July 12
Colorado Springs Utilities, NREL Partner on Grid Project
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
Colorado Springs Utilities has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy to pursue a project under which the public power utility will partner with NREL to test a section of its grid where a small-scale microgrid is planned for its Mesa Campus, which includes renewable energy sources such as solar, battery energy storage systems and a public EV charging station.
Duke Energy Florida is preparing to respond quickly and restore power faster before the 2024 hurricane season and has a comprehensive and flexible storm response plan in place. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has predicted an above-normal hurricane season with 17 to 25 named storms in 2024, including eight to 13 hurricanes, and four to seven of those to become major hurricanes.
Ameresco, Inc. has inked a deal with Snohomish County Public Utility District to construct a battery energy storage system (BESS). The storage system features a 20-year guaranteed capacity of 25 MW and 100 MWh. This would be the largest standalone battery project to date in the Pacific Northwest. The 25-year tolling agreement keeps Ameresco as the asset owner and Snohomish PUD as the exclusive customer of the project.
Consumers Energy said it expects to power 1,500 new fast-charging locations for EVs by the end of the decade. The forecast is part of Consumers Energy’s Transportation Electrification Plan that it is filing with state regulators. In the report, the energy provider shared successes stories of residential and business EV programs, vehicle charging at night to support the grid – and offered a plan for new rebates for battery-powered public EV chargers.
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Industry News
The sun showers us all with energy, but not everyone can put solar panels on their roofs to harness it for themselves. Enter community solar, an increasingly popular way to expand access to solar and help fix its equity issues. For the first time, evidence shows that it’s working. Community solar allows customers to reap electric bill savings by subscribing to a share of a local solar project, rather than installing their own array.
The Inflation Reduction Act turns two in August, and the potential impact of the legislation is increasingly coming into view as federal guidance is issued on the law’s provisions and its tax incentives increasingly spur private investment. So far this year, 41 major clean energy projects and $12.6 billion in private investment have been announced, according to business group E2.
In late May, the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration released its annual hurricane forecast. With record-high ocean temperatures and a La Niña weather pattern, the outlook is bleak. Tropical Storm Alberto, the first named storm of the season, caused deadly flooding in Mexico and Texas in late June. A week later, Hurricane Beryl formed in the Caribbean, becoming the earliest Category 5 hurricane ever recorded.
Homeowners across the country increasingly have access to a powerful carbon-cutting tool: electrification programs, which can make it cheaper for residents to ditch gas and fuel-oil appliances for super-efficient electric equipment. California in particular provides a lot of support, with funding offered by the state itself, utilities, community choice aggregators, cities and regional energy entities.
