Teresa Henderson’s Post

Congratulations to the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs on their recent award! Biden-Harris Administration Announces $3.5 Billion for Largest Ever Investment in America’s Electric Grid, Deploying More Clean Energy, Lowering Costs, and Creating Union Jobs Oregon – Multiple projects across Oregon will connect vast amounts of clean energy to customers and create good-paying union jobs. The Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon and Portland General Electric (PGE) will upgrade transmission capacity and connect PGE customers with the currently isolated renewable resources east of the Cascade Mountains, including those on the Warm Springs Reservation—building a bridge to up to 1,800 MW of carbon-free solar resources. PGE will also deploy an artificial intelligence-enabled, grid-edge computing platform to improve the connection of distributed energy resources, such as solar, as well as informed modeling that can predict pre-outage conditions and assist real-time decisions. PacifiCorp will update infrastructure for fire resistance and prevention in Oregon and neighboring states, reducing outages and risks, while also improving flood resilience and creating hundreds of training and employment opportunities in partnership with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).  https://lnkd.in/gT9btqYv

ICYMI: yesterday, the Dept of Energy announced the largest-ever investment in America’s grid. The $3.5 billion is the first major round of funding from the DOE’s Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Program, created by 2021’s #BipartisanInfrastructureLaw, which has $10.5 billion available to expand transmission lines, improve grid resiliency and deploy “smart-grid” technologies ⚡️The #investments in #transmission grid expansion are expected to enable more than 35 gigawatts of #renewable energy to come online within this decade, a 10 percent boost in nationwide grid capacity 🔋Large-scale grids aren’t the only targets. The funding will help build more than 400 microgrids — combinations of on-site generation, batteries and power control systems that “serve critical facilities like hospitals and emergency centers and shelters in New York, Michigan, Louisiana, Tennessee and other states 🌎The selected projects also prioritize communities that are ignored or overlooked for far too often, including rural, Native and low-income #disadvantaged communities 💪More than eight out of 10 projects selected either contain #labor union partnerships or will involve collective bargaining agreements 🪙The grid funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is “the monumental investment in grid modernization in our generation, full stop.” THIS is the investment we’re making to make our electric grid We bigger, stronger, and smarter to meet the President’s goal of 100 percent #cleanelectricity by 2035 https://lnkd.in/gHqV3utP

Now if we could just get more renewables into this new grid, and incentivize utilities to commit to net metering…

This is pretty big: The U.S. Department of Energy is investing $3.4 billion into the nation's electric grid infrastructure- the largest ever direct investment! There'll be a focus on alternative energy options like solar and wind power. Another key factor is looking to reduce faults that could lead to wildfires, and preparing against disruptions like extreme weather. I've been seeing some news around holding utilities accountable for for these faults during these extreme weather events. I encourage all utilities to apply for these grants and get ahead of a possible future penalty.

Energy policy and regulation tends to focus on climate change mitigation, but at this point we must also urgently focus on adaptation to minimize the socio-economic costs of extreme events impact. The energy framework incentives are not adequate to invest in adaptation. It need to be recognize and action need to be taken. The GRIP is an interesting example to that for those interested in the topic. Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program to enhance grid flexibility and improve the resilience of the power system against growing threats of extreme weather and climate change. https://lnkd.in/d8VgnGjF

In a significant step towards a greener future, the California Assembly has unanimously passed SB 49, a bill aimed at promoting the installation of solar power infrastructure along the state's highways. Sponsored by Environment California and authored by Sen. Josh Becker, this legislation is set to usher in a new era of clean energy in the Golden State. With a resounding 79-0 vote on September 13, followed by a successful concurrence vote in the state Senate, SB 49 is now on its way to the governor's desk for final approval. Laura Deehan, Environment California's state director, highlighted the importance of this bill, saying, "California needs to supercharge its deployment of solar panels and battery storage, and this bill takes advantage of some of the best places to do just that." SB 49 mandates state agencies to assess the potential for solar energy, battery storage, and transmission infrastructure along highways, aligning with California's ambitious clean energy goals of generating 90% of the state's power by 2035 and reaching 100% by 2045. David Peters, The Ray Highway's Western Regional Manager, emphasized the untapped potential of California's highways, stating, "The underutilized space along highways is an ideal asset for generating clean energy." While some provisions were amended during the legislative process, SB 49 remains a significant milestone in unlocking California's roadside solar potential. A recent report estimated nearly 1 GW of potential roadside solar capacity in Los Angeles, Ventura, and San Diego counties alone, capable of powering over 270,000 homes. This is a remarkable step towards a sustainable and energy-efficient California. Kudos to all those who supported this essential legislation! #cleanenergy #solarpower #california #greenfuture #renewableenergy #sustainability #energytransition #solarpowered #solarenergy #highway

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) have announced a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) on behalf of the Grid Deployment Office (GDO). This FOA is part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), which marks a historic investment in energy and climate initiatives in the United States. The IRA aims to align the country with clean energy and climate objectives, such as achieving a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035 and bolstering America's position in clean energy manufacturing. It also seeks to create high-quality jobs, invest in communities, and advance environmental justice. Section 50152 of the IRA allocates $760 million for grants to support the siting of "covered transmission projects." These projects encompass high-voltage interstate or offshore electricity transmission lines that have applied for or expressed intent to seek regulatory approval and are planned for construction and operation. Grants will be awarded to siting authorities to facilitate the permitting of these transmission projects or to governmental entities involved in economic development activities in communities affected by such projects. The funds allocated under the IRA, combined with those from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), will expedite the construction of new or upgraded electric transmission facilities. Importantly, these initiatives will prioritize alignment with community preferences, including factors like environmental and energy justice, equity, job quality, and the preservation of Tribal cultural resources. In summary, the DOE and NETL have unveiled a significant funding opportunity to accelerate clean energy infrastructure development, particularly in the realm of electric transmission facilities. This initiative is part of the larger effort to combat climate change, create sustainable jobs, and address environmental justice concerns, all while ensuring reliable access to clean energy in the United States. #usa #renewables #funding https://lnkd.in/dfciBzrP

🔋 Exciting News for Grid Resilience and Battery Storage in the U.S.! The U.S. has unveiled a groundbreaking $10.5 billion program, the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP), aimed at bolstering grid resilience and reliability. This initiative supports 58 projects in 44 states, promoting a remarkable 35GW of additional renewable energy capacity and 400 microgrids. These microgrids integrate battery storage technologies, making them a crucial part of future grid development. Funding for these projects stems from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with public investment expected to leverage an additional $8 billion in private funding. A strong focus on underserved communities and collaboration with unionized labor is integral to GRIP's mission. This is the "largest-ever direct investment in critical grid infrastructure," says U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm. The projects span from solar-plus-storage microgrids to wildfire mitigation efforts and community battery storage. This is a major step toward a more resilient, low-carbon energy future for the U.S. Credit: https://lnkd.in/ewYhys6X #GridResilience #BatteryStorage #RenewableEnergy #InfrastructureInvestment #CleanEnergy 🌍⚡

Across the country, the electric grid connects 145 million households and businesses. But many parts of the nation’s #grid are over a century old and in dire need of upgrades. Last year, the United States experienced 18 separate natural disasters that resulted in millions of American families losing power. These outages hurt the economy – the Department of Energy estimates that power outages cost American businesses $150 billion annually. Additionally, increased transmission is necessary to enable more clean energy that will reduce home energy costs and cut emissions. Now more than ever, it is critical to invest in a clean, reliable electric grid – to ensure that communities don’t lose power when a major storm hits, to lower energy costs for hardworking families, and to achieve President Biden’s goal to deliver 100% clean electricity by 2035. That’s why President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a key pillar of Bidenomics, is delivering the largest electric #grid infrastructure investment in history – more than $30 billion from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act. Through this historic investment in America’s electric grid, the Biden-Harris Administration is catalyzing development of thousands of miles of new and upgraded transmission lines that will reduce electricity costs for hardworking families and small businesses, prevent power outages in the face of extreme weather made worse by the climate crisis, strengthen America’s energy security, create good-paying jobs, and drive innovation and deployment of renewable energy technologies. As part of this unprecedented commitment, the Department of Energy today announced a new $1.3 billion commitment in three transmission lines crossing six states – Arizona, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Utah, and Vermont – to deliver affordable, reliable power to households across the country, creating more than 13,000 direct and indirect high-quality local jobs – many of them union jobs. Additionally, to ensure that transmission buildout is done efficiently, the Department of Energy today released the final National Transmission Needs Study, which provides insight into where the grid – and American communities – would benefit from increased transmission, by assessing current and anticipated future capacity constraints and congestion on the Nation’s electric grid https://lnkd.in/gwxrUjWS

Nice @ Canary Media article giving a rundown of the Department of Energy's big ($3.5B) investment in grid upgrades using funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Given transmission capacity is key to accelerating the energy transition, this is great news from the Biden administration though we certainly have a long way to go. As Rob Gramlich tells us, we need to address the three Ps: planning, permitting and paying and there's still plenty of work to do on all three fronts. Looking forward to doing my part, particularly on improving the political/communications ecosystem around permitting more transmission and clean energy projects across the U.S. https://lnkd.in/eqqzZBNy #Energytransition; #CleanEnergy #Decarbonization #RenewableEnergy #Innovation #Transmission