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RMEL Report
Education and Upcoming Events
NOVEMBER SAFETY ROUNDTABLE — November 8, 2023 (Fort Collins, CO). SEASONAL READINESS WORKSHOP — November 16, 2023 (San Antonio, TX). 
RMEL 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!
Industry Information
Microsoft Founder Bill Gates is backing a solar cell maker that can produce more energy than conventional solar cells. Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures has money on Massachusetts-based CubicPV, which makes photovoltaic cells using perovskite — a composite that produces at least 20% more energy than the prevailing silicon technology.
The U.S. government is making an unprecedented push to invest in clean hydrogen as part of its efforts to cut greenhouse gas pollution. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm says the government believes fuel will be crucial in decarbonizing heavy industrial processes, particularly steel and ammonia production.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission directed the North American Electric Reliability Corp. to develop reliability standards for inverter-based resources, or IBRs, such as wind, solar and battery systems.
ERCOT’s board of directors unanimously approved the new rule, known as NPRR 1186, requiring batteries to maintain a certain state of charge, or SOC, depending on which ancillary services they are providing. The Public Utility Commission of Texas must still finalize the rule.
Member Announcements
Austin City Council approved a powerful new tool to aid Austin Energy in wildfire detection and response as climate change fuels hotter, drier summers in Texas. The city’s public electric utility will implement Pano AI technology to provide Austin Energy crews and emergency first responders with up-to-the-minute information to quickly respond to wildfire threats while protecting lives, property and the environment.
The U.S. Department of Energy has selected the Heartland Hydrogen Hub, including multiple clean hydrogen projects from Xcel Energy, for award negotiations to receive up to $925 million. The award will serve as a catalyst for a future hydrogen ecosystem in the Upper Midwest.
The U.S. Department of Energy today selected Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association to receive $26.8 million to enhance the U.S. power grid’s ability to deliver reliable, affordable and cleaner energy in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico and Wyoming. The funds will advance the Cooperative Energy Ecosystem, a project for distributed energy resource management collaboration between the not-for-profit wholesale power supply cooperative and its member distribution cooperatives and public power districts.
Emeka Anyanwu, Energy Innovation & Resources officer at Seattle City Light, was confirmed Oct. 20, 2023, as the next CEO of Lincoln Electric System. The Lincoln City Council and Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird also must approve his appointment. If he is approved by both, Anyanwu’s start date is Jan. 2, 2024.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) selected CPS Energy to receive approximately $30.2 million to enhance the utility’s ongoing efforts to maintain grid reliability and resiliency. The DOE funds will advance CPS Energy’s Community Energy Resiliency Program, focused on grid innovation such as installing microgrids to sustain the evolving needs of customers and businesses in the south and southwest portions of San Antonio.
White Paper
The world may have crossed a "tipping point" that will inevitably make solar power our main source of energy, new research suggests. The study, based on a data-driven model of technology and economics, finds that solar PV (photovoltaics) is likely to become the dominant power source before 2050 -- even without support from more ambitious climate policies.
Researchers tested a molecular energy harvesting device that captures the energy from the natural motion of molecules in a liquid. Their work showed molecular motion can be used to generate a stable electric current.
Next-generation solar materials are cheaper and more sustainable to produce than traditional silicon solar cells, but hurdles remain in making the devices durable enough to withstand real-world conditions. A new technique could simplify the development of efficient and stable perovskite solar cells, named for their unique crystalline structure that excels at absorbing visible light.
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