March 5
TVA, IOUs Unveil Plan to Add EV Fast Chargers
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
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The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and five investor-owned utilities announced a plan to ensure that EV drivers have access to a seamless network of charging stations connecting major highway systems from the Atlantic Coast, through the Midwest and South and into the Gulf and Central Plains regions. The plan was unveiled by the Electric Highway Coalition, which consists of TVA and AEP, Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, Entergy and Southern Company.
A group of investors led by Schneider Electric and Huck Capital has agreed to invest in closely held Uplight that will value the utility software company at about $1.5 billion. Schneider and Huck said they are partnering with existing investor AES Corporation and a group consisting of Coatue Management and Inclusive Capital Partners on the investment. Rubicon Technology Partners, which formed Uplight with AES through the merger of six companies, will also remain a minority investor.
Duke Energy has started construction on the Broad River Solar power plant, a 50 MW facility in Cleveland County, North Carolina. The facility – owned and operated by Duke Energy Renewables – will contain more than 170,000 solar panels across approximately 500 acres near Boiling Springs. The facility is expected to be in operation by the end of 2021 and power about 12,500 homes.
San Antonio-based utility CPS Energy formally launched a request for proposals for conservation and energy efficiency programs to develop the next phase of its Save for Tomorrow Energy Plan. CPS Energy said the severe impact of February’s historic winter weather storm in Texas demonstrates the relationship between year-round conservation and energy efficiency programs that enhance our community’s energy reliability.
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Industry News
Vermont has had a contentious relationship with wind power – projects there have faced fierce local opposition over land use, aesthetics and other concerns. A New England startup is betting its small turbines will be an easier sell in the state, offering a potential complement or alternative to rooftop solar but with a much lower profile than conventional wind farm blades.
More than 2,100 MWh of energy storage systems came online in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2020, marking a 182-percent increase over the previous quarter and setting a new record for the industry, according to a report from Wood Mackenzie and the U.S. Energy Storage Association. In total, 1,464 MW/3,487 MWh of new storage came online in the country last year — 179 percent more than 2019 in MW terms.
Volvo Cars said Tuesday it planned to become a “fully electric car company” by the year 2030, with all sales of the firm’s pure electric models set to move online. In order to meet its target, the company will look to remove cars with internal combustion engines – including hybrids – from its global offering by the end of the decade. The Chinese-owned automotive giant launched its first all-electric car last year.
Kansas City plans to piggyback EV charging on existing streetlights as a way to improve access in areas currently lacking charging options. The federally funded pilot project is being led by the nonprofit Metropolitan Energy Center, whose partners include the city and utility Evergy. They hope to install chargers on 30 to 60 streetlights before the end of the year.
