RMEL eNews

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

Industry Information

Electrifying US Trucking Could Cost Nearly $1 Trillion

Fleets and charger operators would have to invest $620 billion on infrastructure, and utilities would have to spend $370 billion to upgrade grid networks for commercial vehicles, per the study. The estimate does not include purchases of electric trucks, which can cost 2 to 3 times more than their diesel counterparts.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/electrifying-trucking-costs-clean-freight-coalition-american-trucking-associations-roland-berger/710816/ to view the full article online.

US Energy Storage Market Installed More than 12K MWh in Q4 2023

For the first time, the grid-scale segment exceeded 3 GW deployed in one quarter and nearly surpassed 4 GW alone, according to Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor publication. 3,983 MW of new capacity additions represent a 358% increase compared to the same period in 2022.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/energy-storage/u-s-energy-storage-market-installed-more-than-12k-mwh-in-q4-2023/ to view the full article online.

Last Year, Western US Hydropower Generation Fell to A 22-Year Low

According to preliminary data from the Energy Information Administration’s Electricity Data Browser, the least hydropower was generated in the western U.S. during the 2022–23 water year (Oct. 1 through Sept. 30) since at least 2001. Western region hydropower generation dropped by 11% from the previous water year to 141.6 million MWh.

Visit https://www.hydroreview.com/business-finance/business/last-year-western-u-s-hydropower-generation-fell-to-a-22-year-low/ to view the full article online.

Coal-to-Nuclear Transition can be an Economic Boon for Communities: DOE

The U.S. Department of Energy released “Coal-to-Nuclear Transitions: An Information Guide,” a resource for energy communities investigating the “economic impacts, workforce transition, and policy and funding considerations associated with coal-to-nuclear transitions,” according to the information guide’s executive summary.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/coal-to-nuclear-transition-can-be-an-economic-boon-for-communities-doe/712127/ to view the full article online.

New NRC Licensing Road Map Aims to Add Clarity for Advanced Reactor Applications

The guidance provides a detailed road map for companies submitting licensing applications for non-light water reactor technologies such as high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and molten salt reactors, along with internal guidance for NRC staff reviewing these applications.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nuclear-regulatory-commission-nrc-advanced-reactor-smr-licensing-roadmap/712155/ to view the full article online.

NREL Researchers Develop Detailed Cost-Estimation Tool for Pumped Storage Development

As the U.S. transitions to a clean power grid, researchers are searching for the best ways to store energy to use when winds slow down, clouds block the sun and the grid needs a boost. Batteries often run best for short distances. Pumped storage hydropower may be older technology but can outlast the competition, often storing energy for eight to 12 hours or more.

Visit https://www.hydroreview.com/hydro-industry-news/pumped-storage-hydro/nrel-researchers-develop-detailed-cost-estimation-tool-for-pumped-storage-development/ to view the full article online.

EPRI Researches Smart Inverter Settings

The power grid has seen substantial growth in smaller-scale renewables, such as household, community, and commercial solar and battery systems. The high volume of interconnected distributed energy resources (DERs) has prompted the energy industry to adopt control capabilities and standards to improve grid operations with smart inverters.

Visit https://www.tdworld.com/transmission-reliability/article/21283688/epri-researches-smart-inverter-settings to view the full article online.

Monday’s Eclipse Could Cut US Solar Output by 40 GWh. Here’s How 5 Grid Operators are Preparing.

Grid operators across the nation have been preparing for months and say they can navigate the event with no impact to reliability. But they also say their efforts are complicated by uncertain weather outlooks, and eclipse-related behavioral changes that make forecasting energy demand difficult.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/grid-operators-april-8-total-solar-eclipse/712099/ to view the full article online.

Member Announcements

Arizona’s Largest Battery is Now Operating on SRP’s Power Grid, Supporting Google along with Other Clean Energy Resources

Salt River Project (SRP) and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC, announced Arizona’s largest operational battery energy storage system is now online. Sonoran Solar Energy Center is a 260-megawatt (MW) solar facility with the ability to charge a 1 gigawatt-hour (GWh) battery energy storage system, located south of Buckeye, Arizona.

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/arizonas-largest-battery-is-now-operating-on-srps-power-grid-supporting-google-along-with-other-clean-energy-resources/ to view the full article online.

CPS Energy Acquires Gas Plants in Corpus Christi and Laredo from Talen Energy as Part of Approved Generation Plan

CPS Energy and Talen Energy Corporation (“Talen”) (OTCQX: TLNE) announced an agreement for CPS Energy to acquire Talen’s approximately 1,710-megawatt (“MW”) generation portfolio located in the South Zone of the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (“ERCOT”) market for $785 million subject to customary net working capital adjustments at closing.

Visit https://newsroom.cpsenergy.com/cps-energy-acquires-gas-plants-in-corpus-christi-and-laredo-from-talen-energy-as-part-of-approved-generation-plan/ to view the full article online.

El Paso Electric Earns 2024 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in Sustained Excellence Award

Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a select group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to energy efficiency and the transition to a clean energy economy. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies.

Visit https://www.epelectric.com/company/news/el-paso-electric-earns-2024-energy-star-partner-of-the-year-in-sustained-excellence-award to view the full article online.

Evergy Plan Maintains Lowest-cost Approach to Meeting Growing Customer Electricity Demand, Maintaining Reliability and Advancing Sustainability

Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVRG) filed its triennial Integrated Resource Plan with the Missouri Public Service Commission. This outlines the plan to meet customer electricity needs over the next 20 years. It includes additional renewable and dispatchable generation to meet growing customer demand driven by economic development and increased capacity requirements established by the Southwest Power Pool.

Visit https://investors.evergy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/evergy-plan-maintains-lowest-cost-approach-meeting-growing to view the full article online.

New TEP Transmission Project Supports Battery Manufacturing

A new TEP transmission project will support economic development and local job growth by providing service to a first-of-its-kind battery manufacturing facility south of Tucson International Airport.

Visit https://www.tep.com/news/new-transmission-project-supports-battery-manufacturing/ to view the full article online.

White Paper

New All-Liquid Iron Flow Battery for Grid Energy Storage

A commonplace chemical used in water treatment facilities has been repurposed for large-scale energy storage in a new battery design by researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The design provides a pathway to a safe, economical, water-based, flow battery made with Earth-abundant materials.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240325114132.htm to view the full article online.

Pairing Crypto Mining with Green Hydrogen Offers Clean Energy Boost

Pairing cryptocurrency mining -- notable for its outsize consumption of carbon-based fuel -- with green hydrogen could provide the foundation for wider deployment of renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, according to a new Cornell University study.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240325172414.htm to view the full article online.

Heat, Cold Extremes Hold Untapped Potential for Solar and Wind Energy

Conditions that usually accompany the kind of intense hot and cold weather that strains power grids may also provide greater opportunities to capture solar and wind energy. A study found that widespread, extreme temperature events are often accompanied by greater solar radiation and higher wind speeds that could be captured by solar panels and wind turbines.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/03/240327124658.htm to view the full article online.

Rocky Mountain Electrical League