RMEL eNews

RMEL Member Information

Join RMEL's Groups on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook

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.

Industry Information

Proposed Update to Public Land Rules Could Provide 80% Reduction in Renewable Project Fees, Says Interior

The Department of the Interior said it hopes to increase the economic certainty of renewables projects sited on public land by reducing costs for developers, and pass along savings to ratepayers.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/public-land-regulations-renewables-fees-wind-solar/653185/ to view the full article online.

Conventional Generation Outages Set a Record in 2022: NERC

Generation outages surpassed transmission as the leading cause of major load loss events last year, according to analysis from the North American Electric Reliability Corp.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/conventional-generation-outages-set-a-record-in-2022-nerc/653755/ to view the full article online.

Energy Storage Growth Stalled in Early 2023, Projected to Bounce Back: Report

The energy storage market added 2,145 MWh of new capacity in the first three months of this year.

It marks a 33% drop in energy storage market growth compared to the first quarter of 2022, and a 26% drop compared to last year’s fourth quarter, according to Wood MacKenzie’s and ACP’s latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor report.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/energy-storage-growth-stalled-in-early-2023-projected-to-bounce-back-repo/653369/ to view the full article online.

Statistical Review Finds Fossil Fuels Still Dominate the Global Energy Mix

Oil, natural gas and coal continued to dominate global primary energy consumption in 2022 despite focused efforts by western governments to subsidize a largely debt-funded transition to renewables and electric vehicles (EVs). The Statistical Review of World Energy, conducted by the Energy Institute, finds that fossil fuels provided 82% of primary energy consumption during 2022, the same percentage it provided in 2021, as surging energy demand offset growth in renewables and EVs.

Visit https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidblackmon/2023/06/26/statistical-review-finds-fossil-fuels-still-dominate-the-global-energy-mix/?ss=energy&sh=7d0b17d4488c to view the full article online.

Most US Regions Get D+ or Below for Transmission Planning, Development: Benchmark Report

“Congestion is rising, delays and costs for interconnecting new projects are increasing, and very little new high-capacity transmission is being built,” the report said.

Visit https://www.utilitydive.com/news/aseg-transmission-planning-development-report/654253/ to view the full article online.

DOE, Partners Sign Agreement to Accelerate Long-Duration Energy Storage Technologies

Long-duration energy storage is becoming increasingly important as more renewable energy sources are added to the grid. LDES systems can store and discharge a significant amount of energy, from hours to days or even weeks. Different conventional and novel technologies are being explored and developed, including compressed air energy storage, flow batteries, pumped hydro and thermal energy storage.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/energy-storage/doe-partners-sign-agreement-to-accelerate-long-duration-energy-storage-technologies/ to view the full article online.

Solar Farm Pelted by Giant Hail as Severe Storm Ripped Through Nebraska

A solar farm in Nebraska suffered significant hail damage during an extreme weather event that swept through the Great Plains. The 4.375 MWac solar farm in Scottsbluff was damaged by the same storm cell that injured eight people at a Wyoming coal mine.

Visit https://www.power-eng.com/news/solar-farm-pelted-by-giant-hail-as-severe-storm-ripped-through-nebraska/ to view the full article online.

Member Announcements

New Clean Energy Resources Help TEP Trim Carbon Dioxide Emissions 30 Percent

Carbon dioxide emissions from Tucson Electric Power’s generating portfolio dropped 32 percent from 2019 to 2022 – powerful progress toward clean energy goals. The reductions reflect replacement of retiring coal resources with cleaner energy as part of the 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.

Interim Austin City Manager Appoints Bob Kahn as Austin Energy General Manager

Austin Energy welcomes Bob Kahn as its new General Manager, effective Monday, July 3, 2023. With his extensive experience and proven track record in the electric utility industry, Kahn brings a wealth of knowledge and strategic vision to this role. Since December 2012, Kahn has served as General Manager for Texas Municipal Power Agency. He is also a board member with the Texas Public Power Association, which represents 72 municipal utilities in the state.

Visit https://austinenergy.com/about/news/news-releases/2023/interim-austin-city-manager-appoints-bob-kahn-as-austin-energy-general-manager to view the full article online.

Basin Electric Board Approves Nearly $50 Million to Continue Moving Forward with Transmission Buildout

Increased load and continued growth in Basin Electric’s service area has led to the need for additional generation and transmission resources to meet the needs of the membership. In addition to current and planned construction of generation resources, Basin Electric is on track to energize nearly 350 miles of high-voltage transmission line by the end of 2027.

Visit https://www.basinelectric.com/News-Center/news-briefs/Basin-Electric-board-approves-nearly-50-million-to-continue-moving-forward-with-transmission-buildout to view the full article online.

SRP Coolidge Expansion Project Approved by the ACC

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) approved an amended Certificate of Environmental Compatibility (CEC) for the Coolidge Expansion Project, a flexible, fast-ramping natural gas plant that will help SRP cost-effectively and reliably meet the region’s growing energy needs as the utility works to add more solar, wind and storage resources.

Visit https://media.srpnet.com/srp-coolidge-expansion-project-approved-by-the-acc/ to view the full article online.

Sunflower Electric Power Corporation Announces Second Solar Project

Sunflower Electric Power Corp. will develop, own and operate a 20-megawatt solar energy project near Russell, Kan. In January 2022, Sunflower announced its plans to add a second solar facility to its generation portfolio and has since selected a developer and project structure for the Sunflower Electric Solar @ Russell project.

Visit https://sunflower.net/sunflower-electric-power-corporation-announces-second-solar-project/ to view the full article online.

White Paper

Aluminum-Ion Batteries with Improved Storage Capacity

Scientists develop positive electrode material using an organic redox polymer based on phenothiazine. Aluminium-ion batteries containing this material stored an unprecedented 167 milliampere hours per gram, outperforming batteries using graphite as electrode material. Aluminium-ion batteries are considered a promising alternative to conventional batteries that use scarce raw materials such as lithium.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230613190817.htm to view the full article online.

Perovskite Solar Cells Set New Record for Power Conversion Efficiency

Perovskite solar cells have now attained the extremely high efficiency rate of 24.35% with an active area of 1 cm2. This ground-breaking achievement in maximizing power generation from next-generation renewable energy sources will be crucial to securing the world's energy future.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230622120852.htm to view the full article online.

An Ingredient in Toothpaste May Make Electric Cars Go Farther

Scientists have developed a fluoride-containing electrolyte for lithium metal batteries that could boost the electric vehicle industry. The usefulness of this electrolyte extends to other types of advanced battery systems beyond lithium ion.

Visit https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230628130317.htm to view the full article online.

Rocky Mountain Electrical League