January 13
ComEd Deploys New Customer Assistance Programs
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
ComEd recently announced three new assistance programs that will raise awareness of available options, offer monthly credits and distribute donations from company staff. These will take the form of the Catch Up and Save program, Fresh Start Services and Your Neighbor Fund. Their deployment followed interviews with more than two dozen community stakeholders and a study that marked a first-of-its-kind foray from an energy company.
The Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative (SECC) announced that four new utility industry executives have been named to the organization’s Board of Directors. SECC’s governing board is comprised of 18 members who represent utilities, technology companies, consumer advocacy organizations, consulting firms and other industry stakeholders, along with SECC’s president and legal counsel.
Omaha Public Power District is using a $3.46 million grant from the Nebraska Environmental Trust to build a solar power plant at a former landfill site. The proposed OPPD-Douglas County SOLUS – for Solar on Landfills Utility Scale – project is a joint effort between OPPD and Douglas County and is sited on the Douglas County State Street landfill, a 160-acre parcel of land in Omaha.
Uplight is partnering with Rolling Energy Resources (RER) on a solution that enables utilities to best engage with electric vehicle customers and manage grid load. As an influx of EVs hit the road and the grid, there is a growing need for utilities to be able to identify EVs on their network and engage owners to manage charging patterns effectively. This will both save consumers money and optimize grid resources.
Get Your Weekly Edition
Industry News
To guide energy industry policy and develop market scaling for the technology involved, several technology companies formed the Virtual Power Plant Partnership (VP3). Google Nest and General Motors are providing initial funds for the effort, and founding members include Ford, OhmConnect, SPAN, Sunrun, Virtual Peaker and others, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute.
As part of President Joe Biden’s goal to cut greenhouse gas emissions, the administration released a plan to decarbonize transportation Tuesday. The U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization would bring together the Departments of Energy, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and the EPA to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector by 2050.
Samsung’s SmartThings smart home energy management system is the first mass-market system to be ENERGY STAR certified, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said last Wednesday. Such systems help homeowners manage their energy use by integrating a range of smart appliances, including electric vehicle chargers and electric water heaters.
Taking its cues from a successful program in Connecticut, Rhode Island is poised to launch a new initiative to deploy solar and reduce electricity costs in homes owned by low- to moderate-income residents. The Rhode Island Commerce Corporation recently issued a request for proposals from solar companies interested in partnering on the initiative, called Affordable Solar Access Pathways.
