New Report Details Benefits of Electric School Buses
March 22, 2022
by Vanessa Nikolic
APPA News
March 22, 2022
With advances in electric bus technology, a growing understanding of the benefits of electrification, and an influx of federal money through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), electric school buses are becoming an increasingly viable option for school districts, according to a new report from the United States Public Interest Research Group, Environment America, and Frontier Group.
The report, Electric School Buses and the Grid, Unlocking the power of school transportation to build resilience and a clean energy future, details how electric school buses with vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology can benefit the community and the grid.
The report highlights that V2G technology enables electric school buses to provide stability, capacity, and emergency power to the grid when needed, and potentially to earn revenue for school districts for providing these and other services. Electric school buses with V2G technology can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions from both the transportation and power generation sectors.
The authors of the report state that if every school bus currently in operation across the U.S. were replaced with a V2G-capable electric bus at the same time, this would add over 60 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to the country’s capacity to store electricity. School buses have use patterns that allow them to be available as a source of large volumes of energy storage.
Additionally, the battery storage provided by electric buses could speed the transition to a renewable energy grid.
When equipped with the proper technology, electric school buses can offer additional benefits, including providing backup power to support emergency management efforts and critical infrastructure during power outages.
With increased collaboration between school districts and electric utilities, electric school buses can be a cost-efficient alternative, creating savings in lower operating costs from reduced spending on maintenance and fuel. Costs also become more predictable due to the stability of electricity rates compared to fossil fuel prices.
V2G technology is still in its early stages, and while the potential is high for providing a range of opportunities for schools and communities, there are still some barriers that need to be addressed.
The report highlights that realizing the full potential of V2G school buses will require collaboration between school districts, electric utilities, and other entities, while revising public policies to ensure that investments in electric school buses make financial sense.
The IIJA passed in 2021 allocates $2.5 billion for new electric school bus purchases and an additional $2.5 billion for alternative fuel buses.
The authors urge the federal government to support research to standardize regulations and practices needed for electric school buses to integrate with the grid and participate in energy markets.
They also encourage states to develop a roadmap to allow regulators to support the development of V2G and simplify the creation of regulations and policies to minimize the risks for utilities and school districts.
Some entities are already starting to sign agreements to make electric school buses an affordable option across the country. Click here to learn more.
President Biden Signs Federal Cyberattack Reporting Requirement Into Law
March 22, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 22, 2022
President Biden on March 15 signed into law a federal cyberattack reporting requirement aimed at protecting critical infrastructure in the U.S.
The law “Strengthening American Cybersecurity Act of 2022,” requires critical infrastructure organizations in 16 industry sectors, including the energy sector, identified by the federal government to report to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) within 72 hours if they are experiencing a cyberattack, and within 24 hours of making a ransomware payment.
The law further stipulates that CISA will have the authority to subpoena organizations within the identified industry sectors that fail to report cybersecurity incidents or ransomware payments and can refer non-compliant organizations to the Department of Justice.
CISA is required to launch a program that will warn organizations of vulnerabilities that ransomware actors exploit and expand its information sharing efforts.
The text of the bill is available here.
Vermont Public Power Utilities Offer Energy Efficiency Tools For Customers
March 21, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 21, 2022
Vermont Public Power Supply Authority (VPPSA) and Efficiency Vermont are teaming up with three Vermont public power utilities — Hardwick Electric Department, Lyndonville Electric Department, and Morrisville Water & Light — to provide tools for electric customers in each town to save money by lowering the cost of investing in energy efficiency.
Customers of the three electric utilities can reduce their energy use by selecting one of three free energy savings kits, depending on where they want to focus their energy efficiency efforts:
- Connected home — This kit includes two 60w equivalent smart dimmable LEDs, one Wi-Fi controlled smart outlet, and one smart motion occupancy sensor;
- Water efficiency — This kit includes four general-purpose 60w equivalent LEDs, one kitchen aerator, two bathroom aerators, one single-function showerhead with TSV ShowerStart, one leak detection toilet dye tab, and one toilet tank bank;
- Whole home — This kit includes two general-purpose 60w equivalent LEDs, two general-purpose 100w equivalent LEDs, one Tier 1 Advanced Power Strip, two bathroom aerators, and one LED pathway guide swivel night light.
VPPSA said that 2022 might be the year for low-and-moderate-income households to consider investing a high efficiency cold climate heat pump, as VPPSA and Efficiency Vermont will add $800 to existing incentives already available for an additional $1,000 on top of their point-of-purchase rebates.
Utility customers who are in the market for a new appliance can take advantage of a $200 appliance coupon available through the partnership. The coupon applies to energy efficient products including refrigerators, air purifiers, air conditioners, freezers, clothes washers, and clothes dryers.
In addition to support for residential customers, Efficiency Vermont will also conduct targeted outreach to area businesses, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to identify energy saving opportunities.
VPPSA provides municipal electric utility members with a broad spectrum of services and solutions, including regulatory assistance, financial planning, and power supply.
VPPSA members include Barton Village, Village of Enosburg Falls, Hardwick Electric Department, Village of Jacksonville Electric Company, Village of Johnson Electric Department, Ludlow Electric Light Department, Lyndonville Electric Department, Morrisville Water & Light Department, Town of Northfield Electric Department, Village of Orleans, and Swanton Village Electric Department.
White House Calls For Report That Will Address Digital Asset Energy Implications
March 21, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 21, 2022
A recent executive order issued by President Biden calls for a report that will, among other things, address the implications of digital asset technology for energy policy.
President Biden issued the “Executive Order On Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets” on March 9.
Within 180 days of the date of the order, the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy will need to submit a report to the President on the connections between distributed ledger technology and short-, medium-, and long-term economic and energy transitions; the potential for these technologies to impede or advance efforts to tackle climate change at home and abroad; and the impacts these technologies have on the environment.
The Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy will prepare the report in consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of Energy, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, the Assistant to the President and National Climate Advisor, and the heads of other relevant agencies.
“The report should also address the effect of cryptocurrencies’ consensus mechanisms on energy usage, including research into potential mitigating measures and alternative mechanisms of consensus and the design tradeoffs those may entail,” the executive order said.
The report should specifically address:
- Potential uses of blockchain that could support monitoring or mitigating technologies to climate impacts, such as exchanging of liabilities for greenhouse gas emissions, water, and other natural or environmental assets; and
- Implications for energy policy, including as it relates to grid management and reliability, energy efficiency incentives and standards, and sources of energy supply
The term “blockchain” refers to distributed ledger technologies where data is shared across a network that creates a digital ledger of verified transactions or information among network participants and the data are typically linked using cryptography to maintain the integrity of the ledger and execute other functions, including transfer of ownership or value.
LS Power Affiliate Developing Up To 800-MW Wind Farm In Southern Idaho
March 21, 2022
by Peter Maloney
APPA News
March 21, 2022
Magic Valley Energy, an affiliate of LS Power, has announced plans to develop a wind power project in southern Idaho with a capacity of up to 800 megawatts (MW).
The Salmon Falls Wind Project is sited on lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Twin Falls County.
The project is in the initial stages of the development, which includes interactions with federal, state, and local agencies, as well as outreach to local stakeholders.
Magic Valley Energy expects construction of the project could begin as early as 2024.
The company said the proposed site is situated at the confluence of several key siting characteristics, including favorable wind resources, availability of suitable land, compatibility with existing land uses, a general absence of sensitive biological resources, and proximity to existing and future planned high voltage transmission lines to deliver the wind energy to market.
Magic Valley Energy is also developing the Lava Ridge Wind Project, a 1,000-MW wind farm southeast of Shoshone, Idaho, proposed for federal land in Lincoln, Minidoka, and Jerome counties.
EIA Energy Outlook Sees Renewables Reaching 44% of U.S. Power Generation
March 21, 2022
by Peter Maloney
APPA News
March 21, 2022
The share of U.S. power generation from renewable generation will reach 44 percent by 2050, according to projections from the Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The projected increase, from 21 percent in 2021 to 44 percent in 2050, will mainly come from new wind and solar power resources, according to the EIA’s most recent Annual Energy Outlook 2022.
The contribution of other forms of renewable energy, such as hydropower, will remain largely unchanged through 2050 and sources such as geothermal and biomass will collectively remain at less than 3 percent of total generation, EIA said.
Solar power, both utility-scale solar farms and small-scale rooftop end-use systems, will overtake wind power as a generation source by the early 2030s, according to EIA projections.
While the early growth in wind and solar was driven by federal tax credits set to expire or to significantly decline by 2026, declining costs for both technologies now play a significant role in both near- and long-term growth, EIA said.
Meanwhile, the share of U.S. fossil fuel-fired power generation is expected to decline from 60 percent to 44 percent as a result of the continued retirement of coal-fired plants and the slow growth in natural gas-fired generation, according to EIA projections.
The EIA noted that although gas-fired generation is expected to increase in absolute terms, the share of natural gas in the total generation mix is likely to decrease slightly, from 37 percent in 2021 to 34 percent in 2050.
Coal and nuclear plants will continue to retire, the EIA said, with nuclear power’s contribution to overall power generation dropping from 19 percent in 2021 to 12 percent in 2050 and coal’s contribution declining from 23 percent in 2021 to 10 percent in 2050.
The EIA expects generation from renewable sources to increase to offset the declining share of generation from coal and nuclear sources, mainly because existing regulatory programs and market factors incentivize renewable sources.
Although not recorded in the EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook as a generation source, energy storage, either as stand-alone batteries or solar-battery hybrid systems, will play a role in the growth of renewable resources by making renewables more competitive with natural gas generation by providing back-up capacity for times when non-dispatchable renewable sources are unavailable, the EIA said.
Last August, the EIA reported that the installed capacity of large-scale energy storage batteries grew by 35 percent in 2020 and tripled in the last five years.
The EIA’s most recent Annual Energy Outlook also projects that electricity demand will grow slowly, increasing competition among fuels. U.S. production of natural gas and petroleum, meanwhile, will continue to rise, driven by growing demand for exports and from industry.
EIA projections also show that electricity will continue to be the fastest growing energy source in buildings with renewables and natural gas providing most of the incremental electricity supply.
Snohomish County PUD’s Bond Ratings Upgraded By S&P Global Ratings
March 21, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 21, 2022
Washington State-based Snohomish County PUD’s electric and generation system revenue bond ratings were recently upgraded from AA- to AA by S&P Global Ratings.
According to S&P, the rating upgrade reflects the agency’s positive view of the PUD’s diverse and reliable power portfolio and retail revenue base that proved resilient during the pandemic.
S&P cited several key factors for the PUD’s upgraded bond rating in its report, including:
- The PUD’s largely residential retail venue base, good customer diversity and above-average median household income give it a robust service area with economic fundamentals.
- A low-cost, non-carbon-emitting power supply, prudent rate-setting practices, and sound management, policies and planning.
- Rates that are generally in-line with the state average and moderate ratemaking flexibility.
- Current system debt that is modest in addition to flexibility to issue additional debt.
Recent decisions by the PUD’s Board of Commissioners to increase rates and support the need for solid financial reserves were also factors in S&P’s decision to upgrade its bond rating.
S&P also cited the PUD’s Integrated Resource Plan, which was adopted in 2021, and the county’s strong economic stability as mitigation to exposure and risk of climate change and evolving regulatory environment around fish and wildlife and clean energy.
Federal Government Warns Of Possible Satellite Communication Network Threats
March 21, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 21, 2022
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently released a joint cybersecurity advisory that warns organizations of possible threats to U.S. and international satellite communication (SATCOM) networks.
“Successful intrusions into SATCOM networks could create risk in SATCOM network providers’ customer environments,” CISA and the FBI said in the alert.
“Given the current geopolitical situation, CISA’s Shields Up initiative requests that all organizations significantly lower their threshold for reporting and sharing indications of malicious cyber activity,” the alert said.
To that end, CISA and FBI will update the advisory as new information becomes available so that SATCOM providers and their customers can take additional mitigation steps pertinent to their environments.
CISA and FBI strongly encouraged critical infrastructure organizations and other organizations that are either SATCOM network providers or customers to review and implement the mitigations outlined in the advisory to strengthen SATCOM network cybersecurity.
The complete list of mitigation measures recommended by CISA and the FBI is available in the advisory. Click here for the advisory.
Florida Public Power Utility Breaks Ground On Net-Zero Emissions Campus
March 20, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 20, 2022
Representatives with Florida public power utility Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) and the City of St. Cloud, Fla., led a recent groundbreaking ceremony for OUC’s state-of-the-art St. Cloud Operations & Maintenance Center, the first net-zero campus for a Florida utility.
The $63.6 million, 24-acre campus will reach net-zero emissions through conservation and efficiency practices and its use of renewable energy.
Designed by OUC and Jacobs, a design firm, the project aligns with OUC’s and the City of St. Cloud’s commitment to sustainability and renewable energy.
Construction includes building a 55,000-square-foot warehouse and a 22,000-square-foot fleet maintenance facility with service bays, parts stores, electric vehicle (EV) fleet charging and fueling stations, and a vehicle wash area. Approximately 260 people will work on this portion of the project.
When completed in December 2023, about 54 OUC employees will call the campus home. Future phases are expected to include an administrative facility and a substation.
The project includes several sustainable features, including rooftop solar panels, floating solar, high-efficiency water fixtures, rainwater harvesting tanks, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, walking and biking trails, and EV charging stations. Human-focused design strategies were added to promote well-being, safety and encourage healthy choices. Buildings on campus were designed to meet the stringent requirements of LEED, Fitwel and WELL Health Safety Standard.
The project marks a milestone in OUC’s partnership with St. Cloud. In May 1997, the two entered a long-term agreement for OUC to operate and maintain the city’s electric system.
DOE Launches Workforce Development Strategy For Lithium Battery Manufacturing
March 20, 2022
by Paul Ciampoli
APPA News Director
March 20, 2022
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently announced the launch of a national workforce development strategy for lithium battery manufacturing.
As part of a $5 million investment, DOE will support up to five pilot training programs in energy and automotive communities and advance workforce partnerships between industry and labor for the domestic lithium battery supply chain.
The pilot training programs will bring together manufacturing companies, organized labor, and training providers to lay the foundation for the development of a broad national workforce strategy, DOE noted.
The pilots will support industry-labor cooperation and will provide sites for job task analyses and documenting worker competencies, it said.
Insights gained will support the development of national industry-recognized credentials and inform the development of broader training programs to support the overall battery supply chain, DOE said.
This initiative comes as part of suite of announcements from President Biden’s Interagency Working Group (IWG) on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization. This is a partnership among the White House and nearly a dozen federal agencies committed to pursuing near- and long-term actions to support coal, oil and gas, and power plant communities as the nation transitions to a clean energy economy, the DOE said.
DOE’s announcement follows its recent release of two Notices of Intent authorized by the infrastructure law to provide $3 billion to support projects that bolster domestic battery manufacturing and recycling.
The funding, which will be made available in the coming months, will support battery-materials refining, which will bolster domestic refining capacity of minerals such as lithium, as well as production plants, battery cell and pack manufacturing facilities, and recycling facilities, DOE said.