RMEL eNews

Industry Information

National Grid, DOE Panelists Call for ‘Grid-Enhancing Technologies’ to Quickly Boost Transmission Capacity

Building out the grid to meet clean energy goals and handle the shift to electric vehicles and homes will require U.S. transmission spending to roughly triple from its current level of around $30 billion a year, according to Terron Hill, National Grid clean energy director. With transmission projects taking three to 10 years to build, utilities need to optimize their existing assets using GETs, Hill said.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/national-grid-doe-wires-grid-enhancing-technologies-gets/635221/ to view the full article online.

Clean Energy Supply Bottlenecks Hit Overburdened Communities the Hardest, Utilities and Advocates Say

Disadvantaged communities in many parts of the U.S. are bearing the brunt of clean energy supply chain blockages that range from materials to labor, according to environmental justice advocates and utility officials.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/clean-energy-supply-bottlenecks-overburdened-communities-equity-IIJA-IRA/634725/ to view the full article online.

BP and Hertz to Build EV Fast Charging Stations Across the US

BP Pulse, the electric vehicle charging business of BP, formerly known as British Petroleum, announced plans to build a network of large EV fast-charging hubs to serve ride-hailing and taxi fleets at major airports and other high-traffic locations in the U.S.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/bp-pulse-hertz-ev-electric-vehicle-charging-stations/635181/ to view the full article online.

Xcel, First Solar, Other Clean Energy Companies Warn Building Standard Change Threatens Wind, Solar Projects

A Federal Emergency Management Agency advisory panel proposal that would increase construction standards to help ensure wind and solar projects operate through extreme weather would unnecessarily drive up costs, likely dooming some projects, clean energy companies and trade groups.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/xcel-first-solar-clean-energy-wind-solar-building-code-icc/634474/ to view the full article online.

GE’s Renewables Business Has Lost $1.8B So Far This Year

Industrial giant GE reported a bumpy third quarter across its renewable energy and power business segments. The company’s onshore wind turbine revenues came in at $2.445 billion for the quarter, which ended September 30. That was down from $3.047 billion for the same quarter a year earlier.

Visit https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/wind-power/ges-renewables-business-has-lost-1-8b-so-far-this-year/ to view the full article online.

Interior Department Acts to Protect Colorado River System

To address the ongoing drought crisis, the Department of the Interior has announced expedited steps to prepare new measures that, based on current and projected hydrologic conditions, are needed to improve and protect the long-term sustainability of the Colorado River System.

Visit https://www.hydroreview.com/environmental/interior-department-initiates-action-to-protect-colorado-river-system/ to view the full article online.

Biden-Harris Administration Announces $2 Billion from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to Finance Carbon Dioxide Transportation Infrastructure

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began accepting letters of interest from applicants for loans under a new $2.1 billion Carbon Dioxide Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation (CIFIA) program.

Visit https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-announces-2-billion-bipartisan-infrastructure-law-finance to view the full article online.

Terrapower, Pacificorp to Evaluate 5 Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Advanced nuclear company TerraPower and utility PacifiCorp want to bring five additional advanced nuclear reactors to the western U.S. by 2035.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/nuclear/terrapower-pacificorp-to-evaluate-5-advanced-nuclear-reactors-in-western-u-s/ to view the full article online.

In 2021 U.S. Natural Gas-Fired Power Generation Declined for The First Time in Four Years

Natural gas consumption in all sectors in the United States was effectively flat between 2020 and 2021, down by only 0.5 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d). U.S. natural gas consumption reached a record 85.3 Bcf/d in 2019 and has declined annually since then.

Visit https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=54459 to view the full article online.

Deer Creek Station Reaches Safety Milestone

Safety has always been a top priority at Basin Electric. The Deer Creek Station team, located in Brookings, South Dakota, recently reached a safety milestone of 3,500 days without a safety incident, or DART (a safety metric mandated by OSHA meaning days away, restricted, or transferred).

Visit https://www.basinelectric.com/News-Center/news-briefs/Deer-Creek-Station-reaches-safety-milestone to view the full article online.

Black Hills Corp. Wyoming Electric Utility Receives Approval for Ready Wyoming Transmission Expansion Project

Black Hills Corp. announced that its Wyoming electric utility subsidiary, Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power Company, doing business as Black Hills Energy, received a bench decision from the Wyoming Public Service Commission approving a certificate of public convenience and necessity to construct an estimated $260 million transmission expansion project.

Visit https://www.blackhillscorp.com/node/118340 to view the full article online.

Farming Sunlight to Power Arizona

At the Agave Solar Plant, currently under construction in Arlington, Arizona, more than 400,000 panels will track the sun across the sky – generating 150 megawatts, or enough energy to power 24,000 Arizona homes. The plant is expected to be in service, delivering for APS customers, in time for summer 2023.

Visit https://www.aps.com/en/About/Our-Company/Newsroom/Articles/Farming-sunlight-to-power-Arizona to view the full article online.

Progress Update on OPPD's New Solar and Natural Gas Projects

Despite industry challenges, Omaha Public Power District is making good progress on its Power with Purpose (PwP) initiative to add 600 megawatts (MW) of utility-scale solar and 600 MW of natural gas generation. The increased generation capacity will help maintain long-term reliability and resiliency of the utility’s electric system, while supporting OPPD’s work to become a net-zero carbon emitter by 2050.

Visit https://www.oppd.com/news-resources/news-releases/2022/september/progress-update-on-oppd-s-new-solar-and-natural-gas-projects/ to view the full article online.

TerraPower and PacifiCorp Announce Efforts to Expand Natrium Technology Deployment

TerraPower, a nuclear innovation company, and PacifiCorp, a regulated utility, announced their undertaking of a joint study to evaluate the feasibility of deploying up to five additional Natrium[1] reactor and integrated energy storage systems in the PacifiCorp service territory by 2035.

Visit https://www.pacificorp.com/about/newsroom/news-releases/additional-Natrium-reactors.html to view the full article online.

SRP to Add 340 MW of Additional Battery Storage to its System with Two New Projects From Plus Power

Salt River Project announced signed contracts with Plus Power to bring online two grid-charged battery storage systems with a total combined output of 340 megawatts (MW) by early summer 2024. This is enough energy to power more than 76,000 average size residential homes over a four-hour period.

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/srp-to-add-340-mw-of-additional-battery-storage-to-its-system-with-two-new-projects-from-plus-power/ to view the full article online.

Black Hills Corp. Announces CFO Retirement and Leadership Appointment

Black Hills Corp. announced that Richard Kinzley, senior vice president and chief financial officer, will retire from the Company in mid-2023 after a distinguished career with the company. Consistent with the company’s long-standing and comprehensive leadership succession plan, Kimberly Nooney, the company’s vice president corporate controller and treasurer, will be appointed senior vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer effective April 1, 2023.

Visit https://www.blackhillscorp.com/node/118345 to view the full article online.

Ribbon Cutting for York Community Solar Facility

Nebraska Public Power District, the City of York, GRNE Solar and several others celebrated the completion of the new community solar facility. The 3.2-megawatt solar facility can generate the same amount of energy needed to power over 1,030 homes at its peak.

Visit https://www.nppd.com/press-releases/ribbon-cutting-scheduled-for-york-community-solar-facility to view the full article online.

White Paper

Revolutionary Technique to Generate Hydrogen More Efficiently from Water

Researchers have made a serendipitous scientific discovery that could potentially revolutionize the way water is broken down to release hydrogen gas -- an element crucial to many industrial processes. The team found that light can trigger a new mechanism in a catalytic material used extensively in water electrolysis, where water is broken down into hydrogen and oxygen. The result is a more energy-efficient method of obtaining hydrogen.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221027093226.htm to view the full article online.

Global Collaboration Saved Countries $67 Billion in Solar Panel Production Costs

A new study has calculated that the globalized supply chain saved countries $67 billion in solar panel production costs. The study also found that if strong nationalistic policies that limit the free flow of goods, talent and capital are implemented going forward, solar panel costs will be much higher by 2030.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221026114446.htm to view the full article online.

Improving Light Absorption in Perovskite/Si Tandem Solar Cells

A research team affiliated with UNIST has succeeded in achieving a power conversion efficiency (PEC) of 23.50% in a perovskite-silicon tandem solar cell built with a special textured anti-reflective coating (ARC) polymeric film. According to the research team, the PCE of the device with the ARC film was sustained for 120 hours, maintaining 91% of its initial value.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221022100218.htm to view the full article online.

Scientists Develop Inexpensive Device that can Harvest Energy from a Light Breeze and Store it as Electricity

Scientists have developed a low-cost device that can harness energy from wind as gentle as a light breeze and store it as electricity.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/10/221006092331.htm to view the full article online.

Rocky Mountain Electrical League