grid
Transmission
If all the high-voltage transmission currently under construction and in advanced stages of permitting is built by 2030 in the Western U.S. -- enabling the construction of new renewable energy projects -- carbon dioxide emissions in the Western United States would drop by 73 percent compared to 2005, a new report issued by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found.
grid
Customer Service
Power outages, wildfires, rooftop solar systems, and demand response programs create a need for utilities to communicate with customers quickly and clearly. Utilizing omnichannel communication systems can help ensure customers stay in the know and also help utilities respond to the many outage-related calls and emails from customers.
bill
Bills and Rates
Chelan PUD commissioners will spend the next two months studying a proposed two-year extension of the annual rate increases that started with the 2020-2024 strategic plan, the Washington State-based PUD said on Sept. 17.
grid
Electricity Markets
The North American Energy Standards Board on Sept. 12 announced its completion of a recommendation for a new standard contract, drafted at the request of the U.S. Department of Energy, which NAESB said will increase efficiency and consistency in transactions between utilities and distributed energy resource aggregators in the procurement of distribution services.
people
Workforce
Florida public power utility JEA on Sept. 17 presented scholarships to 10 University of North Florida female student-athletes who are pursuing STEM degrees.
solar
Distributed Energy Resources
Sandhills Energy is set to begin construction on two solar projects in Iowa – each exceeding 4 megawatts – in Indianola and Waverly, Iowa, both of which are public power communities.
grid
Electricity Markets
The PJM Interconnection recently tested its ability to temporarily reduce voltage in order to practice and validate an emergency procedure used to ease system conditions under extreme circumstances.
grid
Electricity Markets
The Department of Energy has released a resource hub outlining the suite of tools available to support public and private stakeholders, including utilities and data center owners and operators, “in meeting growing demand while maintaining system reliability, affordability, and security,” it said on Aug. 22.
grid
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations on Aug. 22 issued a Notice of Intent for up to $400 million “to spur innovative, community-focused clean energy solutions in rural and remote areas across the United States.”
text
Customer Service
When Paducah Power System began using TextPower in December 2022, the benefits quickly became apparent and elevated their customer service in several meaningful ways.