cities Connect 2020: Houston Emphasizes Resilience in Pandemic Solutions
Global Data Report: More Cyber Attacks on the Grid
First things first, the report: Cybersecurity in Power – Thematic Research
What elements are leading to increased cyber events?
- nation state attacks during the pandemic
- increase number of connectivity to the grid such as smart meters
- dispersed nature of existing utility networks increase difficulty in securing data
The goal for energy cyber security: ” unified method for security, which incorporates physical security and cybersecurity, and covers the complete organisation” AND “adequate mechanisms for power utilities to report cyberattacks”
Smart Meters + Cyber Security
More smart meters, more cyber vulnerability they say.
How big of a black market are we talking about? Globally electricity theft is a $96 Billion business according to research by the Northeast Group
What types of cyber protection are available for smart meters?
- device monitoring
- customer alerts
- secure and verified OTA updates to provide increased cyber protection for utilities
- preventing cyberattacks of connected devices, scalable to millions of smart meters
What does corporate funding of battery storage look like?
Who is conducting the analysis? Mercom Capital Group
What did Mercom Capital Group say about corporate funding of battery storage, smart grids, and energy efficiency ?
- up 75% this year
- $4.7 billion in corporate funding through September 2020
- $2.7 billion in 2019
- July-to-September return was up 777%
- venture capital funding rose 78%
New Renewable Source. Seriously Flintstone.
The Netherlands has bikes that convert peddling into stored storage that then loads onto the grid at special bike racks. The stored storage has been used to power street lights and more.
EV Electrification. How to Engage Utilities.
Where: Florida
What does Florida’s EV market look like? It is #2 in EV use but ranks low for utility investment in EV
What are the utility investment numbers in Florida?
- < 1% of IOU investments compared to nationwide
- 30th in EV charger deployment per capita
The legislation to begin utility engagement in EVs: HB 7018 (2019/2020 | FL)
How does HB 7018 spark utility engagement?
- By creating an EV charger deployment master plan
- Upon adoption will require appropriate and necessary utility engagement standards
4 Ways utilities can engage in EV chargers:
Facilitator: Utility provides electric service when and where requested but not engaging directly in the business of vehicle charging.
Enabler: Utility deploys traditional electrical infrastructure up to the point of connection to charging stations but does not take a direct role in installing, owning, or operating the charging infrastructure.
Manager: In addition to delivering electric service to the vehicle charger’s location, the utility manages the charging operation to accommodate grid capabilities and grid needs.
Provider: The utility delivers electric service to the charging equipment, which the utility owns and can earn a return on, and the utility provides charging services.
Clean Energy | “Electrification of Transportation in Florida” 2020 Brief
COVID Funds. Funding Energy Efficiency for Schools & Small Businesses
The state: New Jersey
How is New Jersey using some of its COVID Funds? By allowing its Utilities Board to fund an energy efficiency grant program for small businesses and schools
What would this COVID funded energy efficiency program offer?
- funding to improve heating, ventilation and HVAC fixtures to best function in COVID
- funding to improve old, inefficient plumbing fixtures
- 25% of grants shall be in underserved areas
- promoted to increase jobs in New Jersey
What are they calling the sub grant programs?
- School and Small Business Ventilation and Energy Efficiency Verification and Repair Program
- School and Small Business Noncompliant Plumbing Fixture and Appliance Program
New EV Partnership
Who: EV Connect, a charging management company, announced its Partner Program
The new partners: BTCPower, EVBox and EVoCharge
What’s the partnership all about? Data
What data will the partnership facilitate?
- charging stations’ performance
- improving maintenance so it is quicker and proactive
- help ensure that charging station availability is not affected by downtime
- track charging stations performance data
- help expand charging station access by improving reliability
The benefits: reduced maintenance and operating costs as issues can be more easily tracked and fixed
Utility Dive | Electric vehicle firms partner to ramp up charging station access, reliability
California’s Utility Model for EV Chargers
What are opponents saying about California’s EV Charger construction that they say favors utility built EV charging stations?
- 95% of California will pay more in their energy bills but will get no use from the chargers because the utility can reclaim the charger costs in rates
- Lower income Californians will be disproportionately impacted
- Disincentivizes private sector investment
- Chases small business owners out of this marketplace
Real Clear Energy | California’s Misguided Electric Vehicle Policies
Largest U.S. Retailer Renewable Deal
Who: Home Depot + Enel, a solar power comapny
What’s the renewable deal: Home Depot to purchase 75 MW portion of the 284 MW Azure Sky solar project in Haskell County, Texas
Home Depot will power 150 stores.
What did Home Depot’s 2020 sustainability report call for? A new sustainability goal to produce or procure 335 MW of renewable or alternative energy
Solar Builder | Home Depot agrees to PPA for a big chunk of solar + storage with Enel
New Study: Economics of Electrifying Buildings
The Rocky Mountain institute looked at these 7 cities in their study: TX; Boston, MA; Columbus, OH; Denver, CO; Minneapolis, MN; New York City, NY; and Seattle, WA.
Key findings
- New all-electric, single-family home has a lower net present cost than the new mixed-fuel home in every city
- All-electric home results in substantial carbon emissions savings over the mixed-fuel home in all cities
Rocky Mountain Institute | All-Electric New Homes: A Win for the Climate and the Economy
COVID Energy Impact = Renewables
Who is saying that renewables are benefiting in the COVID new economy? The International Energy Agency
How are spending changes impacting energy? Less oil & gas spending + more renewable spending
What other benefits are renewables seeing for capital investments?
- falling costs in solar and wind
- widespread government support
- COVID monetary policies that support low interest rates
- stable returns to investors
- BP’s announcement to move away from fossil fuels and toward renewables
- French energy firm Total SA is increasing spending up to $3 Billion by 2030
- By 2040, coal will be 1/5 of the global energy mix
Wall Street Journal | Coronavirus Pandemic Speeds Shift to Cleaner Energy
New Economy. New List of Single Use Banned Plastics.
Grocery checkout bags
– Straws
– Stir sticks
– Six-pack rings
– Plastic cutlery
– Food takeout containers made from hard-to-recycle plastics (like the black-plastic packaging)
Are any countries banning these single use plastics? yes, Canada
Any COVID exceptions? Yes. Exceptions for personal protective gear or medical waste
New lingo in EV Charging….Blockchain
Who is behind blockchain and EVs? Mobility Open Blockchain Initiative + Electric Vehicle Grid Integration Working Group
How will blockchain work with EV charging? SECURITY. to protect private user data in electric vehicle charging systems.
Which facets of EV charging will have access to blockchain initiatives?
- Vehicle to Grid Integration (V2G)
- how electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids communicate with the charging grid when they are plugged in and how they send data back to the operator of that specific charging grid
- Tokenized Carbon Credits (TCC)
- help facilitate and secure the trading of Tokenized Carbon Credits (TCC) between companies and corporations
- Peer to Peer (P2P) applications
- how charging networks partition workloads between different users
Why does this matter? Because data privacy matters it the new economy
What type of data issues are involved among which stakeholders in EV charging? “data transparency, trust, coordination, and automation among mobility service providers, consumers, utilities, and government stakeholders.”
GM Authority | GM Partner Announces First Blockchain Standard For Electric Vehicle Charging Grids
+1 City Bans Specific Chemicals
The City: Baltimore, Maryland
The Chemicals that Baltimore is banning:
- toxic pesticides on public and private property—including lawns, playing fields, playgrounds, children’s facility
- Any pesticide that is not compatible with organic land care
The exceptions: golf courses & school system property
Is this new? No, it follows the Healthy Lawns Act passed by Montgomery County, Maryland
Beyond Pesticides | Baltimore Becomes Latest Maryland Locality to Restrict Toxic Pesticides on Public and Private Property
Oil Companies + Environmentalists Against Nuclear Waste
Even a stopped close is correct twice a day, and sometimes oil companies and environmentalists take the same positions.
What are these two groups opposed to? shipping highly radioactive waste from the nation’s nuclear power plants to sites on the Texas-New Mexico border
Why are they opposed? Unsafe for the oil producing Permian Basin
The oil interest group: Protect the Basin
Texas Standard | Texas Governor Urges Trump To Oppose Nuclear Waste Plans
COVID catalyst. Convert Fuel Generation Facilities to Battery Storage Facilities
In Australia decommissioned fuel generation plants are being reimagined as battery storage facilities.
What facts do I need to know?
- The government has a Request for Information for a 100MW / 200MWh battery energy storage project at the site.
- Within 10 years, 50% of homes will have solar
- Within 10 years, 1 in 3 houses will have their own solar PV system
How does COVID factor in? Renewables are included in the COVID economic recovery
State Passes Clean Energy Act. What’s the Cost on Consumers?
Background: Virginia passed the Virginia Clean Economy Act that requires requires Virginia to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative & be carbon neutral by 2045
Were consumer utility costs estimated? Yes.
What happened? The cost for consumer estimate has doubled to $800 per year
What is being asked of utilities during the process at the Public Utility Commission?
- Include a least-cost option compliant with the law
- 3 high cost components of compliance by a utility included: a second offshore wind buildout, a pumped storage unit, and continued operation of an “uneconomic” coal-biofuel hybrid plant through 2045
State Interconnection Rules Impact Solar & EVs
The State: California
The Rule changes that impact solar and EVs: California Public Utility Commission Rule 21, Rulemaking 17-07-007
What’s the impact of the rule changes?
- allow distributed energy resources to play a more active role
- battery-backed solar systems can incorporate flexibility into the grid
- without being aggregated as a virtual power plant
- not as a non-wires alternative to grid upgrades, but as a precondition of their interconnection
- orders investor owned utilities to “develop processes to allow fast-track interconnection of DER projects that use “limited generation profiles”
- standardizes solar-plus-storage and vehicle-to-grid charging
- recognizes “limited export”
- sets rules for utilities to verify that projects are sticking to those limits
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