Energy & Water

Where: Indiana

What action prompted the Indiana’s Public Utility Commission to investigate? A “controversial request from state utility companies to recover costs & lost revenue in ways that could include rate increases for customers”

What other options are the Utility Commissioners now considering?

• disconnection moratorium
• waiving fees
• adjusting late fees
• creating payment arrangements
• consideration of the utilities’ request for recovering costs and lost revenue

IndyStar | Commission investigating the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on utilities, ratepayers

The study authors: Wood Mackenzie

How much will battery storage expand by 2030? increase to 26 gigawatts (GW) from 3 GW in 2020 across 5 major European power markets, Britain, Germany, France, Italy & Spain

How much will pumped storage plants expand by 2030?  increasing to 205 GW by 2030 from a current 122 GW

What’s crucial about 2030? Battery storage will be so cheap that pumped storage will no longer be necessary

New York Times | Use of Battery Power Storage Seen Accelerating to 2030 and Beyond: WoodMac

The company: SparkCharge

The charge rate: 1 mile of range per 1 minute of charging. Up to 75 total miles.

How much total energy storage in the portable charger? Up to 5 battery components that each store a total of 3.5 kWh of charge (3.2 kWh usable)

Car Buzz | Portable EV Charger Is The Future Of Roadside Assistance

Who discovered the possibility of storing solar energy in molecules? Sweden’s Chalmers University of Technology

How does this work? “The system starts with a liquid molecule made up of carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen. When hit by sunlight, the molecule draws in the sun’s energy and holds it until a catalyst triggers its release as heat. “

What could this storage apply to?

• thermal energy for homes
• thermal energy for electric vehicles
• expansions into storing energy into electricity

Bloomberg Business | An Energy Breakthrough Could Store Solar Power for Decades

Mexico’s Comision Federal de Electricidad is calling for renewables to contribute to infrastructure costs saying that currently the traditional generators subsidize renewables.

How is this impacting renewables in Mexico? Mexico’s power grid regulator is preventing several dozen new renewable energy plants from connecting to the network

New York Times | Exclusive: Renewable Firms in Mexico Must Contribute to Grid Backup-CFE Chief

The MIT Study published in the journal Applied Energy found that used EV batteries had the following advantages for the grid:

• backup storage for grid-scale solar photovoltaic installations
• additional 10+ years of battery life
• At 60% of their original price, the back up storage for solar provides a reasonable net return on investment

MIT News | Solar energy farms could offer second life for electric vehicle batteries

pv magazine International | Used EV batteries for large scale solar energy storage

Who is involved in this public-private partnership?

• University of Washington
• Enphase Energy Inc

Where will testing occur? At 3 Enphase buildings in Austin, TX

What is the partnership testing?

• Enphase is bringing its  grid-forming inverters
• University of Washington is contributing its control systems for unrestricted penetration of photovoltaic (PV) solar on the grid

What’s the unresolved question to get to a 100% renewable grid? The “architectural and algorithmic foundations required to reliably integrate unlimited distributed, renewable energy resources, like solar photovoltaic (PV), on our electric grids.”

Global Newswire | Enphase Energy Collaborates with University of Washington for 100% Renewables Grid

What are the 2 existing carbon capture generation facilities? —Petra Nova in Texas & Boundary Dam in Saskatchewan, Canada

Who is the new kid, #3? Young station, Project Tundra  in North Dakota

The company behind Young station, Project Tundra ? Minnkota Power Cooperative in Grand Forks, North Dakota

Which of the 3 is the largest? The North Dakota project

The numbers:

• Capture and store up to 90% of the CO2
• $1 Billion in capital to raise
• 2022 building start

Popular Mechanics | Will the World’s Biggest Carbon Capture Facility Work?

Who: Layer1 Technologies, a bitcoin mining start up backed by Peter Theil

How do Bitcoin mining and battery storage fit together? Layer1 installed proprietary demand-response technology based on the energy market standards developed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)

What benefits are offered to the grid?

• meet peak market demand
• stabilize national and local energy grids
• the energy storage systems of mining operations dynamically manage their electricity usage 

What benefits are there for bitcoin miners?

• In exchange for putting energy back onto the grid in peak times, miners negotiate a lower rate during operations
•  The battery storage systems also have a “patent-pending immersed liquid-cooling infrastructure” that reduces the company’s all-in electricity costs by over 75%

Layer1 Launches Bitcoin Batteries to Stabilize Energy Grids by Releasing Electricity to Meet Market Demand

Who is requesting the Texas Attorney General to answer this quandary? Senator Birdwell

What question shall the Attorney General answer? Whether a contract between a home rule city and a Special Utility District can prohibit the city from petitioning for decertification from the district’s Certificate for Convenience and Necessity.

Why is this a question? Three provisions may say a city can’t be bound by this prohibition.

• Local Gov. Code Section 51.072
• Local Gov. Code Section 51.078
• Texas Constitution Article 11, Section 5

RQ-0354-KP

What specific outsourcing is at issue? Tennessee Valley Authority’s move to hire out of country IT support

What did the utility say in support of outsourcing IT?

• Strengthen IT. Strengthen the utility’s Cybersecurity and IT operations
• Everyone else does it. Most other electric utilities have already.
• Sensitive Information will stay in the US.

What piece of legislation is targeted to prohibit the outsourcing? Federal COVID relief bills.

Chattanooga Times Free Press via Governing | Congressman Attempts to Block Utility’s Outsourcing Efforts

The pension system:California State Teachers’ Retirement Systems

Why is California State Teachers’ Retirement Systems investing in energy storage? It’s part of its climate policies. The system adopted climate based policies 15 years ago

What has the pension system done to support energy storage?

• Supporting storage technology development and implementation through investments
• Corporate engagement in developing viable energy storage technology 

EDF + Business | CalSTRS says climate is major portfolio threat, companies must walk the walk on net-zero

Who is saying there is an annual $344 Million cost saving for Texans with distributive storage?  Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance 

How much distributive energy is necessary to save $300 million annually in Texas? 1,000 MW of distributed storage

The numbers behind the analysis:

• 20% reduction in peak demand with added storage or other DERs
• 20% of Texas transmission and distribution expenditures are due to load growth
• peak demand reductions ranging from 5% to 25% from adding DERs

Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance  | “The value of integrating distributed energy resources in Texas.” 

PV Magazine | Distributed storage could save Texas $344 million per year by deferring transmission and distribution costs

What coalition was behind the legislative success? Fix the Pipes Alliance

Who are members of Fix the Pipes Alliance? broad coalition of labor, business, environmental, city and legislative leaders

What funding mechanisms were adopted to replace aging and failing sewer and water systems?

• at least $300 million statewide funding for municipalities to upgrade sewer and water pipes
• inclusion of water & wastewater funding in the state  $2 billion state bonding bill 

Is there a COVID benefit? Puts 7,200  tradespeople to work

Duluth News Tribune | Coalition urges Minnesota Legislature to pass construction bill to fix sewer, water systems

What is the Cyberspace Solarium Commission? Created by Congress to “develop a consensus on a strategic approach to defending the United States in cyberspace against cyberattacks of significant consequences.” 

Where can I find the report? https://www.solarium.gov.

Did they make recommendations? Yes, 80

Why is private corporation and government cooperation important in energy? 87% of energy critical infrastructure is privately owned

What are the big picture takeaways?

• Governments should codify “systemically important critical infrastructure”
• Need for an established plan that maintains the continuity of the economy in consultation with the private sector “to ensure continuous operation of critical functions of the economy in the event of a significant cyber disruption.”

T&D World | Utility Commissioners Briefed on Pillars to Boost Critical Infrastructure Security

Where: Richmond, California

What’s the charging rate?

• FREE to the public
•  Stores power up to 225 miles of electric driving each day
• Up to 28 miles of range per hour

What else do I need to know?

• Allows first responders access to electricity in power shutoffs
• Operates off-grid
• Saves the city installation construction costs
• Generates no utility bills
• Relocates as needed

East Bay Times | Solar-powered EV station opens in Richmond for public use

Where: Mexico

Why did Mexico stop connecting solar and wind energy to its grid?

• protect energy security during the Covid-19 pandemic

What do opponents say?

• There is no technical motivation or legal basis
• Negatively impacts competition

PV Magazine | Mexican government halts grid connection of new solar and wind projects

What prohibitions are in the executive order?

• ban the use of equipment for the power grid manufactured by a company under the control of a foreign adversary
• ban the buying of equipment that poses a national security threat

The executive order also creates the Task Force on Federal Energy Infrastructure Procurement Policies Related to National Security.  Who sits on this task force?

• Chair: Energy Secretary or the Secretary’s designee
• Secretary of Defense
• Secretary of the Interior
• Secretary of Commerce
• Secretary of Homeland Security
• Director of National Intelligence
• Director of the Office of Management and Budget
• head of any other agency that the Chair may designate in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of the Interior

The Whitehouse | Executive Order on Securing the United States Bulk-Power System

The Hill | Trump issues executive order to protect power grid from attack

Where: East Texas

Who:

• Angelina & Neches River Authority 
• The Texas Rural Water Association
• Texas Wide Area Radio Network

What: Distributing 7,000 masks, with a limit of 5 masks per employee

Lufkin Daily News | ANRA offering masks for water and wastewater utility workers

What is Autobidder? Tesla’s software to control those energy assets

Where has Tesla applied to be a utility? The United Kingdom

How is Tesla talking about it?

• “Autobidder provides independent power producers, utilities, and capital partners the ability to autonomously monetize battery assets“

• “Autobidder is a real-time trading and control platform that provides value-based asset management and portfolio optimization, enabling owners and operators to configure operational strategies that maximize revenue according to their business objectives and risk preferences.”

What can Autobidder’s AI do?

• Price forecasting
• Load forecasting
• Generation forecasting
• Dispatch optimization
• Smart bidding

Electrek | Tesla has a new product: Autobidder, a step toward becoming an electric utility

BBC | Tesla applies to generate electricity in UK market

Who:  Ormat Technologies, Inc, a subsidiary of Viridity Energy Solutions Inc

What:  Rabbit Hill Battery Energy Storage System facility in Georgetown, Texas

How much power? 10 MW of fast responding capacity to the ERCOT market

Benefits of the battery storage according to supporters:

• grid reliability support for ERCOT
• provides all types of ancillary services required by ERCOT, including fast frequency response.

Is this Ormat’s 1st battery storage & grid support? No, they are also in, or getting into:

• New Jersey
• New England
• California

Ormat Announces Commercial Operation of Rabbit Hill Battery Storage

Who is tying COVID recovery & electricity provider choice? Texas Power Switch

What is Texas Power Switch? A coordinated electricity auction to offer cost savings operated by iChoosr, an electric power aggregation service

What are supporters saying in a post COVID world?

• More people working from home
• Higher Electric Bills, residential usage is 30% higher over last year
• Great time for saving costs through iChoosr

Killeen Daily Herald | Texas Power Switch hopes to save consumers money as economy recovers from coronavirus

Where: Chicago

What are the new building codes for EV charging in Chicago?

• new residential construction of five units must reserve reserve no less than 20% of parking spaces for EVs
• commercial properties with at least 30 on-site parking spaces (previously 50) must reserve no less than 20%of parking spaces for EVs.
• No requirements for retrofitting existing buildings

Smart Cities World | Chicago strengthens EV charging measures for new buildings

What are we talking about? the University of Texas endowment, the second biggest university endowment in the US with  $30 billion in assets

How would a cut in production help the UT endowment?

• CEO of University Lands says a 20% cut to production would be an effort to help save the endowment value
• Estimates show the Endowment in 2020 will sendto the Permanent Univeristy Fund $300 Million less than it did in 2019

When will the Texas Railroad Commission next act on a cut to production rates? May 5, 2020

Chief Investment Officer | University of Texas Endowment Oil Money In Jeopardy

Where: Mississippi

What happened? Prior to COVID restrictions, Pontotoc Mississippi Electric Power Association voted against offering broadband during an April special called meeting

How are the other 11 power associations proceeding in Mississippi? Moving forward with broadband

How did Pontotoc customers respond? By calling for broadband implementation & for greater input

Governing | Mississippi Residents Urging Broadband Reconsideration

What does “battery storage pipeline” mean? Co-locating battery storage with renewables

Is this unique to the US? No, here’s how a battery storage pipeline connected Ireland.

What regulatory challenges do these projects present?

• increasing rapidly
  • 3x more hybrid capacity in development than the 4.6 GW now online
  • 12x times more in the pipeline
• are these hybrids part of the wholesale market?
  • awaiting regulatory decisions
• how do they fit into the current regulatory system
  • applying traditional optimization rules may not be the best approach for hybrids
  • is “the “conventional wisdom” in the power sector that storage and generation should each be optimally and independently sited is still true?
  • Two different approaches apply to the hybrid & rules need to be adjusted to make it fit. (1) Battery storage is load when it is being charged and (2) generation when it is discharging.

4 Possible regulatory solutions:

• ” asset owners bid the renewables and the storage into the wholesale market as individual resources and allow the system operator to take and schedule them as needed”
• “give the system operator control of the hybrid’s resources to use separately unless system reliability necessitates use “as a single resource”
• “managed the hybrid as a single aggregate resource by the system operator in the same way that they have been managing standalone storage”
• “allow the asset owner to bid the hybrid project as a single aggregate resource into the market”

Utility Dive | 84 GW US renewables+storage pipeline has developers anxious for market integration rules

Where: Tuscon AZ

Which Utility? Tucson Electric

What is the rebate program for businesses with EV chargers?

• incentives of up to 85% of the cost of installing electric vehicle charging stations
• rebates of $4,500 per level 2 Chargers
• rebates of $24,000 per DC fast-charger port
• Total rebates capped at 75% of total cost
• If the business is a non-profit, apartment complex, or condo association the rebate is:
  • $6,000 per port for Level 2 chargers
• Higher incentives for entities located in low income areas:
  • $6,000 per port for workplaces
  • $9,000 per port for multifamily customers and nonprofits
  • $40,000 for DC fast-charger systems

Arizona Daily Star | Tucson Electric rolls out business rebates for electric-car chargers

Who delayed the implementation of grid security standards because of COVID? North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) 

When were the new standards set to take effect? July 1, 2020

What is the new effective date? starting in October 2020

Utility Dive | COVID-19 forces delay of 7 reliability standards, including cybersecurity supply chain protections

Who has created a grant program to pay utility bills? Montgomery Economic Development Corporation

Why was the grant program created? To help businesses located in the city limits with COVID related costs

What does the grant program provide?

• up to $250 to cover utility bills
• open to any business that has generated at least $12,500 in Texan sales tax revenue in the last year
• requires that the business demonstrate a sales drop of at least 25% in March or April

Community Impact | Montgomery Economic Development Corporation creates grant for local businesses’ utility bills

Where: Charleston, SC

What: a Proposed seawall to protect the city from Hurricane Storm Surge

What are the numbers behind the sea wall?

• $1.75- $2.2 billion-dollar cost for a seawall around the lower Charleston peninsula
• Cost to the City:  $600 million of total cost
• 9-miles lone
• 12-feet-tall sea wall fortification
• 3 years studying the sea wall proposal by the Army Corps of Engineers
• 1/2 of the city’s  historic structures are at high risk for ruin in storm surge
• 100 structures have been identified to be lifted off the ground in addition to the sea wall for a $6.725 million cost

ABC 4 News | Billion-dollar seawall around Charleston proposed to battle future hurricane storm surge

Who is researching how to cut methane emissions? UT-Austin Center for Energy and Environmental Resources

What data is key to cutting methane? measuring methane emissions at natural gas production sites

Do methane emissions counter a switch from coal to natural gas electricity generation? Yes, “replacing coal with natural gas for generating electricity, natural gas starts with a large advantage of lower CO₂ emissions, but that advantage is eroded by methane emissions.”

What 2 pieces of information are crucial in the future to cut methane emissions?

• identify where methane is being released
• identify high emitters of methane in the natural gas supply chain

Energy for Progress | UT-Austin’s Texas-Sized Goal: Cut Methane Emissions Even Further

Who: TESLA

How is this different than normal backup battery charging?  This new feature is outside the normal load of the household

How does charging in an outage work on this new feature?

• Now the power wall will slow or stop your vehicle’s charging, keeping your home loads powered
• Tesla vehicle will charge from the Powerwall whenever it is above the threshold that sustain household power

Electric | Tesla releases new feature to charge your car with Powerwall during power outages

Who: Eversource, a Boston-based electric services company

What: a virtual energy assessment that can include covering the cost of insulation & receipt of energy efficient products like LED lightbulbs, advanced power strips, and thermostats

Electrek | Virtual energy efficiency

Where: Virginia

What: House Bill 1526 and Senate Bill 851 (2020 | VA)

The Governor’s Statement on the Legislation:

• clean energy & a strong economy go hand in hand
• promotes energy efficiency
• sets a schedule for closing old fossil fuel power plants
• requires electricity to come from 100% renewable sources
• Energy companies must pay penalties for not meeting their targets
• Penalty revenue would fund job training and renewable energy programs in historically disadvantaged communities

Office of the Governor of Virginia | Governor Northam Signs Clean Energy Legislation

Why is battery storage important in California? California is over producing renewable power and has to stop production because of grid capabilities

How does the energy generation mix look in California?

• Some days 85% renewable generation
• In peak summer months, 15% renewable

What is current battery storage capacity? Most storage is 4 hours

How does battery storage function with a switch to hydrogen power generation? Hydrogen power can be stored in salt dome caverns, without battery storage

Governing | America’s Largest Municipal Utility Invests in Move from Coal to Hydrogen Power

Where: Los Angeles, California

Why is Los Angeles municipal power moving to hydrogen power? Committed to 100%renewable power by 2050

Is LA alone is the 2050 commitment to renewables? No, 150 cities have adopted 100% renewable standards

Is there a legislative angle too? Yes, former Governor Jerry Brown signed statewide renewable goal legislation in SB 100 (2018 | CA)

How will the move from coal work?

• LA will transform a coal-fired power plant to hydrogen
• Mitsubishi Hitachi Power System will manufacturer and service the turbines
• Fully renewable will be phased in:
  • By 2025 30% hydrogen and 70% natural gas
  • By 2045 upgrades commence for 100% hydrogen power

Governing | America’s Largest Municipal Utility Invests in Move from Coal to Hydrogen Power

Who: IKEA

What: 49% ownership stake in a solar parks, to equal energy consumption of 50 IKEA stores

Which solar park?

• Misae solar project in Texas
  • 567GWh of energy annually

How does the acquisition reflect IKEA’s power usage? IKEA produces more energy than it consumes.

What are IKEA’s clean energy goals?

• consume 100% renewable electricity by 2025 in each of its 30 countries it operates
• phase out fossil fuel-based heating and cooling by 2030
• invested close to €2.5 billion (£2.2bn) in renewable energy since 2009

Energy Live News | IKEA’s owner acquires solar parks in Texas

Who: Envision Solar

How does solar EV charging work?

• no construction required
• no utilities required
• set up takes minutes
• area required is equal to a parking space
• flood proof to 9.5 feet

Supporters say:

•  expands emergency preparedness
• improves energy resiliency
• serves areas threatened by floods and rising sea levels

How much of a charge can the solar charger offer?

•  225 miles of daily EV range

Car Buzz | Solar-Powered EV Charger Is A Brilliant Off-Grid Solution

Who is the new independent market monitor director? The former ERCOT director of wholesale operations, Carrie Bivins

What entity appoints the independent market monitor director? the Texas Public Utility Commission

Houston Chronicle | PUC appoints ex-ERCOT director to monitor power market in Texas

Where: Texas

What: Texas Railroad Commission will hold a April 14, 2020 public hearing on to consider whether it will order production cuts

When did the Railroad Commission last issue production cuts? Early 1970s

How will a COVID public hearing function?

• Online viewing of the hearing
• Submit public comments by April 13th
• When public comments are submitted, instructions will be sent to give public testimony during the hearing

Railroad Commission of Texas April 14, 2020 public hearing notice

Houston Chronicle | Railroad Commission to hold public meeting this month on production cuts

Opponents to the Texas Railroad Commission cutting production by rule say that a production cut:

• Is being called for by specific companies against larger producers
• Will put Texas at a competitive disadvantage
• Is a short sighted solution

Reuters | Occidental Petroleum opposes possible Texas oil curtailments: letter

Where: Texas

What is the new oil & gas coalition? Texas Methane and Flaring Coalition

Who? 7 state oil & gas industry associations + 40 Texas-based producing companies, including Permian Basin Petroleum Association

Why was the coalition formed?

• a strong commitment to environmental progress
• showing that the industry is not backing away from seeking solutions to flaring and methane emissions
• develop industry-led solutions

The coalition will have 4 subgroups:

• identify, assess, and recommend opportunities and best practices to minimize methane emissions and flaring
• look at flaring and infrastructure, why and when flaring is necessary and communicating why and when it is necessary
• evaluate existing studies and summarize those findings to identify opportunities to implement best practices and, again, analyze ways to improve data for more accuracy and consistency
• communicating the coalition’s work with all stakeholders, from industry to legislators and regulators to the general public through its new website

www.texasmethaneflaringcoalition.org

Midland Reporter Telegram | New state coalition to examine flaring, methane emissions

How has self distancing & staying at home changed how electricity is sold in Texas?

• door to door sales have stopped by some electricity companies
•  encouraging customers to contact company by phone, online chat or through an app
• shift to phone sales

Houston Chronicle | Community lockdowns change how electricity is sold in Texas

The economist: Univeristy of Houston’s Ed Hirs

Hirs says production limits have zero impact on:

• the oil & gas market
• protecting the oil & gas work force
• won’t prompt refineries to buy oil they are not already buying
• Texas has been exporting millions of barrels a day because there is no domestic market

The solution to protect texas oil & gas:

• Quick global solution to COVID to strengthen the global economy

Midland Reporter Telegram | Energy economist: Production cuts won’t work

Where: Virginia

What triggered the EV proceeding? Virginia State Corporation Commission opened the proceeding because of a EV pilot program

What did the EV pilot want to accomplish?

• The utility’s program would meter the whole house
• By using the smart charger & WiFi network in the member’s home
• The EV Charging company would then pull that data into their meter management system
• Bill credit of $0.04/kWh if all charging was done in off-peak hours

What issues does the regulator want to dive into?

• Is the market for providing public charging stations competitive or should it be considered a natural monopoly with service provided exclusively by regulated utilities?
• What is the proper role, if any, of utility investment in the deployment of public charging stations?
• The current level of demand being put on the distribution grid by electric vehicle charging, and how that is expected to grow?
• How rate designs should be structured to incentivize off-peak EV charging?
• How EVs can provide battery storage for the electric grid, and at what scale?

Utility Dive | Amid charging pilot developments, Virginia regulators to investigate EV grid impacts

Where: Dayton, Texas

How is Dayton’s water utility adapting to a COVID world? Installed payment kiosks

Are all services available at the kiosks? No

• customers cannot start service
• customers cannot end services at a kiosk

Will the city integrate other services into the kiosk? Yes

Kiosk Marketplace | Texas city installs kiosks for paying water bills

Where: Louisiana

What is Louisiana’s current severance tax? 12.5%

Supports say the benefits of cutting the severance tax are:

• Louisiana citizens to continue receiving paychecks and benefits
• Jobs will be retained in the industry
• federal government and state will have additional leeway to prioritize our resources
•  send a message to investors that Louisiana’s business climate was more welcoming

The Advocate | Severance tax changes might help industry survive, supporters say

The major concern about grid security and COVID-19: Each grid control room relies on a handful of control room operators

Corrective measures by power companies:

• require control room operators to live on-site at power plants to reduce the chance of the virus making it in from the outside world
• limiting contact by separating the work force & requiring many to work remotely

Potential legislative or regulatory corrections:

• Moving core utility staff to the definition of first responder

What happened to energy use in China and Italy at the pandemic height? electric use plummeted

WIRED | America’s Electricity is Safe From the Coronavirus—for Now

Where: Colorado

What is Colorado’s reaction to state revenue losses? To consider cutting tax breaks for oil and gas

What oil & gas tax exceptions are being reconsidered? low gas prices will trigger exceptions to severance taxes that may result in $0 in severance taxes

How did Colorado get here? In 2018, Colorado gave oil & gas this tax break that grants Colorado operators a tax credit equal to 87.5% of the property taxes paid on the prior year’s oil or natural gas production to offset to their current year’s severance tax liability

Other Colorado severance tax exemptions:

• small, marginal wells, stripper wells, are exempt

Colorado Legislature | Legislative Council | Effective Tax Rates on Oil and Natural Gas

What flooding problem is being addressed with the new tech? seepage under a levee known as sand boil

How does the tech work?

• an umbrella-shaped screening device is inserted into the land
• to prevent sand boils from growing
• relieves underground hydrostatic pressure that created the sand boil
• inhibits subterranean erosion that can cause [the] failure of a nearby levee

What will this replace? sandbags around levees

Tech Link | 23 states listed in NOAA flood warning. Could this umbrella-like invention protect their levees?

NOAA | U.S. Spring Outlook forecasts another year of widespread river flooding

Where: Wisconsin

Which 6 utility rules did the Wisconsin Governor suspend?

• No Disconnections. Stop utility disconnection for nonpayment for all customers, including commercial, industrial, and farm accounts
• No late fees. Cease assessing late fees to customer accounts
• No reconnection fees. Halt the practice of requiring deposits from customers for reconnection of service
• All deferred payments approved. Allow deferred payment agreements for all customers who request them;
• No Administrative barriers. Remove any administrative barriers for customers establishing or reestablishing utility service
• Budget billing for water. Authorize water utilities to provide budget billing arrangements to customers. Electric and natural gas utilities already do this.

WKOW | Gov. Evers’ emergency order suspends utility rules

Who is the Consortium for Battery Innovation? Formally known as ALABC, the Consortium has been carrying out research into lead batteries for a quarter of a century

What’s the project cost difference between Lithium Ion and Lead Battery storage?  

• $469 per kWh for lithium-ion
• $549 per kWh for lead-acid

What’s the Capital cost of lead battery storage?

•  $260 per kWh for lithium-ion
• $271 per kWh for lead

Benefit of lead: it is readily available & there is no negotiating with China for lithium

Goal of the Consortium:

• increase a lead battery’s service life
• develop a lead battery that can charge and discharge more times throughout its lifespan
• ensure that the battery does not degrade its efficiency significantly

Utility Dive | Lead batteries make innovation push to better compete for energy storage projects

Where: Maryland

What’s happening in Maryland?

• HB 982 (2020 | MD) stalls when Legislature halts due to COVID
• HB 982 would set an annual incremental gross energy savings target for low-income customers of at least 1% starting in 2021
• HB 982 amends the current 2% annual energy savings to increase access for other underserved communities

Are other jurisdictions following suit? Yes

• District of Columbia Public Service Commission is setting a 1% target
• Pennsylvania has issued a draft order raising energy efficiency targets for low-income customers
• Connecticut and Massachusetts have a spending target for low-income efficiency investment
• Massachusetts has a spending target for low-income efficiency investment
• Michigan DTE Energy is testing an energy efficiency and bill assistance program 
• Missouri Public Service Commission issued an order to keep Ameren’s fixed rates flat and increase funding for low-income assistance programs

Utility Dive | Maryland efforts for low-income energy efficiency target stalled by COVID-19

• Ohio PUC order prohibits competitive gas & electricity supply companies from sending sales staff door-to-door during the declared coronavirus emergency.
  • How did this get started in Ohio?
  • formal request filed by the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel
  • OH Consumer Counsel recommended that the PUCO “immediately and indefinitely halt energy marketers’ door-to-door sales so as to protect Ohioans from the coronavirus.”
• Pennsylvania PUC also prohibits door to door energy sales during the declared coronavirus emergency.
• Illinois Commerce Commission similar ban on door to door energy sales.

Utility Dive | Ohio bans door-to-door energy sales over coronavirus concerns, following Illinois, Pennsylvania

• City of Virginia Beach
  • Uses Smart Water Tech for Emergency Management
  • Goal: Water observation data for real-time water levels
• Ann Arbor, Mich
  • Uses Smart Water Tech for Stormwater Management
  • Goal:  Real-time, instant snapshot of water conditions to better gauge valve release times
• Solano County, CA
  • Uses Smart Water Tech for farmers to detect and track water information
  • Goal: Support for farmers to trade their water on a blockchain platform
• DC Water
  • Uses Smart Water Tech to identify operating anomalies with pumps & monitor wastewater treatment assets, manage energy and avoid costly maintenance

State Tech | How Smart Water Makes Cities More Transparent

• historically low-interest rates to make clean energy investment
• plunging oil prices warps energy markets as production of gas slows
• an eager to work workforce

The Hill | Coronavirus crisis opens new paths toward clean energy

Where: Florida

The legislation: An amendment to HB 1095 (2020 | FL) Underground Facility Damage Prevention and Safety sets a 12 year term limit

Why? Office of Public Counsel has successfully challenged utility efforts to charge customers by adding to the rate base or to raise customer rates

Is Florida’s Office of Public Utility Council elected? No, appointed by the Governor with approval from the Senate

Miami Herald | Legislators want to impose term limits on consumer advocate in utility rate cases

• 1,452 MW in 2020 doubling 2019
• 3,646 MW in 2021 tripling 2020 levels
• driven by the first large-scale utility procurements such as:
  • PG&E’s 182 MW, 730 MWh Elkhorn Battery Storage
  • Vistra Energy’s a 300-MW, 1,200-MWh battery project at the Moss Landing natural gas-fired plant
• 186.4 MW of energy storage deployed in Q4 of 2019 the biggest quarter for capacity storage on record
• a 300-MW, 1,200-MWh battery project at the Moss Landing natural gas-fired plant

Utility Dive | Energy storage deployments to increase 7x between 2019 and 2020: WoodMac

Why are investors drawn to publicly traded water utilities? Investors looking for sustainable investments

Are sustainable investments part of ESG investments? Yes, sustainable investments are included in new environmental, social and governance, or ESG, benchmarks

What boxes do water utilities check off for ESG investments?

• fall under environmental and governance mandates
• provide an essential social service
• strict ESG mandates cannot invest in most electric utilities because of their nukes and coal plants
• have a much longer investment horizon
• lower operating risk
• face lower customer-affordability pressures
• don’t face technology risks

Wall Street Journal | Publicly Traded Water Utilities Draw Investors

The ports turning to microgrids: Long Beach, San Diego & Los Angeles

The fact sheet of Long Beach’s Microgrid:

• $7.1 million
• required a variance from the Utilities Commission
• 300-kilowatt carport solar photovoltaic array
• 330 kilowatts of stationary battery storage
• first-of-its-kind 250-kilowatt mobile battery energy storage system
• $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission’s Electric Program Investment Charge (EPIC), a ratepayer-funded energy innovation research and development program.

Greentech Media | California Ports Turn to Microgrids for Energy Security, Demand Flexibility

Location: The surge is in California where battery storage are replacing gas powered generation

Interest in Financing projects: Southern California and Texas

Who was investing first? Private equity

Did anything happen as bank investment interest grew? yes, the price of lithium ion battery dropped

Press Herald via Bloomberg | Banks finally start to spend big on giant batteries

Los Angeles Times | Giant batteries, key to solar and wind power plans, start to get bank backing

S& P Global | In a ‘groundbreaking year,’ massive US battery storage projects underway in 2020

Where: Ohio

What: a Constitutional Proposition to ban foreign ownership of critical infrastructure, including energy

Opponent arguments:

• Will harm innovation in renewable energy
•  Will continue to remonopolize generating assets in Ohio

What: HJR 2 (2020 | OH)

Energy news | Critics say Ohio proposal to bar foreign ownership will deter renewable projects

Where: New Mexico

What: HB 50 (2020 | NM)

What would HB 50 do? help private transmission developers raise funds for new projects

Albuquerque Journal via Governing | Bill That Would Modernize Electric Grid Awaits Signature

Where? New Mexico

What? HB 233 (2020 | NM)

3 Goals of the bill:

• New distribution to move solar and wind energy to urban areas for consumption
• Ease transition to a carbon-free network
• 21st century technology for real-time connections and communication for both software & hardware

2 Methods of Funding:

• Recover costs through rate riders or in base rates
• Grant based to help public entities such as municipalities, counties, state agencies, public schools, higher education institutions, and Native American tribes to finance proposed modernization projects

Governing | Bill That Would Modernize Electric Grid Awaits Signature

Where: California

What: Proposed Rulemaking, 16-02-007, by the California Public Utility Commission

To achieve a greenhouse emission target of 46 million metric ton for the utility sector by 2030, the CPUC proposes the following energy storage solutions:

• TRIPLE current levels of battery storage capacity
• DOUBLE pumped storage/ some other kind of long-duration storage technology
• DOUBLE current solar capacity
• 30% increase to wind capacity
• including, 1 GW of long-duration storage by 2026

Utility Dive | CPUC proposes optimal 2030 system portfolio tripling battery storage, more than doubling solar

What entity is offering utilities incentives for EV charger installations? Maine Public Utility Commission

The incentive program: 2 pilot projects with a total of $500,000 in incentives for 120 EV charging stations

Did it require legislation? Yes, LD 1464 (2019 | ME)

2 pilot programs will decide which of these 2 incentives work best in Maine:

• Make Ready: The utility provides components for the chargers and customer does the install
• Rebate

Government Technology | Maine OKs $500K in Incentives for EV Charging Stations

The Railroad Commission report on oil production flaring concludes with the following 4 possible solutions:

• Infrastructure building (pipelines)
• Shut down operations with high intensity flaring
• Set standards for flaring intensity by OPEC and its member countries
• Railroad Commission regulations

Background: Texas Railroad Commission published this report on oil production and flaring.

An associate professor of atmospheric sciences at Texas A&M University highlighted these opposition points:

• the report relies on industry talking points– “It looks more like a political manifesto to me” 
• the metric used downplays the amount of gas being burned off
• the focus should be the total amount of flaring that you have in the region

KUT | ‘It’s A Joke’: Flaring Expert Finds Big Problems In Report From Texas Oil And Gas Regulator

Where: Montana

What changes are being made to Montana’s radioactive waste rules?

• aligning the rules with the new regulations in North Dakota
• Radioactivity concentration limit at the landfill entry gate is lowered from 200 picocuries/gram back to 50 picocuries/gram.
• Radioactivity exposure limit at the entry gate is lowered from 200 microroentgen/hour back to 100 microroentgen/hour.
• “Rolling average” for the landfill mass is removed
• Random inspections of incoming loads of filter socks is removed and replaced with more general, random inspections
• More stringent procedures regarding notification and corrective action are required if a landfill exceeds the acceptable radioactive limit during air monitoring.

Missoulian | Montana making changes to radioactive waste rules

The municipal power: Austin Energy (Austin, TX)

The opposition to Austin’s renewable energy goals: Texas Public Policy Foundation

The opposition arguments:

• Example of Failure. Look at Georgetown, Texas and its Utility Systems’s 2017 $6.84 million shortfall from its renewable energy plan
• Impractical. Manhattan Institute’s “The New Energy Economy” says that global energy production would have to increase 90 fold in 20 years to replace hydrocarbons
  • oil grew only 10 fold over 50 years
•  Inefficient. 600% more electricity can be generated with fossil fuel than with renewables for the same capital spent on primary energy-producing hardware

The Center Square | Critics: Austin’s renewable energy goals unrealistic

Where: Washington State

What does Washington State want to stop? New permits for bottling state water resources

Why does Washington want to end new permits for bottled state water?

• The process damages natural springs
• Damages aquatic life
• Contributes to a global problem of plastic waste

Where else is this trending?

• A Michigan appeals court denied a permit for zoning for Nestle to transport water
• Florida citizen groups began a petition to block a local company from selling Florida based water to Nestle

Wall Street Journal | Bottled Water Targeted in Washington State

The fastest growing electric source: Solar will account for 61 % of the power projects expected to come on the grid between now and 2023

How much capacity will Wind add by 2023?  add 30 gigawatts of power or 27% of total new capacity 

Batteries will generate 8 gigawatts or 7 percent of new capacity by 2023.

Houston Chronicle | Solar, wind and batteries expected to outpace new gas-powered generation in Texas

Where: New York City

The utility: ConEd, an investor-owned utility

Who is paying for curb side EV charger installation? All New Yorkers, even those who do not use EV charging

How did ConEd frame the argument?

• EV charging is a service
• Base rate for charing: $2.50/ hour is equivalent to about $0.40/kWh
• Billing would continue after the vehicle is fully charged by still connected

How does compare to other jurisdictions?

• California has banned EV charging rates that bill by the hour
• Maryland approved a base rate of $0.18 per kWh for utility-owned curbside alternating current EVSEs. 

Electrek | NYC will get curbside EV charging, but ConEd’s pricing will make people sad

Where: Madison Wisconsin

The local ordinance to make EV charger installation easier:

• streamline the process for building an electric charging facility
• eliminating an extra permit for EV charger operations
• allow EV chargers in more areas of the city than gas stations
• require 50% of parking spaces in new commercial & residential parking facilities be EV capable or ready

Why does the city require an extra permit for EV charger use? Because city code does not define vehicle charging as a permitted use

Wisconsin State Journal via Governing | City Hopes to Install First EV Charging Station in State

What does an energy community seek? local consumption and energy independence

What do utilities offer for energy communities?

• enable distributed energy exchange
• offer self-sufficient energy supply
• offer peer-2-peer energy trading
• Cost Coverage of wind turbines, batteries or biogas installations by utilities to bolstering energy supply
• Maintenance of wind turbines, batteries or biogas installations by utilities

Tiko in PV Magazine | Energy communities as a business model for utilities

Who: Power management leader Eaton + Green Motion, a pioneer in EV chargers

Why is power management important with EV chargers? 6 EVs charging close to each other, at peak time, could lead to local brownouts

2 competing energy issues: charger reliability + grid stability

How does battery storage bolster EV charging? Energy storage allows buildings to add as many chargers as they want with reliability and stability

Energy Industry Review | Eaton and Green Motion to Integrate EV Chargers in Buildings with Energy Storage

What’s happening in Missouri: The Grain Belt Transmission line would bring renewable energy from Kansas, through Missouri to Indiana

What are legislators saying to support legislation that would block eminent domain for this transmission project?

•  “This bill is to protect personal property rights against eminent domain by an entity that brings no benefit to help our renewable energy standards. In this state we are meeting our renewable energy standards.”
• ” I cannot be in favor of allowing a private company to use eminent domain to force a “for-profit” project to be built on landowner’s private property….simply for the profitable gain of the private company.”

Maryville Forum | Capitol Report: Legislation to prevent abuse of eminent domain

Where: Bozzeman MT

How does spent hops and barley help a water treatment system? by feeding the beer waste to the treatment plant’s bacteria at just the right time in just the right dosage

What is the economic benefit? Potential to avoid having to spend $1 million to upgrade wastewater plant to meet new, more stringent clean water standards

NPR| Beer waste saves Montana town $1 million on water treatment

The report authors: Energy Innovation and the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy

Take aways:

• 4 of 5 performance incentive mechanisms successfully reduced energy demand
• 3 successful state incentive programs, VT, TX, & MA, exceeded expectations
• Adjusting incentives based on regulatory reviews helps the whole sale market

Two types of incentives makes successful program:

• % of utility investment in program spending to reduce total peak demand
• + offer customer benefits

Utility Dive | State regulators need cyclical reviews to get the most out of utility performance incentive mechanisms: Report

Where: Oregon

Who: Portland General Electric

What tools are they relying on in Oregon?

• energy efficiency programs. utilizing this capacity for electrified transportation
• partnerships. partnerships with EV industry so that signals can be sent to address capacity
• incentives. incentivize vehicle charging at the right time for the grid

Utility Dive | Reimagining the grid: How PGE, SCE and others are prepping for transportation electrification

Who: The director of PV Inverters and Energy Storage at Fremont, California-based Delta Electronics (Americas)

How does battery storage improve smart grids?

• Battery Storage helps recognize irregularities in the grid & automatically adjusts; increasing energy efficiency and resiliency
• Reduces the amount of energy wasted
• Improves efficiency of generation, delivery and consumption
• Compartmentalization of the power grid creates greater resiliency
• Safer in emergencies to prevent damage with a more compartmentalized power grid 

POWER Business & Technology for Global Generation | The POWER Interview: Benefits of a Smarter Grid

Where: Washington State

How? Prohibit Wall Street bankers and international investors from participating in the State’s water banks

What’s a water bank?  A water bank collects water rights from rural landowners who have permission to take more water than they need.

The legislation: SB 6494 (2020 | WA)

Investigate West | LEGISLATURE EYES WAYS TO CONTROL SPECULATORS BUYING WASHINGTON WATER RIGHTS

Who is proposing EV ready building codes? International Code Council

What would be added to building codes for EVs?

• For single family: Be EV ready — which means proper panels, conduits, and outlets be installed. The EV charger would not be required
• For multi family homes: Be EV capable + 2 parking spots that are EV ready

When will the official ICC codes be published? fall of 2020

News Wheel | International Code Council Will Make EV-Ready Homes

Which investment group is leading the charge? Black Rock

What is BlackRock doing? a new multibillion-dollar renewable energy fund with a focus on battery storage

What energy issues is BlackRock watching?

•  emergence of the U.S. offshore wind market
•  the end of wind and solar tax credits which will lead to “significant complexities in capital structuring”

Why did BlackRock make this move? Its CEO “shook” the investment world in January 2020 by announcing that sustainability would be at the center of their investment strategies

GTM | BlackRock Targets Storage With New Multibillion-Dollar Renewables Fund

Who issued the report? U.S. Energy Information Administration

2 Reasons why US Power generation cannot make significant carbon reductions by 2040:

• low natural gas prices means, lower cost generation
• retiring nuclear plants

What does the EIA report not account for?

• technological advances
• innovation like battery storage

Utility Dive | Can the US power sector significantly reduce carbon emissions by 2040? Not according to EIA

States that permit, or may soon permit, farmers to use manure to create renewable energy: California, Minnesota, & Oregon

The jargon: biogas production

Capturing methane is “It’s the new gold rush,” according to a dairy farmer.

How can this work? Farms in Indiana are certified to earn lucrative low-carbon credits in California

Is there a coalition/association? yes, Coalition for Renewable Natural Gas

Star Tribune via Governing | Minnesota Could Be Moving to Farms for Renewable Energy

The company: Danish Oil & Natural Gas, now named Ørsted

How:

• 2009 opened what was then the world’s largest offshore wind farm
• “transformed from a company that had fossil fuels at the core of its business to being essentially a pure-play renewable energy company”
•  reduced its CO2 emissions by more than 80% since 2006 

Is it making a profit? Yes, “Our return on capital is 300 to 400 basis points higher than the European average.”

Corporate Knights | Top company profile: Denmark’s Ørsted is 2020’s most sustainable corporation

The game plan: HB 28 (2020 | NM)

The big goal: exempt growing oil and gas developments from some state regulations

What’s the legislative maneuver? Clarifying that any lands continually used for oil and gas activity would not be considered a subdivision requiring new regulation

What’s the practical impact? A small piece of land is added to drilling land for a compressed station. The land that the new compressor station is built on would not require new regulatory approval.

Carlsbad Current Argus | Oil and gas developments to be sped up by New Mexico House bill

Where: Georgia

What:  require coal ash to be stored in facilities that are at least as secure as municipal landfills

How: SB 297 (2020 | GA)
Solid Waste Management; conditions for the issuance of a permit for solid waste or special waste handling for a coal combustion unit or landfill

ATL NPR | Coal Ash Gets Attention As Georgia Legislative Session Begins

• 103% increase in 2019
• 2019 saw $1.7 billion in 32 deals
• $1.4 billion went to lithium battery projects

Chronicle | Battery storage is hot VC investment

Where: Central Texas

What: Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District voted to join the lawsuit against a Kinder Morgan pipeline

What are water district representatives saying?

• the pipeline has avoided review by appropriate environmental agencies
• the pipeline has avoided vetting by the public
• “cannot ensure construction and operation of the pipeline will be reasonably protective of our water resources”
• potential for “economic and environmental impacts would be disastrous”

Hays Free Press | Water district joins in fight against natural gas pipeline

 0

What is vehicle-to-grid technology? electric cars to serving as battery storage for the grid

How would this work? during peak demand time cars would give back energy

When would cars recharge? During nights when demand is lower

Is there a target vehicle for battery storage? YES, fleets. Especially heavy-duty fleets, such as school buses or utility vehicles

PEW | Electric Cars Will Challenge State Power Grids

• Consumption Increases. national electric consumption estimate of 38% increase by 2050
• Grid Strains. whether EVs are an asset or liability to the grid will depend on WHEN EVs are charged
• Competing Findings.
  • A University of Texas at Austin study on impact of every switching to EV
  • UT Energy report
  • Department of Energy says electric production has increased while use has remained constant over the last decade.
  • DOE November report 

PEW | Electric Cars Will Challenge State Power Grids

Why is Kansas considering securitization for unused coal generation facilities?

• The legislature ordered a study [read the rate study here]
• The rate study says move toward securitization with caution, legislature
• performance-based ratemaking methods to incentivize utilities to control their costs are better than securitization for Kansas rate payers

Which states have passed securitization legislation? Colorado, Montana & New Mexico

What did Kansas securitization legislation in 2019 look like? SB 198 (2019 | KS)

Which states are considering performance based ratemaking methods? Hawaii, Colorado, Oregon, Massachusetts and California

Utility Dive | Kansas considering securitization for aging coal plants, but caution urged

Where: Indiana

The legislation: HB 1414 (2020 | IN)

What federal action would permit the the retirement of a coal generation facility in Indiana?

• wholly, or in part, on one or more federally mandated requirements 

• just be tied to enforcement of a federal administrative rule

What is explicitly excluded from triggering a coal retirement?

• A consent decree into which the public utility was not required to enter by a state regulatory authority
• An administrative rule of the United States Environmental Protection Agency
• The public utility’s interpretation of an administrative rule

Utility Dive | Indiana bill would require Trump administration blessing to retire coal early

Where: Missouri

The legislation: HB 2033 (2020 | MO)

What’s the goal? Prohibit eminent domain to acquire easements for the transmission line

What problem is it looking to solve? Grain Belt Express project would carry power from wind farms in Kansas to Missouri, Illinois, and then to Eastern states power grids

KHQA | Eminent domain troubles remain for $2.3B wind energy power line

Where: California

Why? Legislators want to require telecom companies to have backup power that fully restores systems within 72 hours during emergencies

Who would foot the bill for the back up power? Telecom companies

AP | California lawmakers eye back-up power for cellphone towers

Where: New Jersey

The legislation: S2252 (2020 | NJ)

How does the omnibus EV bill that covers fleets, charging stations and credits handle utility ownership of chargers?

• Entities owning EV chargers are NOT utilities
• Charging of a plug-in electric vehicle is a service and NOT a sale of electricity
• A plug-in electric vehicle charger provides a service and is NOT a basic generation service provider
• Aligning EVs to the “Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act,” P.L.1999, c.23 (C.48:3-49 et al.)

Insider NJ | Jersey Renews: Bipartisan EV Bill Passes Senate & Assembly

Who: Ocean Fresh Water

Where:

• Ocean Fresh Water is based in France
• Desalination plants in Middle East, North Africa, & The United States (Florida, Texas and California)

How does the water Ocean Fresh Water sells get processed? Aboard a ship where the water is collected, desalinated, & bottled.

The sustainable argument for selling desalinated water: It is “a sustainable and eco-rational alternative, a global relay against the degradation and depletion of terrestrial waters”

The Telegraph | French company rebrands desalinated seawater as ‘health drink’