February 7
Con Edison Proposes Infrastructure Investments
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
Con Edison, which serves more than nine million customers in New York City and Westchester County, seeks state regulatory approval for an investment plan that includes support to increase electrification of buildings and transportation, funding to expand outreach for enrollment in energy affordability programs and investments to continue fortifying its energy systems against extreme weather events.
Salt River Project, Arizona Public Service and Tucson Electric Power announced that they will be working together to explore adding nuclear generation in Arizona. The utilities have been monitoring emerging nuclear technologies and have a shared interest in evaluating their potential to support growing energy needs in the state.
FirstEnergy has received an Emergency Recovery Award from the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) recognizing its efforts in restoring power to customers in northeast Ohio following a weather event in August 2024 bringing severe thunderstorms, wind and tornadoes. The company also received the Emergency Assistance Award for its support with the restoration efforts following Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Avangrid announced the signing of a short-term Power Purchase Agreement with American Municipal Power for a portion of the energy produced from Avangrid’s Blue Creek wind power project located in Ohio. Blue Creek is a 304-MW wind power project located in Van Wert and Paulding Counties in Northwest Ohio.
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Industry News
As temperatures dipped well below freezing last month in Asheville, North Carolina, the heat pumps at Sophie Mullinax’s house hummed along, keeping up just fine. The fact she was warm inside without a gas furnace while the outdoor temperature read 9 degrees Fahrenheit reaffirmed a core belief: “Electrification is better in almost every way you slice it.”
In Iowa, where agriculture drives the economy, Nick Peterson has heard the argument countless times: “You’re taking up prime farmland for energy production.” As strategic partnerships manager at Alliant Energy, Peterson understands the pushback. But he sees a different future – one where solar arrays and agriculture coexist productively on the same land.
The United States should deploy 10 million distributed energy storage installations and reach 700 GWh in total deployed storage capacity to meet its energy needs by 2030, the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) said. SEIA also released a national state energy storage policy guide that includes current statutory procurements and deployment targets, state and utility incentives, demonstration programs and consumer protections for energy storage.
Nearly $2.1 trillion was invested in the global energy transition in 2024 – the highest-ever annual amount. Last year’s total energy-transition investment was 11 percent higher than in 2023 and more than double what was spent in 2020, per BloombergNEF. Most of this money is flowing into two energy-transition sectors: electrified transportation and clean energy.
