April 21
DNV Releases Annual Survey of Over 400 Trade Allies
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
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Trade allies are the lifeblood of utility energy programs, linking residential and commercial customers to the programs that drive electrification and clean energy. In late 2022, DNV conducted their fifth annual survey of trade allies participating in North America based energy programs. With feedback from over 400 trade allies, DNV has unearthed insights on emerging trends in the energy industry through the eyes of those in the field.
Officials from SRP, Plus Power LLC and the City of Avondale met this past week for a ceremonial groundbreaking to kick off construction mobilization at the new large-scale battery facility Sierra Estrella Energy Storage. The facility will store up to 250 MW, or 1,000 MWh, and will be the largest standalone battery facility built in Arizona once online in 2024.
Rising loads associated with EV charging will begin to stress the power grid over the next few years, and a three-year initiative by EPRI aims to ease the electric transition. EVs2Scale2030 will launch in June to develop a timeline of anticipated EV loads down to the distribution circuit level, along with processes and tools to help standardize the interconnection and serving of new transportation loads.
Diversity in ComEd’s supply chain continued to grow last year with the investment of $963 million – 43 percent of its total supply chain spending – into businesses owned by women, minorities and veterans, with $651 million going to Illinois-based businesses. This brought the company’s spending on diverse suppliers to $7.4 billion since 2012, according to a report submitted to the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) last week.
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Industry News
Two-thirds of new light-duty vehicles sold in the U.S. by 2032 could be electric vehicles if the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s new proposed standards go into effect, bringing benefits and challenges to cities nationwide. But EV sales are growing rapidly, putting pressure on municipalities and the private sector to provide the charging infrastructure necessary to meet the upcoming demand.
Heat pumps, induction stoves and other electric devices are increasingly seen as key to a clean energy future. And most new homes have electric service robust enough to handle them. But older homes were not designed for big electrical loads, and millions will require updates before those new appliances can be safely plugged in.
A federal appeals court has tossed out Berkeley, California’s pioneering legislation to ban fossil gas hookups in new buildings. But the ruling, which came Monday, isn’t expected to affect most other policies adopted by U.S. cities and states to limit gas consumption in new homes, offices and commercial buildings, experts say.
The transition to transportation electrification so critical to U.S. net-zero emissions ambitions may depend on better utility strategies to manage vehicle charging, power system analysts said. Electric vehicles were under one percent of U.S. light duty vehicles in 2022, according to J.D. Power, but were seven percent of new vehicle sales, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation reported March 23.
