Montana Coop to Participate in Battery Test
Posted on Mar 5, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Technology | Comments Off on Montana Coop to Participate in Battery Test
Flathead Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s (Flathead Electric) Kalispell, Montana, campus will be the first test site for the Zinc Air Inc. (Zinc Air) battery storage technology. The tests are expected to last about six months and will allow Zinc Air and Flathead Electric to assess applications for both utility and end-user benefits, such as peak demand reduction and load shifting. Click...
North Dakota Coop Sends Carbon Dioxide Packing
Posted on Feb 28, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency | Comments Off on North Dakota Coop Sends Carbon Dioxide Packing
Basin Electric Power Cooperative recently shipped a milestone amount of carbon dioxide to Canadian oil fields for use in forcing oil to the surface. The coop’s Great Plains Synfuels Plant has been capturing carbon dioxide since 2000 and just sent the 25 millionth metric ton to southern Saskatchewan. Click here for more information.
Texas Coop to Own and Operate Experimental Wind Energy Storage System
Posted on Feb 20, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Renewable Energy, Technology | Comments Off on Texas Coop to Own and Operate Experimental Wind Energy Storage System
South Plains Electric Cooperative will own and operate an experimental battery energy storage system at the Reese Technology Center in Lubbock, Texas. The storage system will focus on combining utility scale energy storage with wind generation and will be installed by Samsung SDI and Xtreme Power as part of a $27 million smart grid demonstration project. To read more about the...
Proposed Texas Bill Would Give Customers Grounds to Sue
Posted on Feb 14, 2013 in Energy Savings Programs, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Legislative & Politics, Litigation, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Proposed Texas Bill Would Give Customers Grounds to Sue
In addition to creating a cause of action against utilities for theft and improper use of data, a proposed Texas bill, H.B. 1171, also provides customers with the right to opt out of smart meter programs and the right to have previously installed meters removed. This bill differs from a prior Senate bill in that H.B. 1171 provides customers with this cause of action but does not...
South Carolina Town Receives Land Donation
Posted on Feb 5, 2013 in Innovation/Efficiency, Land Use, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on South Carolina Town Receives Land Donation
The town of Bluffton, South Carolina, is offering seven acres of land in its May River Technology Park to attract more private businesses. However, Bluffton did not have to tap into tax revenues to buy this land. It was donated by Palmetto Electric Cooperative and Hargray Communications. In return, these entities will be allowed to forgo state license fees. Bluffton also is...
Kansas Coop Brings Attention to Private Transmission Considerations
Posted on Jan 24, 2013 in Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Land Use, Legislative & Politics, Permitting, Project Development, Regulation & Policy, Reliability | Comments Off on Kansas Coop Brings Attention to Private Transmission Considerations
Wheatland Electric Cooperative of Kansas is alerting others to potential concerns regarding the construction of private transmission lines to meet increased oil and gas exploration in the Mississippi Lime Play, which is an underground formation across southern and western Kansas and northern Oklahoma. If energy companies begin building their own electric transmission infrastructure,...
Kroll Bond Rating Agency Issues Updated Report on Fracking
Posted on Jan 15, 2013 in Environmental, Innovation/Efficiency, Land Use, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on Kroll Bond Rating Agency Issues Updated Report on Fracking
Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) has issued an update to its report on the state and local credit risks of high-volume hydraulic fracking of the Marcellus and Utica Shale Basins, located below New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The report, available here, discusses the estimated economic impact from the recovery of these fossil fuel resources. These resources are so large...
Maryland PSC Calls for Smart Metering Options
Posted on Jan 10, 2013 in Innovation/Efficiency, Regulation & Policy, Technology | Comments Off on Maryland PSC Calls for Smart Metering Options
The Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) will require Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative (SMECO), among other electricity providers, to provide customers with additional smart metering options. Customers cited health-related concerns about certain smart metering technology and now will have the option of opting out of smart meter installations for an increased price. Click...
FERC Notes Coop Smart Grid Growth
Posted on Jan 8, 2013 in Energy Savings Programs, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Rates, Technology | Comments Off on FERC Notes Coop Smart Grid Growth
The use of smart grid technologies by coops is being recognized on a national level. A report issued in December 2012 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) stated that coops are still national leaders in implementing advanced metering. According to the FERC report, advanced metering use among coops increased from 16.4 percent in 2008 to 24.7 percent in 2010 to 30.9...
NRECA Speaks Out Against EPA Turbine Plan
Posted on Jan 8, 2013 in Climate Change, Environmental, Grid & Infrastructure, Innovation/Efficiency, Project Development, Regulation & Policy | Comments Off on NRECA Speaks Out Against EPA Turbine Plan
The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to back off on its proposed revisions to New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) for stationary gas turbines and stationary combustion turbines. According to the NRECA, the revisions are flawed because the revised standards would be made retroactive to February 2005 and...
Subscribe
