Above the Fold Archives | Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative https://smartenergycc.org/category/abovethefold/ Listen, Educate, Collaborate Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:29:01 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.1 https://smartenergycc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/cropped-SECC_LinkedIn_400x400_option2-32x32.png Above the Fold Archives | Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative https://smartenergycc.org/category/abovethefold/ 32 32 October 18: Report Surveys State of EV Smart Charge Management https://smartenergycc.org/october-18-report-surveys-state-of-ev-smart-charge-management/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=october-18-report-surveys-state-of-ev-smart-charge-management Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:26:58 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32574 The post October 18: Report Surveys State of EV Smart Charge Management appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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October 18

New Report Surveys State of EV Smart Charge Management

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Member News

New Report Surveys State of EV Smart Charge Management Across the U.S.

Two national laboratories, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, recently surveyed the national state of smart charge management for electric vehicles across the United States. Smart charge management is “intelligently managing the flow of electricity that charges electric vehicles,” NREL notes.

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Consumers Energy to Expand Electric Vehicle Charging Network to Workplaces

On Monday, Jackson, Michigan-based Consumers Energy announced it was launching an initiative to install electric vehicle (EV) chargers at workplaces across Michigan. Consumers Energy said the initiative is part of its efforts to expand EV charging throughout the state and that it expects more than 500 workplaces will have EV charging by 2030.

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Virtual Peaker

How Demand Flexibility Initiatives Help During Extreme Weather Events

Last weekend, Hurricane Helene left a path of destruction from Florida up the east coast, leaving cities in Georgia and the Carolinas underwater. Nearly a week later, and still around 1M customers are still without power, with power lines down, poles destroyed, and substations literally submerged. Climate change has driven this volatility in extreme weather events, impacting more Americans than ever.

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ComEd Launches Heat Pump Technology Resource for Customers

ComEd announced it was launching an all-in-one resource to help customers who are considering switching from a traditional furnace to electric heat pumps. The new Go Electric site will provide customers with information about the benefits of heat pump technology at home, including pricing and incentives, and how to locate trained contractors.

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Industry News

Chart: The Policy Push to Electrify Lawn Equipment, Visualized

In the lawn-care aisle at Home Depot, alongside traditional gas mowers and leaf blowers, you’ll also find battery-powered versions – for roughly the same price, or even less. An increasing number of states and municipalities are encouraging their residents to go for these emission-free, electric options and leave the gas tools behind, as a new map from PIRG shows.

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GM Energy Launches PowerBank Home Energy Storage Unit for Electric Vehicles

General Motors Co. subsidiary GM Energy has expanded its residential charging product offerings with the launch of the GM Energy PowerBank stationary energy storage unit, which allows its EV customers to store and transfer energy from the grid. The PowerBank is available with a 10.6 kWh or 17.7 kWh storage capacity and can provide power to a home during an outage or help to offset higher electricity rates during peak times.

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California Now Has 500 MW of Demand-Side Resources. Here’s How They’re Using Them

The California Energy Commission’s Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) program has successfully enrolled 515 MW of capacity, with over 265,000 participants contributing to the state’s efforts. Launched in August 2022, the DSGS program is part of California’s Strategic Reliability Reserve of backup energy resources that are meant to serve as insurance when the power grid is strained during extreme events.

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Rising Demand, Retiring Resources Squeeze Reserves, Increase Extreme Weather Risks, Says PJM

Adequate resources exist to serve the forecasted demand for electricity this winter under normal conditions, though reserve margins continue, according to PJM Interconnection in its recent winter outlook. As the grid operator for 13 states and the District of Columbia, PJM said it expects to have roughly 179,800 MW of resources to meet the forecasted peak demand of about 141,200 MW.

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]]> October 11: ComEd Electrifies 450 Low-Income Homes https://smartenergycc.org/october-11-comed-electrifies-450-low-income-homes/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=october-11-comed-electrifies-450-low-income-homes Fri, 11 Oct 2024 13:07:41 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32560 The post October 11: ComEd Electrifies 450 Low-Income Homes appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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October 11

ComEd’s Whole Home Electric Program Electrifies 450 Low-Income Homes

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ComEd’s Whole Home Electric Program Electrifies 450 Low-Income Homes

ComEd announced that its Whole Home Electric program has electrified 450 low-income homes and apartment units in the Chicago area. The announcement was made at the Nuestro Hogar affordable housing units in Humboldt Park, one of the first multi-family projects electrified through the program. Through this initiative, homes are retrofitted with all-electric appliances and heating and cooling systems.

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TVA Report Details Progress in Reducing Carbon Emissions, Adding Renewables

The Tennessee Valley Authority recently released a report that, among other things, details its work so far to reduce carbon emissions and its efforts to expand its renewable energy portfolio. The report notes that TVA is pursuing a clean energy strategy that maintains affordability, adds capacity to the grid and supports energy security. As of April 2024, TVA has retired or announced retirement of 86 percent of our coal fleet, a total of 12,297 MW.

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Will AI Help with Electrification and Load Growth? Most Utilities Think So

Nearly 90 percent of utilities view AI and machine learning (ML) as crucial for overcoming operational hurdles during the energy transition, according to a new report, with safety, cybersecurity and predictive maintenance as the top use cases. Itron’s 2024 Resourcefulness Insight Report explores the current trends and future expectations of AI and ML on utility operations and strategies.

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MidSouth Electric Cooperative Adopts Virtual Peaker Grid-Edge Technology

Virtual Peaker this week announced a new partnership with MidSouth Electric Cooperative to enhance demand response management across two major wholesale markets – Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO). MidSouth successfully transitioned its smart thermostat program to Virtual Peaker’s Distributed Energy Resource (DER) Management platform.

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Industry News

Chart: More and More Rooftop Solar Buyers Are Adding Home Batteries

Batteries are all the rage – especially among homeowners who are going solar. The percentage of people who install a battery alongside their new rooftop solar system is surging in the U.S., according to a new report from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. That figure – known as the residential attachment rate – jumped from just under 10 percent in 2022 to 12.3 percent last year.

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We Have More Data on the Energy Benefits of Heat Pumps – And They’re Big

The push to electrify everything has been very good for heat pump sales. Americans are now buying more heat pumps than gas furnaces – outpacing the number of units sold in Europe. Heat pumps are wildly more efficient than furnaces, and the technology continues to improve. But what does real-world experience tell us about how they impact energy consumption and household emissions?

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U.S. Energy Storage Deployments Jump 86 Percent Year-Over-Year to 10.5 GWh in Q2

The U.S. saw more than 3 GW/10.5 GWh of energy storage deployments in the second quarter of 2024, up 74 percent and 86 percent, respectively, from Q2 2023 and the most for any second quarter to date, Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association said last week. Utility-scale storage accounted for 2,773 MW/9,982 MWh of the total, with 85 percent of new capacity installed in California, Arizona and Texas.

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New Hampshire’s Low-Income Community Solar Program Finally Moves Forward

More than seven years after New Hampshire regulators first approved the idea of using community solar to create savings for low-income households, electric bill discounts are finally on the horizon for the first batch of participants. Community solar is widely considered an important strategy for extending the benefits of renewable energy to people unable to take advantage of rooftop solar.

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]]> October 4: Five Ways Utilities Can Tackle Extreme Heat https://smartenergycc.org/october-4-five-ways-utilities-can-tackle-extreme-heat/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=october-4-five-ways-utilities-can-tackle-extreme-heat Fri, 04 Oct 2024 13:00:01 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32550 The post October 4: Five Ways Utilities Can Tackle Extreme Heat appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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October 4

Five Ways Utilities and Other Climate Planners Can Tackle Extreme Heat

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Member News

Five Ways Utilities and Other Climate Planners Can Tackle Extreme Heat

Extreme heat scorched its way across the U.S. this past summer. Heat domes have brought dangerous record temperatures to all regions of the country, most recently in California. Extreme heat is one of the deadliest and most widespread climate change risks, and new analysis from the ICF Climate Center highlights that it is most hazardous for disadvantaged communities.

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SRP Customers Surpass Electric Vehicle Adoption Milestone of 50,000

Arizona public power utility Salt River Project recently announced that more than 53,500 electric vehicles were purchased or leased in its service territory as of April 30, 2024, the end of its 2024 fiscal year. “Helping customers reach this new EV adoption milestone is a clear sign that interest in sustainable transportation is growing,” said Jason Smith, SRP’s Manager of Electric Vehicle Strategy.

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Con Edison Highlights Customer Success in Reducing Carbon Emissions

Con Edison highlighted its customers’ achievements in reducing their carbon footprint in its second quarter Clean Energy Update. Overall, Con Edison has provided customers with incentives for more than 8,400 electric vehicle chargers and more than 70,000 customer solar projects. Those solar arrays have the capacity to produce 622.6 megawatts of clean, renewable solar power.

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Virtual Power Plants and Time-Varying Rates: The Next Big Power Move for a Smarter Grid

The energy system is changing fundamentally, and new grid management strategies are needed to manage this transition. Decarbonization goals in 24 states and the District of Columbia are accelerating the shift to renewable generation and the electrification of end-uses in transportation, industry and the built environment. At the same time, utilities are forecasting rapid demand growth for data centers, which could triple peak load in some areas.

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Industry News

Getting a Heat Pump Took Some Effort. Here’s What I Learned.

The home inspection report painted a pretty bleak picture. We were about to close on a charming 1940 colonial, but it turned out that most of the appliances that came with it needed replacement. The water heater was not long for this world, the AC was busted, and the sump pump was shot. One bright spot was the cast-iron gas-fired boiler.

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California Bill Will Transition Some Neighborhoods from Gas to Electric

In addition to a bill requiring utilities to evaluate grid enhancing technologies (GETs) in transmission planning, California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed a bill into law mandating pilot projects to transition certain neighborhoods from gas to electric. Senate Bill (SB) 1221 would require each gas corporation to submit to the PUC a map of all potential gas distribution line replacement projects.

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PG&E Highlights Electric Vehicle Affordability for National Drive Electric Week

As part of its recognition of National Drive Electric Week, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is highlighting how EV ownership is more affordable. The utility company reiterated its rebate program that makes EV ownership more affordable. The Pre-Owned EV Rebate Program provided income-qualified customers with up to $4,000 in rebates when they buy or lease a used EV.

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In Areas Hardest Hit by Helene, Rural Cooperatives Could Need Weeks to Restore Power

Recovery efforts continue after Hurricane Helene knocked out power to about six million customers and devastated communities in the U.S. Southeast. In some areas served by rural cooperatives, utility leaders warn it could be weeks before service is restored. “The consumers of electric cooperatives are in areas that are more remote, more rugged, more difficult to restore,” National Rural Electric Cooperative Association CEO Jim Matheson said.

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]]> September 27: Consumers Energy to Build Community Solar Array https://smartenergycc.org/september-27-consumers-energy-to-build-community-solar-array/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=september-27-consumers-energy-to-build-community-solar-array Fri, 27 Sep 2024 13:00:28 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32536 The post September 27: Consumers Energy to Build Community Solar Array appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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September 27

Consumers Energy to Build Community Solar Array

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Member News

Consumers Energy to Build New Community Solar Facility in Jackson County

Consumers Energy will start construction next spring on a new 30-acre community solar array in Jackson County, Michigan. The Blackman Solar project will provide local clean energy to customers through its Solar Gardens program. The facility should start generating electricity by the end of 2025. Blackman Solar will include nearly 5,000 solar panels and will generate up to 2.5 MW of renewable electricity for 2,500 future Solar Gardens customers.

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How PSE Hopes to Improve Situational Awareness Through Small Sensors

As another wildfire season passes, many utilities, mostly in the West, are thinking about their mitigation strategy for next year and beyond. In Washington, Puget Sound Energy (PSE) is undertaking a pilot program to evaluate the performance of the Gridscope, a solar-powered sensor from Gridware mounted on utility poles for wildfire mitigation, fault detection and reliability improvements.

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Origis Energy, TVA Expand Mississippi Renewable Energy Portfolio

Origis Energy and the Tennessee Valley Authority announced a power purchase agreement to expand their solar and storage portfolio in Mississippi. Origis would develop, construct and operate Hope Solar + Storage, a 200 MWac Solar + 200 MW (800 MWh) storage facility, in Clay County, Mississippi, and sell the power to TVA to help fuel some of the fastest growth in the nation – both in terms of population and economic development.

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Virtual Peaker, FranklinWH Announce Strategic Integration to Enhance Grid Flexibility

Virtual Peaker, a leading cloud-based grid-edge technology company dedicated to advancing the future of energy and supporting global decarbonization goals, announced a strategic partnership with FranklinWH, a pioneer in home energy management and battery solutions. This collaboration allows utilities to support household consumption intelligently and decrease peak load on the grid.

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Industry News

Why Hyundai’s EV Plans Are Going Just Fine Despite Market Turbulence

The U.S. electric car market is clearly growing. Sales are rising, market penetration is increasing, and we’re getting closer to the dream of emissions-free motoring. But the road is not without its potholes and speed bumps: Several major automakers, such as Ford and Volvo, have in recent months pulled back on their EV goals, citing a trickier-than-expected U.S. market. The brands within Hyundai Motor Group tell a different story, however.

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Seattle Boosts Electric Heat Pump Incentives with Goal to Eliminate Oil-Heated Homes

The city of Seattle announced last week that it’s offering a new $4,000 rebate for moderate-income households to replace their oil heating systems with electric heat pumps. The rebate means income-qualified residents can access a total of up to $8,000 in support for transitioning to heat pumps, by stacking the new rebate with the city’s existing, non-income-restricted $2,000 instant rebate and a $2,000 federal tax credit.

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Chart: Which States Have The Most Electric School Buses?

It’s back-to-school season in the U.S., and more students than ever are headed to class on electric, emissions-free, battery-powered buses. Here are the states where EV school buses are truly on a roll, per a new PIRG analysis of World Resources Institute (WRI) data. Electric school buses are a crucial tool for cleaning up transportation, the single largest source of carbon pollution in the country.

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Dominion Energy Virginia Unveils Residential EV Charging Program

Dominion Energy Virginia plans to launch the Residential Charger Program, a new turnkey solution for customers interested in a Level 2 home charging system for their electric vehicle (EV). According to the U.S. Department of Energy, there are currently almost 80,000 EVs on the road in Virginia. Dominion Energy said that because that number is growing rapidly, the company has many resources in place to support EV drivers.

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]]> September 20: Bidgely Unveils New GenAI Integration https://smartenergycc.org/september-20-bidgely-unveils-new-genai-integration/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=september-20-bidgely-unveils-new-genai-integration Fri, 20 Sep 2024 13:00:57 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32521 The post September 20: Bidgely Unveils New GenAI Integration appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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September 20

Bidgely Unveils New GenAI Integration for UtilityAI Platform

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Member News

Bidgely Unveils New GenAI Integration for Award-Winning UtilityAI Platform

Bidgely has introduced a new generative AI (GenAI) integration into its award-winning UtilityAI Platform, offering utilities and their customers even more intelligent and intuitive experiences for energy management. A series of secure and scalable product rollouts will enable autonomous query responses for faster results that will redefine data insights and utility program implementation.

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U.S. Power Demand Could Increase by an Average of Nine Percent by 2028: ICF

After decades of relatively flat electricity demand across the U.S., demand could increase by an average of nine percent by 2028 while peak demand for electricity could increase by an average of five percent over the same period, a new report from consulting firm ICF said. The report measures and maps electricity demand growth across the U.S. over the next four years and the potential costs to utilities.

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ACEEE Report Reveals Energy Burden Is Higher on Low-Income Households

The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) issued a new report that says a quarter of low-income households spend more than 15 percent of their income on energy bills. This revealed that low-income residents experience higher energy burdens – the share of income spent on energy –than other households. It also found that in 23 of the 25 largest metropolitan areas, one-in-four low-income households have energy bills that exceeded 10 percent of income.

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Ford Is First U.S. Automaker to Participate in SCE’s Emergency DR Program

Owners of some electric vehicles made by Ford can now participate in Southern California Edison’s Emergency Load Reduction Program, earning money for reducing charging during times of peak grid demand, the companies announced Tuesday. Ford is the first major U.S. automaker to facilitate customer participation in SCE’s ELRP, the company said.

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Industry News

Are Solar Water Heaters Worth It? Here’s What to Consider.

Every so often in sunny Colorado, I pass by a house with rooftop solar panels that look a little bit different. With their muted luster and thicker frames, these big, dark panels stand out for a reason: They’re not your typical electricity-making solar panels but are instead used to heat up a home’s water. First developed in 1891, well before their power-producing photovoltaic (PV) counterparts, solar water heaters are “the other white meat” of solar tech.

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GM, EVgo Plan 400 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Metro Areas

General Motors Co. and electric vehicle charging provider EVgo will collaborate to deploy 400 DC-fast charging stations at locations in major metropolitan areas in the U.S., the automaker announced in a press release. The deployment includes flagship charging sites co-branded by EVgo and the automaker’s subsidiary GM Energy.

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This Colorado Utility Is Building a Virtual Power Plant from Scratch

A small utility in the Colorado Front Range has big plans for a virtual power plant. The Platte River Power Authority is a non-profit, wholesale generation and transmission utility that serves 380,000 thousand customers across the Colorado cities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland. Its 2024 integrated resource plan includes a new, and ambitious, generation target: 32 megawatts of dispatchable capacity via a VPP by 2030.

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Chart: Texas Plans to Build the Most Clean Energy of Any State

Texas has become an all-around clean energy juggernaut, thanks to its lax permitting regime, fast grid-interconnection process, competitive energy market, and ample amount of solar- and wind-friendly land. Its plans for the next year and a half underscore that status. As of July, the state intended to build 35 gigawatts of clean energy over 18 months, more than the next nine states combined.

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]]> September 13: JCP&L Relaunches Popular EV Driven Program https://smartenergycc.org/september-13-jcpl-relaunches-popular-ev-driven-program/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=september-13-jcpl-relaunches-popular-ev-driven-program Fri, 13 Sep 2024 13:19:30 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32512 The post September 13: JCP&L Relaunches Popular EV Driven Program appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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September 13

Jersey Central Power & Light Relaunches Popular EV Driven Program

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Member News

Jersey Central Power & Light Relaunches Popular EV Driven Program

Jersey Central Power & Light (JCP&L), a subsidiary of FirstEnergy, is relaunching its EV Driven residential electric vehicle charging incentives program. The relaunch comes after the popular program was maxed out with customer participation in 2023. JCP&L’s EV Driven program was established to provide incentives for electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the company’s service area.

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Virtual Peaker

Betting on Customers Will Pay Off for Demand Flexibility

The 20th-century formula for a reliable and functional grid depended upon the stability and predictability derived from designing generation and one-way power flow operations to meet peak customer demand requirements with limited customer interaction outside of responding to outages and billing questions.

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EWEB Details Customer Achievements Tied to Environmental Stewardship

Eugene Water & Electric Board customers who voluntarily chose to invest extra money in community-wide sustainability efforts cut carbon emissions by 730 metric tons in 2023, the Oregon public power utility said recently. Customers achieved those emissions reductions by voluntarily subscribing to EWEB’s Cleanpower, Greenpower and Carbon Offset programs.

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EV Drivers Are Satisfied with Their Electric Vehicles, New Survey Says

Almost 90 percent of EV drivers are apt to purchase an EV for their next vehicle, and most consumers’ concerns about EVs decrease across the board once they lease or own an EV, according to a newly released consumer survey. Plug In America, the EV nonprofit, in collaboration with EPRI’s EVs2Scale2030 initiative, recently released findings from the 2024 EV Driver Annual Survey Report about EV drivers’ satisfaction with their vehicles.

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Industry News

NYC Looks to Kick its Curbside EV Charging Plans into Second Gear

Perhaps the only thing harder than finding a spot to park a car in New York City is finding a spot to charge a car. EV owners in the city could soon get some relief on that second problem, thanks to a $15 million federal grant to build 600 curbside EV chargers – the largest network of its kind in the United States and a step toward the city’s goal of building 10,000 curbside chargers by 2030.

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U.S. Energy Storage Installations Rise 62 Percent in Q2 to 2.9 GW: ACP

The U.S. energy storage sector marked its second strongest quarter on record in Q2 2024 with 2.9 GW of newly installed capacity, a 62-percent jump from Q2 2023, the American Clean Power Association said last Thursday in its latest clean power quarterly market report. Developers installed 11 GW of new utility-scale solar, storage and wind capacity in the second quarter, up 91 percent year over year.

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Biden’s Rural Electrification Program May Also Help Coops Invest in DERMS

As November’s election closes in, the Biden administration is working to push Inflation Reduction Act dollars out the door. The latest installment totals $7.3 billion in grants for clean energy projects for rural electric cooperatives, in what the administration is characterizing as the biggest investment in rural electrification since Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal.

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Here’s a Blueprint for Building Virtual Power Plants in Every State

Rooftop solar, backup batteries, electric vehicles and smart thermostats and appliances are all crucial to the energy transition in their own right. But if utilities are able to combine these distributed energy technologies together to form so-called virtual power plants, the result could be greater than the sum of its parts – and make the energy transition tens of billions of dollars cheaper.

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]]> September 6: Georgia Power Chooses Four Sites for Battery Storage https://smartenergycc.org/september-6-georgia-power-chooses-four-sites-for-battery-storage/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=september-6-georgia-power-chooses-four-sites-for-battery-storage Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:15:25 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32507 The post September 6: Georgia Power Chooses Four Sites for Battery Storage appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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September 6

Georgia Power Chooses Four Sites for Battery Storage

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Member News

Georgia Power Chooses Four Sites for Battery Energy Storage Systems

Four locations for 500 megawatts (MW) of new battery energy storage systems (BESS) are planned and under development by Georgia Power Co., the largest electric subsidiary of the Southern Company. The Georgia Public Service Commission (PSC) earlier this year authorized Georgia Power’s BESS as part of the company’s 2023 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Update.

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Ford, TXU Energy Aim to Make At-Home EV Charging More Affordable

Ford Motor Co. and Texas-based electricity company TXU Energy are joining forces to offset at-home charging costs for electric Ford SUV and truck owners. As part of the TXU Free EV Miles program, eligible Ford owners will receive a 100-percent credit on their electric bill for energy used to charge their EVs between the hours of 7 p.m. and 1 p.m. the following day, which could cover the entire cost of all at-home charging.

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Program Expansion Will Help Greater Number of CPS Energy Customers with Bills

The Board of the Residential Energy Assistance Partnership voted unanimously to approve the expansion of the assistance program to offer more support to a greater number of CPS Energy customers to cover their bills, the San Antonio public power utility said recently. The Residential Energy Assistance Partnership is a nonprofit established in 2002 through a partnership between CPS Energy, the City of San Antonio and Bexar County.

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Avangrid Utilities Report Improved Customer Service Metrics

Avangrid has improved customer service metrics across its operating companies in Maine, New York and Connecticut, according to recently filed reports with state regulators. In Maine, its power company Central Maine Power (CMP) recently filed its first-ever Service Quality Index Report Card with the Maine Public Utilities Commission (PUC). The report card consists of three components: customer service performance, electric service reliability, and environment and community.

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Industry News

Electric Vehicle Sales Are Growing. So Why Are Automakers Getting Cold Feet?

There’s a bit of a disturbing trend in the automotive world right now. Several traditional automakers are suddenly easing off the electrification accelerator in response to a perceived slowdown in EV interest and sales. Whether that slowdown is real or just growing pains, the result is the same: Automakers are reacting. Major manufacturers are backsliding on their once-aggressive timelines for full electrification.

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Colorado City Gets a Little Smarter with Off-Grid Electric Vehicle Chargers

Beam Global, a provider of infrastructure solutions for the electrification of transportation and energy security, announced the City of Pueblo, Colorado has deployed Beam Global EV ARC off-grid, solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging systems for use both by the general public and city fleets. The systems were provided through a rebate from a U.S. Department of Energy program.

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Burlington Electric Department Awarded Grant to Deploy Public EV Chargers

Vermont public power utility Burlington Electric Department was awarded a $4,890,821 Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program grant by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration to deploy electric vehicle chargers throughout the City of Burlington. In implementing its Charging to Net Zero Energy project, BED plans to use the grant funds to install 153 Level 2 and 47 Level 3 fast chargers at approximately 85 publicly accessible sites.

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Less LIHEAP Funding, Higher Utility Debt Means More Power Shut Offs: NEADA

The combination of high energy costs, high temperatures and reduced federal support for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) is setting millions of families back financially, according to the latest quarterly analysis by the National Energy Assistance Directors Association (NEADA). “Paying for energy is not like paying for other basic needs, where you can choose to buy cheaper groceries or cheaper clothing,” said NEADA Executive Director Mark Wolfe.

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The post September 6: Georgia Power Chooses Four Sites for Battery Storage appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

]]> August 30: Avangrid Utilities Install Over 700,000 Smart Meters https://smartenergycc.org/august-30-avangrid-utilities-install-over-700000-smart-meters/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=august-30-avangrid-utilities-install-over-700000-smart-meters Fri, 30 Aug 2024 13:05:07 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32478 The post August 30: Avangrid Utilities Install Over 700,000 Smart Meters appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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August 30

Avangrid Utilities Install Over 700,000 Smart Meters

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Member News

NYSEG, Rochester Gas & Electric Install More Than 700,000 Smart Meters

New York State Electric & Gas (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric (RG&E) installed more than 700,000 smart meters for electric and natural gas customers in their territories. The upgrades are currently focused on seven NYSEG and RG&E divisions including Ithaca, Rochester, Brewster, Sodus, Binghamton, Canandaigua, Lancaster and Hornell.

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Virtual Peaker and Mysa Partner to Expand Energy Efficiency and Grid Modernization

Virtual Peaker, a cloud-based, grid-edge distributed energy technology company that empowers utilities to build the grid of the future and meet global decarbonization goals, is proud to announce a collaborative partnership and technology integration with Mysa, a market leader in smart control for electric heating systems. More and more utilities are preparing to manage electricity demand peaks in winter in addition to summer.

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DNV Survey Shows Half of Energy Organizations Preparing to Integrate AI

Nearly half of senior energy professionals plan to integrate AI-driven applications into their operations in the coming year, according to a new report from DNV. The survey highlights digitalization’s crucial role in transforming the energy sector, impacting generation, transmission, distribution and consumption. AI-driven technologies like smart grids, predictive maintenance and real-time data analytics are already taking hold in the energy sector and promise to revolutionize it further in the coming years.

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ElectriCities Presents Communities with Public Power Awards of Excellence

ElectriCities of North Carolina presented 17 communities with Public Power Awards of Excellence at its 2024 Annual Conference. “Public Power Awards of Excellence reflect public power’s strategic priorities. The awards recognize public power providers for developing a future-focused mindset, strengthening public power, providing superior power, providing customer-centered innovation and prioritizing their people as their greatest asset,” the joint action agency said.

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Industry News

Solar and Batteries Are Helping Texas Weather Heat Waves. Here’s How.

The Texas power grid has broken new records throughout this summer – for how much electricity it has had to deliver as residents cranked up their air conditioners and for how much it has used solar power and batteries to keep grid emergencies at bay. Take last week, when temperatures soared into the triple digits across most of the state, causing demand to surge on the grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT.

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How Did a Utility Prevent 1.8 Million Outage Minutes This Year? Credit the Smart Grid

DTE Energy says it has hit a “significant” milestone in customer reliability this year, as it has prevented 5,000 customer power interruptions and 1.8 million customer outage minutes so far this year. But how did it do it? Smart grid technology, mostly. DTE said it is committed to fully automating the grid by 2029, arguing that customers will receive improved safety, fewer outages and quicker restoration.

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Federal Grants Totaling $521 Million Awarded to Keep Growing EV Charging Infrastructure

The federal government on Tuesday announced $521 million in grant awards that will help the nation continue building out EV charging and alternative-fueling infrastructure across 29 states, eight federally recognized tribes and the District of Columbia. The grants are being made possible through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $2.5-billion Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program and a 10 percent set-aside from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program.

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Startup Pitches New Model to Unlock Solar for Multi-Family Buildings

Illinois has $30 million in incentives available for solar installations on multi-family buildings. So far, though, the state program has not received any applications for such projects, according to Jan Gudell, Illinois Solar for All Associate Director at Elevate. In urban areas like Chicago, residents of environmental justice and lower-income neighborhoods are highly likely to live in multi-family residential buildings where it is extremely difficult to install rooftop solar.

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]]> August 23: More Efficient EVs Can Reduce Grid Stress https://smartenergycc.org/august-23-more-efficient-evs-can-reduce-grid-stress-aceee/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=august-23-more-efficient-evs-can-reduce-grid-stress-aceee Fri, 23 Aug 2024 13:00:23 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32456 The post August 23: More Efficient EVs Can Reduce Grid Stress appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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August 23

More Efficient Electric Vehicles Can Reduce Grid Stress: ACEEE

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Member News

More Efficient EVs Can Reduce Grid Stress, Cut Charging Costs by Almost a Third: ACEEE

Improving the efficiency of average EVs could reduce stress on the electric grid, cut charging costs by about a third and slash vehicle prices by almost $5,000, according to research published Tuesday by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Tesla’s Model Y is the best-selling EV in the U.S. and can go about 3.5 miles/kWh, while many vehicles get closer to 2.5 miles/kWh, according to ACEEE.

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Ameren Missouri Invests $1 Million in Weatherization Assistance Program

On Monday, Ameren Missouri announced it would invest an additional $1 million in its weatherization assistance program. Ameren’s program provides energy-saving home improvements at no cost for qualifying homeowners and renters. The year has already provided over $2 million to support weatherization improvements like caulking, weather stripping, water heater jackets, insulation and more. The $1 million is in addition to the money already invested.

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Will AI Help Reduce Electricity Usage? Most Americans Seem to Think So

Sixty-one percent of Americans believe that AI systems will prove valuable for their household electricity usage, according to the latest survey from the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC), a nonprofit organization that studies Americans’ energy-related behaviors, interests and values. Among Americans who have experience with AI systems, such as ChatGPT and Midjourney, this figure rises to 76 percent.

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Pioneer Community Energy Launches PowerShift Rewards Program with Uplight

Pioneer Community Energy (Pioneer), a locally owned not-for-profit electricity provider headquartered in Rocklin, California, announced today the launch of its PowerShift Rewards program. This program encourages residential customers to manually reduce electricity consumption during periods of high demand – when energy is most expensive – by offering incentives in the form of gift cards.

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Industry News

Chart: U.S. Clean Energy Investment Is Soaring Thanks to Climate Law

Exactly two years ago this week, President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act, establishing a wide array of clean energy programs meant to supercharge spending on climate solutions. Investment in clean energy projects – from solar manufacturing facilities to home batteries to hydrogen hubs – has taken off ever since, rising to record heights in the first half of this year.

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Institute for Electric Innovation: 120 Million Smart Meters in U.S. in 2022

In 2022, 77 percent of households and businesses in the U.S. had smart meters, the Edison Foundation’s Institute for Electric Innovation has reported. The Institute further projects that the number of installed smart meters will reach around 134 million in 2024 and 142 million in 2026. In its latest annual smart meter brief, the Institute points to smart meters continuing to be an important technology for the electric power industry.

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California Hits Milestones Toward 100-Percent Clean Energy – But Has a Long Way to Go

California has given America a glimpse at what running one of the world’s largest economies on renewable energy might look like. The state recently hit a milestone: 100 days this year with 100-percent carbon-free, renewable electricity for at least a part of each day, as tracked by Stanford University engineering Professor Mark Z. Jacobson.

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EIA Expects 62.8 GW to Come Online in 2024, Led by Solar, Energy Storage

The Energy Information Administration expects power plant developers and owners will add 62.8 GW this year in the United States, up 55 percent from 2023 when 40.4 GW came online, the agency said Monday. Developers and power plant owners brought 20.2 GW online in the first six months this year, adding 3.6 GW, or 21 percent, more than in the same period last year, the EIA said.

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]]> August 16: Can Free At-Home EV Charging Boost Grid Stability? https://smartenergycc.org/august-16-can-free-at-home-ev-charging-boost-grid-stability/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=august-16-can-free-at-home-ev-charging-boost-grid-stability Fri, 16 Aug 2024 14:37:39 +0000 https://smartenergycc.org/?p=32427 The post August 16: Can Free At-Home EV Charging Boost Grid Stability? appeared first on Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.

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August 16

Can Free At-Home EV Charging Boost Grid Stability?

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Member News

Can Free At-Home EV Charging Boost Grid Stability? A New Partnership May Find Out

Ford Motor Company and TXU Energy, a Texas electricity provider and subsidiary of Vistra, have teamed up to create a new retail energy offering for Ford electric SUV and truck customers in Texas – offering customers credit back on their bills for charging during off-peak hours. The TXU Energy Free EV Miles program offers participating Ford EV customers the opportunity to charge their vehicle entirely at home at “essentially no cost” during off-peak hours.

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Energy Storage Helps TVA Enhance Renewable Energy Resources

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) aspires to have a carbon-free energy system by 2050, which includes the deployment and installation of 10 GW of solar by 2035. To support the expansion of our renewable energy fleet, TVA will need to add increasingly more energy storage systems to our resource mix. Energy storage technologies increase grid flexibility and help enhance the benefits of renewable energy resources.

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CLEAResult

Deciding Where to Focus Utility Electrification Efforts

Electrification is a key component in our decarbonization efforts and has tremendous potential across many applications. But what applications should utilities with limited time and resources focus on for the best outcomes? The factors that determine success, and the questions utilities should ask themselves, can be categorized as follows.

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Avangrid Eclipses 9 GW of Installed Capacity at Onshore Wind, Solar Sites

Avangrid reached a milestone this summer, as the company has now installed 9 gigawatts (GW) of capacity at its onshore wind and solar sites. Avangrid has 75 onshore wind and solar projects spread across 22 states in its portfolio. The sites produce energy for 2.3 million U.S. homes. Construction progress at multiple Avangrid projects this summer helped the company reach this 9 GW milestone.

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Industry News

Massachusetts Dishes Out $53 Million to Decarbonize Affordable Housing

Massachusetts has awarded $53 million – and announced plans for additional funding – to allow affordable housing operators to execute energy efficiency retrofits that are expected to reduce carbon emissions, cut energy bills, and create healthier, more comfortable homes for residents. The state in late July announced the second round of awards in the Affordable Housing Decarbonization Grant Program.

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EIA: U.S. Wind Generation Sets Record in April, Tops Coal Generation

Wind electricity generation set a new record in April and exceeded coal-fired generation in both March and April, according to data from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). EIA’s 2024 Monthly Energy Review revealed that U.S. wind generation exceeded coal-fired generation in March for the first time since April 2023. But this is the first time that U.S. wind generation has exceeded coal-fired generation for two months in a row.

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These Four States Could Make or Break Community Solar Growth

Is community solar going to grow or contract over the next few years? That may largely depend on legislation in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, according to the latest report released by Wood Mackenzie in collaboration with the Coalition for Community Solar Access (CCSA).

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A Habitat for Humanity Project Will Offer Affordable Housing Without Fossil Fuels

Construction is underway in St. Paul, Minnesota on a major affordable housing development that will combine solar, geothermal and all-electric appliances to create one of the region’s largest net-zero communities. Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity broke ground in June on a four-block, 147-unit project on the site of a former golf course that’s being redeveloped by the city and its port authority, which made the decision to forgo gas hookups.

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