RMEL eNews

You are receiving this email because of your affiliation with Alltricity Network (formerly RMEL)

Alltricity Network Report
  

From The Desk of Ken Wilmot (Alltricity Network Executive Director)

As we close another remarkable year in the electric utility industry, I am filled with pride and optimism for the road ahead. The challenges we face—advancing the energy transition, managing evolving technologies, and building a resilient workforce—are significant, but they bring tremendous opportunities to innovate, collaborate, and lead. In 2025, we look forward to continuing our partnership with you, delivering impactful education and networking opportunities for you and your teams.

Reflecting on 2024, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for your dedication, insights, and contributions—especially during this pivotal year as we rebranded from RMEL to the Alltricity Network. This new identity underscores our commitment to uniting and empowering the broader U.S. electric utility community, driving progress across the industry now and in the future. This vision, and the successes of the association, are a direct result of the exceptional Alltricity Network community. Thank you all!

I’d also like to thank the Alltricity Network Board of Directors, Education Committees, and the many members who hosted events this year. Your time, expertise, and dedication have been invaluable in fostering a network where members can learn, grow, and connect—both professionally and personally.

Wishing you a joyful holiday season filled with family, friends, and celebration. Thank you for your continued partnership in driving progress. Here’s to another year of innovation, growth, and impact—we can’t wait to connect with you in 2025!

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR THESE UPCOMING EVENTS IN 2025! 

We’re just one month away from 2025 and we already have a great slate of events coming up in the new year. Take a look at the educational and networking opportunities happening in early 2025, share them with colleagues who might be interested, and we hope to see you at one of these events soon!

Alltricity Network is also pleased to share that the dates and location have been finalized for both of the Association’s signature events:

Please visit the Alltricity Network Events and Education Calendar webpage for the most up-to-date list of offerings, including many newly added 2025 conferences and workshops. Our Education Committees, made up of Alltricity Network Members, strives to organize timely, relevant, 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!  

REMINDER! THE ALLTRICITY SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION 2025 SCHOLARSHIP IS OPEN

Applications Due Friday, February 7, 2025 | $1,500-$3,000+ Scholarship Awards!

During the end-of-year breaks is a great time for students to work on scholarship applications, and we highly encourage you to spread the word and share within your respective organizations and professional network. The deadline for students to apply is Friday, February 7, 2025. View the 2025 Scholarship Flyer or Access the scholarship application to learn more! 

If your company has built relationships with local universities and craft training colleges, the Alltricity Scholarship Foundation wants to complement those relationships with Alltricity Scholarship Foundation Scholarships! We are here to help engage young talent in your area and connect them to your company. Forward this email to your college/trade school/university academic contacts or send us their contact information - we'll do the rest!

The Alltricity Scholarship Foundation Auction is pleased to share that over $24,000 was raised at the 2024 Fall Convention in support of scholarships for the next generation of electric energy industry professionals. Thank you to our members for the corporate and individual cash donations that go directly toward the scholarship fund through the Named Scholarship program! Learn more about Named Scholarship Sponsor opportunities for your company.

CELEBRATE & RECOGNIZE AN EXCEPTIONAL COLLEAGUE BY NOMINATING THEM FOR THE 2025 EMERGING LEADER AWARD! 

Nominations Due Friday, January 31, 2025

Alltricity Network’s Emerging Leader Award recognizes and honors individual members who have made significant contributions within their organization and have demonstrated the potential for leadership and outstanding service for the electric utility industry. The nominee must have no less than 5 years of experience, and no more than 10 years’ experience within the industry. The 2025 award will be conferred at the 2025 Alltricity Network Management, Engineering & Operations Conference taking place May 5-7, 2025 in Dallas, TX. To learn more, submit a nomination form, and view the past recipient, visit the Emerging Leader Award webpage.  

ALLTRICITY NETWORK AS YOUR RESOURCE

As always, please consider Alltricity Network a resource for 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. 

Commonwealth Associates, Inc. - We partner. We understand. We deliver.
Commonwealth Associates, Inc. ®
We provide expert engineering and consulting services that enable a more reliable and resilient power system. Collaborating with diverse energy industry stakeholders, we tackle intricate energy engineering challenges. Our areas of expertise encompass Renewable Energy, Studies and Consulting, as well as Power Delivery and Power Generation.
 
For more information visit commonwealthassociates.com.
Advertisement
Education and Upcoming Events

Grounding Workshop & February Safety Roundtable - February 11-12, 2025 (Westminster, CO)

Introduction to the Electric Utility Workshop - February 19, 2025 (San Antonio, TX)

2025 Transmission & Substation Renewables Conference - March 19-20, 2025 (Westminster, CO)

2025 Alltricity Network Spring Management, Engineering, & Operations Conference - May 5-7, 2025 (Dallas, TX)

2025 Safety Conference - May 21-23, 2025 (Tempe, AZ)

2025 Alltricity Scholarship Foundation Golf Tournament - June 24, 2025 (Littleton, CO)

2025 Large Projects Conference - June 25-26, 2025 (Westminster, CO)

2025 Alltricity Network Fall Convention - September 29-October 1, 2025 (Kansas City, MO)

   
Burns & McDonnell
      
Meridian Cooperative
   
Alltricity Network Member Information
The association's trusted network is accessible on LinkedIn. Working side-by-side in a cooperative manner, Alltricity Network members band together for the common goal of bettering the industry and improving service for utility customers. For more than 120 years, these key principles have proven successful and, more importantly, are tried-and-true methods for building strong business relationships.
 
Alltricity Network Champions is a prestigious group of Alltricity Network supporters with access to useful and beneficial promotional opportunities. Thank you, 2024 Alltricity Network Champions!
Private LTE: Bridging the Data Gap in the Energy Transition
Black & Veatch Corporation®
Eager to use big data to improve operations and drive new business models, utilities are turning to AMI, sensors and intelligent devices.
But, with this technology comes big data to instantly gather, analyze and share across the enterprise, revealing a gap in the utility operation — the network. Download this ebook and explore lessons learned from real Black & Veatch LTE deployments.
Download Here
Advertisement
Industry Information
  
In its latest Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecast that electricity generation from U.S. hydropower plants in 2024 will be 13% less than the 10-year average, the least amount of electricity generated from hydropower since 2001.
With data center demand showing no sign of stopping, Texas A&M University System officials have taken the first steps to provide testing sites for next-generation nuclear reactors on land it owns, projecting that it will become the only higher education institution with a commercial reactor site license.
  
Carbon removal project developers Return Carbon and Verified Carbon are collaborating on a direct air capture facility that will run entirely on wind power, a feat the pair called a first for the sector. 
The incoming Trump administration and Republican-controlled Congress are unlikely to fully repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, but some changes to the landmark 2022 climate and infrastructure law are likely to be enacted in 2025 and phased in over the following years, digital tax credit marketplace Crux said in a post-election report. 
   
Futura Systems, Inc
      
FlexGen Power Systems, Inc.
   
Quaise and NGM are exploring additional decarbonization of the latter’s newly commissioned 200-megawatt (MW) solar power plant by using geothermal heat from NGM’s land and subsurface holdings to hybridize on-site power generation.
  
In the world of renewables, geothermal electrical generation is a giant in infancy, ready to be tapped. According to the Department of Energy (DOE) the US is projected to generate 90 gigawatts (GW) of electricity from geothermal sources by 2050. 
The company, which includes Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp among its brands, is releasing a request for proposals "to identify nuclear energy developers to help us meet our AI innovation and sustainability objectives".
  
The United States added a record-breaking 9.3 GW of new solar module manufacturing capacity in Q3 2024 via five new or expanded factories in Alabama, Florida, Ohio, and Texas. At the end of Q2 2022, prior to the passage of domestic manufacturing and procurement tax credits, the country’s module manufacturing capacity was less than 7 gigawatts (GW) – capacity has nearly quintupled since then, now nearing 40 GW. 
The company’s investment is in response to growing demand for transmission and distribution grid products as the U.S. makes progress on its renewable energy and decarbonization goals, the company stated.
Nisus Corporation: Better Science for Better Poles.
Nisus Corp®
Nisus manufactures QNAP® Copper Naphthenate, the only heavy-duty pole protection without an EPA Danger label and with a proven track record, as seen in over 1000 years of cumulative field-test data. QNAP has cleaner handling characteristics, is not a sensitizer, and, because it is EPA-labelled for residential landscaping and boiler fuel at end of pole life, it has more end-of-life disposal options. Best of all, it’s made right here in the United States.

Learn More
Advertisement
Member Announcements
The Coastal Bend Public Safety Radio Coalition, an alliance of South Texas first responders, is connecting to the Lower Colorado River Authority’s radio system to enhance regional emergency communications, creating one of the largest public safety emergency communications networks in Texas. The expanded network will enable the first responders to maintain continuous radio coverage during hurricane evacuations and other emergencies that take them outside the Coastal Bend.
Platte River Power Authority (Platte River) is partnering with its owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland on battery storage projects as the public power utility continues working toward a noncarbon energy future. A battery project will be installed in Estes Park and will be partially funded by a grant from the Department of Energy through the Colorado Department of Local Affairs.
 
Continuing as a leader in clean energy innovation, Austin Energy is partnering with Exceed Energy Inc. to pilot a first-of-its-kind advanced geothermal project near its Nacogdoches biomass-generating facility. The pilot is expected to be online and producing carbon-free electricity in 2025 and could signal the next green energy innovation in Texas.
  
CPS Energy has recently received two awards; one from The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) for its commitment to energy efficiency through its Casa Verde program and another from the U.S. Department of Labor’s HIRE Vets Medallion Program for its commitment to hiring and retaining veterans as part of its workforce. 
Arizona Public Service (APS), Salt River Project (SRP), Tucson Electric Power (TEP) and UniSource Energy Services announced plans to join Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) Markets+, a day-ahead and real-time energy market that is anticipated to span through the northwest, southwest and mountain west regions of the U.S. 
  
Arizona Public Service (APS) has signed agreements to add new energy supplies to its energy mix – APS’s largest-ever planned addition of new power sources. In all, APS will add nearly 7,300 megawatts (MW) of renewable power, battery energy storage and natural gas to meet the state's growing demand for energy. 
Xcel Energy is increasing its wildfire detection and mitigation efforts in the Texas Panhandle by introducing artificial intelligence to spot fires early. First responders and firefighters will have immediate access to this data, shortening response times.
White Paper
New research into the vulnerability of power grids served by weather-dependent renewable energy sources (WD-RESs) such as solar and wind paints a hopeful picture as various countries around the globe attempt to meet their climate emissions targets -- with the research showing grids with high penetration of WD-RESs tend to have reduced blackout intensities in the U.S.
As part of an effort to overcome the long-term energy-storage challenge, engineers have invented a water-soluble chemical additive that improves the performance of a type of electrochemical storage called a bromide aqueous flow battery.
A new study warns that current plans to achieve zero emissions on the grid by 2050 vastly underestimate the required investments in generation and transmission infrastructure. The reason: these plans do not account for climate change's impacts on water resources. Specifically, changes in water availability caused by climate change could decrease hydropower generation by up to 23% by the year 2050, while electricity demand could increase by 2%.