RMEL eNews

Rocky Mountain Electrical League

Alltricity Network Report
Education and Upcoming Events
Burns & McDonnell
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!

Visit https://www.rmel.org/RMEL/Join/RMEL_Champions/RMEL/RMELMembers/RMEL_Champions.aspx?hkey=8eeb3961-71d6-4e18-9db3-82926dd88da1 to view the full article online.

Are Your Wood Poles Protected Against Fire?
Osmose Utilities Services, Inc.®
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.
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Industry Information
The bill contains tax credits to spur clean energy production, domestic clean energy manufacturing as well as consumer incentives for energy efficiency and electric vehicles. It also contains funding for transmission development.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/manchin-democrats-climate-bill-energy-legislation-congress/628329/ to view the full article online.

 
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has announced up to $6 million available for research and development (R&D) projects that will repurpose domestic coal resources for products that can be employed in clean energy technologies such as batteries and advanced manufacturing. 

Visit https://www.energy.gov/fecm/articles/doe-announces-6-million-develop-useful-products-coal-and-coal-wastes to view the full article online.

  
Costly impacts from climate change have gotten our collective attention as we search for ways to mitigate those impacts and transition to a carbon-free future. The U.S. hydropower industry is poised to make a significant contribution to clean energy production as part of the Biden Administration’s efforts to reduce fossil fuel use.

Visit https://www.hydroreview.com/hydro-industry-news/federal-hydropower-permits-and-licensing-avoiding-delays-and-staying-on-track/ to view the full article online.

Pattern Energy expects to begin full construction of the SunZia transmission project and the SunZia wind projects next year, with operations for the bi-directional power line set to start in 2025, and the wind farms coming online in early 2026, according to the company.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/pattern-energy-buys-sunzia-transmission-line/627458/ to view the full article online.

 
CopperLeaf Technologies Inc.
  
A 350 MW wind farm paired with a 137 MW/204.6 MWh battery storage facility is now operational in Texas. The Azure Sky project in Throckmorton County is Enel Green Power's first hybrid wind+storage project. It features 79 wind turbines— a mix of Nordex and Vestas models. Wärtsilä supplied the battery storage system.

Visit https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/storage/hybrid-windstorage-project-now-operational-in-texas/ to view the full article online.

Management at Ford Motor Company continues to move aggressively to advance the company’s goals of converting its fleet to electric vehicles in the years to come. 

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2022/07/25/ford-counting-on-us-mined-lithium-to-power-its-ev-growth-plans/?sh=56f74bf26eff to view the full article online.

Summer capacity constraints and rolling blackouts are not viewed as a near-term risk to U.S. public power and electric cooperative credit quality, Fitch Ratings says.

Visit https://www.tdworld.com/utility-business/article/21246910/fitch-rating-modest-us-public-power-effects-from-potential-rolling-blackouts to view the full article online.

  
The project would be owned by ConnectGen, and is designed to include up to 149 wind turbines. In addition to the turbines, the proposed project would include access roads, collection lines, substations, control buildings, meteorological towers and other related infrastructure. 

Visit https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/wind-power/wapa-approves-interconnection-bid-for-504-mw-wind-project/ to view the full article online.

The creation of a West-wide regional transmission organization could generate between 159,000 and 657,000 permanent jobs through 2030, as well as up to $79.2 billion in additional gross regional product per year across the 11 Western states.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/western-rto-could-add-up-to-792-billion-to-regional-economy-report-finds/628172/ to view the full article online.

Tyndale Company
Member Announcements
TEP and SRP jointly support project which will change the economic future for Northeastern Arizona cities transitioning away from coal. 

Visit https://www.tep.com/news/apache-county-receives-arizona-broadband-development-grant/ to view the full article online.

 
Western Area Power Administration announced a record of decision​, or ROD, approving the interconnection of the proposed Rail Tie Wind Project to WAPA’s transmission system.

Visit https://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/NewsReleases/2022/Pages/wapa-approves-interconnection-for-rail-tie-wind-project.aspx to view the full article online.

  
The Climate Registry announced that Salt River Project (SRP) has been awarded Climate Registered™ Platinum Status, the first electric utility in the U.S. with this distinction for the 2020 reporting year.

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/salt-river-project-awarded-climate-registered-platinum-status-and-joins-ranks-of-us-climate-leaders/ to view the full article online.

Xcel Energy has begun developing the Minnesota Energy Connection, a new power line in Minnesota that will connect renewable energy to the existing grid at the Sherco power plant, which will retire all coal generation later this decade.

Visit https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/about/newsroom/press-release/xcel-energy-proposes-minnesota-energy-connection-power-line-to-replace-retiring-MCH2FCUPO3HRFWTBHJGADEMXUTY4 to view the full article online.

Nebraska Public Power District’s (NPPD) wholesale electric rates have once again ranked amongst the lowest in the country compared to roughly 800 wholesale electric providers.

Visit https://www.nppd.com/press-releases/nppd-ranks-among-the-best-for-wholesale-rates to view the full article online.

WAPA and Tucson Electric Power announced a joint participation agreement to rebuild approximately 60 miles of the Parker-Davis Project transmission system.

Visit https://www.tep.com/news/wapa-joins-with-tucson-electric-power-to-rebuild-transmission-line/ to view the full article online.

 
At their July board meeting, Basin Electric directors authorized the retirement of more than $13.2 million in patronage capital credits as well as a $15 million bill credit to be implemented on members’ July 2022 wholesale power bill.

Visit https://www.basinelectric.com/News-Center/news-briefs/Basin-Electric-directors-vote-to-return-28-2-million-back-to-members to view the full article online.

White Paper
Fuel cells often fall short when it comes to operating at temperatures beyond 100 degrees Celsius owing to their dependence on water as a proton conduction medium. To overcome this issue, a team of researchers designed a new hydrogen-bonded starburst-shaped metal complex consisting of ruthenium (III) ion and six imidazole-imidazolate groups.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220718122241.htm to view the full article online.

A peel-off patterning technique could enable more fragile organic semiconductors to be manufactured into semitransparent solar panels at scale.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220719113406.htm to view the full article online.

Researchers have designed a fuel production system that uses water, carbon dioxide (CO2), and sunlight to produce aviation fuel. They have implemented the system in the field, and the design could help the aviation industry become carbon neutral.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/07/220720121020.htm to view the full article online.