News

Bloomberg News reported on cleantech companies recruiting former oil and gas workers in Texas, quoting AEE CEO Nat Kreamer. Read excerpts below and the entire May 29 piece published later by the Longview News-Journal here. A number of news outlets including E&E News (sub. req.) also ran the story.

Jeff Bishop's LinkedIn post gets right to the point: "Houston Oil & Gas Folks -- we're hiring in Texas" for jobs in clean tech. His company, battery developer Key Capture Energy, is making the pitch even as tens of thousands of renewable-energy jobs have dried up amid the coronavirus pandemic. That's because Bishop and a handful of other clean-power executives see an opportunity to recruit talent from the oil and gas industries, which have been even harder hit. 

Utility Dive highlighted a new Guidehouse market report on distributed storage companies, including overall market observation by AEE's Ryan Katofsky. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

ENGIE, Enel X, Tesla, Honeywell, Con Edison Battery Storage, EDF, and NantEnergy were ranked as top leaders in the distributed energy storage integrator sector, according to a report released Wednesday by Guidehouse Insights. "The distributed energy storage (DES) market has grown increasingly competitive since 2016, representing significant opportunity," Guidehouse Insights said in its report, which evaluated the strategy and execution of 15 distributed energy storage integrators...

RealClearInvestigations covered the expansion of renewables in Virginia and West Virginia in context of gas pipeline project, quoting VA AEEs Harry Godfrey. Read excerpts below and the entire RealClearInvestigations piece here. 

The embattled Atlantic Coast Pipeline begins its run in West Virginia. The steel tube built to ferry 1.5 billion cubic feet of natural gas a day weaves underground through mountain terrain toward its destination two states away in North Carolina. Then it stops, after only 30 miles but many millions of dollars into its journey. 

POLITICO covered the possible increase in EVs in PA due to changes in the supply chain, featuring AEEs PA EV Report and quoting AEE's Daniel Bloom. Read excerpts below and the entire POLITICO piece here (sub. req.). 

More than 350 firms across Pennsylvania could "easily transition" to the supply chain for electric vehicles, as they have workers with skills directly applicable to the industry, according to a report today from the trade group Advanced Energy Economy.

Electric transportation manufacturing, repair, and maintenance offer growth opportunities for sidelined industries, and could contribute to economic recovery for the state coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic

HARRISBURG, May 28, 2020 — Today national business association Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) released a new report concluding that more than 350 Pennsylvania firms, many of them in industries and geographies that have seen declines in recent years, could easily transition to serving the supply chain for electric vehicles, which is expected to grow at a rapid rate in the coming years. As Pennsylvania, like many other states, considers economic recovery strategies following the COVID-19 public health crisis, the unique opportunity to capitalize on electric transportation growth should get serious attention from policymakers.

FLAPOL covered Florida's SB7018 which sets up infrastructure planning that paves the way for EVs, quoting AEE's Dylan Reed. Read excerpts below and the entire FLAPOL piece here. 

After a two-month delay during the coronavirus pandemic, a bill creating a study of the state’s electric vehicle charging grid finally hit the Governor’s desk Tuesday. Gov. Ron DeSantis has until June 11 to sign that bill (SB 7018), which would also allow the Department of Transportation (FDOT) to construct staging areas for emergency response, adds a “shot clock” for utility infrastructure permits, and create cases for utilities to cross rural land while protecting the environment.

Utility Dive covered commissioners from New Jersey, Michigan, Maryland, and Massachusetts as they discussed FERC's MOPR order in AEE's first session of AEN|EAST ONLINE. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

Between a controversial proposal to nationally overhaul solar net metering policy and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's highly-scrutinized minimum offer price rule (MOPR), federal and state tension "is at an all time high," according to Maryland's head regulator. 

Politico covered the lack of stimulus for the clean energy industry by House Democrats, despite aid for other sectors, quoting AEE's Dylan Reed. Read excerpts below and the entire Politico piece here. 

Clean energy companies and advocates are blasting Democrats in the House for neglecting to give the industry any help in its pandemic relief bills, even as the sector reports hundreds of thousands of job losses and the chamber offers aid to sectors like cannabis and biofuels. 

Washington Examiner reported on AEE's call with others for FERC to consider carbon pricing in their Daily of Energy. Read excerpts below and the entire Washington Examiner piece here. 

Democratic senators Monday backed a call by power providers for FERC to examine the implications of imposing carbon pricing in wholesale electricity markets. “The Commission has a rare opportunity to heed the call from a diverse set of energy stakeholders who want to develop long-term certainty in the energy market with policies that could deploy and incentivize reliable, low cost, and emissions free energy,” wrote the senators, led by Sheldon Whitehouse, in a letter to FERC Chairman Neil Chatterjee.

E&E News covered Democrat leaders' call for FERC to look at carbon pricing, noting AEE's role. Read excerpts below and the entire E&E News piece here (sub. req.). 

Six Senate Democrats called on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission yesterday to host a technical conference on the viability of incorporating a carbon price into the nation's electric markets. The letter, led by Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), throws additional weight behind a push by renewable and utility groups for FERC to better understand the impacts a carbon price could have on grid operations (Energywire, May 19).

The New York Times reported reported renewable energy will exceed coal-fired power this year, an impact of reduced demand due to COVID-19, quoting AEE CEO Nat Kreamer. Read excerpts below and the entire New York Times piece online here. It also appeared in print on May 14.

PV Magazine summarized findings from TAEBA’s distributed energy resources report, quoting TAEBA's Suzanne Bertin. Read excerpts below and the entire PV Magazine piece here. 

An estimated 20% of transmission and distribution investments in Texas are designed to meet load growth, and could largely be deferred by adding distributed battery storage. That’s a key finding of a report from the Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance (TAEBA), which pegged the annual savings possible in Texas from this “non-wires solution” at $344 million per year. 

Energy News Network published commentary by TAEBA's Suzanne Bertin and CTEI's Matt Welch on the promise of energy storage for Texas. Read excerpts below and the entire Energy News Network piece here (This story was also reposted by Energy Central).

The phrases “turning winds” and a “a new sun rising” are often used to describe change, and these metaphors could not be more appropriate in describing our energy system today, as the wind and sun themselves are driving the transformation. Even the casual energy observer has noticed that the Texas wind rush is on. 

RTO Insider covered D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals skepticism of arguments that FERC exceeded its jurisdiction when it issued Order 841, quoting AEE's Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire RTO Insider piece here (sub. req.). 

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals seemed unconvinced by arguments that FERC exceeded its jurisdiction by refusing to let states opt out of Order 841, which opened wholesale markets to energy storage.

DailyEnergyInsider covered FERC's extension of the due date for comments in the NERA's legal challenge of full net metering transactions. Read excerpts and the entire DailyEnergyInsider piece here. 

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on Monday extended the due date for comments in the New England Ratepayers Association’s (NERA) legal challenge of full net metering transactions. Comments are now due by June 15 in NERA’s petition requesting FERC to “declare that there is exclusive federal jurisdiction over wholesale energy sales from generation sources located on the customer side of the retail meter” and to order that the rates fall under federal purview, contrary to the current standard that places these programs under state authority.

Utility plan overstates costs and misses opportunity to deliver more savings for customers

RICHMOND, May 5, 2020 — Today, business group Virginia Advanced Energy Economy (Virginia AEE) reacted to the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP, Docket PUR 2020-00035)* filed by Dominion Energy (as Virginia Electric and Power Company) late Friday. The plan comes three weeks after Governor Northam signed the historic Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), legislation that requires Dominion Energy meet the Commonwealth’s energy demand it serves with 100% clean energy by 2045.

E&E News covered Dominion Energy's plans to expand renewable energy to meet 2045 clean energy goals quoting Virginia AEE's Harry Godfrey. Read excerpts below and the entire E&E News piece here (sub. req.). More about Virginia Clean Economy Act here.

Dominion Energy Inc. has announced plans to quadruple renewable energy development in Virginia to comply with the state's landmark clean energy law, but critics warn the move might not be enough to achieve net-zero emissions by a 2045 deadline. The company's Dominion Energy Virginia subsidiary is aiming to add a combined 23.7 gigawatts of solar, wind and battery storage to its portfolio by the end of 2035, according to its 2020 integrated resource plan — roughly four times greater than previous renewable energy targets.