RMEL eNews

RMEL Member Information

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Industry Information

DOE Announces Up to $20 Million Available for Regional Projects to Accelerate U.S. Carbon Capture, Transport, Conversion, and Storage Technology Deployment

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced $20 million in funding for projects that will improve stakeholder access to region-specific information and technical assistance regarding the commercial deployment of carbon capture, transport, conversion, and storage technologies across the United States.

Visit https://www.energy.gov/fecm/articles/doe-announces-20-million-available-regional-projects-accelerate-us-carbon-capture to view the full article online.

DOE Hails Fusion Technology Breakthrough on Path to Achieving Abundant Zero-Carbon Energy

Physicists have sought since the 1950s to harness nuclear fusion reactions to generate energy, but no group until now has produced more energy from the reaction than it consumes, which is known as net energy gain or target gain.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/doe-hails-fusion-technology-breakthrough-on-path-to-achieving-abundant-zero/638585/ to view the full article online.

DOE Aims Billions at Building a Carbon Dioxide Removal Industry

The programs are intended to help accelerate private-sector investment, spur advancements in monitoring and reporting practices for carbon management technologies, and provide grants to state and local governments to procure and use products developed from captured carbon emissions.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/emissions/doe-aims-billions-at-building-a-carbon-dioxide-removal-industry/ to view the full article online.

Most of US Electric Grid Faces Risk of Resource Shortfall Through 2027, NERC Finds

Generation retirements in the Midcontinent Independent System Operator and Northeast Power Coordinating Council-Ontario footprints are outpacing replacement capacity, while the California Independent System Operator must address challenges associated with variable resources and changing demand. Other regions, including Texas, swaths of the U.S. West and Southwest, and New England, meet resource adequacy criteria but face “elevated risk” of shortfalls in extreme weather conditions.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nerc-grid-resource-adequacy-shortfall-reliability-assessment/638949/ to view the full article online.

After Substation Attacks, FERC Orders NERC to Consider Increasing Grid Security Requirements

FERC directed NERC, which develops grid reliability standards, to consider requiring physical risk assessments for more bulk-power transmission stations, substations and associated primary control centers.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/substation-attacks-ferc-nerc-physical-security-grid-duke-pge/638948/ to view the full article online.

Utilities Sound Alarm Over Distribution Transformer Shortage as Procurement Times Surpass 1 Year and Costs Triple

A group of lawmakers led by Rep. Sean Casten, D-Ill., is urging the government to authorize $2.1 billion in disaster supplemental funding to address the shortage of electrical transformers and complementary grid security technologies through the Defense Production Act.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/distribution-transformer-shortage-appa-casten/639059/ to view the full article online.

We Have Half the Technology We Need to Decarbonize, Scientist Says

When it comes to the grid, “we have solar panels, we have wind turbines, we have battery storage in the form of lithium-ion batteries, and we can roll these things out to clean up the grid. But we don't have commercial technology for the other half, which, for the grid, is long-duration storage."

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2022/12/24/we-have-half-the-technology-we-need-to-decarbonize-scientist-says/?ss=energy&sh=2ff6a4852980 to view the full article online.

Taking on Solar’s Cybersecurity Challenges

Solar generation could provide nearly half of the nation’s electricity supply by 2050. Those solar power plants, including the power electronic devices that communicate with utility control and automation systems, could pose significant cybersecurity challenges to power system operation.

Visit https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/solar/taking-on-solars-cybersecurity-challenges/ to view the full article online.

Nuclear Power Saw Multiple Gains in 2022, but Economic and Other Questions Remain

The first new nuclear units in the U.S. in more than 30 years moved closer to operation while the sector is receiving a boost from the Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nuclear-power-saw-multiple-gains-in-2022-but-economic-and-other-questions/639459/ to view the full article online.

Crossing the Emissions Gap Between Inflation Reduction Act and 2030 NDC is Worth 4 Million Jobs

The United States has gone all-in on climate and clean energy funding. The Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) $370 billion in emissions reduction funding, the CHIPS and Science Act’s $70 billion in zero-carbon technology research funding, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act’s (IIJA) $95 billion in grid and electric vehicle (EV) charging funding are the largest-ever investment in nationwide decarbonization.

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/energyinnovation/2023/01/03/crossing-the-emissions-gap-between-inflation-reduction-act-and-2030-ndc-is-worth-4-million-jobs/?ss=energy&sh=3b75d26d4e34 to view the full article online.

Member Announcements

Black Hills Corp. Completes Fuel Supply Contract for Wyodak Power Plant

Black Hills Corp. announced its subsidiary, Wyodak Resources Development Corp., completed a new contract to continue providing fuel supply to the 402-megawatt Wyodak Power Plant. Wyodak Resources currently provides fuel supply to five on-site, mine-mouth coal-fired generating facilities near Gillette, Wyoming, including the Wyodak Power Plant.

Visit https://www.blackhillscorp.com/node/118351 to view the full article online.

SRP to Develop Utility-Scale Advanced Solar Generation at Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center

The SRP Board of Directors approved the second phase of continued development at the Copper Crossing Energy and Research Center in Florence, AZ, which includes a utility-scale advanced solar generation facility capable of generating up to 55 megawatts (MW) of solar energy, or enough to power approximately 12,000 homes.

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/srp-to-develop-utility-scale-advanced-solar-generation-at-copper-crossing-energy-and-research-center/ to view the full article online.

Basin Electric Sends Letter of Support for CCUS Project Study

Basin Electric sent a letter supporting a funding proposal by Membrane Technology & Research (MTR) for U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) funds. DOE issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement for integrated carbon capture, transport, and storage systems. The funds would be used for a $5 million supplemental front-end engineering design (FEED) study.

Visit https://www.basinelectric.com/News-Center/news-briefs/Basin-Electric-sends-letter-of-support-for-CCUS-project-study to view the full article online.

Evergy Announces Transfer to Nasdaq Stock Market

Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG) announced it will transfer its stock exchange listing from the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) to the Nasdaq Global Select Market, effective as of the opening of trading on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. Evergy’s common stock will continue to trade under the ticker symbol “EVRG.”

Visit https://investors.evergy.com/news-releases/news-release-details/evergy-announces-dec-28-2022-transfer-nasdaq-stock-market to view the full article online.

PacifiCorp to Build on Success of Real-Time Energy Market Innovation as First to Sign on to New Western Day-Ahead Market

Electricity customers in the West expect reliable, affordable and clean power on demand. To help advance that commitment to its 2 million customers in six states, PacifiCorp is announcing its plan to join two new innovative efforts that have been years in the making: the Extended Day-Ahead Market (EDAM) being developed by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) and the Western Power Pool’s Western Resource Adequacy Program (WRAP).

Visit https://www.pacificorp.com/about/newsroom/news-releases/EDAM-innovative-efforts.html to view the full article online.

Tri-State, Members Will Continue to Pursue Flexible Memberships Options in FERC Hearing Process

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) will move consideration of flexible partial requirements memberships between not-for-profit power supplier Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association and its members to a hearing process, following efforts to settle the issue in a timelier manner that were supported by a significant majority of Tri-State’s utility members and Tri-State, unopposed by FERC trial staff, but contested by utility member United Power.

Visit https://tristate.coop/tri-state-members-will-continue-pursue-flexible-memberships-options-ferc-hearing-process to view the full article online.

White Paper

Health Benefits of Using Wind Energy Instead of Fossil Fuels

A new study finds that the health benefits associated with wind power could more than quadruple if operators turned down output from the most polluting fossil-fuel-based power plants when energy from wind is available. However, compared to wealthier communities, disadvantaged communities would reap a smaller share of these benefits.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221202142543.htm to view the full article online.

Paper-Thin Solar Cell Can Turn Any Surface into a Power Source

MIT researchers developed a scalable fabrication technique to produce ultrathin, flexible, durable, lightweight solar cells that can be stuck to any surface. Glued to high-strength fabric, the solar cells are only one-hundredth the weight of conventional cells while producing about 18 times more power-per-kilogram.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221209153100.htm to view the full article online.

Ammonium is the Secret Ingredient in Stable, Efficient, Scalable Perovskite Solar Cells

A new pathway to creating durable, efficient perovskite photovoltaics at industrial scale has been demonstrated through the first effective use of lead acetate as a precursor in making formamidinium-caesium perovskite solar cells.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/12/221221090611.htm to view the full article online.

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