March 25
AES Ohio Joins National Electric Highway Coalition
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
AES Ohio joined the National Electric Highway Coalition (NEHC), a collaboration of electric companies organized around the common goal of deploying EV fast-charging infrastructure to support the growing number of EVs and to help ensure the transition to EVs is seamless for drivers. Originally spearheaded in the spring of 2021 by Ameren and with support from the Edison Electric Institute, the NEHC includes more than 60 investor-owned and municipal electric companies and electric cooperatives.
When it comes to offering unique programs and key opportunities for upgrades, the utility industry has typically seen the lowest hanging fruit at commercial buildings or with homeowners in the residential sector. These customers own and operate their buildings, they are the ones solely paying the power bills, and they have the authority (and often the means) to invest in upgrades like efficiency improvements, on-site generation and energy storage and more.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) recently announced an initiative to partner with communities in portions of the seven-state region and help provide equitable access to technology. TVA said its Connected Communities will fund several proposed pilot projects that leverage cutting-edge technologies to address select challenges, including broadband access, environmental risk monitoring, digital literacy training and next-generation career options.
Duke Energy Florida will deploy Itron’s DER Optimizer solution to run its new managed EV charging program. The DER Optimizer, which allows utilities to manage and monitor residential EV charging programs, will provide credits for EV owners to charge their vehicles during off-peak hours. Itron is integrating with a comprehensive EV telematics platform provided by Rolling Energy Resources, which connects to cars through their native APIs.
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Industry News
Virtual Peaker announced the launch of WatterSaver, a pilot program with Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) that incentivizes customers on a time-of-use (TOU) rate to heat water when electricity prices are lower. The goal of the behind-the-meter thermal storage program is to provide up to 2.5 MW of peak-load reduction by the end of 2025.
When it went online this week, American Electric Power’s (AEP) Traverse Wind Energy Center in north central Oklahoma became North America’s largest single wind farm, providing 998 MW of power to customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma. Built at one time, the facility consists of 356 turbines. It is expected to generate 3.8 million MW-hours annually for two AEP subsidiaries: the Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO) and Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO).
The share of U.S. power generation from renewable generation will reach 44 percent by 2050, according to projections from the Energy Information Administration (EIA). The projected increase, from 21 percent in 2021 to 44 percent in 2050, will mainly come from new wind and solar power resources, according to the EIA’s most recent Annual Energy Outlook 2022.
The future of home energy lies in getting solar panels, backup batteries, electric vehicle chargers and all-electric heaters and appliances working together smoothly to balance the grid. San Francisco-based startup Span wants to provide the master control platform to make that happen, starting with its smart electrical panels. On Tuesday, Span closed a $90 million Series B fundraising round to fuel that business plan.
