top of page
Search
  • Dec 16, 2021


December 16, 2021


GRID Alternatives installing 200 kW of solar in California tribal communities


ree

A donation from a regional foundation will result in 200 kW of solar installed in tribal communities in San Diego County and Bishop, California. The Sempra Foundation has donated more than $350,000 to GRID AlternativesTribal Solar Accelerator Fund, which will result in arrays installed at single-family homes and apartment buildings in four reservations.



Related Topic



Grid Alternatives Expands Work in Tribal Communities, Advancing Energy Sovereignty with Renewable Energy.


ree

With Bezos Earth Fund, the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund

will scale up work with tribal communities


GRID Alternatives, a national leader in providing access to clean, affordable renewable energy, received a $12 million multi-year grant from the Bezos Earth Fund to grow the scope and scale of the Tribal Solar Accelerator Fund. The Fund is a tribal-led program that partners with tribal communities across the United States to develop their renewable energy capacity and expand solar job opportunities.




Sunverge energy storage project to be first participant in PJM’s residential VPP market


ree

Sunverge, the provider of an industry-leading distributed energy resource (DER) control, orchestration and aggregation platform, and Delmarva Power, an Exelon Company serving customers in Delaware and Maryland, announced it has entered into an agreement with PJM Interconnection to explore how the Elk Neck Battery Storage Pilot Program will participate in the region’s wholesale market for ancillary services


Related Topic


Maryland Battery Storage Program Looking to Expand

ree

A battery energy storage project in Maryland is set to launch early in 2022, and the companies involved are exploring how the program can be a part of the region’s ancillary services.


The Elk Neck Battery Storage Pilot Program is a virtual power plant with a planned capacity of .55 megawatts and 2.2 megawatt hours. It is being built by distributed energy resource (DER) company Sunverge and distributed by Delmarva Power, which serves areas of Delaware and Maryland.



Clean Energy and Software Partnership to Ease Fleet Electrification Implementation



https://www.eenews.net/articles/1000-corporations-vs-utility-execs-who-is-right-on-100-clean-power/America

A new partnership between Catalyze and Microgrid Labs will combine clean energy transition and software to help simplify fleet electrification services to business and communities across the United States.


The two say that the deal will help streamline the complexities of having an electric fleet as there are often significant technical situations and electrification processes spread across consultants and software and equipment providers. The partnership comes as the electric vehicle market soars and electric fleets grow.



Related Topic


Biden-Harris Administration Outlines Action Plan to Build Out EV Charging Infrastructure


ree

The Biden-Harris administration published a fact sheet on its electric vehicle charging action plan. It outlines steps federal agencies are taking to support the development and deployment of EV chargers in American communities across the country.


Last month, Biden signed a $1 trillion infrastructure bill into law. Among its provisions is the establishment of a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, envisioned as a collaboration between the two agencies to “collect input and guidance from industry leaders, manufacturers, workers, and other stakeholders that will ensure the national network provides convenient charging for all.” Projects include increasing public confidence in electric vehicles by building out a convenient, reliable, affordable public charging network and bringing EV charging to rural, disadvantaged, and hard-to-reach communities.



Related Topic


What is the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation? US Government's New Electric Vehicles Division


ree

The Biden-Harris-Administration released an Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan to outline the steps

federal agencies are taking to support developing and deploying chargers in American communities across

the country.


The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) have joined forces to establish a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to focus on deploying electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure.


The three departments will work together to collect input and guidance from industry leaders, manufacturers, workers and stakeholders to ensure that this national network will provide convenient charging for all.



Cost of Batteries, Increased Incentives

Drive Electric Bus Market



ree

Falling costs of batteries and increasing government regulations and incentives will boost the electric bus market in coming years, according to a new report.


Batteries make up 40% of the cost of electric buses, according to the report by ReportLinker, and the average cost of lithium-ion battery packs for large orders has fallen from about $600 a kilowatt hour in 2015 to $150 a kilowatt hour in 2020. That has helped spur the sales of more than 82,000 electric buses last year, and the report says there will be a CAGR of 14.9% through 2026.






  • Dec 2, 2021


December 2, 2021


CEC Approves $1.4 Billion Plan for Zero-Emission Transportation Infrastructure and Manufacturing

Plan aims to close infrastructure gap and direct 50 percent of funds

to priority communities.

ree

SACRAMENTO – The California Energy Commission (CEC) today approved a three-year $1.4 billion plan to help California achieve its 2025 electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling goals.



Related Topic



California OKs $1.4 bln plan for car chargers,

hydrogen refueling


ree

The California Energy Commission (CEC) has approved a three-year $1.4 billion plan to help California achieve its electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling goals.




Solar and green groups buy into Duke’s net-metering plan in North Carolina


ree

The state’s dominant utility has proposed time-varying solar rates and smart-thermostat incentives, and solar advocates are on board.


Duke Energy customers in North Carolina are poised to get a revamped net-metering regime for new home solar systems — one that would closely tie the value of rooftop solar power to how much households can shift their energy generation and consumption to times that are most opportune for the grid.



Amazon announces 8 new U.S. solar projects

ree

Amazon has announced 18 new utility-scale wind and solar energy projects across the U.S., Finland, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K., totaling 5.6 GW of procured capacity to date in 2021. Amazon now has 274 renewable energy projects globally and is on a path to power 100% of its business operations with renewable energy by 2025 — five years earlier than its original 2030 commitment.





More Exelon utilities to integrate Palmetto’s

solar calculator


https://www.eenews.net/articles/1000-corporations-vs-utility-execs-who-is-right-on-100-clean-power/America

By integrating Palmetto’s Mapdwell Solar API, Exelon will provide its 10 million utility customers — spread over Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C. — with online access to property-level solar photovoltaic potential data and analysis. By securely leveraging customers’ energy consumption profiles to provide personalized recommendations and accelerate solar adoption, the Mapdwell-powered solar calculator enables Exelon customers to learn about the feasibility, and potential cost-savings associated with pursuing solar at their address. The solar calculator provides personalized information for each of Exelon’s residential customers, estimating the number of solar panels required due to unique characteristics of the customer’s property, estimated return on investment given the customer’s historical energy usage, and potential green-house gas reductions.





Buyer interest in EVs grows as automakers introduce more appealing models


Electric vehicles are in the spotlight following Biden's visit to a Detroit factory and the debut of new models at the LA Auto Show. But cost and charging concerns remain.


ree

From Michigan to California, electric vehicles (EVs) took center stage. Along with growing momentum for electric vehicles, as some experts say EV sales may be nearing a tipping point due to rising consumer interest and an influx of new models from mainstream and startup auto manufacturers.



Related Topic


All-electric Ford F-150 Lightning sparks interest as electric vehicles make waves


ree

Pickup truck aficionados and first-timers alike are anticipating new electric releases from Ford, Tesla, Rivian and Chevrolet.





'A long way to go': How ConEd, Xcel and 4 other utilities are helping cities meet big EV goals



ree

From New York City to Los Angeles, cities and utilities face cost, land and grid challenges in their efforts to electrify transportation systems.



Electric vehicles (EVs) could finish 2021 as 5% of new car sales in the U.S., according to market observers, and are expected to make up a growing share in the years to come. Driven by city and state electrification goals, and now supported by federal infrastructure dollars, the years ahead will be a critical time for utilities working to drive beneficial electrification.




Researchers use AI to optimize several

flow battery properties simultaneously


Scientists seek stable, high-energy batteries designed for the electric grid.


ree
Argonne researchers have used machine learning and artificial intelligence to optimize new possible chemicals for use in redox flow batteries that can modernize the electric grid, like the ones shown here.(Image by Shutterstock/ petrmalinak.)

Bringing new sources of renewable energy like wind and solar power onto the electric grid will require specially designed large batteries that can charge when the sun is shining and give energy at night. One type of battery is especially promising for this purpose: the flow battery. Flow batteries contain two tanks of electrically active chemicals that exchange charge and can have large volumes that hold a lot of energy.



Big Batteries on Wheels Can Deliver Zero-Emissions Rail While Securing the Grid


Berkeley Lab study shows how battery-electric trains can deliver environmental justice, cost-savings, and resilience to the U.S.


ree
Near elimination of air pollution from diesel-electric freight trains by 2025 is now possible by retrofitting them with battery tender cars. (Credit: BeyondImages/iStock)

Trains have been on the sidelines of electrification efforts for a long time in the U.S. because they account for only 2% of transportation sector emissions, but diesel freight trains emit 35 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and produce air pollution that leads to $6.5 billion in health costs, resulting in an estimated 1,000 premature deaths each year. What’s more, these deaths and adverse health impacts disproportionately affect disadvantaged and low-income communities, which are more likely to be located near freight rail yards and railways.



  • Nov 6, 2021


November 3, 2021


US rejoins coalition pushing for 1.5 degrees

Celsius goal at COP26

Return of U.S. boosts informal alliance of small vulnerable

countries and big Western states.

ree

The U.S. has rejoined a group of countries pushing for higher targets

at the COP26 U.N. climate talks.


The return of the world's second-largest emitter and richest nation boosts the group, called the High Ambition Coalition, which is an informal alliance of small vulnerable countries and big Western states including the EU.


The return of the U.S. was first reported in the Guardian and confirmed by U.S. State Department spokesperson Whitney Smith.




World leaders announce plan to make green tech cheaper than alternatives


ree

UK, US and China among countries representing two-thirds of

global economy to agree to push green energy and cars


A plan to coordinate the global introduction of clean technologies in order to rapidly drive down their cost has been agreed at the Cop26 summit.




Unlocking the Transition: As Tesla, Ford and others invest billions in EVs, will the power system be ready?

ree
Adeline Kon/Utility Dive

The new White House zero emission vehicle target of 50% of new car sales by 2030 has a long way to go, a short time to get there, and big challenges along the way.


Transitioning transportation, the nation's biggest source of carbon emissions, to clean electricity is urgent, but will not be easy, according to charging companies, auto industry analysts and others.


President Joe Biden's Aug. 5 Executive Order calls for 50% of annual U.S. new car sales to be zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2030. However it is estimated that only 2.1% of newly purchased vehicles are ZEV.


Newer numbers, however, suggest "an exponential ZEV uptake" has started, said Garrett Fitzgerald, electrification principal at the Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA).





California proposes demand response, other measures to shore up summer grid reliability


https://www.eenews.net/articles/1000-corporations-vs-utility-execs-who-is-right-on-100-clean-power/America

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has been implementing multiple measures to help ensure grid reliability during the summer months, following a record-breaking heatwave in the state in 2020 that forced the California Independent System Operator to initiate outages.





Electric vehicle adoption poised to surge, say experts, if Congress OKs $100B in purchase incentives


ree

There are potentially more than $200 billion in electric transportation investments contained in President Joe Biden's jobs and infrastructure plans, including purchase incentives that could immediately accelerate the United States' electrification plans, according to electrification advocates watching negotiations in Congress.


The EV-related proposals include more than $100 billion in tax credits that could knock up to $12,500 off the sticker price of a new electric car or truck, depending on where and how it is produced. Used electric vehicle (EV) buyers could get up to $4,000 back.




Utilities are taking the reins in the Northeast and asking for customer-sited storage


ree

Virtual power plants are making behind-the-meter storage more attractive to utilities.



Residential energy storage adoption is growing in the Northeast, and no state mandates are behind the rising numbers.


Surprisingly, utilities are the ones encouraging customers to get batteries and enroll them in virtual power plants (VPPs). Instead of being threatened by customer-sited renewable energy systems, VPPs make solar and storage an agreeable resource for utilities.




November solar policy snapshots

A guide to recent legislation and research throughout the country.


ree
Ohio Republicans have sponsored a bill that would enable community solar in the state, with special carveouts for brownfields



The road to cleaner air


ree

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act just passed by Congress provides $2.5 billion in funding specifically for zero-emission electric school buses.


The humble yellow school bus, an iconic symbol of American education, is getting an exciting upgrade in 2021. The bipartisan infrastructure investment package just passed by Congress provides $2.5 billion in funding specifically for zero-emission electric school buses and an additional $2.5 billion for all types of low-emission school buses (which could include electric buses).


Charged up for an electric vehicle future


The U.S. House of Representatives passed a policy in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that puts us on track to install thousands of electric vehicle charging stations across the country. Here's why that matters.

ree
Congressman Andy Levin of Michigan with his electric vehicle.

In the U.S., transportation is the greatest contributor to climate warming emissions, and the majority of those emissions come from everyday cars and trucks. Personal vehicles also emit toxic air pollution which harms our health. That’s why PIRG has been working for years to increase adoption of clean, emissions-free electric vehicles (EVs) by calling for 100% of car sales to be fully electric by 2035 (or sooner).


To get there, we need to do three things: make electric vehicles cheaper and easier for people to buy, strengthen emission standards and build out infrastructure to support electric cars.


The bipartisan infrastructure package puts one of those key pieces

of the puzzle into place.


One of the primary barriers to the adoption of electric vehicles is lack of access to public charging stations. Currently, electric vehicle drivers may face “range anxiety;” drivers fear they could be stranded on the road without access to fuel. To support the transition to electric vehicles, we need to dramatically increase the buildout of charging stations across the country.



© 2022 Energy One Solutions International

bottom of page