November 18
SnoPUD Completes Microgrid and Clean Energy Center
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
Washington State’s Snohomish County PUD recently hosted a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the completion of its Arlington Microgrid and Clean Energy Center. The project is located near the Arlington Airport and demonstrates multiple uses of energy storage, including utility-scale battery energy storage, residential battery energy storage and vehicle-to-grid charging systems.
In a move meant to encourage EV adoption, a new daytime charging tariff from Arizona Public Service Company (APS) was approved by regulators at the Arizona Corporation Commission this week. The move sets up two schedule slots: off-peak and on-peak hours. Off-peak hours run from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., when solar energy production is at its highest, while on-peak hours cover the remainder of the day when electric generation tends to be more costly.
Hotter summers with temperatures that exceed the design limits of equipment like transformers and conductors and that boost HVAC loads to historically unprecedented system peaks; winter icing that leads to higher incidents of widespread outages; and increased vegetation density that endangers T&D infrastructure are some of the risks that could impact Chicago-based ComEd in the coming years.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Board of Directors recently approved a pilot program to determine if closed coal ash sites are suitable for utility-scale solar projects. Pending environmental reviews and regulatory approval, the $216 million pilot project would explore an innovative approach to repurpose a closed coal ash site at the Shawnee Fossil Plant to advance TVA’s clean energy efforts.
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Industry News
Most U.S. car buyers aren’t getting a fair deal on the loans they take out to buy EVs, according to Alex Liegl, Co-Founder and CEO of electric-vehicle financing startup Tenet – and he’s got the data to back it up. For example, why don’t loans take into account the federal tax credits and state and utility incentives you get when you buy an EV?
Diversity and inclusion programs not only help companies expand their workforce, but also provide energy companies with the ability to give their communities a voice, panelists said during the opening day of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) Annual Meeting in New Orleans on Sunday.
The Colorado Energy Office launched a public awareness and education campaign Monday to answer residents’ questions about buying, owning and driving electric vehicles. The effort involves a website, social media outreach and materials for the state’s project partners to use. Those partners include the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association, Xcel Energy, the Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Drive Electric Colorado and the non-profit Drive Clean Colorado.
Home sellers and real estate agents in Montpelier, Vermont are adjusting to the city’s new home energy labeling ordinance, but most appear to be complying. Since the mandate went into effect on July 1, 49 home energy labels have been created, about as many as one would expect in a small municipality where around 100 homes sell annually.
