RMEL eNews
Alltricity Network Report
  

From RMEL Executive Director Rick Putnicki

MANY THANKS FOR MAKING RMEL’S 2023 SPRING CONFERENCE IN KANSAS CITY A SUCCESS!

As May comes to a close, RMEL has wrapped up another successful 2023 Spring Management, Engineering, and Operations Conference. A huge thank you to the speakers, moderators, attendees, tabletop sponsors, RMEL Board, RMEL Education Committee Members, and the RMEL Foundation who all worked so hard to make sure the conference was engaging, educational, and fun! 325 attendees representing our industry came to Kansas City to connect in-person to network, share experiences, attend educational sessions, and learn from the candid roundtable discussions…and enjoy a little Kansas City BBQ as well! 

If you didn’t get a chance to join us at the Spring Conference, you will have the opportunity to view most of the sessions on demand! We recorded audio and presentation slides for the majority of the Generation, Transmission & Distribution, and Management track sessions. These on demand videos will be available at www.rmel.org soon. Take a look at the 2023 Spring Conference brochure to get more details on the topics and descriptions for each session.

SAVE THE DATE FOR RMEL’S 2023 FALL CONVENTION – JOIN US SEPTEMBER 11TH – 13TH IN TEMPE, AZ!

Attend RMEL’s premier event for electric energy leadership and connect with 250 of your electric utility industry peers for lively and enjoyable discussions centered on a program focused on strategically addressing today’s top challenges facing our electric utilities. Here’s what you can expect at this year’s Fall Convention:

  • Elite Convention Speakers - RMEL is building a phenomenal line-up of influential and thought-provoking industry leader speakers to make this an effective and inspiring convention that you won't want to miss.
  • Meet Other Industry Leaders - C-Suite Executives along with Directors, Managers, and emerging professionals, will all be there!
  • Build your Professional Network - The networking opportunities have earned an exceptional reputation due to the decision-makers and thought leaders in attendance. RMEL is committed to providing a relaxed and productive forum for our members. The focus of the Fall Convention is on value, substance, and making connections.
  • Dedicated Networking Opportunities - A golf outing, receptions and meals, a RMEL Foundation silent auction, and networking breaks will provide valuable opportunities to connect with your industry peers.     

Exciting program details will be announced soon, and you can expect a solid lineup that will include keynotes, the popular CEO Panel, RMEL Foundation Auction, and more. We look forward to seeing you there!

2023 FALL CONVENTION KEYNOTE SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED!

Hot off the heels of such inspiring and insightful keynote speakers from the 2023 RMEL Spring Conference, we are thrilled to share both the 2023 RMEL Fall Convention keynote speakers have been announced! Read more about the keynote speakers below.

Day 1 Keynote Speaker (Tuesday, September 12th): Peter Zeihan, Geopolitical Strategist & Global Affairs Expert

With a lively non-partisan approach backed by a decade in private intelligence, Zeihan shows the audience exactly why their world is changing fast—and how they can get ahead of it. Zeihan illustrates how geography redefines global power, how demographics doom the current trade order, and how America’s energy revolution has fundamentally shifted global realities from Russia to Iran to China.

Day 2 Keynote Speaker (Wednesday, September 13th): Vibhas Ratanjee, Subject Matter Expert and Global Practice Leader for Leadership Development – Gallup

Vibhas specializes in organizational development, culture change, M&A integration and executive-level engagement strategies including strengths-based leadership and succession management. Vibhas is also an executive coach and a leadership consultant to senior executives and CEOs. Vibhas is one of Gallup’s foremost practice leaders on leadership development and succession planning and has consulted with CEO’s and Boards globally. Prior to joining Gallup in 2000, Vibhas spent six years with various consulting and research companies working in the areas of employee engagement, leadership, customer experience and brand management.

RMEL FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNAMENT

Tuesday, June 27th, 2023 | Arrowhead Golf Club, Littleton, Colorado

Golf for a GREAT cause! Due to the generosity of organizations purchasing golf tournament sponsorships to benefit the RMEL Foundation scholarship program, the 2023 tournament is on the verge of selling out. If you are still interested in playing, please call the RMEL office at (303)-865-5544 to have your name added to our wait list. Often times the sponsors are looking for players to fill their foursomes.  

The Annual Golf Tournament benefits the RMEL Foundation scholarship program. The RMEL Foundation provides scholarships to deserving and qualified university/college students focused on engineering or curriculum related to the electric energy industry with the intent of encouraging students to pursue a career in the electric energy industry. The Foundation also provides scholarships to those pursuing an electric industry position certificate or associate degree at a college (community college, four-year college, or a four-year university). The RMEL Foundation was incorporated in 1999 and is a 501(c)3 organization. View the brochure to learn more.

RMEL'S UPCOMING EDUCATIONAL CONFERENCES & WORKSHOPS

We will continue to offer additional events in the months leading up to the 2023 Fall Convention in September. Please visit the RMEL Events and Education Calendar webpage for the most up-to-date list of offerings, and reference the below Upcoming Event List in this newsletter to learn more and register. Our Education Committees, made up of RMEL Members, strives to organize timely, important, and thoughtful educational and networking events, and we are looking forward to a full year of these opportunities curated by our members, for our members. We hope to see you soon at an upcoming event!   

RMEL AS YOUR RESOURCE

As always, please consider RMEL a resource to you and your organization. Please share those development opportunities with your peers, workgroups, and your professional network! Also, do not hesitate to reach out to us with topics or workshops you would deem beneficial to our industry. 

Thank you and enjoy the start of Summer! GO NUGGETS! 

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Education and Upcoming Events

2023 RMEL FOUNDATION GOLF TOURNAMENT – June 27th, 2023 (Littleton, CO). 

AUGUST 2023 SAFETY ROUNDTABLE – August 10th, 2023 (Lakewood, CO).

2023 RMEL FALL CONVENTION – September 11th – September 13th, 2023 (Phoenix, AZ). Stay tuned for more event details and information coming!

   
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Alltricity Network Member Information
RMEL's trusted network is now accessible on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. These are forums intended for RMEL members only. Working side-by-side in a cooperative manner, RMEL members band together for the common goal of bettering the industry and improving service for utility customers. For more than 100 years, these key principles have proven successful and, more importantly, are tried and true methods for building strong business relationships.
 
RMEL Champions is a prestigious group of RMEL supporters with access to useful and beneficial promotional opportunities. Thank you, 2022 RMEL Champions!
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Resources should be adequate to meet normal summer peak demand, but “if summer temperatures spike and become more widespread, the U.S. West, Midwest, Texas and Southeast United States, New England and Ontario may experience resource shortfalls,” NERC concluded.
U.S. power prices have been lower in 2023 than 2022 due to lower natural gas prices and modest power demand, and it will be important to watch coal-fired power plant retirements and hydropower capacity in the western U.S. going forward, said S&P Global Commodity Insights power market analysts.
  
The Department of the Interior announced that representatives from the seven Colorado River Basin states have agreed to submission of a Lower Basin, consensus-based system conservation proposal.
This is the latest development in efforts to protect the stability and sustainability of the Colorado River System, intended to address ongoing severe drought conditions and a changing climate in the Colorado River Basin. 
This funding will strengthen tribal communities by supercharging their access to solar power and microgrids, increasing energy security and resilience, and powering unelectrified tribal buildings. These investments bring our nation closer to the Biden-Harris Administration's goal to enhance tribal energy sovereignty and reduce energy costs for American families as we head towards a clean energy future. 
  
More than $1.7 trillion will be invested in clean energy, including renewables, EVs and nuclear in 2023, while slightly more than $1 trillion will be spent on oil, gas and coal, according to projections by the International Energy Agency. Solar is the “star performer,” with more than $1 billion a day expected to go into solar in investments in 2023, and $380 billion for the year, “edging this spending above that in upstream oil for the first time,” the IEA said in a report.
Investment in clean energy technologies is significantly outpacing spending on fossil fuels as affordability and security concerns triggered by the global energy crisis strengthen the momentum behind more sustainable options. About USD 2.8 trillion is set to be invested globally in energy in 2023, of which more than USD 1.7 trillion is expected to go to clean technologies - including renewables, electric vehicles, nuclear power, grids, storage, low-emissions fuels, efficiency improvements and heat pumps - according to the IEA's latest World Energy Investment report. 
  
The added capacity represents a 7% increase from the end of 2022, according to an S&P Global Commodity Insights report using government filings. The data include facilities that began commercial operation or were synchronized to the grid.
Member Announcements
  
Omaha Public Power District is proud to share we’ve earned an honorable distinction for our commitment to proper urban forest management, including tree planting and care in our service territory. The Arbor Day Foundation has named OPPD a Tree Line USA Utility for the 23rd year. Tree Line USA, a partnership between the Arbor Day Foundation and the National Association of State Foresters, recognizes public and private utilities for pursuing best practices that protect and cultivate America's urban tree canopy.
Xcel Energy is proposing to add an additional 250-megawatt solar project near the existing Sherco plant site in Becker, Minnesota, which will soon be home to the Upper Midwest’s largest solar development and represents an important piece of the company’s clean energy future.
  
Tucson Electric Power and the City of Tucson have signed a letter of intent to work toward powering 100 percent of city operations with renewable energy. The letter reflects progress made since Susan Gray, TEP’s President and CEO, pledged on Jan. 23 to begin discussions of a clean energy supply agreement with the city. 
CPS Energy’s headquarters has been recognized with the first-ever Build San Antonio Green (BSAG) commercial retrofit certification. The CPS Energy headquarters building is the first BSAG Commercial Retrofit over 200,000 square feet and the first major renovation of two existing buildings. This certification, known as a level 2, signifies CPS Energy’s headquarters being ten percent or over projected energy savings over code. 
  
The YP Network is dedicated to professional development, entrepreneurship, community service, and networking. It creates and fosters connections between its members and local businesses and organizations and welcomes all professionals between the ages of 21 and 40. 
The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development and system improvement. Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity. NPPD is among 271 of over 2000 public power utilities nationwide that hold the RP3 designation, and NPPD was originally honored in 2017 for the first time.
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Scientists at Rice University's George R. Brown School of Engineering have developed a readily scalable method to optimize prelithiation, a process that helps mitigate lithium loss and improves battery life cycles by coating silicon anodes with stabilized lithium metal particles (SLMPs).
Researchers have developed a solar-powered technology that converts carbon dioxide and water into liquid fuels that can be added directly to a car's engine as drop-in fuel. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, harnessed the power of photosynthesis to convert CO2, water and sunlight into multicarbon fuels -- ethanol and propanol -- in a single step. These fuels have a high energy density and can be easily stored or transported.
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