John Wagner��s Post

An agreement among the U.S. Government, Washington, Oregon and four Native American tribes will facilitate the buildout of at least 1 GW to 3 GW of tribally sponsored clean energy capacity A key feature of the agreement is the goal of breaching four dams on the lower Snake River, whose locations, all in southeast Washington, are shown in the image below from Trout Unlimited with the labels 5, 6, 7 and 8.

ARPA-E's GOPHURRS program will support cost-effective technologies that make the process safer for undergrounding electric power lines in urban and suburban areas. Learn more and apply to the $40 million funding opportunity here: https://bit.ly/3meOBjY

Jonathan Wilkinson Todd Smith Pierre Fitzgibbon Josie Osborne Tory Rushton Andrew Parsons Since 2003, I have been an advocate for a national High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission network overlaid atop the existing alternating current (AC) grid similar to what scientists are advocating in USA It is my belief that in addition to advancing Canada climate goals, such an effort would spur economic development in rural areas, improve the grid’s energy efficiency, and bolster grid stability and security. Abundant and economic power in Canada's rural communities would unlock many business opportunities in rural communities with a secondary benefit of greater distribution of economic activity which would alleviate housing crisis since home ownership in rural communities would be a significantly more viable option. For example, during the 2003 blackout of eastern Canada & USA, the HVDC link between Quebec and New York was the sole functioning hydro link! The attached memo proposes several policy options to incentivize private-sector efforts to construct a national HVDC transmission network while avoiding environmental and eminent-domain concerns that have doomed previous HVDC projects. https://lnkd.in/ek2xvJzb

Positive news (and sad all in one story): Partisanship and polarization are alive and well is the sad part here. The positive news is working to get all the stakeholders together to cut through Federal and State red tape to move the power initiative forward. “The federal government has recently made moves that should facilitate this initiative, including adding a categorical exclusion for environmental reviews for transmission line upgrades, funding the deployment of advanced grid technologies through the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program, and issuing a final rule to launch the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorization and Permits Program (CITAP), which streamlines the federal permitting process for qualifying electric transmission projects and helps set a standard two-year schedule for authorizations and permits.” (Power Grid International Sean Wolfe, May 28,2024)

The recently released National Transmission Needs Study provides an opportunity for the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to identify where transmission lines are most needed and use its siting authority to designate national transmission corridors. The added transmission would help meet the nation’s clean energy goals and unlock more of the benefits and incentives of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). Bryn Baker, CEBA’s senior director of Market and Policy Innovation, told E&E News that the study underscores the need to build transmission in order to speed the connection of clean energy resources to the grid. “Right now, it feels like on the heels of the IRA we’re trying to hit the accelerator, but we have the hand brake on at the same time.” Read more: https://lnkd.in/eDT6MyRs

A potential solution to the "dry year" problem is one of several infrastructure projects on which work will stop with the incoming government. DSC research alum Jen Purdie thinks this is short sighted - article from RNZ. More on Jen's research here: https://lnkd.in/gpF3S59i https://lnkd.in/gWaXi4dh

See mapping link in article to coal and energy communities which may be eigible for Federal energy infrastructure funding.

Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced a final rule on the Coordinated Interagency Transmission Authorizations and Permits (CITAP) Program to accelerate federal environmental review and permitting processes for electric transmission facilities. They also announced a new Transmission Facilitation Program (TFP) awardee — the Southwest Intertie Project-North (SWIP-N) — and the finalization of contracts with previous TFP awardees — the Southline and Cross-Tie Transmission Line Projects. These announcements are valuable steps forward for expanding transmission capacity and improving reliability and costs for customers. Read our full statement here: https://lnkd.in/eqAMasTQ

The concern for energy reliability in New England is real.

The Biden-Harris administration has unveiled its largest single investment in waterpower production in the US, allocating nearly $72 million to bolster hydropower facilities as part of the Investing in America Agenda. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) revealed the selection of 46 hydroelectric projects spanning 19 states, set to receive up to $71.5 million in incentive payments. These funds, administered by the DOE Grid Deployment Office and backed by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, mark the DOE’s most substantial investment in hydropower facilities to date. U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm emphasized the pivotal role of hydropower in delivering affordable and reliable electricity nationwide: “Hydropower is the nation’s prototype of renewable power, playing an important role in deploying affordable and reliable electricity across the country. Thanks to the President’s Investing in America agenda, we are maintaining and expanding our hydropower fleets, helping reduce costs of operation and ensuring American workers continue to drive the nation’s clean energy transition.” The incentive program witnessed robust industry interest, with applications seeking a total of $192 million in federal support. The chosen enhancements are expected to generate a combined investment of $468 million, contributing to the continued operation and longevity of hydroelectric assets. Read more: https://lnkd.in/epBBSVkh #hydropower #waterpower #hydroelectric #investment