RMEL eNews

Alltricity Network Report

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/rme-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=708697&issueID=82081 to view the full article online.

Commonwealth delivers a wider range of services than ever before…

Fire Hardening, Drone Services, Tower Modeling, Owners Engineering, T-Line Design, Substation Design, Protection & Controls, Commissioning, Compliance, Project Development, Safety & Site Security, Planning Studies, Land & Right-of-Way, Power Flow Studies, Environmental & Permitting

Learn More!

Education and Upcoming Events

Visit https://www.naylornetwork.com/rme-nwl/articles/index.asp?aid=708705&issueID=82081 to view the full article online.

Alltricity Network Member Information

Join RMEL's Groups on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook

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 2021 RMEL Champions!

Visit https://bit.ly/2QtVZrJ to view the full article online.

Are Your Wood Poles Protected Against Fire?

Fires in the United States have been increasing in size, damage, and cost for the last 30 years. Utility hardening programs should include fire protection and preparation as a key component. Osmose asset fire protection solutions include pre-fire solutions, such as fire protection installation and pole loading analysis, and post-fire solutions, such as visual assessments and new asset inventory verification.

Learn More

Industry Information

Gov. Hochul Announces $500M Offshore Wind Investment, Electrification Push for New York

New York's third offshore wind procurement will launch this year and is expected to result in at least 2 GW of new projects, Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, announced Wednesday in her 2022 State of the State address.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/gov-hochul-announces-500m-offshore-wind-investment-electrification-push/616743/ to view the full article online.

Duke, SCE, Other Grid Modernization Proposals Faced Big Cost Questions, More Regulator Scrutiny in 2021

There were 498 grid modernization-related policy and deployment actions in 48 states in Q3 2021, but regulators so far have approved only a small percentage of proposed utility investments.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/duke-sce-other-grid-mod-proposals-confronted-big-cost-questions-in-2021-a/610977/ to view the full article online.

Reclamation Solicits Applications for Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Funding

The U.S. Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation has initiated the first application period for extraordinary maintenance (XM) projects that will address aging water and power infrastructure across the western U.S.

Visit https://bit.ly/3HF9aLB to view the full article online.

DOE Researchers to Study Wind Impacts on Concentrating Solar Power Technology

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) announced a new effort to study the effects of high wind loads on concentrating solar power (CSP) plant technology.

Visit https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/doe-researchers-to-study-wind-impacts-on-concentrating-solar-power-technology/ to view the full article online.

DOE Awards Additional Strategic Petroleum Reserve Exchange Barrels to Bolster Fuel Supply Chain

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) approved a third exchange of two million barrels of crude oil for release to ExxonMobil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR).

Visit https://www.energy.gov/fecm/articles/doe-awards-additional-strategic-petroleum-reserve-exchange-barrels-bolster-fuel to view the full article online.

New York Power Authority Deploys Grid Enhancing LiDAR Technology to Optimize Capacity and Resilience of Transmission Lines

The New York Power Authority (NYPA), the country's largest state-owned public power organization, announced that it will deploy grid enhancing technology to help unlock additional transmission capacity to enable more renewable energy to reach the grid.

Visit https://electricenergyonline.com/article/energy/category/t-d/56/937661/new-york-power-authority-deploys-grid-enhancing-lidar-technology-to-optimize-capacity-and-resilience-of-transmission-lines.html to view the full article online.

in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic substantially affected the U.S. and world economy, energy markets, and energy-related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Visit https://www.eia.gov/environment/emissions/carbon/ to view the full article online.

Panasonic To Make Tesla Battery Cells With Recycled Material From JB Straubel’s Redwood

Panasonic, Tesla’s main battery partner since its earliest days, plans to use recycled materials supplied by a startup led by the electric-car maker’s former tech chief to produce lithium-ion cells in a more sustainable, “closed loop” fashion.

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2022/01/04/panasonic-to-make-tesla-battery-cells-with-recycled-material-from-jb-straubels-redwood/?sh=4705d7d06e82 to view the full article online.

Alternative Foundation Solutions Bring Reliability to New Jersey

The use of amphibious equipment and a helical foundation solution helped to address site constraints in South Jersey.

Visit https://www.tdworld.com/intelligent-undergrounding/undersea-applications/article/21182000/alternative-foundation-solutions-bring-reliability-to-new-jersey to view the full article online.

Member Announcements

Inclusive Workplace Helps Power APS Forward

At APS, we believe that belonging matters. And when our more than 6,000 employees feel seen, heard, and valued, they can more effectively unite behind our APS Promise.

Visit https://www.aps.com/en/About/Our-Company/Newsroom/Articles/Inclusive-workplace-helps-power-aps-forward to view the full article online.

North Dakota Industrial Commission Awards Funding For Proposed Hydrogen Project At Dakota Gas

On Dec. 20, the North Dakota Industrial Commission awarded funding to Bakken Energy for a project that could transform the Great Plains Synfuels Plant into the largest and lowest-cost, clean hydrogen production facility in the United States.

Visit https://www.basinelectric.com/News-Center/news-briefs/North-Dakota-Industrial-Commission-awards-funding-for-proposed-hydrogen-project-at-Dakota-Gas to view the full article online.

El Paso Electric Names Eric Montgomery a Regional Director of Government Affairs

El Paso Electric (EPE) calls on talent within the Company’s service area to help manage government affairs by naming Eric Montgomery as a Regional Director of Government Affairs.

Visit https://www.epelectric.com/company/news/el-paso-electric-names-eric-montgomery-a-regional-director-of-government-affairs to view the full article online.

Evergy Seeks to Offer Energy Efficiency Programs for Kansas Customers

Evergy proposed a suite of energy efficiency programs to the Kansas Corporation Commission. Evergy’s proposed programs would provide Kansas residential and business customers with $42 million in anticipated net bill savings, offer $13 million in enhanced assistance for low-income and rural customers, and would unlock community benefits through job creation, energy education and agency partnerships.

Visit https://investors.evergy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/evergy-seeks-offer-energy-efficiency-programs-kansas-customers to view the full article online.

NPPD Board Approves Net-zero Carbon Goal by 2050

Nebraska Public Power District’s (NPPD) Board of Directors approved a goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions from generation resources by 2050 during Thursday’s regularly scheduled board meeting.

Visit https://www.nppd.com/press-releases/nppd-board-approves-net-zero-carbon-goal-by-2050 to view the full article online.

Battery Storage Vital to Platte River’s Latest RFP

Platte River Power Authority this week issued a request for proposals (RFP) to obtain up to 250 megawatts (MW) of new photovoltaic solar generating capacity that could begin producing noncarbon energy by 2025.

Visit https://www.prpa.org/news-releases/battery-storage-vital-to-platte-rivers-latest-rfp/ to view the full article online.

SRP Transmission Project Approved by ACC

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) voted unanimously to approve a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility for the High-Tech Interconnection Project (HIP), a proposed transmission project that will provide reliable power to the recently announced expansion of Intel’s Chandler campus.

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/srp-transmission-project-approved-by-acc/ to view the full article online.

Scott City Industrial Park Completes Sunflower’s Site Certification

Scott City, Kan., is the latest community to attain certification for its industrial business development site through the Sunflower Certified Sites Program.

Visit https://www.sunflower.net/scott-city-industrial-park-completes-sunflowers-site-certification/ to view the full article online.

Tri-State Refunding $10 million in Patronage Capital to Members

Not-for-profit wholesale power supply cooperative Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association’s Board of Directors has approved the return of $10 million in patronage capital refunds to its members.

Visit https://tristate.coop/tri-state-refunding-10-million-patronage-capital-members to view the full article online.

TEP Expands Renewable Energy Portfolio with New 100 Megawatt Wind Farm

A new wind farm near the Arizona-New Mexico border last month began producing clean renewable energy for Tucson Electric Power (TEP) customers.

Visit https://www.tep.com/news/tep-expands-renewable-energy-portfolio-with-new-100-megawatt-wind-farm/ to view the full article online.

Mini Summit Explores Reactive s. Creative Leadership

With the onset of COVID-19, strong leadership skills have never been more in demand; organizations around the world require agile responses to evolving short- and long-term needs.

Visit https://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/NewsFeatures/2021/Pages/mini-summit-explores-reactive-vs-creative-leadership-.aspx to view the full article online.

White Paper

Solar power: 'Wonder Material' Phosphorene Nanoribbons Live up to Hype in First Demonstration

Researchers have incorporated phosphorene nanoribbons into new types of solar cells, dramatically improving their efficiency. Phosphorene nanoribbons (PNRs) are ribbon-like strands of the 2D material phosphorus, which, similar to graphene, are made of single-atom-thick layers of atoms. PNRs were first produced in 2019, and hundreds of theoretical studies have predicted how their properties could enhance all kinds of devices, including batteries, biomedical sensors, and quantum computers.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/12/211220120714.htm to view the full article online.

Rocky Mountain Electrical League