California Community Choice Aggregator Looks To Boost Geothermal Development
March 25, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 25, 2022
California community choice aggregator Sonoma Clean Power (SCP) recently issued a request for information (RFI) to select entities to enter a public-private partnership aimed at accelerating the development of incremental geothermal resources in a Geothermal Opportunity Zone spanning Sonoma and Mendocino counties, Calif.
SCP is ultimately looking to enable 500 megawatts (MW) of incremental local geothermal development while maintaining existing regional geothermal capacity.
SCP has an interest in entering into a partnership agreement with selected entities to collaborate on transmission planning, community engagement, regulatory advocacy, public education, and state and federal grants to enable development of additional geothermal capacity in the Geothermal Opportunity Zone.
SCP is also interested in opportunities that sustain the longevity and efficiency of existing resources.
SCP’s intent is to be the off-taker for as much as 150 MW of the capacity from resources developed through the partnership and will leverage its relationship with other load-serving entities to assist marketing all Geothermal Opportunity Zone output.
In the RFI, SCP said that it recognizes the opportunity for a large resurgence in geothermal resource development, particularly in California.
“An increasing penetration of intermittent renewables, ambitious environmental targets, and retirement of nuclear and natural gas plants are creating an attractive market for the reliability and capacity attributes of geothermal power,” it said.
“Meanwhile, technology transfer from the oil and gas sector, expanding research and development activities related to geothermal resource assessment and power generation technologies, and increased public and private investment provides the potential to greatly expand the application of geothermal power and reduce costs,” the CCA said.
SCP is looking to “reinvigorate local geothermal development through a focused initiative to address the barriers for geothermal resource development, such as by providing an off-taker and building community support for preferred projects.”
As part of this initiative, SCP is pursuing the following activities in parallel with the solicitation:
- Directly engaging current geothermal operators, developers, and technology companies to survey the state of the industry and understand barriers to development;
- Undertaking an enhanced assessment of the geothermal resource within the area of interest;
- Briefing county staff and elected officials on the scope and objectives of the initiative; and
- Discussing the capability of current transmission in the region with the California Independent System Operator
Responses to the RFI are due April 29, 2022, 5:00 p.m. PDT and the RFI is available here.
The American Public Power Association has initiated a new category of membership for community choice aggregation programs.
Cyber Activity Used By Indicted Russian State-Sponsored Actors Detailed
March 25, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 25, 2022
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Energy (DOE) recently published a joint cybersecurity advisory with information on multiple intrusion campaigns targeting U.S. and international energy sector organizations conducted by indicted Russian state-sponsored cyber actors from 2011 to 2018.
In conjunction with the Department of Justice unsealed indictments on March 24, the advisory provides the technical details of a global energy sector intrusion campaign using Havex malware, and the compromise of a Middle East-based energy sector organization using TRITON malware. Additional details about the indictments are available here.
While the advisory details historical cyber activity, CISA, FBI, and DOE assess that state-sponsored Russian cyber operations continue to pose an ongoing threat to U.S. energy sector networks.
The U.S. energy sector and critical infrastructure organizations more broadly are urged to apply the recommended mitigations, the agencies said.
Actions that executives and leaders can take now to protect their networks include:
- Implement and ensure robust network segmentation between information technology and industrial control systems (ICS) networks;
- Enforce multifactor authentication to authenticate into a system; and
- Manage the creation of, modification of, use of, and permissions associated with privileged accounts.
“In light of the indictments announced today and evolving intelligence that the Russian Government is exploring options to conduct potential cyberattacks against the U.S., CISA, along with our FBI and DOE partners, is issuing this joint advisory to reinforce the demonstrated threat posed by Russian state-sponsored cyber actors,” said CISA Director Jen Easterly in a statement.
“While the intrusions highlighted in this advisory span an earlier period of time, the associated tactics, techniques, procedures, and mitigation steps are still highly relevant in the current threat environment,” she said.
In addition to the advisory, organizations should visit www.CISA.gov/shields-up for information on how to protect their networks.
Modesto Irrigation District Board Appoints Ed Franciosa To Serve As General Manager
March 25, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 25, 2022
The Board of Directors of California public power utility Modesto Irrigation District (MID) on March 24 announced the appointment of Ed Franciosa to serve as MID’s General Manager.
Franciosa will fill this position following the resignation of Bill Schwandt, who served as MID’s General Manager for the last fifteen months.
Franciosa has been MID’s Assistant General Manager of Transmission and Distribution since 2014, overseeing the electric engineering, substation, metering, line construction, line maintenance and trouble departments. He also served as Interim General Manager in 2020 at the onset of the pandemic.
Franciosa joined MID in 1997 as a Senior Electrical Engineer and has also served as an Interim Trouble Supervisor and Electrical Engineering Manager. Prior to his tenure at MID, he worked in various capacities at Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Los Angeles Department of Water and Power and the California Energy Commission.
Franciosa’s appointment is effective immediately.
Omaha Public Power District Seeks Proposals For Capacity And Related Energy
March 25, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 25, 2022
Nebraska public power utility Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) recently issued a request for proposals (RFP) for capacity and related energy. Proposals are due April 5, 2022.
OPPD, which is a network transmission customer and member of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), is evaluating supply options for future needs and is seeking proposals.
All proposals provided in response to the RFP must include either: 1) capacity; 2) capacity and an energy product with an option; or 3) capacity and an on-peak energy (5×16) product.
The capacity and energy products must meet the requirements for accreditation and dispatch as defined by the SPP Open Access Transmission Tariff, Integrated Marketplace Protocols, and Planning Criteria.
To receive final selection and a contract, OPPD will need to be able to procure firm SPP network transmission service to deliver power from the source within SPP to OPPD’s load. OPPD reserves the right to reject proposals if OPPD determines in its sole discretion that procuring said firm transmission service is uneconomical.
Parties with sources physically located outside of the SPP footprint are required to retain a firm transmission path from the source to the SPP border for the full duration of the contract, while OPPD will utilize firm SPP network transmission service for the remainder of the path.
OPPD may also elect to choose capacity from a resource that has deliverability to the SPP Balancing Authority Area based upon the results of the Oct. 1, 2022 SPP Deliverability Study.
The RFP notes that OPPD conducts ongoing expansion planning studies to determine how to best meet its power obligations. OPPD also performs ongoing evaluations of its existing resource portfolio in light of regulatory requirements and restrictions.
Respondents may submit in their proposals separate exercisable options for any period listed. The minimum megawatt (MW) offer amount for submitted capacity offers will be 25 MW. OPPD is willing to accept multiple Proposals from a respondent.
The RFP is available here.
Coleen O’Brien Retires As General Manager Of Reading Municipal Light Department
March 25, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 25, 2022
Reading Municipal Light Department (RMLD) General Manager Coleen O’Brien announced her retirement effective June 30, 2022.
Ms. O’Brien served as general manager of the Massachusetts public power utility for close to nine years. Her tenure at the RMLD is the culmination of over 40 years of experience in the utility industry.
RMLD’s general manager reports to RMLD’s Board of Commissioners. Therefore, the board has begun the process of identifying a candidate with the appropriate expertise to manage one of the largest municipal utilities in Massachusetts.
Established in 1894, RMLD is a municipal electric utility serving over 70,000 residents in the towns of Reading, North Reading, Wilmington, and Lynnfield Center. RMLD has more than 30,000 meter connections within its service territory.
Nebraska’s North Central Public Power District Focuses On Reliability, Keeps Eye On Supply Chain
March 24, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 24, 2022
In a recent Q&A with Public Power Current, Doyle Hazen, General Manager and CEO of Nebraska public power utility North Central Public Power District (NCPPD) detailed how the utility’s aggressive approach to vegetation management has bolstered reliability, outlined how NCPPD benefits from its relationship with the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) and described how NCPPD has taken a proactive approach when it comes to addressing supply chain issues.
Hazen formerly served as the Manager of Finance and Administration at NCPPD for 24 years and has been the CEO and General Manager since July 2019.
“All of the functions that I have work towards the first sentence in my job description, ‘Responsible for ensuring that all consumers within service area desiring electric service are provided a safe, ample and reliable supply of electricity at the lowest cost consistent with the highest standards of service and sound business practices,’” he noted.
NCPPD serves over 6,670 customers in parts of Knox, Antelope, Pierce and Holt Counties. It also maintains 1,635 miles of overhead distribution lines and 49 miles of underground lines.
Tree Maintenance And Reliability
The November-December 2021 issue of NCPPD’s newsletter noted that the utility has been focusing on tree maintenance for reliability purposes.
Hazen noted that in the early 2000s, NCPPD decided to take an aggressive approach to vegetation management. Right of Ways over the whole district were clear cut as much as possible and trimmed with customer approval.
“Once that was completed, we have actively used a vegetation management program that includes spraying right of ways and cutting and trimming trees as needed,” he said.
“Although this program sounds relatively simple it has a large impact on the reliability of the system. Of course, we continue to improve the system to enhance reliability and resilience but the vegetation management of the system is a very important aspect of our reliability.”
Relationship With Nebraska Public Power District
NPPD is NCPPD’s wholesale supplier of electricity.
“We work with NPPD in coordinating the service to our system through NPPD owned transmission. NPPD also has economic development services that we can access as a NPPD customer,” Hazen said.
“NCPPD benefits from our NPPD relationship by accessing the generation and transmission assets that our ratepayers and all of the other ratepayers in Nebraska have paid for over life of those assets,” he noted.
Also, NPPD provides energy efficiency incentives through the EnergyWise program. “These incentives are derived from our wholesale rates and provided back to NPPD’s wholesale partners,” Hazen said.
EnergyWise is an energy efficiency program that provides incentives to improve energy efficiency in support of homeowners, businesses and ag producers.
“For example, incentives are provided for Smart Thermostats, Air source and ground source heat pumps, mini-split heat pumps, variable frequency drive irrigation motors and induction cooktops. These are only a sampling of the incentives available,” Hazen said.
Changes to the program for 2022 are the addition of the incentive for inductive cooktops, the increase from 10% to 20% incentive for electric lawnmowers and the splitting of incentives for electric vehicles and their chargers, he noted.
Supply Chain
Hazen was also asked to discuss how NCPPD’s operations department is responding to nationwide supply chain disruptions — specifically, for electric utility equipment.
“NCPPD has been monitoring the supply chain and the material markets through our relationships with our vendors,” he said.
“We started ordering additional material and special equipment (transformers and reclosures) in late 2021. Proactively, we have been ordering into 2023 to stay ahead of our normal maintenance requirements, our work plan projects and expected growth of our system,” Hazen noted.
“The relationships we have with our vendors and other service providers are key in NCPPD’s ability to provide services and build projects on time. By knowing early where the market was going with our purchases both in price and availability, NCPPD was able to meet its customers’ needs. Although there is no guarantee of continued supply in any number of items, NCPPD monitors supply on a monthly, weekly and daily basis,” he said.
Rate Reduction
Meanwhile, in late 2021, NCPPD’s board approved new rates that will provide for a seven percent reduction in overall rates. This reduction may vary three percent between rate classes, but as a whole, the rates will be reduced by seven percent.
NCPPD notes on its website that it continues to evaluate and adjust its operations to provide the best reliability while maintaining an excellent level of value for its customers.
For the second year in a row, the Board of Directors also passed through a .006196/kWh Power Cost Adjustment (PCA) credit. The PCA is a credit NCPPD receives from NPPD.
PNNL Uses Granular Load Data To Shed More Light On COVID-19 Impacts
March 24, 2022
by Peter Maloney
APPA News
March 24, 2022
A new study by researchers at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) uses a more granular examination of usage data to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on electricity use to shed light on the driving factors behind those changes.
A lot of research on electricity use focuses on either the micro or macro level. The PNNL paper, Multiscale effects masked the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on electricity demand in the United States, used three data sets: two from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) – EIA-930 that looks at hourly load profiles at the balancing authority level, and EIA-861M that looks at state level monthly electricity sales – and anonymized electricity usage data available from Commonwealth Edison for a fee that provides usage data by zip code and 15 different customer classes.
“We found a gap in research where people hadn’t gotten data at the right scales to understand the underlying drivers,” Nathalie Voisin, a PNNL Earth scientist and co-author of the study, said in an article on PNNL’s website by Beth Mundy, a PNNL communications professional.
The resulting analysis showed that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic first appeared in the spring of 2020 and persisted at least through the fall of 2020.
More specifically, the researchers found that the impact of COVID-19 was dampened across all three data sets because changes in residential loads and non-residential loads had a similar magnitude but moved in opposite directions.
Weekday residential load profiles in April 2020 resembled weekend residential load profiles in April 2018 and 2019, a transition to “perpetual weekend” that was also observed in the New York Independent System Operator, the researchers said.
“Before the COVID-19 shutdown,” the paper noted, “weekday residential evening ramps were commonly greater than +1,000 MW in a 3-hour period in February 2020 After 16-March weekday residential load profiles had ramps that were half as steep. Total April 2020 weekday electricity consumption for non-residential customers was 16% lower than in April 2019 while consumption for residential customers was 12% higher.”
“This may be due in part to year-to-year changes in weather, but the changes in the shape of the load profiles are more consistent with impacts of the shelter-in-place order,” the researchers said.
The researchers also found that demand for electricity during the summer of 2020 “became more strongly dependent on diurnal temperature variations and less dependent on inhabitance schedules,” which acted to reduce the impact of more people staying home during the day. That pattern was “clearly evident in the spring and then re-emerged in the fall of 2020,” the researchers said in the paper.
The “COVID-19 signal” was also masked at the balancing authority level by the phased reopening and spatial variability in reopening during the summer of 2020, the researchers said. “Breaking the data down into smaller zones within the balancing authority showed that the impact of COVID-19 persisted through the summer and into the fall of 2020,” they said.
Some of the trends identified in the paper would not have shown up as clearly if only aggregated total load data were used, the researchers said. The use of a longer record of granular electricity consumption data helped to isolate changes attributable to natural year-to-year changes driven by weather variability from changes due solely to the pandemic, they said.
Use of more granular data would also allow analysis of how the pandemic response in different regions resulted in changes to electricity consumption, they said.
And while more granular load forecasting models are emerging, “more widespread analyses of the type presented here are needed to inform system operators and utilities for long-term resource planning,” the authors said in the paper.
The trends noted in the paper could persist if a higher proportion of people continue to telecommute indefinitely, “although the magnitude is dependent on factors that are highly uncertain,” the researchers said.
In terms of implications, a shift toward a higher residential portion of total load could make residential rooftop solar “slightly more favorable,” the researchers said, adding that a midday increase in residential loads could increase the rates of self-consumption of solar power rather than exporting it to the grid, reducing challenges in integrating residential solar power.
New Legislation Calls For FERC Action Tied To Transmission, Interconnection Issues
March 23, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 23, 2022
A group of Senators recently introduced legislation related to transmission and interconnection issues that calls on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to take a number of actions.
The bill, the Connecting Hard-to-reach Areas with Renewably Generated Energy (CHARGE) Act (S. 3897), was introduced by Senators Ed Markey (D-MA), Tina Smith (D-MN), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI).
The bill would require several changes at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Specifically, it would require FERC to issue a rulemaking on interregional transmission planning and interconnection-wide transmission planning process, including cost allocation, as well as a rulemaking establishing a minimum transfer capability requirement between transmission planning regions.
The bill also requires all FERC-jurisdictional utilities to make hourly operating data, including greenhouse gas emissions, available to the public and implements open competitions for new electricity generation projects.
In addition, the measure would amend the Federal Power Act (FPA) to prohibit FERC from using “price mitigation methods to counteract the effects of State subsidies for renewable energy resources.”
It also calls for the issuance of a rulemaking on interconnection, including a prohibition on requiring an interconnection customer to “exclusively or disproportionately fund, without reimbursement, the costs of any network upgrade identified as necessary for the interconnect request.”
In late 2021, the American Public Power Association (APPA) told FERC that any proposed rule in a FERC transmission-related proceeding should avoid mandating “top down” planning approaches, particularly those that identify resources based on speculative long-term assumptions about particular areas that have “potential” for resources to be developed, and/or that are based on long-range planning horizons.
APPA’s reply comments came in an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANOPR) proceeding at FERC. FERC issued the ANOPR in July 2021 to reform its transmission planning, cost allocation, and generator interconnection rules (Docket No. RM21-17).
APPA emphasized in its initial comments that its members’ experiences regarding transmission planning, generator interconnection, and cost allocation have varied by region and by transmission provider, and that diversity of perspectives is evident in the initial comments.
JEA Recognized As Outstanding Utility By Florida Urban Forestry Council
March 22, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 22, 2022
The Florida Urban Forestry Council (FUFC) recently recognized Florida public power utility JEA as the state’s 2021 outstanding utility for being a champion in protecting and advancing the urban forest industry in Florida.
The awards program recognizes achievements of organizations and individuals in their efforts to manage urban forests in their communities, JEA noted.
FUFC also recognized City of Jacksonville Urban Forester Dalton Smith as Outstanding Professional of 2021 and the Jacksonville Equestrian Center for Outstanding Project.
The Outstanding Utility Award recognizes JEA’s commitment to “a sustainable and resilient tree canopy” as part of its mission to build a better community.
JEA’s service territory covers more than 918 square miles which incorporates 7,000 miles of electrical transmission and distribution lines. JEA’s professional foresters, vegetative specialists, certified arborists and engineers work to build utility infrastructure compatible with a sustainable and resilient urban tree canopy.
A few of the best practices that earned JEA’s recognition by FUFC include:
- Vegetative Management team of professional foresters and arborists: JEA’s vegetative management team includes degreed foresters and ISA certified arborists. International Society of Arboriculture Arborist certification also is a condition of employment for team members.
- Storm Preparation and Response: JEA has a “Restoration 1-2-3” rapid restoration program that allows the utility to assess and repair our facilities and restore power across our territory as quickly and safely as possible.
- Communication and Public Education: Communication and tree-based public education is at the root of JEA’s success with vegetative management. JEA has established a JEA TREECARE customer service line, accessible by phone or online. Tree-related inquiries or issues are separated from the utility’s general customer care communication channels and are promptly referred to a utility forester or arborist.
- Safety: Utility arboriculture demands particular emphasis on safety. The occupation combines the dangers of working in close proximity to high-voltage and other utility hazards with the high-risks of tree work.
- JEA Ambassador Program: All JEA foresters and arborists are enrolled in JEA’s Ambassador Program in which they incorporate tree-related utility issues and messaging into community engagement activities.
- Recognition by national Arbor Day Foundation: JEA learned last month that it has been recognized as a Tree-Line-USA utility for its quality tree care, training, and public education related to utility arboricultural practices. This is the eleventh consecutive year JEA has received this recognition from the Arbor Day Foundation.
APPA Seeks Nomination For Opening On Smart Energy Provider Review Panel
March 22, 2022
by APPA News
March 22, 2022
APPA is accepting nominations now through Monday, April 18, 2022 for an open position on the Smart Energy Provider (SEP) Program Review Panel.
The SEP program is public power’s evaluation and review of leading practices for utilities based on four criteria – smart energy program planning, energy efficiency and distributed energy resources, environmental and sustainability programs, and customer communication and education. The SEP Review Panel (Panel) guides APPA staff in the implementation of the SEP program and provides expert peer review of public power utilities’ applications for SEP recognition.
Each member of the Panel can serve for up to three consecutive two-year terms (for a total of six years), and is expected to attend two meetings per year, one in the summer and one in the fall. The appointed member’s first term will begin immediately and expire after two years in 2024 (at the Business meeting of that year). Please find the position requirement below:
- APPA members with expertise in energy efficiency, distributed energy resources, load management, integrated resource planning, and demand-side management.
More information on the SEP program is available on the SEP website. To nominate someone, please click here to download the nomination form:
• Nomination form (Word version)
• Nomination form (PDF version)
The completed nomination form and any supplementary materials should be emailed to SEP@PublicPower.org. If you have questions, contact Ji Yoon Lee at 202-467-2999 or email JLee@PublicPower.org.