June 23
ComEd Exceeded 2022 Savings Goals
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
According to an independent evaluation of ComEd’s Energy Efficiency Program, the utility successfully helped save customers more than 11 million MWh of electricity last year, equating to nearly $1.3 billion saved on electric bills. These were the findings from the consultant firm Guidehouse, which provided the annual evaluation and also found that beneficial electrification measures enabled by the Climate and Equitable Jobs (CEJA) helped customers save more than 12,000 additional MWh of energy.
New York City’s biggest battery system is about to enter into service – just in time to alleviate stress on the electric grid from millions of whirring air-conditioners and spinning fans during the summer season. Con Edison said it will flip the switch next week on a 7.5 MW/30 MWh battery system in Staten Island. The system will fill up with grid power at night when demand is typically low and electricity is less expensive.
Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are being installed at a quickening pace, but not rapidly enough to meet federal policy goals, according to a report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Using data from the Department of Energy’s Alternative Fueling Station Locator, the report provides a snapshot of the state of EV charging infrastructure in the fourth quarter of 2022.
By 2026, Ameren Missouri hopes to acquire or build approximately 550 MW of solar energy through four new projects, meaning enough renewable energy to provide for more than 95,000 average residential homes. It would be the largest-to-date solar investment by the Ameren Corporation subsidiary and greatly advance its overall long-term generation transformation plan.
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Industry News
The first quarter of 2023 marked the second straight quarter of slowing growth in energy storage installations, according to a report released last Wednesday by the consulting firm Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association. The consulting firm attributed the decline to supply chain problems and backlogs of wind and solar projects in interconnection queues.
As automotive manufacturers pour billions of dollars into their electrification strategies and roll out new EVs, new-vehicle buyer consideration is increasing, albeit slowly, according to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Electric Vehicle Consideration (EVC) Study. This year’s study reveals that 26 percent of shoppers say they are “very likely” to consider purchasing an EV, up from 24 percent a year ago.
A coast-to-coast EV road relay recently stopped in Cleveland and highlighted the need for equity in the transition to EVs. Drive Electric Northeast Ohio welcomed the Route Zero Road Trip for its June 11 stop at the new headquarters of the Cleveland Foundation. The foundation chose the location to promote equitable growth in the Midtown and Hough neighborhoods, a historically redlined area where a majority of residents are Black.
This summer, as much as two-thirds of the United States could be in danger of electricity outages should temperatures drift higher than normal, according to a forecast by the nation’s electrical grid oversight body. The 2023 summer forecast from the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) shows that large swaths of the West, South, Central Plains, Upper Midwest, New England and Texas could face blackouts if soaring temperatures strain electrical generation capacity.
