Advanced Energy Perspectives

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) plan to regulate carbon emissions is just the latest challenge facing the U.S. electric power system. Technological innovation is disrupting old ways of doing business and accelerating grid modernization. Earlier this year, AEE released Advanced Energy Technologies for Greenhouse Gas Reduction, a report detailing the use, application, and benefits of 40 specific advanced energy technologies and services. This post is one in a series drawn from the technology profiles within that report.

Plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are emerging as an important vehicle platform in the United States and globally. PEVs are powered completely or in part by rechargeable batteries. PEVs include battery electric vehicles (BEVs) such as the Nissan Leaf and Tesla Model S, which need to be recharged through external power sources, and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) such as the Chevy Volt and Toyota Prius Plug-in, which contain both a battery and a gasoline-powered engine. BEVs typically have ranges of about 100 to 250 miles, while PHEVs have electric-only ranges of about 20-40 miles, after which they operate on gasoline like regular hybrid vehicles.

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As the release of EPA’s final Clean Power Plan (CPP) approaches, utilities, regulators, and state officials across the country are weighing compliance options. After the final rule is released mid-summer, and after a lot more analysis and deliberation, states will craft implementation plans (SIPs) tailored to their particular circumstances. In some states, however, legislators have introduced bills aiming to slow or block their state’s compliance with the CPP. Increasingly, this legislation is meeting with resistance from stakeholders—most importantly, utilities.

This week we saw two AEE member companies partnering in a bold new venture, an examination of combined heat and power technology for hospitals, plus salt-cooled nuclear reactors and 100 percent renewable energy for a Central American country and a small town in Texas.

In Minnesota, the state’s leading utility is pushing legislation that would create performance-based rates. This would adjust the utility’s revenue model to align with the state’s energy policy objectives, protecting the utility’s business interests while giving customers the benefits of a more efficient, cleaner, and more distributed electricity system utilizing advanced energy. The proposal puts Xcel out ahead of regulatory reform efforts in Minnesota – some say too far ahead.

Now well into 2015, momentum is building around the country to create a 21st Century electricity system. Progress is being made on the regulatory front and with implementation, as various states move to modernize their grids, update their regulatory frameworks, and address the challenges and opportunities that come with wider deployment of distributed energy resources (DER), electric vehicles, renewable energy, and broadly speaking, a smarter grid. New York and California are two states that are leading the way. AEE, the AEE Institute, our member companies, and our state and regional partners are deeply involved.