Topics
Energy & Water
Energy & Water
Legal TREND. State Lightbulb Standards & DOE rollbacks
The Courts: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California
What is happening?
- Department of Energy (DOE) is rollbacking energy efficiency lightbulb standards
- California Energy Commission (CEC) in November adopted a 45 lumens/watt (LPW) energy conservation standard
- This standard aligned to the DOE 2017 standards for lightbulbs
Who opposes state action that has higher thresholds than the DOE standards?
- National Electrical Manufacturers Association
- American Lighting Association
TX Utility. 1st Utility Scale Battery Storage Project. What You Need to Know.
Which utility? El Paso Electric
What is the utility scale battery project? 2 50-megawatt battery storage projects
- 100 MW solar facility + a 50 MW of battery storage in Otero County, New Mexico
- in coordination with Hecate Energy for the solar energy
- in coordination with a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources
- 50 MW stand-alone battery storage facility in Canutillo, Texas
- in coordination with Ørsted Onshore
American Public Power Association | Texas utility plans first utility-scale storage projects
Anatomy of a Republican Clean Energy Compromise
Where: Minnesota Legislature
What are Republicans offering as a clean energy compromise?
- The republican plan is in response to utility action setting their own clean energy goals
- Ensuring the focus of energy policy is on allowing technology in energy and allowing the economy to drive innovation
- Require utilities to prioritize carbon-free resources when building new power plants or replacing retired facilities
- Except if renewable sources are cost prohibitive
- Applies whether the replacement is renewables alone or renewables in cooperation with another clean energy source
Inforum | A clean energy compromise? One plan gets new life in Minnesota Legislature
How Battery Storage is Changing Texas Electric Grid
How much battery storage power is on the Texas grid? 100 MW in a system with a generating capacity of 80,000 MW
How does Texas rank today in battery storage? 4th in the US
What is the growth rate in 2020? Estimated to triple to 360MW
ERCOT’s 5 year battery storage proposals: 7,200 MW
Why is Texas a leader in battery storage for the grid? Because ERCOT doesn’t have to wait for FERC approval
What does more energy storage mean economically?
- More $$$ in renewables which will have a pathway onto the grid with batteries
- Price of lithium is falling, it was down 35% in the first half of 2018
- By 2024, wide spread use of battery storage for electricity
Houston Chronicle | Battery storage on verge of changing Texas power grid
Utility Replaces Fossil Fuel Plant with a large battery
What utility is replacing a fossil fuel plant with a large battery? Homer Electric Association, a member-owned electric utility cooperative in Alaska
What 5 things do we need to know about the large battery?
- Tesla product
- Stores 93 MWh of electrical power
- Can deliver electrical power to the grid at a rate of 46.5 MWs per hour
- The utility will meet its reliability requirements without having to burn additional fuel
- The utility will be more efficient & power outages will be reduced
Electrek | Tesla is going to deploy a big battery in Alaska to replace fossil-fuel plant
Lege TREND. Bill To Limit Municipal Utility Revenue Use.
Where: Florida
What limits does Florida want to put on the use of revenues from municipal utilities?
- NOT allow municipal utility revenue to be used in the city general revenue fund
- Limit revenue use to utility projects
The legislation: HB 653 (2020 | FL)
WUFT | Utilities Revenue Bill In Florida Legislature Threatens City Budgets Statewide
What the other side says: Desalination Plants
Who is the other side? Surfrider Foundation & Coastal Alliance to Protect Our Environment
What is the other side saying about desalination?
- Energy Vampires. Desalination uses a lot of energy
- Impact on Wildlife. The impact to wildlife from brine discharge
- Cost. Do taxpayers bear the brunt of the cost?
CRIS 6 | Environmentalists want to share concerns on desalination plants with public
3 Recommendations for Texas Petro-Chemical Regulation
Who? Houston Chronicle Editorial Board with reliance on Environmental Integrity Project
What recommendations?
- investing more in pollution monitoring
- the state has continuously cut pollution control funding
- stronger enforcement for rule breakers
- more lawsuits from the state against big-pocketed polluters who ignore environmental laws
Houston Chronicle | Texas isn’t policing petrochemical plants [Editorial]
3 Types of Building Codes to Promote Innovation in Decarbonization.
What do building codes that promote innovation in decarbonation mean? Limit the use of natural gas and increase electric mandates
What are 3 examples of how this has been implemented?
- Menlo Park, CA limits electric power for space heating, water heating and dryers BUT allows gas stoves
- San Mateo, CA doesn’t prohibit these of natural gas but sets higher energy efficiency standard for buildings that do
- Marin County, CA limits gas but allows for gas stoves & fireplaces in new construction if the buildings meet higher energy efficiency standards
Governing | Some Calif. Counties Will Emphasize Electric Use in New Year
2020: 6 City Building Codes to Limit Natural Gas
Where is this happening? California
What state regulatory approval has occurred? California Energy Commission has approved 6 local governments to limit natural gas
When did this start? Summer 2019 when Berkeley became the first city to favor all electric building code requirements and restrict natural gas
Which local governments received approval from the California Energy Commission?
- San Jose
- Menlo Park
- San Mateo
- West Hollywood
- Santa Monica
- Marin County
How many local governments are expected to follow suit? 20
Governing | Some Calif. Counties Will Emphasize Electric Use in New Year
What are the benefits of Generate Recurring Oil Wealth (GROW) for Texas fund?
- Keeps more revenue in the locations where its generated
- Allows existing state revenue paid by oil and gas producers to fund:
- highways and public roads expansion & improvement
- increases in law-enforcement and first responder salaries
- revitalization of education and skilled-workforce opportunities in energy-producing hotbeds
+1 TX Company Moves to All Renewable Energy
Who: Baker Hughes
Why the move to 100% renewals energy for the oil services company? “We see this commitment to Texas-generated renewable power as an important step in our progress toward net-zero emissions, and we have many more projects underway to continue to reduce our global emissions.”
What does this deal look like?
- 10-year power-purchase agreement
- French-owned power company EDF Energy will be the provider
- Baker Hughes will get all of its electricity for its 170 facilities in Texas from wind and solar
Houston Chronicle | Baker Hughes to power all of its Texas facilities from renewables
+1 City Looks to Buy Local Utility
The city: El Paso TX
The utility: El Paso Electric
The issues surrounding the purchase:
- Cost. Estimated to cost $4.3 billion with 100s of millions of dollars/year in financing costs
- Time. Will take years to study the issue before a purchase could occur
- Study. Can a feasibility study be paid for with El Paso Electric’s annual franchise fee
- Eminent Domain. The City Attorney says state law permits the use eminent domain to acquire utility property
El Paso Times | El Paso Considers Buying Electric Utility, but Is It Worth It?
Regulatory Quagmire. To tax or not to tax EV charging
Where: Vermont
Which state agencies favor taxing electric vehicle charging?
- Public Service Department
- Agency of Natural Resources
- Agency of Transportation
Which state agency opposes taxing electric vehicle charging?
Vermont Public Utility Commission
What supporting points did the Vermont PUC give the legislature in its report?
- Taxing EV charging will not increase EV charging numbers
- The price of electricity is raised when you add taxes and fees to electric end-uses
Burlington Free Press | Should there be a tax on charging electric vehicles in Vermont?
Local TREND. Building Codes that Prohibit Natural Gas Appliances
Where has this happened? Windsor, CA
What does the local ordinance do? requires electrical appliances & prohibits gas appliances for future low-rise residential developments
Why? to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by decreasing natural gas dependencies
San Francisco Chronicle | As Bay Area natural gas bans spread, lawsuits mount
Texas Partnership. A Geothermal Leader.
Who?
- $1 million grant via U.S. Department of Energy
- Cockrell School of Engineering, Univeristy of Texas at Austin
- led by Jamie Beard & Bob Metcalfe of the Cockrell School’s Innovation Center
- new Geothermal Entrepreneurship Organization (GEO)
- engineers
- researchers
- entrepreneurs
What is geothermal energy?
- heat that is CO2-free, clean energy source
- goal is to make geothermal energy a leader within a decade
UT News | Drilling for Clean Energy: New Initiative Positions Texas as Geothermal Energy Leader
Business TREND. EV Charger Use Incentives.
Where: UK
What did the EV charger rollout look like?
- Volkswagen led partnership
- Joining Tesco and Pod Point locations
- 2,400 charging points installed
What incentives are being offered to use these EV chargers?
- Tesco offers free charging while shopping at 100 Tesco stores across the UK
Texas Researcher. 4 Reasons US Energy Dominance = North America Energy Dominance Issue.
Who: Bernard L. Weinstein. Associate director of the Maguire Energy Institute & adjunct professor, Cox School of Business at Southern Methodist University.
Why is US energy dominance really North America Energy Dominance?
- Canada has boosted oil production by 50% since 2005
- Mexico’s deregulated energy market with a pro-deregulation President
- North America possesses five times more fossil fuel reserves than OPEC
- 1/2 of U.S. natural gas exports go to Mexico
The Hill | Let’s think about energy dominance for North America — not just the US
3 States Storing Renewable Energy
Where: California, Maine, & Colorado
How is renewable energy stored?
- It is converted into a gas that is stored in underground pipelines
- An alternative is giant, lithium-ion battery banks.
What costs can be offset by storing renewables? Transmission line upgrades
Governing | Portland Press Herald | Maine Wants to Store, Not Waste, Excess Renewable Energy
Lege TREND. Lege Reject Rate Funded Solar Project. What funding options remain?
Where: Ohio
What: AEP sought legislative approval of customer rates to fund a proposed solar projects
What funding options remain?
- HB 6 (2019| OH) will offer subsidies to fund the projects
- Hb 6 also provides funding for nuclear and coal
- Ohio’s PUC found the solar projects were not needed
- Ohio Consumers’ Counsel pointed to Texas PUC declining an AEP wind project to be funded by rate payers
Governing | Advance Ohio Media | Ohio Utility Must Find Other Funding Source for Solar Project
Anatomy of a Municipal Utility EV Charger Roll Out
Who: San Diego Gas & Electric
What: 340 public EV charging stations
Where: 52 sites at schools, parks and beaches
Funding: $18.8 million paid by ratepayers
How are locations determined? Priority given to locations that are disproportionately impacted by air pollution
San Diego Union Tribune | San Diego Utility to Install EV Chargers at Schools and Parks
What do I need to know about the largest battery storage project in the world?
Where: Australia
Who: Tesla
What: The 100 MW/129 MWh Tesla Powerpack project in South Australia
The benefits of battery storage for energy delivery:
- cheaper
- $50 million (AUD) savings in Year 1
- quicker
- zero emissions
The expansion: 50% expansion= 50 MW/64.5 MWh expansion
Electrek | Tesla is expanding its ‘world’s largest battery’ project by 50%
New Study: $5.5 B in Savings with Distributed Energy in Texas by 2030 with Increased Competition
Who is behind the study? Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA)
What distributed energy solutions are they talking about?
- solar+storage
- smart thermostats
- electric vehicles
What is the competition argument supporting distributed energy?
- Distributed Energy Resources should have the opportunity to compete
- The regulatory framework should allow competition in non-wires solutions in Texas
What cost savings are we talking about? Savings to reduce, defer, or outright avoid expansions of transmission and distribution infrastructure
Energy Central | Distributed Energy Could Save Texas Consumers $5.5 Billion by 2030
Non-profit Bringing Business & Conservation Together to Recognize Leaders in Conservation
Where: Texas
Who: Texans by Nature in partnership with Texas Monthly
What: Recognize businesses for their best practices, innovation, collaboration and efforts in conservation
2019 Recipients:
- NRG
- American Campus Communities
- Apache
- Austin Convention Center
- Cactus Feeders
- CEMEX
- Cirrus Logic
- Comerica Bank
- Darling Ingredients Inc
- Dell Technologies
- Live Green DFW
- Farmer Brothers
- HEB
- Harvest Seasonal Kitchen
- King Land & Water
- Parkland Health and Hospital System
- Phillips 66
- Southwest
- Texas Health Resources
- Union Pacific
3 Ways Methane Regulations Changed an Energy Sector
Where: Mexico
What Methane regulations? Reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas sector by 40-45% by 2025
What benefits to the energy sector and economy?
- increase domestic prosperity
- oil and gas sector more efficient
- reduction in the amount of harmful pollutants
Is there impact to Texas that exports gas to Mexico? Mexico looks to quickly increase the domestic supply of gas to reduce methane emissions
EDF | Methane regulations can help transform Mexico’s energy sector
Water Pollution. Regulations. Cannabis. New Alliance
What’s happening? Illegal cannabis growers in state and national parks are polluting water sources
How are these growers polluting water sources? The use of insecticides and other chemicals used in illegal marijuana operations
What alliance has formed to solve the issue through enforcement & regulation?
- environmentalists
- law enforcement agents
- politicians
- wildlife ecologists
- representatives of the legal cannabis industry
Texas Pubkic Radio | Illegal Pot Operations In Public Forests Are Poisoning Wildlife And Water
New Kid on the Block. Energy Storage in West Texas
Who: Denmark’s Ørsted , formerly Danish Oil and Natural Gas, known as “vanguard of old energy companies transitioning rapidly toward renewables”
Where:West Texas, near existing oil and gas infrastructure in the Permian Basin
What: Permian Energy Center, 460-megawatt solar-plus-storage project to be completed by mid-2021
Storage capacity: 40 megawatts with 1 hour of capacity, running alongside a 420 MW AC solar array
Green Tech Media | Orsted Brings 460MW Solar-Plus-Storage Project to Texas Oil Country
Anatomy of a School District Energy Efficiency Project
Where: La Villa Independent School District
How much will the school district save by improving energy efficiency?
- 30% cut in utility costs
- $2,840,501 in guaranteed energy savings
- Over 15 years of savings
What energy efficiency improvements were made?
- LED lighting
- building controls
- modern heating and air conditioning equipment throughout the district
How was it financed? Texas Comptroller’s Texas LoanSTAR Revolving Loan Program
3 Reasons Texas Should Modernize Distributed Energy Resources Regulations
Who is saying this? Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance
What are they saying?
- Electricity consumers in Texas could save nearly $5.5 billion over the next decade
- Texas households could save an average $456
The proposal to save Texans: “integrating distributed energy resources into transmission and distribution planning and allowing small-scale generation facilities to participate in existing wholesale markets.”
Houston Chronicle | Texas needs better management of small power sources
Anatomy of a Battery Storage Partnership
Where: Michigan
Who: Sunverge + Consumers Energy
What: residential battery storage pilot
Why?
- evaluate the energy provider’s distribution circuits
- identify grid locations suitable to test the potential benefits and value from behind-the-meter battery storage
- identify potential investment deferral, resiliency, and reliability
Renewable TREND. Tech Giants and Clean Energy
What? Apple is partnering with eBay, Samsung, and Sprint to buy clean energy from White Mesa Wind project
Where? Crockett County, Texas
How much clean energy? purchase totals 75 megawatts of clean energy (power for roughly 20,000 homes)
What is Apple saying about its Corporate Social Responsibility? “We’re proud to be powering all of Apple’s operations around the world with 100 percent renewable energy and driving the private sector to support the clean energy transition. Businesses of all sizes and of varying energy needs can help bring new, renewable energy online. This collaborative agreement in Texas is a model we hope others will replicate.”
Apple Insider | Apple partnering with tech giants for big clean energy buy
Legislative TREND. Local Incentives for EV Charger Installations.
Where: New Jersey
The legislation: A1371 (2019 | NJ)
How does A1371 encourage local governments to include EV chargers?
- Adds EV chargers to master planning criteria
- Adds EV chargers to state green building codes
What economic incentives for local governments for EV chargers?
- Create jobs
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Reduce our reliance on foreign fuels
3 Ways Utilities Voluntarily Offer to Reduce EV Demand Charges
Where: Minnesota
What are the 3 ways utilities are offering to reduce EV rates?
- Xcel Energy
- Decades-old pricing system limits demand charges with sporadic loads, including from DC fast chargers
- Minnesota Power
- Pilot program that prohibits demand charges from exceeding 30% of a DC fast-charging company’s bill
- Otter Tail Power
- Pilot rate plan reduces demand charges + promotes third-party ownership of DC fast chargers
Why is this important for EV innovation?
- Demand charges wipe out any profits a fast-charger developer earns
Energy News Network | Minnesota utilities offer to lessen demand charges on EV fast chargers
Executive TREND. State Energy Czar
Where? California
Why? Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s prolonged power outages and PG&E’s bankruptcy
Who else will work with the Energy Czar?
- legal secretary
- energy policy adviser
- legislative strategist
Regulatory TREND. Data Privacy Standards Require Separate Utility Data Privacy Standards.
Where: Australia
What: Data Standards Body said the appointment of 14 members to the Energy Advisory Committee
Why: Protecting consumer data key to switching energy providers
ZD Net | Australia’s consumer energy data to be made open under CDR
Increase Renewables with Reimbursements
Where: Oklahoma
What: Oklahoma Corporation Commission implemented rules for new excess-energy payment requirements publicly regulated utilities must follow to compensate owners of solar and small-wind systems
3 ways the reimbursements will be limited:
- existing net metering rules that will allow utilities to offset energy production by energy use on the property
- reimbursement for each excess kilowatt hour will be at wholesale rates, not retail rates
- reimbursement cap of 125% of what the property historical peak load is
Governing | Oklahoma Encourages Renewable Energy with Reimbursements
Settlement of a Pipeline Protest Lawsuit
Where: South Dakota
Which pipeline? Keystone XL
What did the state agree to after the courts found provisions unconstitutional?
- “never enforce current state laws that prohibit protected speech and are aimed at suppressing protests”
- pay plaintiff attorney fees
Anatomy of Small Scale Local Water Project Funding.
Who is bankrolling this water funding? Federal Government
Who is proposing this small scale water funding project? Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va, & Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland
How will it work?
- The Senators are amending the Safe Drinking Water Act
- Giving the EPA power over a $5 Million grant program
- To fund local governments for infrastructure improvements and asset management
What type of project would qualify?
- water systems with fewer than 10,000 customers
New Clean Air Battleground: Universities
What? 50 faculty members at Texas A&M University System asked Chancellor Sharp to develop a plan to cut methane emissions on land the university profits from by 1/2 within the next 5 years
What specific clean air practices do the faculty members want implemented? Best practices for the oil and gas industry on West Texas Permanent University Fund Lands
Who signed? John Nielsen-Gammon, the Texas State Climatologist and director of A&M’s Texas Center for Climate Studies and 49 of his colleagues
Courthouse News Service | Texas Researchers Urge Cuts in Pollution on University Land
Cities: More Regulation of Pipeline Routes
Where: Texas
Who: Texas Municipal League
What: A resolution calling for requiring greater oversight of oil and gas pipeline routes
How do they want this increased oversight?
- before establishing or publishing pipeline routes, there should be input from affected communities & landowners
- requires route negotiation if municipalities find substantial threats to economic development, natural resources, or standard of living
- required compliance with environmental & economic impact studies
- require pipelines to maintain performance bonds
Is this unusual? 6 local jurisdictions have taken similar action including:
Anatomy of a Renewable Energy Law Overhaul
Where: Michigan
Who is in the coalition to change existing law?
- Clean energy
- Michigan Energy Innovation Business Council
- Michigan League of Conservation Voters
What are their legislative goals with their bill package to Powering Michigan Forward?
- remove the cap on distributed generation
- establish a fair value for solar
- monthly netting of renewable energy
- support residential customers + support industrial consumers
The opposition: State utilities
2 Reasons Utility building 5MW Battery Storage
Where: South Carolina
Who: Duke Energy
Why build a 5MW battery storage?
- grid services
- emergency service
Business TREND. Funding for Battery Storage Doubles.
Who is saying funding for battery storage technology is doubling? Mercom Capital Group, an energy communications and consulting firm in Austin.
What do the funding numbers look like?
- 2019: investing $1.6 billion in 25 deals
- 2018: $783 million in 38 deals (over same time frame)
Is the increase in funding true across other energy technology? No.
- energy efficiency is flat at about $268 million
- Smart grid funding is down 27%
Houston Chronicle | Venture capital firms double funding of battery storage projects
How cities & utilities work together for EV electrification
3 ways cities & utilities work together to meet Electric Vehicle demand:
- Distribution system upgrades. City codes and laws must be navigated by customers. Utilities are working with customers to meet their electrification needs.
- Sacramento is working to utilize EV chargers as a grid resource
- City Fleets.
- 60% of cities have green vehicle purchasing policies
- 26% of cities are considering green vehicle policies
- Utilities are offering grants to cities for transportation electrification
- City Policy Changes. Report shows “strong collaborative relationships with utilities in particular appear to be key components of successful climate efforts”
- 58% of cities are or are considering partnering for energy efficient building codes
- 57% of cities are or are considering partnering for advanced climate solutions in transportation
- 55% of cities are or are considering partnering for renewable energy standards
Utility Dive | Electric revolution: As EV demand increases, can utilities and cities keep up?
New Water Rules to Stop Water Profiteering?
Where: Colorado
Who is buying up water rights that concerns Colorado legislators?
- Wall Street investment firms
- local finance groups
What’s the overall framework for selling water rights in Colorado?
- CO has anti-speculation laws
- CO permits the sale of water rights, if a water court approves
The Gazette | Colorado lawmakers consider tougher rules to stop water profiteering
+1 City to Own its Power Grid
Where: San Jose, CA
Why does San Jose want to buy its power grid from PG&E?
- improve resiliency
- fewer blackouts
How does San Jose envision its power delivery?
- multiple micro grid generating systems throughout San Jose
- potentially use eminent domain to acquire PG&Es utility property
KTVU 2 | San Jose looking to build and maintain its own electrical grid, dumping PG&E in the process
Local Battery Storage Laws. When there are no State Rules. Cities Act.
Where: Arizona cities of Phoenix, Peoria & Surprise
Why did these 3 cities act? A fire at a battery storage facility
What rules did the cities implement? Safety standards for battery storage
Who do the battery storage rules apply to?
- homeowners
- businesses
- schools
- utilities
What do the rules require?
- notification to cities when building battery storage facilities
- local permits
- local inspections
- local building requirements with certain safety features
Lege TREND. Cost Recovery for Blackouts
Where: California
What: SB 378 (2019 | CA)
How does SB 378 allow for cost recovery for stakeholders?
- require the California Public Utilities Commission to create a cost recovery process
- allow for the recovery of lost costs associated with planned blackouts
- mandate greater risk assessment
- require more utilities to report the consequences that resulted from planned power outages
What are people saying in support?
- The Governor:“Californians should not pay the price for decades of PG&E’s greed and neglect
- The bill author: “we can’t let PG&E normalize these blackouts.”
Sacramento Bee | Reducing blackout risks + Lawmakers convene to talk vaping
+1 City to ban Fluoride in Water
Where? Fredericksburg Texas
What? Voters in the city will have fluoride on their Nov. 5th ballot
Have other Texas cities banned Fluoride? Yes, Buda and San Marcos
How did they get there? Citizen petition on the issue
KUT | Fredericksburg Could Be The Next City In Central Texas To Ban Fluoride From Drinking Water
Business TREND. Emission Free Jet Fuel.
Where: The Netherlands
Who: Urban Crossovers
How? kerosene, made from passing electricity through a mixture of carbon dioxide and water taken from ambient air
Marketplace | A new jet fuel offers the prospect of no-carbon, “guilt-free” flying
New Solar Power standard for policymakers + governments large & small + business opportunity
Where is this issue brewing? Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology
What’s the problem with solar? solar panels are not always recyclable
Who will be impacted as solar power systems age? The holy trinity of governments, businesses and homeowners
What standards are researchers looking at?
- Create baseline measure for what solar panels are still usable
- How big is the PV recycling industry
- What should the standard be for % of solar panels that are recyclable?
- Do local recycling facilities need to be improved?
3 Ways an Oil & Gas Coalition against EVs failed
Where: Minnesota, specifically at the Minnesota State Public Utility Commission
How did the oil & gas coalition against EVs fail in Minnesota?
- The issue failed to win over the regulators. The Oil & Gas coalition argued that the PUC did not have authority to regulate the utility for behind-the-meter charging & raised ratepayer concerns
- New action by opponents to EVs. The action was unusual to see oil and gas actively involved in electric utility regulation
- MN PUC believes that it has “full rights” to regulate behind-the-meter charging infrastructure as a utility
Utility Dive | Minnesota shuts down oil, manufacturing groups’ attempt to derail Xcel EV pilot
Business TREND. Regulatory TREND. Largest Battery Storage in New England unveiled.
Where: Nantucket
Why? Cost prohibitive to bring a new utility cable to the island.
What is the price differential between new lines and storage for the island? Large scale battery cost is 1/3 of cable lines for utilities
What is the battery composed of? 234 Tesla power packs are lined up in 3 long rows which translates to 8 hours of service for 13,000 homes
WBUR | Biggest Battery In New England Is Unveiled In Nantucket
Why producers are flaring gas in Texas.
Who is saying this: Former State Representative Jim Keffer
What is he saying are the reasons that gas is being flared in Texas?
- persistent infrastructure challenges (pipelines)
- lack of enough takeaway capacity
- lack of natural gas storage
- unexpected outage on a key pipeline
What are the economic costs of this?
- limit exploration and production
- weaken realized prices until late 2019
TribTalk | Jim Keffer| Texas benefits from investing in safe pipelines
New Report. Utility Operational Equipment Cyber Security Threats Increase.
Who issued the report? Siemens
What did the utility sample look like?
- 1,700 utility professionals worldwide
- electric utilities with gas
- solar
- wind assets
- water utilities
What utility operational equipment is poised for hackers?
- machines
- networks
- systems
- involved in transmitting or distributing power
What did the report find?
- Attacks are increasing
- The results of attacks will be severe financial, environmental and infrastructure damage
- 54% of utilities say = they expect a cyberattack on critical infrastructure within a year
- 64% of utilities say cyberattacks are a “top challenge”
Siemens | Caught in the Crosshairs: Are Utilities Keeping Up with the Industrial Cyber Threat?
The Hill | Report finds cyberattacks on critical utility operating systems are increasing
Business TREND. Utility Divests from Fossil Fuels
Who: Green Mountain Power
What is Green Mountain Power Divesting from? GMP pension is divesting from fossil fuel investments
How has the divestment trend moved? State pension systems, colleges & university funds and religious institution investments to now utilities.
Has GMP made a sustainability pledge? Yes, 100% carbon-free power by 2025, & 100% renewable power by 2030
Regulatory TREND. How to set rates for electric vehicle charging?
Where: California
Who: PG&E
How does PG&E want EV charging to be billed?
- Subscription based charging, like your smart phone
Where can I read the details of PG&E’s rate plan? Here
Why are regulators skeptical?
- EV rates “do not employ cross-subsidies”
- “any collections from the new class beyond marginal cost will be considered overcollections to be redistributed to other customer classes,”
- reducing subscription rates will “burden those customers that build and operate electric vehicle charging stations with low utilization rates.”
Utility Dive | PG&E wants EV demand charges to mimic smartphone plans. Regulators are skeptical
2 More Steps Toward Resiliency for Regulators +2 Key Supporters
Who is recommending more regulator action on resiliency? Government Accountability Office
What does the GAO recommend?
- fully encompassing federal guidance on grid cybersecurity, not just mandatory grid cybersecurity standards
- coordinate with other relevant federal agencies to develop a plan
Who is indicating support with the GAO recommendations?
- DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response
- FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee
GAO | CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION
The Hill | Watchdog: Energy Department not doing enough to protect grid against cyber attacks
Business TREND. US has its 1st All EV gas station
Where: Takoma Park, Md
What: A gas station has been converted to EV charging station only. It is the first of its kind in the US.
What coalition helped the traditional gas station owner convert to EV charger station only?
- Electric Vehicle Institute
- Maryland Energy Administration state grant program ($786,000)
Is there a business advantage to EV stations? Yes, because EV charging takes 15-30 minutes, you have customer’s attention to service at a restaurant, lounge, coffee shop, bookstore, etc…
Washington Post | D.C.-area gas station shuts off the pumps and goes all-electric
Reasons Texas Oil Makes Market Resilient.Via Ray Perryman
How is Texas oil economy making the market resilient?
- the United States is the world’s largest producer of crude oil
- 2/3 of domestic output is in the Permian Basin
- technological advances in exploration and production techniques support US oil production
- when a problem happens elsewhere, operations resume more quickly than in the past
3 Recommendations for Texas to be a Leader on Climate Change
Who is making the recommendations?
- regional director for The Nature Conservancy in Texas
- faculty member at the University of Texas at Austin’s Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Policy & the inaugural director of the LBJ Urban Lab
What are they recommending?
- more resilient infrastructure
- greener Texas cities with climate-ready infrastructure
- energy efficient economies
- “spongier” city landscapes to mimic natural ecosystems
- installing cisterns
- rain gardens
- green roofs
- planting “buffer strips” of vegetation in largely concrete areas
Benefits of these recommendations:
- improves biodiversity
- improves air quality
- strengthens mental and physical health
- helps manage urban heat
Houston Chronicle Opinion | Texas must lead the charge on climate change [Opinion]
What happens when critical infrastructure legislation catches the attention of Rolling Stone?
Where was the protest that caught everyone’s attention? Houston
Who was protesting? Greenpeace
Are criminal charges being brought against the Greenpeace protestors? Yes
What makes the case legally interesting? The protestors were repelling from a bridge over the Houston Ship Channel and dangling in the air
Who is credited as the creator of these critical infrastructure laws? American Legislative Exchange Council / the Koch brothers
Is there a constitutional issue? yes, free speech, protestors arrested in Lousiana are challenging a similar law in Lousiana in federal court
Rolling Stone | New State Laws Are Criminalizing Protest to Protect Oil and Gas Companies
Environmental Impact of Adopting EV School Buses
Where: Virginia
What is the impact of replacing 75 buses with EV buses?
- lifetime savings of 670,000 pounds of nitrogen oxide
- 41,000 pounds of particulate matter population
- 36 million pounds of greenhouse gas tailpipe emissions.
- equivalent to taking 3,500 cars from the road
New Regulatory Horizon in Texas. Mining Regulations.
What 3 reasons are given to support increased regulations of mining in Texas?
- no extensive application process for quarries
- bad actors are outpacing lax regulations
- regulations vary, and are more specific in groundwater districts
What does the industry say?
- 15 local, state and federal agencies oversee mining operations
- industry should build stronger partnerships in communities as opposed to increasing regulation
+1 State Methane Tax Credit
Where: Pennsylvania
What is the methane tax credit? a way to boost the use of methane in manufacturing, specifically targeting production of ammonia, methanol and urea.
What is the Keystone State calling the tax credit? the Energy and Fertilizer Manufacturing Tax Credit program
How much is the tax credit? 5 cents per-gallon credit for methane purchased and used by large facilities
KDKA | Pennsylvania House Of Representatives Passes Tax Credit To Boost Methane Use In Manufacturing
Why do regulators want larger bonds from oil and gas?
Where: Iowa
Who are the regulators?
Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Minerals and Mining Program
What sparked the increased bonding request?
Abandoned wells, specifically a failed 40-well natural gas project
What is the new bond requirement?
- $50,000 per well
- OR $100,000 blanket bond for an unlimited number of wells
Are there legal limitations on the use of abandoned well bonds? Yes, the bond proceeds cannot be moved between sights. So left over funds from a project cannot be used to clean up another well site
Rapid City Journal | Regulators want bigger bonds from oil and gas drillers
Anatomy of an energy storage bill
Where: Virginia
The bill: SB 966 (2018 | VA)
What did SB 966 of 2018 do for energy storage?
- excepted it from the definition of utility
- included some storage in new rate adjustment clause category for expenses of electric distribution grid transformation projects
- pilot programs for the deployment of electric power storage batteries with capacity limits of up to 10 MW for APCo and 30 MW for DEV
What is the relevance of SB 966 in 2019? It is included as a way to bolster the Governor’s Executive Order on Clean Air and 100% carbon free by 2050
2 Reasons for Veto of Net Metering Cap Expansion
Where: New Hampshire
What bill? HB 365 (2019 | NH)
What did the bill do? Raise the net metering cap from 1 MW to 5 MW and would apply to residences and businesses
What were the reasons Governor Sununu offered for the veto?
- tantamount to subsidies for solar
- would cause rates to rise
Governor Chris Sununu Vetoes HB 365
Concord Monitor | Sununu goes 23-1 as House overturns only one veto on ‘grow your own’ bill
+1 Gov. Executive Order on Clean Air
Where: Virginia
What does the Executive Order require?
- Carbon free by 2050
- reduce barriers to achieving these solar and onshore wind goals
- develop energy financing programs and enhancing building codes
- integration of storage technologies into the grid and pairing of such storage technologies with renewable generation
- energy equity and environmental justice
Energy Use by Cannabis Growers. Reporting Requirements.
Where: Illinois
What energy requirements are tied to cannabis legalization in Illinois?
- energy efficiency requirements
- capping the amount of power used per square foot
- reporting requirements to help control for electricity load
What electric problems have other states seen from legalization?
- 7 Blackouts in Portland after legalization
- Denver saw energy use from growers increase by 4% in the last year
Energy News | Illinois marijuana growers will face energy efficiency and reporting rules
Water Fee Aimed at Municipalities
Where: Florida
Who is pushing a municipal water fee? Florida Governor DeSantis
What is the water fee proposal?
- A fee for spilling sewage into water ways
- 50% increase to $15,000
- Add daily fees
How is this targeting municipalities? Most sewage treatment centers are owned & operated by municipalities.
Legislation to Stop Power Shut Offs in Emergencies
Where:
California
The legislation:
What shutoffs will be prevented during an emergency?
- Shutoffs during a electric transmission line de-energization
- For low income people who depend on life supporting equipment
What is required of utilities?
- utilities to submit plans to the California Public Utilities Commission
- plans must support power for critical-care equipment for low-income customers during temporary power shutoffs
Sierra Sun Times | California Legislature Approves Power Shutoff Protection Bill
+1 County Resolution to Ban Styrofoam Containers
Where:
Rensselaer County, New York
What:
Rensselaer County looks to support a statewide legislative ban of styrofoam containers
How are styrofoam bans progressing in 2019?
- Maine passed a statewide ban. Read more here on info hive archives.
- Albany County NY moves to ban styrofoam county wide
WNYT | Rensselaer County Legislature may push for state Styrofoam ban
New Changes to Water Management in a state with a lot of people & limited water.
Where:
California
the legislation:
How does SB 19 change water management in California?
- improve data collection of stream and water levels
- increase funding for stream gauges, currently only 54% of stream gauges are active
- ensure real time water data collection
CA State Senator Dodd | Legislature Approves Sen. Dodd’s Plan to Improve Water Management
+1 State Critical Infrastructure Felony Legislation
Where:
Kentucky
The legislation:
2020 Bill Request 29RS BR 204 by Gooch
What critical infrastructure will Kentucky protect?
- pipelines
- telecommunications
- utilities
What’s the history with this issue in Kentucky?
- Previously failed to pass creating a felony for interfering with critical infrastructure
- It would apply to churches
- Kentucky has a history with pipelines and church lands
WFPL | Bill Pre-Filed In Kentucky Legislature Would Make Pipeline Protests A Felony
UPDATE:Local Government Stops LNG Terminal in Texas
Port of Corpus Christi made 2 legal maneuvers against Port Aransas after the city council unanimously voted to halt an LNG terminal:
- Asked for an injunction against the Port Aransas City Council
- Port Aransas lease with the PCC’s Harbor Island Marina was cancelled
LAST WEEK:
Where: Port of Corpus Christi
What local government moved to stop development? Port Aransas
How did Port Aransas do this?
- An ordinance calling for a 60 day moratorium
- Potential to rezone parts of Harbor Island to prevent development
Who makes up the opposition? tourism industry, environmentalists
Mitigating factors? Port Aransas suffered damage to emergency services from Hurricane Harvey that have not been fully restored
CC BizNews | Port Aransas Approves Moratorium on Port Corpus Christi
New report. US Cyber Security Incidents.
WHO:
North American Electric Reliability Corp
WHAT:
“Lesson Learned” document on unprecedented cyber disruption during Spring of 2019
What do I need to know?
- utilities should add additional defenses beyond a firewall
- stay on top of firewall updates and firmware updates
- limit internet facing devices
- Use virtual private networks
- Use access control lists
- Segment your network
- Monitor your network
E&E News | Report reveals play-by-play of first U.S. grid cyberattack
SMU’s Maguire Energy Institute: 5 Reasons Texas Power Grid Needs Regulatory Help for Pricing
Who: Bernard L. Weinstein, Associate director of SMU’s Maguire Energy Institute
Why do Texas regulators need to address power pricing?
- Weather hot weather that is stressing the power grid.
- Population. Texas has a growing population that demands more power
- Wind reliant. Texas has a heavy reliance because tax incentives fuel investment in renewables
- More base load generation needed. Texas lacks an investment in base-load generation
- More cost recovery. “capacity payment” or “resiliency charge” should be able to be recaptured part of their fixed costs.
TribTalk | The straining Texas power grid needs some pricing help from regulators
Local Government Stops LNG Terminal in Texas
Where: Port of Corpus Christi
What local government moved to stop development? Port Aransas
How did Port Aransas do this?
- An ordinance calling for a 60 day moratorium
- Potential to rezone parts of Harbor Island to prevent development
Who makes up the opposition? tourism industry, environmentalists
Mitigating factors? Port Aransas suffered damage to emergency services from Hurricane Harvey that have not been fully restored
CC BizNews | Port Aransas Approves Moratorium on Port Corpus Christi
What is an insurance policy for renewable heavy grids?
What is a renewable energy grid insurance policy? reliable backup power generation
Why is this important?
- No wind impacts wind power and nuclear power
- Drought impacts hydropower
How have different places addressed this?
- Australia brought in temporary power solution of mobile gas turbines for a heatwave
What are the environmental impacts? 90% less nitrogen oxide & 20% less noise than high-speed diesel engines
Power | Developing an ‘Insurance Policy’ to Ensure Stability for Renewables-heavy Grids
Texas Dealmaker. Wind + Facebook.
Where: Texas’ Aviator Wind project
What: Facebook signed on for 200-megawatt
How big is the Aviator Wind Project? Projected to be the largest single site wind power in the nation
How much of Facebook’s power needs are encompassed by Aviator deal? 100%
Is this a trend? Yes. “A recent analysis from WoodMac and AWEA identified as much as 85 gigawatts of renewable energy demand within Fortune 1000 companies through 2030″
Green Tech Media | Facebook Signs 200MW Wind Deal With Apex Clean Energy in Texas
Anatomy of an EV Partnership: Utilities + Governments
Where: Scotland
What are the parameters for Scotland & utility EV deployment?
- 7.5 Million pound investment
- will include grid-tied EV charging points
- will include rural infrastructure upgrades to sustain EV charging stations
2 Reasons Utilities Win in Cannabis Legalization
How has energy use been impacted in the Pacific Northwest?
- new power demand ranging between 80-163 megawatts
- the Northwest Region accounts for approximately 21% of production within the U.S
- This includes Washington where 100% of legal cannabis is grown outdoors
What would be the total power demand in the US for cannabis growing and production:
- between 381 MW and 776 MW
Is this utility use impact other agricultural trends? Yes, local grown crops
Utility Dive Opinion | An unexpected twist to the cannabis revolution
Legislature Tosses Utility’s Multiyear rate plan
Where: North Carolina
What rate plan: SB 559 (2019 | NC) that established a rate case for 5 years
How did opponents argue against it?
- Biggest change in rate policy in 100 years
- Little to no stakeholder input
- The Utility Commision should study rate case and plan alternatives
Utility Dive | Controversial Duke multiyear rate plan upended in North Carolina House
New Report. High Voltage EV Chargers Lose MONEY
Who authored the report? Great Plains Institutes for the Midcontinent Transportation Electrification Collaborative.
What 2 factors most impact high voltage EV chargers?
- current economic atmosphere
- utility rates
What are 4 benefits of EVs to utilities?
- load growth opportunities
- without necessarily increasing coincidental load peaks
- minimize new investments in generation and distribution infrastructure
- actively match load with expanding renewable generation
3 Issues with a US-Mexico Pipeline
Where: South Texas marine pipeline running under the Gulf of Mexico from South Texas to the port of Tuxpan in northeastern Mexico
Who is raising issues against the pipeline? Mexico’s state owned utility
What issues are the utility raising?
- $900M in construction delays (original open date was fall 2018)
- reduce the capacity
- reduce usage rates it is charged under the contracts
The economic costs to Mexico:
- raising costs for industries that depend on gas-fired electric power
- the economy moves from contracting to low growth with a lack of private investment
- the ability to enter into contracts and continue existing contracts
Wall Street Journal | Legal Tussle Prevents $2.5 Billion Gas Pipeline to Mexico From Opening
Anatomy of a 1st of its kind Flood Water Commission
Where is the Flood Water Commission being established? South Carolina
Who called for the creation of the Flood Water Commission? Gov. Henry McMaster in October 2018 by Executive Order, modeling it after a system in the Netherlands
What stakeholders are brought together?
- government
- academia
- the military
- environmental groups
- nonprofits
3 goals of the Flood Water Commission:
- proactively mitigate disasters
- protect lives
- protect property
10 subcommittees of the Flood Water Commission:
- artificial reef systems
- living shoreline
- infrastructure and shoreline armoring
- smart river and dam security
- grid security
- landscape beautification and protection
- national security
- stakeholder engagement
- federal funding
- economic development
Columbia Star | South Carolina’s unique approach to battling disastrous flooding
No Federal Methane Rules = States Passing Methane Rules
Where do we find no methane state rules? Texas and North Dakota
How many states have enacted rules concerning methane? 6
- Colorado was first in 2014
- Ohio, Wyoming and California followed Colorado’s lead
- Pennsylvania began rule making process in December 2018
- New Mexico used Governor Executive Order to jump start the issue
What is industry saying?
- Industry has pressed for federal rules
- Industry has voluntarily cut methane emissions
E&E news | EPA may roll back methane rules. Will states fill the gap?
Making the Case for New Power Plants in Texas
Who is making this case? energy research fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
What are the arguments supporting new power plants in Texas?
- heatwave this week saw costs soar
- record electricity demand
- the alternative is a move a capacity-market style according to chief data analyst for commodities broker OTC Global Holdings
New Study: EV hacking = Blackout
Who conducted the research study? NYU Tandon’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
What did researchers discover?
- Policymakers must take steps to take steps “to protect the data generated between electric cars and charging stations”
Why? hacking EV chargers is easy and the fall out is city wide blackouts
Public Plug-in Electric Vehicles + Grid Data: Is a New Cyberattack Vector Viable? via Utility Dive
Anatomy of Government Backed funding of Charging Stations
Where: UK
What funding is being provided to install charging stations? support the on-street residential charge point at 1000 locations
How will the funding flow?
- funds go to local governments
- installation will fund chargers connected to existing infrastructure like utility poles and lamp posts
AirQuality News | Government doubles funding for on-street EV charge points
States Allow KW pricing for EVs
How many states allow for kilowatt pricing? 30
What is an example of Kwh state legislation? HB 329 (2019 | NC)
Who is left out of Kwh pricing? Tesla owners
How do the EV charging companies align on pricing regulations?
- Tesla prefers KwH pricing
- Chargepoint leaves pricing to the third party property owner on which their charger sits
- Electrify America and EVgo set their own pricing
- EVgo charges by charging duration
How have regulatory reacted when utilities enter EV charging? Left pricing untethered to cost of delivery
Electrek | 30 states allow kWh pricing, but non-Tesla EV drivers mostly miss benefits
Water v. Pipelines. When a Water Agency Blocks a Gas Pipeline
Where: Maryland
What happened?
- A Pipeline sued the state claiming eminent domain over public land under a river
- Maryland Board of Public Works voted unanimously, with the backing of 62 legislators, to deny the permit to dig under the Potomac
3 Points from Fuel Retailers on EV Infrastructure Projects
Who is in the Fuel Retailers camp?
- NATSO -truckstops and travel plazas
- National Association of Convenience Stores
- Society of Independent Gasoline Marketers of America
What 3 points are they making to legislators about EV infrastructure policy?
- encourage a vibrant, competitive market for alternative fueling
- support federal financial support to private entities & private investment in EV infrastructure
- concerned about efforts by electric utilities to charge all of their customers for the costs of electric vehicle infrastructure
Fuel Retailers’ Joint Statement on EV Charging Infrastructure Investment Policies
Regulatory TREND. Safety and Battery Storage.
Where: Arizona
What sparked a safety concern about battery storage? A fire at a battery storage facility on April 19, 2019
What issue did an Arizona regulator raise? that lithium ion battery storage create a unacceptable risk
3 goals of utility scale battery storage according to this Arizona utility commissioner:
- sustainable
- less risky
- do not utilize chemistries that have a potential to release hydrogen fluoride in the event of a fire or explosion
Petrochemical Product Ban at Airports
Where: SFO
What: No single use plastic bottles. Travelers will be required to bring refillable bottles and cups
What exceptions exist? flavored water is exempt
Is this based on a city ordinance? Yes, San Francisco’s ordinance approved in 2014 that bans the sale of plastic water bottles on city-owned property
San Francisco Chronicle | No fly zone: SFO bans sale of plastic water bottles
Distributed Networks + EV Chargers. Think of Partnerships & Policies Now.
What: urban chargers in a distributed network are used more with a lower cost of operation than one giant centralized charging hub
Who: Data Scientists at Stable determined the best location for chargers
How: Stable is a , a 10-person company with employees from:
What data set the conclusion supporting distributed EV chargers?
- installation costs
- available power
- real estate costs
- travel time for the given vehicle
- time to get back on the road to service customer
Anatomy of Climate Change Provisions in an EV Bill
Where: Congress
The legislation: S. 2302, the America’s Transportation Infrastructure Act,
The climate change provisions create a grant program for:
- “to strategically deploy electric vehicle charging infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, and natural gas fueling infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors that will be accessible to all drivers of electric vehicles, hydrogen vehicles, and natural gas vehicles.”
- $1 BILLION over 5 years
What partnerships open up? Grantees and Industry partnerships
Energy Manager Today | Senate Committee Green Lights Bipartisan EV Charging Funding Bill
Local Government Climate Initiatives by the numbers
265 local initiatives from January 2017 and April 2019
The top 10 cities are:
- Boston
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Minneapolis
- Washington, DC
- New York City
- Los Angeles
- Denver
- Austin, TX
- Portland, OR
Local government climate initiative trends:
- public and private sector collaboration
- engaging marginalized communities in energy efficiency
- time-of-sale policies that require sellers to disclose energy efficiency information prior to sale
Utility Dive | Few US cities on track to meet climate goals: ACEEE
Energy Storage Regulation: Installation
Where: California
Agency with oversight of energy storage installation: Contractors State License Board
Who would be permitted to install energy storage systems? C-10 electrical license which may not include all solar installation licenses
Opposition: California Solar and Storage Association
PV Magazine | California could restrict who can install energy storage
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter.
Great things are just around the corner!