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Burns & McDonnell
RMEL 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. Get more details, and become a 2021 RMEL Champion - DEADLINE IS MARCH 5, 2021!

Visit https://www.rmel.org/rmeldocs/Members/2021-Champions-Program.pdf to view the full article online.

Industry Information
National Grid’s Sandy Pond High Voltage Direct Current Converter Station imports hydroelectric power from the north of Canada for distribution in the northeastern United States. The thyristor valve hall is a 5-story building the size of a soccer field which converts direct current (DC) to alternating current (AC) at the station.

Visit https://www.power-grid.com/executive-insight/spot-the-robot-keeps-national-grid-employees-safe-at-hvdc-converter-station/ to view the full article online.

 
Alliant Energy on Tuesday announced it would retire its 1,100 MW Columbia Energy Center, making the company's subsidiary Wisconsin Power & Light coal-free by 2025.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/alliant-duke-announce-coal-shutdowns-accelerating-nations-transition-to/594476/ to view the full article online.

  
Florida Power & Light Company announced that construction has begun on the FPL Manatee Energy Storage Center, which is expected to become the world’s largest integrated solar-powered battery system, according to the company.

Visit https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/construction-begins-on-worlds-largest-integrated-solar-powered-battery-system/ to view the full article online.

Southwest Power Pool (SPP) on Monday began operating its new Western Energy Imbalance Services (WEIS) market, kicking off the real-time balancing market with a half dozen regional utilities participating.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/this-is-just-the-beginning-southwest-power-pool-begins-operating-western/594334/ to view the full article online.

 
  
As dam assets age, accurate monitoring becomes increasingly important to ensure safety. With the impact of broad trends such as increasing urbanization and global warming, the challenges facing dam owners and the potential consequences of failure are mounting.

Visit https://www.hydroreview.com/dams-and-civil-structures/hydro-review-data-down-under-creating-a-risk-based-approach-to-dam-monitoring-and-maintenance/ to view the full article online.

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) has announced up to $15 million in federally funded financial assistance for cost-shared research and development projects under the funding opportunity announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0002402, Carbon Capture R&D: Bench-Scale Testing of Direct Air Capture Components (TRL 3) and Initial Engineering Design for Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage Systems from Air (TRL 6).

Visit https://www.energy.gov/fe/articles/us-department-energy-announces-15-million-funding-opportunities-direct-air-capture-0 to view the full article online.

In recognition of their shared objectives to increase the uptake of renewable energy, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Hydropower Association (IHA) have signed a formal partnership agreement.

Visit https://electricenergyonline.com/article/energy/category/hydro/86/879920/irena-and-iha-forge-partnership-to-advance-sustainable-hydropower.html to view the full article online.

  
Innovative silicon solutions provider HPQ Silicon Resources Inc. (“HPQ” or the “Company”) (TSX-V: HPQ; FWB: UGE; Other OTC : HPQFF), is proud to announce the sixth renewal of its agreement with Apollon Solar SAS (“Apollon”) to continue developing nanoscale and porous silicon materials for energy storage, hydrogen production and high value-added applications.

Visit https://energycentral.com/news/hpq-and-apollon-solar-renew-their-agreement-pursue-development-silicon-materials-energy-storage to view the full article online.

The Annual Energy Outlook presents an assessment by the U.S. Energy Information Administration of the outlook for energy markets through 2050.

Visit https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/aeo/ to view the full article online.

  
The National Carbon Capture Center has announced the “first fire” of its new natural gas infrastructure, paving the way for the first test runs of carbon capture technologies using actual natural gas-derived flue gas.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/coal/clean-coal-technologies/gas-powered-infrastructure-achieves-first-fire-at-southern-managed-doe-carbon-capture-testing-site/ to view the full article online.

The $169,000 Lucid Air is coming this spring, and Peter Rawlinson claims it’ll be the fastest, longest-range electric vehicle on the planet. He should know. A decade ago, he engineered Tesla’s Model S.

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/alanohnsman/2021/02/04/elon-musks-ex-chief-engineer-creates-a-new-car-and-says-it-beats-tesla/?sh=390b388b5b2e to view the full article online.

 
More than 12,000 FirstEnergy employees show up to work each day to ensure power is delivered safely and efficiently to more than six million customers across its six-state service area. 

Visit https://www.tdworld.com/electric-utility-operations/tools-and-technologies/article/21149823/firstenergy-protects-line-workers-with-new-devices to view the full article online.

Meeting the climate goals of President Joe Biden will require setting a national cost for carbon pollution and spending heavily on social programs to assist Americans hurt by the clean-energy transition.

Visit https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-02-04/experts-tell-biden-how-to-fix-climate-and-inequality?srnd=green to view the full article online.

Wanzek Construction, Inc
Member Announcements
In the year since Arizona Public Service (APS) announced its bold commitment to serve customers with 100% clean, carbon-free energy by 2050, the company has made steady progress toward that goal. 

Visit https://www.aps.com/en/About/Our-Company/Newsroom/Articles/At-one-year-anniversary-of-clean-energy-commitment-APS-reports-steady-progress to view the full article online.

Basin Electric was an inaugural participant in Southwest Power Pool’s (SPP) Western Energy Imbalance Services (WEIS) market, which was launched at midnight Feb. 1. 

Visit https://www.basinelectric.com/news-center/news-briefs/basin-electric-inaugural-participant-new-electricity-market to view the full article online.

El Paso Electric (EPE) customers now have 13,500 reasons why they should leave the gas tank behind and plug-in to a brighter, cleaner and more sustainable future all while saving several thousand dollars along the way.

Visit https://www.epelectric.com/company/news/el-paso-electric-partners-with-casa-nissan-to-offer-discounts-on-electric-vehicles to view the full article online.

Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG) announced Kirk Andrews will become the company’s executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective Feb. 22, 2021. Andrews fills the role currently held by Tony Somma, who announced his plans to depart the company on January 8.

Visit https://investors.evergy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/evergy-appoints-kirkland-b-andrews-executive-vice-president-and to view the full article online.

Lincoln Electric System’s Sustainable Energy Program is returning in 2021 with $1.25 million in incentive funds.

Visit https://www.les.com/about-les/news/view?article_id=123503 to view the full article online.

irst Student, Inc., First Transit, Inc., and NextEra Energy Resources, LLC announced they have entered into a framework agreement and are working toward a joint venture to pursue the electrification of tens of thousands of school and public transportation vehicles across the U.S. and Canada.

Visit http://newsroom.nexteraenergy.com/2021-01-26-First-Student-First-Transit-and-NextEra-Energy-Resources-agree-to-jointly-pursue-electrification-of-tens-of-thousands-of-school-and-public-transportation-vehicles-across-the-U-S-and-Canada to view the full article online.

When the COVID-19 pandemic began to emerge in 2020, Platte River took measures that emphasized staff safety and system reliability. 

Visit https://www.prpa.org/other-news/platte-river-helps-communities-respond-to-covid-19/ to view the full article online.

Very few know the streets in town as well as a PNM meter reader. Each one walks an
average of 8-10 miles per day and drives 20-40 miles per day, collectively, reading about 567,000 electric meters statewide per month.

Visit https://www.pnm.com/documents/396023/22818938/NEWS+RELEASE+-+PNM+meter+reader+saves+life_011921.pdf/b97d9a18-abbf-be01-e500-44276fe12988?t=1611106866385 to view the full article online.

  
Southern Power, a leading U.S. wholesale energy provider and subsidiary of Southern Company, has been awarded two 20-year power purchase agreements by Southern California Edison (SCE) and is adding battery-based energy storage resources at both Southern Power’s Tranquillity Solar Facility and Garland Solar Facility in California.

Visit https://www.southerncompany.com/newsroom/2021/feb-2021/southern-power-to-add-battery-energy-storage.html to view the full article online.

Salt River Project’s Multifamily Solutions Program is designed to help multifamily communities become more energy efficient. 

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/srp-offers-free-energy-saving-kits-to-limited-income-customers/ to view the full article online.

The real-time balancing market is the latest of SPP’s contract-based Western Energy Services to be implemented in the Western Interconnection and is expected to lower wholesale electricity costs, increase price transparency, and mitigate congestion on the transmission system for market participants.

Visit https://www.tristategt.org/southwest-power-pool-expands-offerings-western-utilities-launch-new-electricity-market to view the full article online.

Tucson Electric Power’s service was more reliable last year than ever before as we rose to the challenge of serving our customers’ energy needs amid record-setting heat and a public health crisis.

Visit https://www.tep.com/news/tep-finishes-record-year-for-service-reliability/ to view the full article online.

On Jan. 29, Western Area Power Administration met its commitment to customers and stakeholders to update The Source with financial and operational information for the past fiscal year, which included returning $272.3 million to the U.S. Treasury, totaling nearly $2.6 billion over the past eight years. 

Visit https://www.wapa.gov/newsroom/NewsReleases/2021/Pages/wapa-transparency-site-update-2020.aspx to view the full article online.

Xcel Energy is seeking proposals to add approximately 500 megawatts of new large-scale solar near the existing Sherco Power Plant in Becker, Minn.

Visit https://www.xcelenergy.com/company/media_room/news_releases/xcel_energy_seeks_new_solar_projects_near_sherco_power_plant to view the full article online.

White Paper

A material that can be used in technologies such as solar power has been found to self-heal, a new study shows. The findings -- from the University of York -- raise the prospect that it may be possible to engineer high-performance self-healing materials which could reduce costs and improve scalability, researchers say.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210126192236.htm to view the full article online.