Trending Topics – Center of Excellence for Clean Energy

PSE commits $1M to support community

Posted on Friday, May 29, 2020

Puget Sound Energy Foundation and Puget Sound Energy will donate more than a million dollars to organizations and food banks during a challenging time for its customers and communities as they deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. The donation will help community organizations and food banks during the COVID-19 pandemic throughout its service area.

“We know this is a great time of need for the communities we serve and the organizations that support them,” said PSE Foundation Chairman and President Andy Wappler. “We are living our value to do what’s right and helping how we can.”

$1B Nevada Gemini Solar Project approved for construction

Posted on Wednesday, May 20, 2020

The U.S. Department of the Interior on Monday signed off on Nevada’s Gemini Solar Project, which could be the largest U.S. solar plant once constructed.

The 690-megawatt Gemini project won federal approval despite lingering controversy over its environmental footprint.

Gemini would feed solar power to the Las Vegas load center.

FERC to discuss COVID-19 impact

Posted on Monday, May 18, 2020

According to industry insiders, the pandemic is highlighting issues facing power generators and the energy industry in general as COVID-19 slows the U.S. and global economy.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is planning a technical conference this summer that would look at long-term impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on the energy industry. The discussion would look at how the industry should approach investments and infrastructure development should the trend of lessening demand for electricity, and oil and gas, continue.

Economic stimulus packages will help renewable energy sector

Posted on Monday, May 4, 2020

The clean energy sector has been one of the fastest growing industries in the United States for the last ten years, employing 3.4 million farmers, electricians, manufacturers, scientific personnel, and more — serving a wide variety of industries throughout supply chains in all 50 states.

Until last month, the sector had been a prodigious job creator not only in industrial regions, but also in rural America where those most vulnerable to economic shock and crumbling infrastructure live.

However, according to a new report released by Environmental Entrepreneurs (E2) the industry is among the hardest hit groups in the energy sector, losing roughly 106,000 jobs in the weeks immediately following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Conversations about the fourth economic stimulus package, which will focus on energy and infrastructure, strike an encouraging tone for renewable energy.

Public Power COVID-19 Information Hub

Posted on Thursday, April 16, 2020

Through virtual forums and events, the American Public Power Association (APPA) has been engaging public power leaders to discuss COVID-19 actions being taken on the local and regional levels.

APPA reports on government relations and policy activities, as well as federal government and industry partner activities, and produces a weekly digest to help you “cut through the clutter” and see the top news and resources pertaining to COVID-19.

Go to the Info Hub to learn more or access the latest weekly digest: https://www.publicpower.org/topic/covid-19

Guide to governors on supporting energy sector during pandemic

Posted on Tuesday, March 31, 2020

The National Governor’s Association (NGA) has prepared a memo that provides guidance to governors on how they can best support and protect the energy industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The March 25 memo highlights three areas governors should consider to ensure energy continuity and shares the current energy industry response to COVID-19:

Ensuring critical energy infrastructure employees can be identified and credentialed in the event of a shelter in place order
Priority access to testing, personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies
Access to waivers for fuel carriers and Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) to move critical utility supplies

Centralia tests transition from coal plant closure

Posted on Sunday, March 15, 2020

The TransAlta coal plant in Centralia will fully close down by 2025, as part of an agreement that will see $55 million invested to help the community prepare for the transition.

The Centralia agreement is an example of an unusually well-funded, long-planned transition. Unlike many coal plant closures today, it was forged not because the company was going out of business but as a political deal to address climate change.

The TransAlta coal plant’s closure will be a win for environmentalists and left-leaning lawmakers who want to fight climate change. The town, however, will lose a significant taxpayer. And nearly 200 people will lose their jobs.

Local officials say they are excited about new wind and solar projects backed by TransAlta and others, which have sprung up independently of the agreement, but those will create a fraction of the jobs and tax base that the coal plant has historically provided. And attempts to bring new businesses to the area have so far been disappointing.

Hydrogen: A green and sustainable energy source?

Posted on Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Hydrogen could be a feasible alternative to fossil fuels because of its affordability and environmental friendliness. It is found throughout the environment, but producing it involves efficiently separating it from other compounds.

There are currently a number of ways this can be done, but methods can be slow and expensive. A team of scientists believes that hydrogen fuel could be generated “on-demand” because of a separation process structured around bismuth, a chemical element.

Wind farms in Montana could deliver enough energy to power large city

Posted on Friday, January 17, 2020

Site preparation has begun on the 114-turbine Pryor Mountain Wind Project in Montana. At least four wind farms are in various stages of development and combined could deliver up to 480 megawatts of capacity, enough to power a large city.

Pryor Mountain Wind “is a 240-megawatt wind project with a 40% net capacity factor and will produce about 841,000 MWh/year, making it an excellent wind power generation site,” said Spencer Hall of PacifiCorp. “The facility will produce the power equivalent to the usage of more than 76,000 U.S. households on an annual basis.”

Washington statewide low-carbon fuel standard promoted by governor

Posted on Wednesday, January 15, 2020

At a recent visit to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Gov. Jay Inslee said a low-carbon fuel policy would increase access to biofuels for the aviation industry.

The aviation industry is a portion of the economy that’s particularly challenging for reducing greenhouse gases.

Inslee thinks the policy’s financial incentives would push fuel suppliers to develop supply chains for biofuel.

seattletimes.com