Public Power Daily

The Sterling Municipal Light Department (SMLD) in Massachusetts is marking a major milestone related to the department’s two energy storage systems. In March, SMLD celebrated over $1 million in avoided costs to the light department, thanks to the two systems.

Texas public power utility New Braunfels Utilities on April 16 hosted a ribbon cutting for its eleventh substation, which will allow the utility to maintain resiliency in the face of growth.

The City Council for Norfolk, Neb., on April 15 approved an agreement for the state’s largest community solar project with Nebraska Public Power District that will be tied to a battery energy storage system (BESS) demonstration project expected to be in operation by mid-2020.

Customers are increasingly dependent on their mobile phones and rely on apps and texts for all types of transactions, service reminders and alerts. They expect the same from their electric utility. For utilities, text messaging is highly effective for communicating outage notifications, weather alerts, tree trimming operations, and payment reminders to their customers.

The U.S. Supreme Court will not consider two appeals court decisions that upheld state programs in Illinois and New York that provide support for nuclear power plants.

Several public power cities are making strides when it comes to solar installations, a new report from Environment America says.

Residential rates in deregulated states increased by 0.3 cent more than they did in regulated states between 1997 and 2018, increasing from 10.1 to 14.8 in deregulated states versus 7.2 to 11.6 in regulated states, the American Public Power Association said.

Microsoft Corp. unveiled agreements with Chelan County Public Utility District under which Microsoft will receive carbon-free electricity to power its Puget Sound campuses and partner with the PUD on broadband connectivity in Chelan County, Wash.