September 21
AEP Ohio to Develop 900 MW of Solar, Wind
Top consumer smart grid news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
Member News
AEP took a first step on Wednesday toward developing 900 MW of renewable resources in Ohio, filing an amended long-term forecast with state regulators that finds $173 million in net benefits to Ohio customers through Renewable Energy Purchase Agreements, relative to what is available in the market. Such a volume of wind and solar would more than double the state's existing renewable resources, according to the NRDC.
The New York State Public Service Commission expanded the types of electric vehicles eligible to participate in Consolidated Edison’s electric vehicle charging program, SmartCharge NY. With the expansion, Con Edison will offer incentives to customers who charge medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicles during off-peak hours.
A survey of the DR programs offered by utilities in 2017 shows the resource is not only growing but also rapidly evolving. The 2018 Utility Demand Response Market Snapshot, a team effort by SEPA, Navigant and PLMA, shows a more holistic view of how the utility grid can most efficiently consume energy as its applications developed from being an emergency load reduction program.
Xcel Energy has long been a leader in renewable energy, investing in wind and solar even when they were not the cheapest alternatives. Today, however, the tables are turning. New wind and solar are often cheaper than existing coal generation. And Xcel is now moving to retire major coal plants and invest $2.5 billion in wind, solar and batteries to replace that generation — saving ratepayers up to $374 million.
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Industry News
The electricity sector is changing quickly. But transportation is making up a bigger share of carbon emissions — which means that zero-carbon commitments like California’s will have to tackle the mass electrification of cars, trucks, buses and other vehicles. The companies competing for the future market in replacing gas stations with EV chargers are eager to play their part.
A new survey by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) has found that many households face challenges paying energy bills and often forgo other necessities to do so. Specifically, 31 percent of U.S. households either had trouble paying their energy bills or were not able to sustain adequate heating and cooling in their homes, according to the EIA’s Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS), which cited 2015 data.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) opened on Monday the largest single-state solicitation of offshore wind in the U.S., for 1,100 MW of capacity. The BPU aims to act on applications by July 1, 2019. Federal investment tax credits for offshore wind developers are currently set to expire at the end of next year, and the BPU press release estimates tax credits could cover 12 percent of the total project's price tag.
New York State has launched a $5 million electric vehicle charging station rebate program designed to promote installations at private and public venues. The Charge Ready NY initiative, which officials said is administered by the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, provides a $4,000 rebate per charging port for public or private employers, building owners, municipalities and non-profit organizations to install Level 2 charging stations.
