ORIGINAL REPORTING: New York’s Path To The Energy Transition

New York's landmark Reforming the Energy Vision framework remains both vital and unfinished, analysts say; New York's REV initiatives have given full value to distributed energy resources, but the utility business model transformation must be finished, regulators and other stakeholders agreed.

Herman K. Trabish, December 9, 2021 (Utility Dive)

Editor’s note: New York’s REV pioneered aspproaches to a lot of the ideas that are today shaping the energy transition.

New York’s 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA) now dominates the state’s policy debates and agenda on power system transformation, but regulators’ foundational Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) initiatives and regulatory proceedings remain vital, those whose created and shaped it say.

In 2015, the New York power system’s aging infrastructure, declining efficiencies, and rising electricity rates required modernized infrastructure, operations and markets, REV’s Track One Order declared. It offered a vision of a “reoriented” regulatory model with “a consumer-centered approach that harnesses technology and markets.”

click to enlarge

“REV’s impacts still reverberate through New York’s regulatory process and its key pillars will make reaching CLCPA’s goals easier, faster, and more cost-effective,” said Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) Policy Director Danny Waggoner, who was in REV proceedings from the beginning. It may not have met all expectations, but “REV animated markets and changed utilities’ business models.”

New York’s energy transition was under way and utilities were changing, Consolidated Edison spokesperson Allan Drury said. But “the heart of REV” was “its recognition that climate change is real and due to human activity” and its regulatory framework, which created “customer empowerment” through customer-owned technologies like distributed solar, batteries, and energy efficiency.

click to enlarge

REV drove landmark changes in distributed energy resources (DER) are valued by utilities and customers, regulators and stakeholders both agreed. Its work on how utility performance is rewarded and how utilities can serve the power system remains unfinished, but if the REV initiatives still underway are completed, it will fulfill the vision and help New York’s ongoing energy transition succeed, they added.

New York regulatory agencies and system stakeholders collaboratively developed REV’s more than 40 initiatives from Cuomo administration-led clean energy programs and its 2015 State Energy Plan, which required a 40% emissions reduction from 1990 levels, 50% renewables generation, and a 600 trillion British Thermal Unit (BTU) energy efficiency improvement by 2030. That year, Hawaii’s nation-leading renewables mandate was 40% by 2030 and 100% by 2045, and California accelerated to 50% by 2030, while Massachusetts targeted only 25% renewables in 2030… click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

Net Zero Emissions Will Not Come Easy

According to New Modeling from Energy Innovation, California Is on Track to Produce 307 Million Metric Tons of Emissions in 2030 – Nearly 20% Over Target; to Meet Its 2030 Carbon Goals, the State Needs to Triple Historical Decarbonization Rates

Kavya Balaraman, June 17, 2022 (Utility Dive)

“…[New modeling found] California is not on track to meet its 2030 economy-wide decarbonization milestones based on its current policy commitments…[and projects] the state is on track to produce 307 million metric tons of emissions in 2030 – nearly 20% over target…[Electrifying energy demand in the state, especially in the context of the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine,] could reduce California’s exposure to volatile global oil markets…

click to enlarge

…[A California 2018 executive order targetd] carbon neutrality by 2045…[The state will need to more than triple its historical decarbonization rate] to fall below 260 MMT to meet the target in eight years…[The California Air Resources Board’s ongoing 2022 scoping plan process, developed in 2008 and updated at least every five years,] outlines the state’s approach to decarbonization…[Its draft 2022 update] focuses on the 2030 emissions reduction target as well as achieving carbon neutrality by 2045…[It has been met with criticism from some quarters, including environmentalists and climate experts, for, among other things, not being aggressive enough…

click to enlarge

…[There are] multiple near-term policy measures that California should prioritize…{it could require] all new cars and light-duty truck sales be zero-emission by 2030…[or] aim for 100% electrification of new appliances by 2030…[It could also] boost its clean energy standard to reach 76% renewables and 92% zero-emission electricity in 2030…[But for policy-makers to ensure that electricity remains affordable, it should avoid using] electricity rates to pay for roughly $38.9 billion in pending wildfire-related costs…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

Monday Study: Cyber Security For The U.S. Power System

Architecting the Next Generation for OT Security

December 2021 (Ponemon Institute via DNV)

Executive Summary

This is a time of change and challenges. It’s an era that is both transformative and disruptive, shaped by digital technologies that are improving billions of lives around the world, even as they make us vulnerable in ways we never anticipated.

This digitalisation has been a fact of life for quite some time, but it is also becoming a factor in the operation of critical infrastructure and other industrial environments at an accelerating speed. At the same time, the Operational Technology (OT) systems that monitor and control industrial equipment, assets, processes and events in critical infrastructure are facing more and more threats from increasingly sophisticated malicious actors, including nation states.

In this dynamic environment, it is important to understand the thoughts and concerns that drive organisations to take action to keep their OT domains safe, secure and resilient. Applied Risk has undertaken the research needed to gain that understanding and to take a forward-looking approach to crucial questions about how to architect the next generation of OT Security solutions.

click to enlarge

In this document, we present the results of that research, which is based on data collected from IT and OT security practitioners. We use these data to assess current trends in the OT Security space, paying special attention to people-, process-, and technology-related issues, and offer recommendations on responses to these trends. Additionally, we describe current conditions in the OT Security realm and offer insight into the OT Security trends that are likely to emerge over the next two to four years.

This report was based on data compiled by the Ponemon Institute, which acted on Applied Risk’s behalf to survey 1,005 IT and OT security practitioners in the United States (597) and Europe (408).1 Respondents to the survey were asked to answer questions about how to architect the next generation of OT Security solutions. All respondents have responsibility for securing or overseeing cyber risks in the OT environment and understand how these risks impact the state of cyber security within their organisations. The research was then complemented by input from Applied Risk’s own engagements and assessments as well as analysis from our subject matter experts.

The results of this survey indicate that there are three major factors at work – People, Processes, and Technology. Here’s how they play out in relation to

click to enlarge

Prevailing Practices

People

• Low OT Security headcount • Plans for hiring additional staff • Ownership of OT Security Leadership not adequately defined • Lack of dedicated OT Security teams

Processes

• Widespread adoption of OT-specific, risk-based standards • Legislation helps drive adoption of standards • Lack of incident response plans • Lack of clarity on third-party and supply-chain security practices

Technology

Convergence of IT/OT systems important and beneficial • Adoption of zero trust measures • Air gaps still in use • Use of advanced and enabling technologies still lagging behind • Interest in Security Operations Centres (SOCs) growing

click to enlarge

Current Conditions

People

• Rising number of sophisticated nationstate attacks • Lack of industry-wide governance models

Processes

• Continuity and compliance are key drivers of investments in OT Security • Gaps remain in risk reduction, incident response, asset identification • Top source of concern: access management

Technology

• OT networks lack technology that can maximise security • Systems are isolated and fragmented • Emerging technologies such as cloud computing are gaining attention

click to enlarge

Future Directions – Next 2 to 4 years

People

• Additional hires: OT Security headcount may double in 2-4 years • Making greater efforts to develop skill pool for OT Security

Processes

• Supply chain audits and introduction of vendor security requirements are likely to increase as supply chain attacks are expected to happen more often • IT/OT convergence should be part of the solution

Technology

• Adoption of advanced and enabling technologies will be crucial • Continued reliance on existing technologies • Security Operations Centres (SOCs) are likely to make an impact

click to enlarge

Architecting the Next Generation for OT Security

Maximising safety and minimising unplanned outages are the top operational priorities for the organisations represented in this research. Reducing inefficiencies and minimising operating costs are also high priorities, as is the ability to maintain plant connectivity. Respondents see the convergence of IT and OT systems as one of the primary drivers toward meeting these organisational targets. At the same time, though, they note that attackers are focusing more and more on industrial environments and are quickly developing OT skills – and that this shift that has resulted in more sophisticated and clandestine attacks.

The results of the survey indicate that companies are struggling to develop their OT Security maturity at a pace comparable to speed with which attackers are developing their own skill sets. Meanwhile, the OT landscape is becoming more complex due to IT/OT convergence and to the introduction of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices, virtualisation, and cloud computing in these environments. The overall sense of the respondents is that they need to do more to ensure that the business benefits of these new technological developments can be realised in a secure manner.

More than half of the respondents believe that their cyber readiness is not at the right level yet and that they are not able to adequately minimise the risk of cyber exploits and breaches in the OT-environment. As such, it is clear that there is still work to be done in general and across the board.

The respondents are aware that they need to upskill their staff and that of their service providers and that they need better procedures. But above all, they understand that they will need enabling technologies to accelerate OT Security maturity. In summary, a combination of people-, process-, and technology-centric controls will remain key…

click to enlarge

Recommendations

New challenges will require a radical shift in reviewing security strategies and proposing sustainable long term solutions. Moreover, technological developments such as IT-OT convergence and cloud computing have increased the need for enabling OT Security technologies that can help organisations become more secure. As such, Applied Risk recommends that the following actions be taken to help architect the next generation of OT Security.

• IT/OT convergence keeps OT Security decision makers awake at night, but it could also become part of the solution to safeguard the OT domain in the changing environment. Converged IT/OT networks can be secured and monitored by collecting data across systems used to identify potential cyber security threats. ***For example, IIoT sensors are seen as an extra burden on the security team, as they are yet another thing to patch. However, data from IIoT devices could be leveraged to detect intruders into OT systems, turning this non-security-driven investment into a security win.

• To achieve IT/OT convergence and at the same time mitigate cyber security risks, organisations should consider creating cross-functional IT and OT security teams to avoid conflicts created by turf wars or silo issues that could be an obstacle to successful convergence. Establishing a good governance model is key.

• Zero trust is an important concept within the future of OT Security. This concept hinges on the belief that organisations should not automatically trust anything inside or outside their perimeters and instead must verify anything and everything trying to connect to its systems before granting access. It also assumes that the OT domain must be monitored continuously for anomalies and suspicious behaviors.

• This makes concepts like Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Privileged Access Management (PAM) even more important. Access management is most often used to prevent security compromises and is seen as a priority. Fully 65% of respondents say they use two-factor authentication for all privileged services, while 57% say their organisations are developing secure password policies and enforcing them across both IT and OT domains.

click to enlarge

• The majority of respondents say the lack of enabling technologies makes it painful to reduce cyber security risks in the OT environment and to keep up with attackers. Although it remains important to meet basics requirements (patching, anti-virus scans, management of changes, etc.), enabling technologies such as automation, machine learning, orchestration, and AI will be needed for rapid detection and response to security exploits and data breaches.

• More effort will be needed to develop the OT Security skill pool. There is a growing demand for professionals with OT Security skills. These do not all need to be OT Security specialists, but OT Security needs to be embedded in the profiles of managers, engineers, operators, procurement specialists, and others. Workforce development will be one of the most important means of achieving this goal.

• In order to respond quickly and effectively to security compromises and data breaches in the OT environment, organisations should have incident response plans that are dedicated to OT cyber security. A strong incident response capability requires a comprehensive response plan that is regularly tested. A response plan greatly reduces the cost of cyber incidents, as it is the key to swift response and sure-footed remediation.

• Supplier assurance is key. Many companies rely on third parties to manage large numbers of (or even all of) the applications, systems and networks in the OT domain. Regular reviews of third parties in the supply chain should be conducted.

• Risk assessments are critical. Organisations should conduct risk assessments on a regular basis to understand the vulnerabilities and risk in their OT environments. They should then analyse and act on the results of these assessments to improve their cyber readiness and to identify the resources necessary to address these risks, as part of continuous improvement processes…

Tweet

The Most Under-Appreciated, Overlooked New Energy

It fights the climate crisis and comes with an amazing array of extra benefits, from money savings to healthier air.From State of Green via YouTube

Tweet

Stress On The U.S. Power System

It’s climate crisis-driven extreme weather, skyrocketing demand, and aging infrastructure, and the only solution is investing in renovation.From CBS News via YouTube

Tweet

The Ocean’s Unseen Climate Crisis Fight

Deep in the ocean, life in “the twilight zone” is moving on carbon.From SciShow via YouTube

Tweet

Global New Energy Demand To Meet, Old Energy Subsidies To Beat

Climate crisis: Fossil fuels still dominate, renewables growth too slow; Despite government promises of a green COVID recovery, a new report says the world missed a "historic chance" to boost clean energy.

Martin Kuebler, 15 June 2022 (DW)

“Even with record growth in renewable energy last year, fossil fuels continue to dominate the world's energy use, with the overall share in global energy consumption rising just under eight percentage points over the last decade…[Despite increased investment, New Energy,] which provided around 20% of the world's energy needs in 2011, accounted for just over 28% in 2021…[According to the June 2022 REN 21 report, the] gains made in 2021 were overshadowed by an estimated 4% rise in energy consumption as the world slowly started to bounce back from COVID lockdowns…

click to enlarge

The result is that carbon dioxide emissions tied to energy soared last year to a record 36.3 billion metric tons — up 6% to their highest level ever…The report did have some good news…[Around $366 billion (€350 billion) was invested in the renewable energy sector in 2021,] rising for the fourth consecutive year. And for the first time, more than 10% of the world's electricity was provided by solar and wind power…

click to enlarge

But those investments paled in comparison to fossil fuel subsidies, which amounted to $18 trillion between 2018 and 2020 — $5.9 trillion in 2020 alone…[and] only 84 countries had economy-wide renewable energy targets, and only 36 for 100% renewables…[Because of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine,] the European Union agreed earlier this month to ban around 90% of Russian exports of crude and oil products into the bloc over the next eight months…[But certain countries, like Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic,] said they could not entirely stop imports…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

Global Energy Efficiency Push Gains Momentum

Global energy body backs 2030 heat and buildings efficiency push

Neil Merrett, 21 June 2022 (H&V News)

“…Energy efficiency improvements in buildings and prioritising heat pumps over fossil fuel systems should be among the main priorities for global decarbonisation, says the International Energy Agency (IEA)…[G]lobal commitments to ramp up use of more efficient technologies and materials over this decade could significantly reduce carbon emissions…[and] could be delivered without compromising economic growth by focusing on moving to high efficiency solutions with regards to buildings, transportation and industry…

click to enlarge

…[A joint IEA member statement affirmed the significant environmental, economic and social benefits of early action on energy efficiency over the next decade…[Ramping up efficiency measures in line with the IEA Net Zero Emissions by 2050 Scenario (NZE) would double global energy intensity] from 2020 and 2030 to four per cent from the two per cent recorded between 2010—2020. Energy intensity rates are based on measuring energy use per unit of GDP…[That would make the global economy] one third more energy efficient by the end of the current decade…[and address] a range of pressing global challenges by ensuring a more secure, sustainable and affordable supply of power… click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

ORIGINAL REPORTING: V2G In The Marketplace Makes EVs A Power Source

Vehicle-to-Grid is Not a Science Project

Herman K. Trabish, March 21, 2022 (California Current)

Editor’s note: New pilot projects are bringing the stored energy in EV batteries into power markets, enhancing reliable electricity delivery.

California added over 250,000 electric vehicles last year, reaching more than one million, according to the California Energy Commission. Current gasoline price spikes suggest that growth will accelerate EV purchases even more, but the increased electricity demand is expected to tax the power system, particularly if charging is not done at optimal times.

In response, California utilities are working on electric vehicle to home pilots that explore using the vehicles’ battery storage to power customers’ homes during outages, as Current recently reported. Pacific Gas & Electric and GM are working on a pilot over the next year at a utility facility and then at a customer’s home to test bidirectional chargers’ V2H capabilities. Concurrently, five PG&E-powered homes will test the potential of bidirectional charging with Ford’s F150 Lightning, the first light-duty truck in the market with that capability, PG&E Spokesperson Ari Vanrenen said. It will include management of the F-150 battery through Sunrun-provided home energy management systems, Ford Motor Company, Energy Services Business Lead, Ryan O’Gorman told Current.

click to enlarge

But the big prize is expected to be vehicle to grid (V2G) technologies emerging to support California’s 2035 all zero-emission new vehicle sales goal and its grid reliability ambitions, transportation electrification sector representatives and analysts told Current.

People have been talking about V2G for 20 years, but implementation is only accelerating now, said Nuvve Vice President of Policy Jacqueline Piero. V2G is ahead of the PG&E pilots’ more narrowly focused vehicles to homes. That is because V2G interconnection rules are in place, safety standards are developed, and policies supporting compensation are coming soon, she added.

click to enlarge

V2G “is not a science project anymore,” agreed Vehicle Grid Integration Council (VGIC) Senior Policy Director Edward Burgess. Many other major automakers besides Ford and GM, including VW, Lucid, and Hyundai, are working on the technology. California, New York, and Massachusetts are working on policy to support and compensate it, he added. Bidirectional charging technologies that enable vehicle to home and V2G are the way of the future because of the “huge opportunity” for customers, utilities, electric systems, and automakers, PG&E’s Vanrenen said.

There is value for all customers when a bidirectional charger converts AC electricity stored in an EV battery and sends it to a building as backup power or to the power system to smooth demand peaks, a November 2021 Smart Electric Power Alliance report confirmed. To scale V2G, “technical standards that govern the integration of V2G-enabled EVs” need to be incorporated into state interconnection rules, a January Interstate Renewable Energy Council report said. No single standard will cover all V2G interactions, but national standards by UL, IEEE, and others have established guidance for “safe and reliable” V2G performance, the report said… click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

EV Market Prices Move Toward Affordable

EVs heading into price ranges fit for mass adoption

Saul Elbein, June 7, 2022 (The Hill)

“Electric vehicles (EVs) are falling into the price range where experts say mass adoption can happen — and partially electrified hybrids are already there…But meeting the Biden administration’s decarbonization goals will require added support for new supply chains and sources of key materials, in addition to a coordinated approach to a national charging network, experts said…Lithium-ion battery prices are falling about 9 percent per year, and the cost of all cars is rising due to a combination of inflation, supply chain disruptions and the proliferation of new high-tech standard components such as backup cameras, blind spot sensors and lane assist…

click to enlarge

That means luxury and mid-range electric vehicles are already similar in price to their fossil fuel-powered counterparts…The average price of a new car was about $47,000 at the start of the year…[Prices are similar for many] new EVs…as lithium battery technology follows the pattern set by laptop computers, cellphones and flat-screen TVs: expensive luxury items that gradually filter down to the mainstream… [R]esearch shows that most customers are looking for vehicles in a crucial $30,000 to $50,000 sweet spot…

click to enlarge

The good news is that the Biden administration, numerous state governments and all the major carmakers are now spending big to modernize their battery technology, find new sources of critical materials and increase the scale of their production chains…One key roadblock to domestic production, however, is the limited domestic production of key battery minerals — a supply chain largely controlled by China…[That could be alleviated by proposed lithium] mining projects in California’s briny Salton Sea, where General Motors has invested millions…" click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

Monday Study – The World’s Climate Numbers Now

State of the Global Climate 2021

May 18 2022 (World Meteorological Organization)

Key Messages

The global mean temperature in 2021 was around 1.11 ± 0.13 °C above the 1850–1900 pre-industrial average. This is less warm than some recent years due to the influence of La Niña conditions at the start and end of the year. The most recent seven years, 2015 to 2021, were the seven warmest years on record.

Global mean sea level reached a new record high in 2021, rising an average of 4.5 mm per year over the period 2013–2021.

click to enlarge

The Antarctic ozone hole reached a maximum area of 24.8 million km2 in 2021. This unusually deep and large ozone hole was driven by a strong and stable polar vortex and colder-than-average conditions in the lower stratosphere.

Greenland experienced an exceptional mid-August melt event and the first-ever recorded rainfall at Summit Station, the highest point on the Greenland ice sheet at an altitude of 3 216 m.

click to enlarge

Exceptional heatwaves broke records across western North America and the Mediterranean. Death Valley, California reached 54.4 °C on 9 July, equalling a similar 2020 value as the highest recorded in the world since at least the 1930s, and Syracuse in Sicily reached 48.8 °C.

Hurricane Ida was the most significant of the North Atlantic season, making landfall in Louisiana on 29 August, equalling the strongest landfall on record for the state, with economic losses in the United States estimated at US$ 75 billion.

click to enlarge

Deadly and costly flooding induced economic losses of US$ 17.7 billion in Henan province of China, and Western Europe experienced some of its most severe flooding on record in mid-July. This event was associated with economic losses in Germany exceeding US$ 20 billion.

Drought affected many parts of the world, including areas in Canada, United States, Islamic Republic of Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey and Turkmenistan. In Canada, severe drought led to forecast wheat and canola crop production levels being 35%–40% below 2020 levels, while in the United States, the level of Lake Mead on the Colorado River fell in July to 47 m below full supply level, the lowest level on record.

click to enlarge

The compounded effects of conflict, extreme weather events and economic shocks, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, undermined decades of progress towards improving food security globally.

Hydro-meteorological hazards continued to contribute to internal displacement. The countries with the highest numbers of displacements recorded as of October 2021 were China (more than 1.4 million), Viet Nam (more than 664 000) and the Philippines (more than 600 000)…

Tweet

A Few Words About Hope

“To be truly radical is to make hope possible, rather than despair convincing." (Raymond Williams, 1989)From NationalSierraClub via YouTube

Tweet

New Energy Keeping Texas Powered

As temperatures skyrocket, wind and solar are helping electricity stay even with denand in Texas.From KHOU 11 TV via YouTube

Tweet

A Water Pipeline For The West

This one is from the Pacific Ocean to the Great Salt Lake but get ready to hear more water pipeline proposals as some states flood and some face drought.From Fox 13 News Utah via YouTube

Tweet

The EU’s New Push For The Cheapest New Energy – Energy Efficiency

The energy we don’t use: How to realize the benefits of the greenest, most affordable energy

Kim Fausing, 17 May 2022 (World Economic Forum)

“…While all tools to increase energy independence, reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills are on the table, one should be at the top of the list for urgent action: energy efficiency…By using existing technologies and focusing on first reducing the amount of energy used, reusing energy already produced and finally replacing the energy with green alternatives, we can, for example, turn the European heat supply green…Three areas are especially ripe for action to rapidly reduce energy consumption: 1) making our buildings smart; 2) using excess heat from supermarkets, data centres or industry to heat our homes and businesses; and 3) rethinking processes for carbon neutral industry…

click to enlarge

… Digital solutions, which are easy and quick to install, create smart, energy efficient buildings…[Model predictive control (MPC) systems] collect data on several factors – including the weather, showering habits of the inhabitants and expensive peak hours – and adjust the supply of energy accordingly, all while securing optimal thermal comfort…[Digital technologies can] optimally control the HVAC system…[to cut energy costs for tenants and allow] the buildings to act as energy batteries, shifting consumption to the periods during the day, where energy is cheaper…[Residents’ typically save 10% on energy costs,] building owners save up to 30% in technical maintenance costs and district heating companies can use up to 20% less power at peak hours…

click to enlarge

…[We can also] reuse energy already produced…[Existing cooling and heat recovery technologies can transform] supermarkets from energy consumers to sources of sustainable energy…[They can recycle] 95% of the excess heat from the cooling system by having a heat recovery system installed...[and save about 70% on] district heating costs and 37% on electricity. The excess heat provides heating for the store and around 15 households in the neighbourhood…The same principle can be applied to data centres and industry, which both consume enormous amounts of energy – and create enormous amounts of heat…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

The EU Plan To Get Off Russian NatGas

REPowerEU: A plan to rapidly reduce dependence on Russian fossil fuels and fast forward the green transition

18 May 2022 (European Commission)

“…[The REPowerEU Plan comes with] a double urgency to transform Europe's energy system: ending the EU's dependence on Russian fossil fuels, which are used as an economic and political weapon and cost European taxpayers nearly €100 billion per year, and tackling the climate crisis…85% of Europeans believe that the EU should reduce its dependency on Russian gas and oil as soon as possible to support Ukraine. The measures in the REPowerEU Plan can respond to this ambition, through energy savings, diversification of energy supplies, and accelerated roll-out of renewable energy to replace fossil fuels in homes, industry and power generation…

click to enlarge

Energy savings are the quickest and cheapest way to address the current energy crisis, and reduce bills. The Commission proposes to enhance long-term energy efficiency measures, including an increase from 9% to 13% of the binding Energy Efficiency Target under the ‘Fit for 55' package of European Green Deal legislation. Saving energy now will help us to prepare for the potential challenges of next winter…[The ‘EU Save Energy Communication' details] short-term behavioural changes which could cut gas and oil demand by 5%...Member States are also encouraged to use fiscal measures to encourage energy savings, such as reduced VAT rates on energy efficient heating systems, building insulation and appliances and products…

click to enlarge

The Commission also sets out contingency measures in case of severe supply disruption, and will issue guidance on prioritisation criteria for customers and facilitate a coordinated EU demand reduction plan…The newly created EU Energy Platform, supported by regional task forces, will enable voluntary common purchases of gas, LNG and hydrogen by pooling demand, optimising infrastructure use and coordinating outreach to suppliers…The Commission will also consider legislative measures to require diversification of gas supply over time… A massive scaling-up and speeding-up of renewable energy in power generation, industry, buildings and transport will accelerate…The Commission proposes to increase the headline 2030 target for renewables from 40% to 45% under the Fit for 55 package…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

ORIGINAL REPORTING: New EV Charging Technologies Target Affordability, Convenience

Three Emerging Technologies Shape Cutting Edge EV Charging Pilot

Herman K. Trabish, March 7, 2022 (California Current)

Editor’s note:

A Duke Energy pilot would use three cutting-edge electric vehicle technologies, a flat subscription rate, in-vehicle communications, and some utility management of charging during demand peaks, to enable the utility to maximize customer savings and minimize system impacts “without burdening drivers,” said Smart Electric Power Alliance Senior Director for Electrification Garrett Fitzgerald.

The little-tested residential subscription rate in Duke Energy’s pilot will allow EV owners an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 miles of driving per month at a fixed rate as low as $19.99 per month. Subscription rates have been studied by the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and Pacific Gas & Electric ran a trial with some of its business customers. This new pilot will likely provide important lessons about residential customer applications in California and other states, advocates told Current.

click to enlarge

“The volatile average $170 monthly gasoline bill becomes a steady $19.99, which simplifies pricing for EV owners,” Duke Energy Vice President of Rate Design and Strategic Solutions Lon Huber told Current. Managed charging shifts price signal complexities to the utility and allows the optimization of customers’ individual preset charging preferences with utility needs to manage demand spikes, he added.

The utility’s active management of charging will demonstrate transportation electrification can offer system benefits. It will be done by the utility through EV telematics, the wireless technology that connects the vehicle to GPS and other network information, allowing charging to be managed without the need for a home charger or separate meter.

click to enlarge

Managed charging offers “a massive opportunity for utilities to influence customer charging habits” and “maximize benefits to the power sector without compromising driver convenience,” SEPA’s Fitzgerald said. Managed charging and vehicle telematics-based programs are key parts of the transportation electrification future, he added.

Duke’s pilot will monitor the costs and benefits of managing EV charging through a flat rate. But the risk and reward of that management are transferred to the utility because the participants’ costs are fixed and any gaps in cost to serve will be absorbed by Duke. Ford, BMW, Honda, and GM support the program and, if North Carolina regulators approve, they will share its total $600,000 cost, according to Duke’s proposal to regulators. If done well, using vehicle telematics “will allow anyone to plug in anywhere, and pay for the charging on their own electric bill, with their own preferences,” such as charging times, rate design authority consultant Jim Lazar told Current… click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

New Wind And Solar Costs Will Keep Coming Down – Study

Berkeley Lab study projects continued long-term decline in the LCOE of utility-scale wind and solar

June 1, 2022 (Renewables Now)

“…Learning-by-doing is a broadly accepted concept for explaining relationships between technology cost reductions and cumulative output. It posits that costs decline as a function of output as firms learn to make products more efficiently, with the decline in cost per doubling of cumulative output known as the learning rate…[T]he learning rate can be applied to future output projections in order to estimate future costs…[But] the ultimate goal is to generate renewable energy…[and] installed cost is just one of a handful of inputs [that can benefit from learning, like] operating costs, financing costs, and capacity factor…

click to enlarge

…[T]he wind and solar industries have rightly focused on minimising LCOE, not installed costs…[A new method would] use LCOE, rather than installed costs, to assess historical learning…[It would] control for exogenous influences that are unrelated to learning…[and identify] periods of slower or faster learning…Wind’s full-period learning rate of 15% means that for each doubling of cumulative installed wind capacity worldwide, wind’s LCOE has declined by 15%. Solar’s full-period learning rate is higher, at 24%...[There were] two significant learning change points for wind (around 2006 and 2010), and one for solar (around 2014), with both technologies exhibiting a period of accelerated learning of 40-45% through 2020…

click to enlarge

…[It] is possible that wind’s accelerated learning rate from 2010-2020 is at least partly a correction to the period of negative learning witnessed from 2006-2010…[and suggests] that learning need not be constant over time, nor slow as industries mature…With its higher full-period learning rate of 24%, coupled with greater deployment projections, solar’s LCOE is expected to drop below wind’s LCOE within the next few years (from near-parity in 2020)—though there is greater uncertainty surrounding solar’s LCOE projection, given its briefer history…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

Monday Study – Transportation Electrification Policy Drives On

The 50 States of Electric Vehicles: Q1 2022

May 4, 2022 (North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center)

Executive Summary

Q1 2022 ELECTRIC VEHICLE ACTION

In Q1 2022, 50 states plus DC took a total of 627 actions related to electric vehicles. Table 1 provides a summary of state and utility actions occurring during Q1 2022. Of the 627 actions catalogued, the most common were related to Financial Incentives (172), followed by Regulation (137), and Market Development (134).

click to enlarge

TOP ELECTRIC VEHICLE ACTIONS OF Q1 2022

Five of the quarter’s most notable electric vehicle actions are noted below.

Washington Lawmakers Approve Light-Duty Vehicle Electrification Target

The Washington State Legislature enacted S.B. 5974 in March 2022, which sets a target for the state of having all publicly and privately owned passenger and light-duty vehicles of model year 2030 or later solar, purchased, or registered in the state be electric vehicles. The bill also creates an interagency electric vehicle coordinating council that will develop a plan to achieve the target.

Utilities File New Managed Charging Pilots in North Carolina and Wisconsin

Duke Energy filed an application for a new managed charging pilot program in North Carolina in February 2022, which would allow residential customers to pay a fixed monthly rate for athome charging, with the utility using vehicle telematics to actively manage charging. In Wisconsin, Madison Gas & Electric requested approval for three new managed charging pilot programs, targeting multi-family buildings, fleets, and residential customers.

click to enlarge

Missouri Regulators Approve New Utility Transportation Electrification Programs

In January 2022, the Missouri Public Service Commission issued decisions on transportation electrification portfolios proposed by Empire District Electric and Evergy. For Empire District Electric, regulators approved a residential charging station subscription program and programs to deploy utility-owned charging infrastructure at commercial sites. For Evergy, the Commission approved a new residential rebate program and an electric transit service rate.

North Carolina Governor Increases Zero-Emission Vehicle Adoption Target

The Governor of North Carolina issued an executive order in January 2022, increasing the state’s goal for registered zero-emission vehicles to 1.25 million by 2030. The order also sets a goal of having at least 50% of new vehicle sales in the state be zero-emission by 2030. The order directs the state’s Department of Transportation to develop a Clean Transportation Plan for decarbonizing the transportation sector through a variety of strategies.

click to enlarge

Georgia Legislators Adopt Resolution to Study Transportation Electrification

The Georgia General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution in March 2022 creating a committee to study transportation electrification. The committee will develop a comprehensive, strategic plan setting policy objectives for infrastructure, economic preparedness, transportation funding, innovation, and the development of a successful electric vehicle market in the state

click to enlarge

TOP ELECTRIC VEHICLE POLICY TRENDS OF Q1 2022

States Planning for Federal Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Funding

During Q1 2022, many states began preparing for the use of federal electric vehicle infrastructure funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, enacted in November 2021. The North Carolina Utilities Commission opened a proceeding to collect comments related to the use of this funding, while West Virginia lawmakers enacted a bill requiring the creation of an electric vehicle infrastructure development plan for the use of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure formula program funding. Similarly, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality is developing a plan for the use of this funding and a Kentucky bill would require the preparation of an electric vehicle infrastructure development plan for these funds. Other states considered legislation to create special funds for federal appropriations for electric vehicle infrastructure.

click to enlarge

Utilities Developing Active Managed Charging Pilot Programs

A growing number of utilities are developing managed charging pilot programs to minimize grid impacts and provide system-wide benefits. In North Carolina, Duke Energy proposed a new managed charging pilot, where customers would pay a fixed monthly fee for at-home charging, with the utility able to pause charging for up to four hours, three times per month. Madison Gas & Electric requested approval for three new managed charging programs in Wisconsin during the quarter, including a program that will use a telematics platform for the utility to control vehicle charging. In Minnesota, regulators approved Xcel Energy’s EV Optimization pilot in March 2022. Through the pilot, Xcel Energy will work with customers to schedule daily vehicle charging based on the customer’s choice of a preferred schedule that ensures charging occurs outside of the system peak. A managed charging working group has been working to refine managed charging programs for Eversource and United Illuminating in Connecticut, with revised design requirements filed in late April 2022. The programs will include both passive and active managed charging programs.

click to enlarge

State Lawmakers Addressing Charging Infrastructure Siting Issues

Lawmakers in several states addressed issues related to charging infrastructure siting during the quarter. In Delaware, legislators passed a bill that requires municipalities with at least 30,000 people to adopt ordinances establishing a procedure to obtain a permit to install a charging station on property next to residential streets. Legislators in Utah and Washington enacted bills prohibiting homeowners’ associations from unreasonably restricting the ability of homeowners to install electric vehicle charging equipment. Utah’s legislation also specifies that associations may not charge a fee for homeowners to install or use charging stations. Similar legislation is pending in Hawaii, Illinois, and New York. In Hawaii, lawmakers are also considering a bill that would require homeowners’ associations and other community associations to develop plans incorporating zero-emission vehicle fueling stations into their residential properties constructed after January 1, 2023…

Tweet

Energy Efficiency Moves To The Main Stage

A new part of the EU’s work to get off Russian fossil fuels is a drive to scale energy efficiency and it will likely take what used to be thought of as a cost into the New Energy mainstream From IMTVid via YouTube

Tweet

Power System Precarious As Weather Gets Extreme

This is the result of more than a decade of denying the needed investment in upgrades. From greenmanbucket via YouTube

Tweet

Capturing Carbon?

Taking CO2 out of the air and burying it is a great – and completely unproven concept. Keep experimenting until it works – but don’t count on it. And keep building the proven technologies that capture this good earth’s wind, sun, deep heat, and flowing waters. From U.S. Department of Energy via YouTube

Tweet

It’s All The Same Denial In Texas

In Texas, the definition of politics has changed from “the art of the possible” to “the art of denial.” From greenmanbucket via YouTube

Tweet

The Ocean’s Air Supply In A Climate Crisis

Half the North Atlantic’s oxygen comes from the Labrador Sea and the climate crisis is smothering it. From SciShow via YouTube

Tweet

The Planet Is Getting Thirsty

Climate crisis everywhere and fewer drops to drink.From Our Changing Climate via YouTube

Tweet

Europe Moves To More New Energy To Pressure Russia

EU agrees on partial ban of Russian oil imports

May 30, 2022 (CNN)

The European Union has agreed on a partial ban on Russian oil imports…[It] immediately covers more than 2/3 of oil imports from Russia, cutting a huge source of financing for its war machine…[The] announcement followed an extraordinary European Council summit attended… to discuss a sixth package of sanctions against Russia…[The] package includes other hard-hitting measures: de-Swifting the largest Russian bank Sberbank, banning 3 more Russian state-owned broadcasters, and sanctioning individuals responsible for war crimes in Ukraine…

click to enlarge

The EU agreed to ban 90 percent of Russian oil imports by the end of the year…Russian oil delivered by tankers would be banned, while an exemption will be made for the southern segment of the Druzhba pipeline…The northern segment of the pipeline serves Poland and Germany — who have agreed to the embargo. The southern part goes to Hungary, Slovakia and Czech republic…[and account for 10% of imports on Russian oil…

click to enlarge

’ …[This new] agreement has been held up by some countries, like Hungary, that are particularly reliant on Russian crude delivered via pipeline…[B]anning all seaborne oil would cover more than two-thirds of imports from Russia…Russian crude accounted for 27% of the bloc's imports in 2021…About 35% of that was delivered via pipelines…But pipeline deliveries made up a much bigger share of Russian oil shipments to Hungary (86%), the Czech Republic (97%) and Slovakia (100%)…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet