July 31
CPS Energy Kicks Off Search for Over 1 GW of Clean Resources
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
CPS Energy wants to replace aging fossil-fueled generation with more than a gigawatt of solar, energy storage and flexible capacity, and it’s asking for ideas on how to get there. A request for information released this week is the opening step toward meeting CPS’ “Flexible Path” plan, which calls for an 80 percent non-carbon-emitting energy portfolio by 2040 and reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.
The coronavirus pandemic has heightened the need to electrify the nation’s transportation system in a way that benefits Black, Latinx and other communities bearing the brunt of air pollution, a consumer advocacy group says. The Citizens Utility Board of Illinois in a new paper calls for making sure polluted, lower-income neighborhoods have access to affordable electric car, bike and scooter-sharing services. It also suggests making EV ownership more accessible by leveraging the growing number of used electric cars that are being swapped out after being leased.
The California Public Utilities Commission on Monday issued a proposed decision that would authorize Southern California Edison (SCE) to invest $442 million to, among other things, deploy approximately 40,600 electric vehicle charge ports in its service area. If approved, the proposal will enable SCE to meet its portion of California’s broader need for EV charging infrastructure, Miles Muller, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council's climate and clean energy program, told Utility Dive.
Customers of Ameren Illinois could gain up to $700 to help them pay energy bills during the era of COVID-19 as part of an $8 million bill payment assistance program known as Fresh Start. The goal is to reduce or eliminate past-due account balances as people struggle to make ends meet during the pandemic. Fresh Start launched on July 9 for qualified customers, with income qualifications based on family size. “This has been a very difficult stretch for many of our customers,” Richard Mark, Chairman and President of Ameren Illinois, said. “While we’re seeing some indications that the economy is improving and people are getting back to work, the need for assistance remains high.”
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Industry News
An Illinois program to help older adults install new energy-saving technology and provide job training for high school students has gone virtual for now, with advocates hoping to resume once the coronavirus pandemic subsides. The Smart Technology Mentors Program was designed as a 12-month pilot running from January to December of this year. But the pandemic required significant changes, including eliminating onsite visits, focus groups and other forms of person-to-person contact.
California is readying what could be the next game-changing update to its building performance standards. Building performance standards have been saving Californians energy and money for four decades. Occasionally, updates to the standards, which are strengthened every three years, yield a breakthrough. In 2019, the beneficiary was solar, with regulators approving a requirement for rooftop PV arrays on most new homes in the state. In 2022, the game-changer is likely to be new rules to tip the market toward all-electric new construction.
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the state’s investor-owned electric utilities are working together to increase access to energy efficiency and clean energy solutions for low-to-moderate-income households and affordable multifamily buildings. The partnership will result in cleaner and healthier indoor air and more affordable energy options for households. The initiative will more than double the number of low-to-moderate-income households and multifamily buildings receiving energy efficiency services.
Last fall, community choice aggregators serving three Northern California counties announced plans to deploy thousands of solar-battery systems to provide backup power to residents facing the threat of fire-prevention blackouts. Now they’ve picked Sunrun, the leading U.S. rooftop solar installer and behind-the-meter battery aggregator, to get it done. Under the deal, Sunrun will install up to 20 megawatts of solar-battery systems for about 6,000 homes served by East Bay Community Energy, Peninsula Clean Energy and Silicon Valley Clean Energy.
