[Lwvcnmtopics] More electric news

[George Richmond]

  FERC’s Role in Enabling Transmission to Help Decarbonize the US Power Grid

A Biden administration could seek bipartisan support for transmission 
policy reform, but major challenges remain when it comes to integrating 
clean energy into the grid.

byJeff St. John <https://www.greentechmedia.com/authors/jeff-st-john>
December 01, 2020

*Cost-effectively decarbonizing the U.S. electric grid means building a 
lot more transmission capacity, from interregional high-voltage 
corridors to carry far-off wind and solar resources to population 
centers, to transmission networks to enable the country’s massive 
offshore wind power potential*.

But U.S. transmission build-out has lagged behind this need, energy 
experts agree. High-profile independent transmission developments have 
faltered under the complexities of building massive capital projects 
across multiple jurisdictions, each capable of halting decade-long 
development processes through legal or regulatory challenges.

Similar divisions have bogged down the vast majority of new transmission 
development that relies on regulations to enlist multiple utilities and 
states in agreeing to share the costs and benefits of shared projects. 
The few exceptions to this rule, such as the transmission build-out 
enabled by Texas grid operator ERCOT’s CREZ policy and Midwest grid 
operator MISO’s MVP policy effort, underscore how much time and effort 
are required to align transmission build-outs within the footprint of a 
single independent system operator or regional transmission 
organization, let alone projects that cross these regional boundaries.

As the federal agency responsible for interstate transmission policy, 
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission could play a vital role in 
unblocking these bottlenecks, according to former FERC commissioners and 
energy stakeholders. And unlike many key clean energy policies, these 
transmission policy efforts could cross partisan boundaries by driving 
economic development for wind and solar-rich states under Republican 
control as well as for clean energy interests supported by Democrats.

This offers the incoming Biden administration a valuable opportunity to 
direct FERC’s transmission policy developments in ways that can support 
its clean energy and decarbonization ambitions. Here’s an overview of 
what’s on the table.

*GETTING APPROVAL TO BUILD TRANSMISSION LINES IS HARD OFTEN BECAUSE 
PROPERTY OWNERS DO NOT LIKE TO SEE THESE LINES.*


  The Landscape Has Shifted’: Neil Chatterjee on FERC’s Role in the
  Energy Transition

On this week’s Political Climate, we speak to FERC Commissioner Neil 
Chatterjee about the agency’s recent rulemakings and past controversies, 
and his outlook on the future of U.S. energy policy.


When Neil Chatterjee was appointed to the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission by President Trump in 2017, stakeholders in the climate and 
clean energy space were concerned about what his agenda would be. 
Headlines dubbed him “McConnell’s coal guy” and “fossil-fuel champion 
Chatterjee,” referring to his role as a former aide to Senate Majority 
Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky).

But Chatterjee has proven to be much more than a “coal guy,” despite his 
sympathies for struggling Kentucky coal communities. The Republican 
leader recently voted in favor of rules supporting distributed energy 
resources and carbon pricing, and views these decisions as powerful 
steps in advancing the energy transition.

His openness to supporting policies that benefit clean energy may have 
cost him his leadership position at FERC. President Trump demoted 
Chatterjee from the chairman role last month, although he remains on the 
commission and will serve alongside two new appointees confirmed by the 
Senate this week.

In this episode of/Political Climate/ 
<http://www.politicalclimatepodcast.com/how-to-listen>, we speak to FERC 
Commissioner Neil Chatterjee about several of the agency’s recent 
rulemakings, past controversies and his outlook for the future of U.S. 
energy policy in today’s shifting political landscape.





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  What Can Energy Storage Get From President Biden?

Can the federal government become the industry’s new biggest customer?

byJulian Spector <https://www.greentechmedia.com/authors/julian-spector>
November 30, 2020

The Biden administration is coming. President-elect Joe Biden is picking 
his team and getting ready to hit the ground running whenever the 
current president allows for the peaceful transition of power.

But Georgia's two Democratic senate candidates will need to win their 
runoff elections in January to give their party 50 seats in the U.S. 
Senate, which would then allow Vice President-elect Kamala Harris to 
break tie votes on key legislative efforts. Even if this split Senate is 
achieved, such a thin margin for passing votes means that bold action on 
climate change would require ironclad party discipline.

Given those realities, energy storage industry advocates are looking at 
ways to embed friendly policies in must-pass legislation, such as bills 
to boost economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic or build up the 
country's infrastructure. *They're seeking relief from tariffs that have 
made battery projects more expensive, and procurement guidelines to 
boost storage deployments in federal buildings and projects. And they're 
promoting the role of storage as a critical step in increasing the 
country's share of renewable energy*.


  Grid Edge Innovation Summit 2020: IBM’s Brad Gammons on Utility
  Digitalization in the Age of Decarbonization

IBM’s Energy, Environment & Utility industry lead explains how IT will 
enable the clean energy evolution.

IBM has spent the past decade advancing smart meter and digital grid 
technologies around the world, including playing a key role in designing 
the "Smart Grid Maturity Model" that helped guide investment strategies 
for hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. federal energy 
infrastructure and modernization recovery funds in the wake of the 2008 
financial crisis.

Brad Gammons, global managing director for IBM’s Energy, Environment & 
Utility Industry practice, believes the technology giant will have an 
even greater impact in how electric utilities respond to mounting 
operational and reliability challenges emerging from climate change 
impacts and mitigation strategies in the decades to come.

This will include solutions to manage and orchestrate the rising share 
of intermittent renewable energy powering the grid, as well as 
distributed energy resources and the substantial growth in electricity 
demand to come from the electrification of transportation and 
low-temperature heating.

The number of*smart meters*deployed by utilities in the*United 
States*reached about 98 million at the end of 2019, and according to the 
Edison Foundation Institute for Electric Innovation (IEI) will reach 107 
million by the end of this year.


A*smart meter*is an electronic device that records*information*such as 
consumption of electric energy, voltage levels, current, and power 
factor.*Smart meters*communicate the*information*to the consumer for 
greater clarity of consumption behavior, and electricity suppliers for 
system monitoring and customer billing.


All suppliers are required to*have*offered their customers a*smart 
meter*for gas and electric by June 2025. When 
you'll*get*your*meter*depends on your supplier's current progress and 
ability to install*meters*in homes like yours.


  * The New Mexico Senate is considering establishing a grant program
    funded through the state treasurer's office to modernize the
    electric distribution grid withcybersecurity programs, advanced
    metering and associated software systems to enhance demand response,
    energy storage and electric vehicle charging infrastructure​.
  * House Bill 233
    <https://www.nmlegis.gov/Sessions/20%20Regular/Amendments_In_Context/HB0233.pdf>,
    the Energy Grid Modernization Roadmap,passed the lower chamber on a
    vote of 61-1
    <https://nmpoliticalreport.com/2020/02/14/grid-modernization-proposal-advances-to-senate-community-solar-bill-dies/> and
    now awaits a vote by the full Senate. If signed by Democratic
    Gov.Michelle Lujan Grisham, the program could go live this summer
    according to PNM Resources, a subsidiary of the Public Service
    Company of New Mexico.
  * PNM officials say the utility supports the bill and did provide
    input on its language, but a range of entities could benefit. Grants
    would be available on a competitive basis to municipalities and
    county governments, state agencies, state universities, public
    schools, post-secondary educational institutions, tribes and pueblos.​
  * MORE TO THE POINT, THE COSTS OF SMART METERS FOR CONSUMERS IS STILL
    NOT CLEAR AS TO HOW/WHEN PAID.


HAVE A GREAT AND SAFE WEEKEND,

George Richmond


*-- *


George M. Richmond
152 Juniper Hill Road, NE
Albuquerque, NM 87122-1913

C: 505-280-2105
E: geomrich1 at comcast.net



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