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Commonwealth Associates, Inc. ®
Commonwealth provides traditional and renewable engineering, consulting, and design services. From IPPs to IOUs, to federal contracts, to city power and light, big or small, Commonwealth has you covered. With offices and experts across the country, Commonwealth is here to make a powerful difference for you. To learn more, visit www.cai-engr.com or call 517.788.3000.
 
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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. Thank you, 2022 RMEL Champions!

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

The game has changed from the traditional O&M model.
Black & Veatch Corporation®
Big Data helps owners detect issues before they become big problems. Prioritize field responses, balance the costs and benefits of maintenance activities, and generate the greatest ROI with these 4 key methods to optimize DER assets through data-driven O&M.
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Damage from climate change may outweigh the rate base benefits utilities gain from spending on grid resiliency, Morgan Stanley analysts said in a report on energy transition “disconnects.” Other misunderstandings – positive and negative – about utilities and the energy transition include electric vehicle load growth, disruptions from energy storage and fuel cells and artificial intelligence, according to the report.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/climate-change-energy-storage-ev-demand-growth-nextera-xcel/651850/ to view the full article online.

DOE proposed new standards for the transformers in December, to go into effect in 2027. But this is a “strategically inopportune time,” the senators said, and the rule could hinder the nation’s clean energy transition.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/senators-doe-transformer-shortage-energy-efficiency/651881/ to view the full article online.

  
DOE said that clean hydrogen could play a “vital future role” in reducing emissions from some of the most energy-intensive sectors of the economy, including industrial and chemical processes and heavy-duty transportation.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/hydrogen/doe-releases-clean-hydrogen-strategy/ to view the full article online.

EIA forecasts that the largest increases in U.S. electricity generation this summer (June, July, and August) will come from solar, wind, and natural gas-fired power plants because of new generating capacity coming online, according to their June Short-Term Energy Outlook. The rising generation from these sources will likely be offset by reduced generation from coal-fired power plants.

Visit https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=56760 to view the full article online.

  
Global energy demand rose 1% in 2022 but the rate of energy efficiency improvements was double the average of the past five years boosted by “surging” sales in more efficient technologies like heat pumps and electric vehicles, the International Energy Agency.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/heat-pump-sales-topped-gas-furnaces-United-States/652277/ to view the full article online.

According to the “Renewables: Engaging Consumers in the Clean Energy Transition” report, which is based on a nationwide survey of 2,000 Americans, only 12 percent of Americans are aware of renewable energy goals from either federal, state or municipal governments, while just six percent have heard of targets from their electricity provider, despite most Americans being served by a provider with a clean energy goal.

Visit https://www.tdworld.com/renewables/article/21267631/most-americans-support-transition-to-renewable-energy-but-few-know-about-government-and-utility-targets to view the full article online.

  
Utility lawyers at times advise electric companies to withhold information from the Electricity-Information Sharing and Analysis Center because the E-ISAC is organizationally located within the North American Electric Reliability Corp. which is overseen by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, according to a new report on public-private efforts to protect critical infrastructure.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/nercs-public-private-security-collaboration-problems/652414/ to view the full article online.

Member Announcements
“As we celebrate 40 years of giving, we are reminded of the importance of supporting the community through nonprofits,” said Laurie Roach, PNM Resources Foundation executive director. “Their work is critical to address the most pressing issues facing our society and we are grateful to the early founders who enabled this long-standing support of nonprofit impact.”

Visit https://www.pnm.com/documents/28767612/36968780/PNM+Resources+Foundation+awards+%24700%2C000+to+community+nonprofits+in+honor+of+40th+anniversary.pdf/8318f3c6-7ddf-c12c-cf6d-30a9affe0253?t=1685462523880 to view the full article online.

  
The RP3 designation, which lasts for three years, recognizes public power utilities that demonstrate high proficiency in four key disciplines: reliability, safety, workforce development, and system improvement. Criteria include sound business practices and a utility-wide commitment to safe and reliable delivery of electricity.

Visit https://newsroom.cpsenergy.com/cps-energy-earns-diamond-level-designation-for-being-a-reliable-public-power-provider-from-the-american-public-power-association/ to view the full article online.

United Power, Inc. (United Power) and TEA Solutions entered into an agreement to support United Power’s transition to new power suppliers. The Energy Authority (TEA), headquartered in Jacksonville, FL, provides public power entities with strategic perspective on deriving maximum value from their assets, and offers advisory services, advanced analytics, and renewable solutions.

Visit https://www.unitedpower.com/united-power-enters-agreement-tea-solutions to view the full article online.

  

Carbon dioxide emissions from Tucson Electric Power’s generating portfolio dropped 32 percent from 2019 to 2022 – powerful progress toward our clean energy goals. The reductions reflect the replacement of retiring coal resources with cleaner energy as part of TEP's plan to reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2035. Emissions decreased by 3.5 million metric tons over that period.

Visit https://www.tep.com/news/new-clean-energy-resources-help-trim-carbon-dioxide-emissions-30-percent/ to view the full article online.

White Paper
With the use of electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage systems on the rise, the need to explore alternatives to lithium-ion batteries has never been greater. Researchers have recently developed a prototype calcium metal rechargeable battery capable of 500 cycles of repeated charge-discharge -- the benchmark for practical use. The breakthrough was made thanks to the development of a copper sulfide nanoparticle/carbon composite cathode and a hydride-based electrolyte.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230523123849.htm to view the full article online.

The next generation of sustainable energy technology might be built from some low-tech materials: rocks and the sun. Using a new approach known as concentrated solar power, heat from the sun is stored then used to dry foods or create electricity. A team has found that certain soapstone and granite samples from Tanzania are well suited for storing this solar heat, featuring high energy densities and stability even at high temperatures.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230530125428.htm to view the full article online.

Researchers have achieved a breakthrough power-conversion efficiency (PCE) of 19.31% with organic solar cells (OSCs), also known as polymer solar cells. This remarkable binary OSC efficiency will help enhance applications of these advanced solar energy devices.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230601160241.htm to view the full article online.