RMEL eNews

Alltricity Network Member Information

Join Alltricity Network Groups on LinkedIn

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!

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

Industry Information

EIA: Coal Consumption’s Decline is Likely to Reverse This Year

The amount of coal transported in the United States decreased 8% in 2023, continuing a trend in which coal shipments have generally decreased over the past two decades as coal’s share of power generation has declined in the United States.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/coal/eia-coal-consumptions-decline-is-likely-to-reverse-this-year/ to view the full article online.

Supreme Court’s Chevron Ruling Creates Power Sector Uncertainty: Moody’s

“The potential for protracted court proceedings, continued ambiguity in Congressional legislation, uncertainty over post-2024 election priorities and planning for generation needs will be more challenging for regulated utilities and other power companies,” Moody’s said.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/supreme-court-chevron-utility-power-sector-uncertainty-moodys/721196/ to view the full article online.

New Study Favors Co-Locating Data Centers with Nuclear Plants

In “The Co-Located Load Solution,” Michael Kormos, the former Chief Operating Officer at PJM Interconnection, said co-locating data centers with nuclear would reduce the pressure of building out additional transmission capacity, thus avoiding long interconnection delays.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/new-study-favors-co-locating-data-centers-with-nuclear-plants/ to view the full article online.

Hydropower "Can Punch Way Higher Than its Weight" to Aid Global Decarbonization

The journey to decarbonize the global electric power system can get a large boost with a single step … aiding and supporting hydropower development and hydroelectric power as an enabler of intermittent renewables.

Visit https://www.hydroreview.com/environmental/hydropower-can-punch-way-higher-than-its-weight-to-aid-global-decarbonization/ to view the full article online.

US Appeals Court Allows EPA Rule on Coal-Fired Power Plants to Remain in Place Amid Legal Challenges

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit rejected the industry request to block the rule, saying the groups had not shown they are likely to succeed on the merits. Nor did the case invoke a major question under a previous Supreme Court ruling, since the EPA claimed only the power to “set emissions limits … that would reduce pollution by causing the regulated source to operate more cleanly,” the appeals court ruled.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/policy-regulation/us-appeals-court-allows-epa-rule-on-coal-fired-power-plants-to-remain-in-place-amid-legal-challenges/ to view the full article online.

Energy Storage Industry Sees 117% Increase in Corporate Funding in H1 2024: Mercom

“Despite high interest rates and uncertain macroeconomic conditions, the energy storage sector has shown remarkable resilience and growth, driven by technological advancements and supportive policy frameworks” like the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and California’s NEM 3.0 net billing tariff, said Raj Prabhu, CEO of Mercom Capital Group.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/energy-storage-smart-grid-corporate-funding-merger-acquisition-venture-capital-debt-financing/722180/ to view the full article online.

Wind Power Can be a Major Source of Tax Revenue, But Officials Struggle to Get Communities on Board

An Associated Press analysis of county tax data from local governments in Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska — states either with many wind farms or a high potential for wind power — found wind companies rank among the biggest taxpayers in many rural communities, with their total tax bills at times outstripping that of large farms, power plants and other major businesses.

Visit https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/wind-power/wind-power-can-be-a-major-source-of-tax-revenue-but-officials-struggle-to-get-communities-on-board/ to view the full article online.

NREL Tool Lets Utilities Quantify Potential Monetary Losses from Cyberattacks

The power grid is increasingly distributed and renewable but “right now, there’s a lot of uncertainty about how risky the transition is,” Maurice Martin, senior cybersecurity researcher at NREL, said in a statement. “It’s hard for utilities to know what kind of risk level they’re exposing themselves to, and that uncertainty can have a cooling effect.”

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/DOE-NREL-evaluating-cybersecurity-tools-runzero-utilities/722611/ to view the full article online.

Member Announcements

Platte River Partners with Qcells to Bring Largest Solar Project To Northern Colorado

The first phase of the project is expected to be complete in May of 2025 and will deliver approximately 367,000 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy annually to Platte River’s owner communities of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland.

Visit https://www.prpa.org/news-releases/platte-river-partners-with-qcells-to-bring-largest-solar-project-to-northern-colorado/ to view the full article online.

Black Hills Corp. to Power Meta's New Data Center in Wyoming with Innovative Energy Solutions and Mission-Critical Reliability

Black Hills Energy serves its Wyoming data center customers through a unique energy procurement model which provides qualifying customers with solutions to meet their specific energy requirements. This is enabled by the Large Power Contract Service tariff, in place since 2016, and developed in partnership with one of the company’s early data center customers.

Visit https://ir.blackhillscorp.com/news-releases/news-release-details/black-hills-corp-power-metas-new-data-center-wyoming-innovative to view the full article online.

SRP and Aypa Power Announce New Battery Storage System to Help Meet Growing Energy Demand

The Signal Butte energy storage project will be a 250 MW, four-hour battery energy storage system located in the Elliot Road Technology Corridor in Mesa, AZ. The project will utilize lithium-ion technology and will have the capacity to power over 50,000 average-sized residential homes over a four-hour period. The project is scheduled to be operational by mid-year 2026.

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/srp-and-aypa-power-announce-new-battery-storage-system-to-help-meet-growing-energy-demand/ to view the full article online.

Platte River Board Approves 2024 Integrated Resource Plan

The 2024 IRP is part of an ongoing resource planning process that Platte River conducts to identify the energy resources needed to meet the electricity demand of Estes Park, Fort Collins, Longmont and Loveland over the next five to 20 years.

Visit https://www.prpa.org/news-releases/platte-river-board-approves-2024-integrated-resource-plan/ to view the full article online.

PEC Designated as Top Workplace Nationally

Pedernales Electric Cooperative has been designated as a national 2024 Industry Top Workplace in Energy & Utilities. This award celebrates organizations that have built a people-first workplace culture within their sector and highlights PEC as an employer of choice within the industry.

Visit https://www.pec.coop/pec-designated-as-top-workplace-nationally/ to view the full article online.

Energy Programs Save 22.7 Million Tons of CO₂ Emissions to Date

When TEP customers partner with the organization to save energy, they’re not just reducing costs at home. They’re also saving water, supporting cleaner air, reducing the need for new energy resources and getting TEP closer to its aspirational goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050.

Visit https://www.tep.com/news/energy-programs-save-22-7-million-tons-of-co2-emissions-to-date/ to view the full article online.

White Paper

Pinpointing Coal Plants to Convert to Nuclear Energy, Considering Both Practicality and Community Support

An assessment ranks the feasibility of converting 245 operational coal power plants in the U.S. into advanced nuclear reactors, providing valuable insights for policymakers and utilities to meet decarbonization goals, according to a new study.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240709121808.htm to view the full article online.

Solar Farms with Stormwater Controls Mitigate Runoff, Erosion, Study Finds

As the number of major utility-scale ground solar panel installations grows, concerns about their impacts on natural hydrologic processes also have grown. However, a new study by Penn State researchers suggests that excess runoff or increased erosion can be easily mitigated -- if these 'solar farms' are properly built.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240718145030.htm to view the full article online.

Next-Gen Cooling System to Help Data Centers Become More Energy Efficient

Artificial intelligence (AI) is hot right now. Also hot: the data centers that power the technology. And keeping those centers cool requires a tremendous amount of energy. The problem is only going to grow as high-powered AI-based computers and devices become commonplace. That's why researchers are devising a new type of cooling system that promises to dramatically reduce energy demands.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/07/240725154656.htm to view the full article online.

Rocky Mountain Electrical League