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Commonwealth Associates, Inc. ®
Commonwealth provides traditional and renewable engineering, consulting, and design services. From IPPs to IOUs, to federal contracts, to city power and light, big or small, Commonwealth has you covered. With offices and experts across the country, Commonwealth is here to make a powerful difference for you. To learn more, visit www.cai-engr.com or call 517.788.3000.
 
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Meridian Cooperative
Alltricity Network Member Information
RMEL's trusted network is now accessible on Facebook, LinkedIn and X (formerly 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, 2023 RMEL Champions!

Visit https://www.rmel.org/page/RMELChampions to view the full article online.

The game has changed from the traditional O&M model.
Black & Veatch Corporation®
Big Data helps owners detect issues before they become big problems. Prioritize field responses, balance the costs and benefits of maintenance activities, and generate the greatest ROI with these 4 key methods to optimize DER assets through data-driven O&M.
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Industry Information
  

Those types of projects — given their limited effect on the environment — would be eligible for “categorical exclusions” under the proposal published in the Federal Register. Under the proposal, eligible projects would not require an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-proposal-environmental-review-exclusion-storage-solar-transmission/700010/ to view the full article online.

  
Despite the canceled request for proposals, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas market “is not projecting energy emergency conditions this winter season,” ERCOT President and CEO Pablo Vegas said in a statement. The procurement was intended to be “an extra layer of precaution,” he said.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/ercot-cancels-3-gw-winter-capacity-request-texas-demand-response/700266/ to view the full article online.

  
More than three-quarters of electricity comes from in-state wind and solar in 2040 in the least-cost scenario; 16% comes from out-of-state imports of near zero-emissions electricity; and 10% from energy efficiency, with the rest coming from other sources, Ascend Analytics, a consulting firm, said in its draft study. The scenario retains 8,215 MW of gas-fired generation to meet capacity needs.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/colorado-energy-office-ascend-analytics-report/700419/ to view the full article online.

The U.S. Energy Information Association forecast the U.S. energy sector to emit about 4,790 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in 2023, a 3% decrease from 2022. Much of this decline results from lower electricity generation from coal-fired power plants due to higher generation from renewable sources such as solar power. We expect this trend to continue into 2024, with CO2 emissions declining 1% relative to 2023.

Visit https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=61023 to view the full article online.

  
The International Energy Agency has long projected geothermal could be a serious solution to climate change. It said in a 2011 roadmap document that geothermal could reach some 3.5% of global electricity generation annually by 2050, avoiding almost 800 megatonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year.

Visit https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/baseload/geothermal/new-google-geothermal-electricity-project-could-be-a-milestone-for-clean-energy/ to view the full article online.

Two recent studies show that, by the end of 2023, United States carbon emissions will decrease, despite an expansion in the overall economy of about 2.5 percent. That is, according to the United States Energy Information Administration, US energy-related emissions are set to fall 3 percent this year, driven mostly by lower coal consumption. However, this anticipated decrease will likely not be sufficient for the United States to meet its commitments under the 2015 Paris climate accord.

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielmarkind/2023/11/28/american-carbon-emissions-fall-againbut-to-what-end/?ss=energy&sh=494c96701761 to view the full article online.

  
The Gas-Electric Alignment for Reliability initiative, known as GEAR, will bring together a group of state regulators and stakeholders “to develop solutions to better align the gas and electric industries to maintain and improve the reliability of both energy systems on which our nation depends for power,” NARUC announced. 

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/NARUC-GEAR-gas-electric-coordination/700800/ to view the full article online.

Futura Systems, Inc
Member Announcements
  
As Escalante Solar reaches its halfway point for the installation of approximately 500,000 solar panel modules at the former Escalante Station near Grants, N.M., member electric cooperatives of Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association joined representatives from Origis Energy and Tri-State, along with state and local leaders, to commemorate the construction milestone with a panel-signing ceremony at the plant.

Visit https://tristate.coop/tri-state-member-cooperatives-celebrate-halfway-point-construction-escalante-solar to view the full article online.


United Power, Inc. and Whetstone Power, announce a new partnership for the construction of a battery energy storage system. The battery energy storage system will be located in United Power’s service territory, giving the cooperative the ability to balance load and further integrate renewable resources into its operations. 

Visit https://www.unitedpower.com/united-power-signs-power-purchase-agreement-whetstone-power to view the full article online.

  

Texan by Nature has named CPS Energy as a 2023 Texan by Nature 20 (TxN 20) honoree for the utility’s commitment to elevating conservation as a business practice. “CPS Energy is committed to reducing our carbon footprint and transitioning to cleaner energy for climate resiliency while maintaining reliability and affordability for our customers,” said CPS Energy President & CEO Rudy D. Garza.

Visit https://newsroom.cpsenergy.com/texan-by-nature-honors-cps-energy/ to view the full article online.

For the second year in a row, Salt River Project (SRP) ranked highest in business customer satisfaction among all large electricity providers in the nation according to a recent study issued by J.D. Power. SRP also ranked first among large electricity providers in the West Region for the third consecutive year. 

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/srp-ranks-highest-among-national-and-western-utilities-for-business-customer-satisfaction/ to view the full article online.

  
Lincoln Electric System has earned a Smart Energy Provider designation from the American Public Power Association for the third time since the designation was created in 2019. Being a Smart Energy Provider, a title lasting two years, demonstrates a public power utility’s success in four key disciplines: smarter energy program structure, energy efficiency and distributed energy programs, environmental and sustainability initiatives, and customer-owned experience. 

Visit https://www.les.com/company/news/les-recognized-smart-energy-provider-0 to view the full article online.

Pedernales Electric Cooperative, the nation’s largest electric co-op, marked a milestone of sustained growth, placing its 400,000th meter at the Buda Fire Department’s Station 1, located at 209 FM 2770 in Buda. For more than 85 years, PEC has provided safe, reliable, and low-cost power to its members in the Texas Hill Country.

Visit https://www.pec.coop/news/2023/pec-reaches-400000-meter-milestone/ to view the full article online.

White Paper
Xanthan gum, derived from plants like cabbage and known for its carbohydrate content, serves as a natural protective barrier in cosmetics. In a recent development, this remarkable substance has been harnessed to create a protective shield for battery electrodes, rather than for the skin.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231114215636.htm to view the full article online.

The widespread adoption of nuclear power was predicted by computer simulations more than four decades ago but the continued reliance on fossil fuels for energy shows these simulations need improvement, a new study has shown.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231116140831.htm to view the full article online.

Tandem solar cells based on perovskite semiconductors convert sunlight to electricity more efficiently than conventional silicon solar cells. In order to make this technology ready for the market, further improvements with regard to stability and manufacturing processes are required. Researchers have succeeded in finding a way to predict the quality of the perovskite layers and consequently that of the resulting solar cells: Assisted by machine learning and new methods in artificial intelligence (AI), it is possible assess their quality from variations in light emission already in the manufacturing process.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/11/231122192208.htm to view the full article online.