January 29
PSE Sets Net-Zero Carbon Emissions Goal
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
Puget Sound Energy (PSE) officially joined the legion of energy companies recognizing and working to combat climate change this week through a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2045 and help other sectors enable carbon reductions in Washington. The roadmap to getting there includes reducing emissions from PSE’s electric and gas operations, as well as its electric supply, to net zero by 2030.
Last week, New York utility Con Edison launched its latest effort to smooth the way for customers to install rooftop solar — and to feed the utility's growing hunger for data on how that solar can be integrated into its grid. The tool it’s using, built by Arlington, Va.-based ConnectDER, is a meter collar adapter that plugs into the socket where electrical meters connect to buildings.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on Wednesday approved a settlement authorizing Public Service Electric and Gas to invest $166 million in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, though the utility will not install or own any chargers. The six-year make-ready program is expected to support installation of 40,000 residential chargers, 3,500 commercial chargers and 1,000 Direct Current Fast Chargers.
Solar United Neighbors and Dominion Energy don’t often harmonize in Virginia, so it’s worth noting when the nonprofit sings some praises for the utility behemoth’s rollout this month of a peak-shaving pilot program designed to ramp up renewable-generated electricity by clamping down on fossil fuels. The big picture behind the four-year time-of-use pilot is to motivate participants to consume the bulk of their electricity during off-peak windows.
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Industry News
America's electric, gas and water utilities provide essential services and have worked tirelessly to keep the lights on during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic. Many utilities have taken steps to suspend customer disconnection efforts for nonpayment of utility bills. As the pandemic continues, a balanced approach is necessary to help customers keep their power on without accumulating unmanageable arrearages.
Burlington, Vermont’s municipal utility is looking to expand a year-old program meant to make it easier for residents to buy an electric vehicle. Burlington Electric launched its Preferred Electric Vehicle Dealer Network last January as part of the city’s effort to eliminate fossil fuel use in heating and transportation by 2030. The program promotes car dealers that agree to keep vehicles in stock, train employees and process point-of-sale rebates.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz recently proposed a series of policies that would bring the state to 100-percent carbon-free electricity by 2040, a decade earlier than the goal he proposed in 2019. His proposed policy goals follow a report from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency issued earlier this month, finding the state is not on track to meet its previous goals.
President Joe Biden signed a sprawling set of executive orders on Wednesday ordering federal agencies to procure carbon-free energy and electric vehicles, spur commercialization of clean energy technologies, accelerate clean energy generation and transmission projects and ensure that disadvantaged communities get a fair share of the ensuing economic and environmental benefits.
