[USA] D.C. regulators approve Pepco’s 3-year energy efficiency and demand response program

On August 10, 2022, the District of Columbia Public Service Commission (PSC) approved the Potomac Electric Power Co.’s (Pepco) proposed Energy Efficiency and Demand Response (EEDR) Program to help reduce the amount of energy used by homes and businesses in the District.[1] Pepco will begin to implement the three-year EERD Program on January 1, 2023. The total budget for the program’s nine projects is approximately $92.4 million, with a third of the costs allocated to programs benefiting low- and moderate-income customers. The nine programs include the Efficient Products Program, Quick Home Energy Check-Up Program, Residential Behavior Based Program, Low- and Moderate-Income Home Energy Program, Commercial Behavior Based Program, Midstream Program, Existing Buildings Program, Low- and Moderate-Income Community Pilots, and Small Business Program.

According to the PSC, by the third year, the program is forecasted to achieve 226,831 MWh, or nearly 1%, in energy savings and cut CO2 emissions by about 181,000 metric tons. The PSC also approved Rider EEDR, a surcharge to recover program costs associated with the program based on usage and applied uniformly to all customers, excluding the utility’s Residential Aid Discount customers. Pepco will be required to file performance indicators, conduct program evaluations, and file semi-annual reports.

[1] https://edocket.dcpsc.org/apis/api/Filing/download?attachId=172220&guidFileName=2cb48217-3e48-4672-80dd-87518f756561.pdf

[USA] More than 30 organizations urge FERC to create a strong transmission planning rule

On August 16, 2022, a day before the comment deadline on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) on Regional Transmission Planning and Cost Allocation and Generator Interconnection, more than 30 organizations wrote a letter in support of a strong new planning rule that helps strengthen the nation’s transmission network.[1] The NOPR, released in April 2022, proposed reforming both FERC’s Open Access Transmission Tariff and Large Generator Interconnection Agreement to fix what the commission saw as deficiencies in existing regional transmission planning and cost allocation requirements. As written, the NOPR would require public utility transmission providers to undertake long-term regional transmission planning and consider dynamic line ratings and advanced power flow control devices more.

Organizations that signed the letter include utilities, consumers, nongovernmental organizations, think tanks, labor groups, national trade associations, equipment providers, clean energy buyers, transmission developers, builders and operators, independent power producers, and environmental organizations. The organizations emphasized that a better planned and integrated power system would help both in terms of consumer savings and reliability of service. Additionally, greater national rulemaking could trickle down into helpful regionalization. “The ability to move power across large areas helps deliver low-cost renewable energy, which is what consumers, utilities, and states are procuring,” the letter said.

[1] https://acore.org/macro-grid-initiative-letter-under-ferc-transmission-nopr/

[USA] EIA report: U.S. electricity sales to increase 2.5%, average residential price to increase 6.1%

According to the Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) August Short-Term Energy Outlook, U.S. electricity consumption will increase 2.5% in 2022 compared to 2021 due to economic growth and hot summer temperatures.[1] U.S. electric sales are expected to decrease 0.3% in 2023. The EIA forecast the U.S. average residential electricity price in 2022 will increase 6.1% compared to 2021, largely driven by rising natural gas prices. Residential electricity prices will average 14.6 cents/kWh in 2022 and 14.9 cents/kWh in 2023.

Average natural gas prices fell over June and July because of additional supply in the U.s. market after the shutdown of the Freeport LNG export terminal in June. However, prices increased at the end of July because of high demand from the electric power sector. The EIA projects that LNG exports will increase to 14% in 2022 compared to 2021. Natural gas consumption is also projected to rise by 3% from 2021 to 2022. Coal consumption is expected to decrease by 1% between 2021 and 2022 and 9% between 2022 and 2023. Renewable energy sources will make up 24% of total generation in 2023, compared to 20 percent in 2021.

[1] https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/steo/

[USA] Ford announces clean energy purchase with DTE Energy

On August 10, 2022, Ford Motor Co. announced that it has entered a clean energy power purchase agreement with DTE Energy.[1] Under the agreement, the utility will add 650 MW of new solar energy in Michigan for Ford, a nearly 70% increase in the amount of solar energy installed in Michigan. According to the press release, it is the largest corporate renewable energy purchase made with a utility in the U.S. DTE estimates that the construction of the solar arrays will create 250 temporary jobs and 10 permanent jobs. Through the agreement, every Ford vehicle manufactured in Michigan will be assembled with 100% clean energy by 2025, 10 years earlier than its company-wide goal.

Ford is purchasing clean electricity through the utility’s MIGreenPower program, one of the largest voluntary renewable energy programs in the U.S. To date, more than 600 businesses and 62,000 residential customers have enrolled in the MIGreenPower program. On an annual basis, program customers have enrolled 2.8 million MWh of clean energy in the program. The utility plans to add thousands of megawatts of new clean energy projects to support the program.

[1] https://media.ford.com/content/fordmedia/fna/us/en/news/2022/08/10/ford-motor-company-and-dte-energy.html

[USA] California adopts target of 25 GW of offshore wind by 2045

On August 10, 2022, the California Energy Commission (CEC) voted to adopt offshore wind energy preliminary planning targets of 2,000 MW to 5,000 MW by 2030 and 25,000 MW by 2045.[1] The upper end of the 2030 target range could come from a full build-out of Morro Bay Wind Energy Area (WEA) or a combination of a partial build-out of the Morro Bay WEA and Humboldt WEA. CEC staff proposed the goals in response to Assembly Bill 525, which was signed into law in September 2021 and required the CEC to develop planning goals and a strategic plan for offshore wind energy deployment in the state. The planning goals are an increase over the initial proposed goal of 10,000 MW to 15,000 MW goal by 2045. The increase follows a letter from Governor Newsom (D) urging regulators to establish a goal of at least 20 GW of offshore wind by 2045.[2] The new goal is the largest in the U.S. and exceeds New York’s plan to install 9,000 MW of offshore wind by 2035, previously the largest long-term target. CEC staff noted that the preliminary planning goals were designed to be potentially achievable but aspirational.

[1] https://www.energy.ca.gov/filebrowser/download/4361

[2] https://www.gov.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/07.22.2022-Governors-Letter-to-CARB.pdf?emrc=1054d6

[USA] Report: ISO-NE reserve margin may need to rise up to 300% by 2040 as more renewables are added

According to a report released by ISO New England (ISO-NE) on July 29, 2022, the grid operator’s reserve margin may need to increase from 15% to 300% by 2040 under some scenarios as more renewables are added to the grid and dispatchable generation is retired.[1] The Future Grid Reliability Study (FGRS), requested by New England Power Pool stakeholders, modeled a variety of decarbonization scenarios through 2040. The deep decarbonization scenario is based in part on assumptions used in Massachusetts’ 2050 Deep Decarbonization Roadmap Study. It includes the addition of 16 GW of offshore wind, 28 GW of solar, 600 GW of battery storage systems, and new transmission. Under this scenario, heating and transportation make up 20% and 18.6% of the grid operator’s total load, respectively.

In a modified deep decarbonization scenario where reliability criteria are met using only solar, wind, and storage, the transmission system would be challenged and would require 89,900 MW of those resources. Currently, ISO-NE has only 5,600 MW. The report concluded that ISO-NE “may require a significant amount of gas or stored fuels to support variable resources.” The report also found that the addition of new transportation and building electrification loads as part of decarbonization efforts will shift the grid to a winter-peaking system and require changes to planning processes. ISO-NE plans to issue a trio of appendices later in 2022 to address production cost, ancillary services, and resource adequacy. The second phase of the FGRS will consider the role of wholesale electricity markets.

[1] https://www.iso-ne.com/static-assets/documents/2022/07/2021_economic_study_future_grid_reliability_study_phase_1_report.pdf

[Japan] Mitsui and Mitsubishi cut value of their Sakhalin-2 LNG stakes by $1.7 billion

On August 2, 2022, major Japanese trade houses Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. said they had cut the value of their stakes in the Sakhalin-2 liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Russia by a combined ¥217.7 billion ($1.7 billion), citing growing business uncertainty.[1] Mitsui and Mitsubishi cut their investment values by ¥136.6 billion to ¥90.2 billion and ¥81.1 billion to ¥62.3 billion, respectively, after Russian President Vladamir Putin signed a decree on June 30, 2022, to create a company to take over the rights and obligations of the project. Both companies said the move would have very little impact on their profits. Mitsui and Mitsubishi hold stakes of 12.5% and 10%, respectively, in the project.

The Japanese government has said that it will try to stay in the project but will move away from relying on Russian energy. Sakhalin-2 has an annual output capacity of about 10 million tons of LNG, with Japan importing around 6 million tons. Under the presidential decree, all assets rights linked to the project will be transferred to the new Russian company. Currently, state-owned Gazprom has a 50% plus one share stake in the project while Shell owns 27.5% minus one share, though in February 2022, Shell said it would exit the project.

[1] https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/japans-mitsui-mitsubishi-shave-17-bln-off-sakhalin-2-lng-stakes-2022-08-02/

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2022/08/03/business/corporate-business/sakhalin-2-stakes-mitsui-mitsubishi/

[USA] NRC gives Vogtle approval to fuel up

On August 3, 2022, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued a 103(g) letter giving Southern Nuclear Operating Company (SNC) approval to load fuel and begin the operation of its nuclear reactor at Vogtle Unit 3.[1] The reactor is one of two 1,117-MW Westinghouse AP1000 reactors SNC is building for owners Georgia Power, Oglethorpe Power, Dalton Utilities, and Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG). The project is part of an expansion of the 2.4-GW Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant in Burke County, Georgia. The approval from the NRC is a crucial step for the project. Vogtle is the only baseload nuclear construction project in the country, and its two new reactors are the first to be built and approved under the NRC’s Part 52 combined license process. They are also the first big reactors to be built in the U.S. in roughly 30 years. SNC’s parent company Southern Company expects Unit 3 to enter service in the first quarter of 2023, while Unit 4 will enter service in the fourth quarter of 2023.

[1] https://www.georgiapower.com/company/news-center/2022-articles/historic-nuclear-regulatory-commission-103g.html

[USA] MISO board approves $10.3 billion portfolio of long-range transmission projects

On July 25, 2022, the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) Board of Directors announced that they had approved a portfolio of long-range transmission projects for the Midwest subregion.[1] The $10.3 billion investment includes 18 transmission projects. According to MISO, this Tranche 1 portfolio is the first of four planned tranches in its Long-Range Transmission Planning (LRTP) process. The grid operator plans to follow this portfolio with another set of transmission projects for its northern and central areas, one for its southern region, and one to increase transmission capacity between its northern and southern areas. The projects are necessary to begin the integration of new generation resources outlined in MISO member and state plans as well as increase resiliency in the face of severe weather events.  

Analyses indicate that the Tranche 1 benefits will exceed costs, with a benefit-to-cost ratio of at least 2.2 for all resource zones in the grid operator's Midwest subregion. Benefits include congestion and fuel savings, avoided capital costs of local resource investment, avoided transmission investment, resource adequacy savings, avoided risk of load shed, and decarbonization. MISO used existing transmission corridors to plan this Tranche 1, which reduces the impact on local areas and communities, lowers construction costs, and shortens implementation time.

[1] https://www.misoenergy.org/about/media-center/miso-board-approves-$10.3-in-transmission-projects/

[USA] New Jersey launches year three of EV incentive, unveils new residential charger program

On July 25, 2022, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy (D) announced the launch of the third year of the state's Charge Up New Jersey electric vehicle (EV) incentive program and unveiled the state's new Residential EV Charger Incentive Program.[1] Over the last two years, the Charge Up New Jersey program provided incentives for more than 13,000 vehicles. Over the last two years of the program, over 13,000 EVs were purchased or leased with this incentive. In its third year, the program will provide up to $4,000 for vehicles with a Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) under $45,000 and up to $2,000 for vehicles with an MSRP between $45,000 and $55,000. The new charger incentive program offers a $250 rebate for a residential charger and can be combined with existing utility programs, which may cover installation costs.

In the last two years, the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) has approved EV charging incentive programs for Jersey Central Power and Light, Public Service Electric and Gas, and Atlantic City Electric. In addition, in fiscal year 2022, NJBPU launched three new programs, collectively providing over $12 million in incentives for the purchase of more than 900 Level Two chargers and over 60 Fast Chargers across the state. The NJBPU released the names of all the FY2022 EV grant recipients and will also open FY2023 applications for those programs – Clean Fleet, EV Tourism Charger, and the Multi-Unit Dwelling (MUD) Charger Program. The Clean Fleet program provides grants for government entities for the purchase of EVs and chargers. The MUD EV Charger Incentive Program was designed to encourage owners and operators of multi-unit dwellings to provide EV chargers for residents and guests. Finally, the EV Tourism program provides funding for chargers at tourist locations across the state.

[1] https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562022/approved/20220725a.shtml          

[USA] Democrats unveil bill with $369 billion in energy and climate spending

On July 27, 2022, with Senator Joe Manchin's (D-WV) support, Senate Democrats unveiled a budget reconciliation bill that includes $369 billion in climate and clean energy policies.[1] The proposed bill, called the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, follows months of negotiations between Democratic leadership and Senator Manchin, who had opposed the Build Back Better bill passed by the House last fall. It would be the country's largest climate change bill if it makes it through the Senate and House. According to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer's (D-NY) office, the legislation would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by roughly 40% by 2030.

Under the bill, existing renewable tax credits would be extended, and after 2025, they would become technology neutral and based on greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Existing nuclear power plants would be eligible for a production tax credit. In addition, the 45Q credit for carbon capture and storage (CCS) would be expanded and extended. The bill will offer a $4,000 credit for used clean vehicles and up to $7,500 for new clean vehicles. The deal includes the Methane Emissions Reduction Program, which would put a fee on excess methane emissions and offer up to $850 million in grants to industry to monitor and reduce methane. It also contains $60 billion for environmental justice, $60 billion for clean energy manufacturing, and $27 billion for a new federal green bank.

[1] https://www.democrats.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/inflation_reduction_act_of_2022.pdf

[USA] DOE launches $2.6 billion in funding for carbon capture projects

On July 13, 2022, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued Notices of Intent to fund the Carbon Capture Demonstration Projects Program and the Carbon Dioxide Transport/Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) Program.[1] The programs will support carbon capture demonstration projects and expand regional pipeline networks to transport CO2 for storage or conversion into other uses. The two programs are funded by a more than $2.6 billion investment from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

The $2.54 billion demonstration program will focus on integrated carbon capture, transport, and storage technologies and infrastructure that can be readily replicated and deployed at fossil energy power plants and major industrial sources of CO2, such as cement, pulp and paper, iron and steel, and certain types of chemical production facilities. Chosen projects will address technical, environmental, permitting, and financing challenges for commercial deployment. Proposed projects will need to show at least 95% carbon capture efficiency and verification of secure geologic carbon storage. In addition, the $100 million Carbon Dioxide Transport/Front-End Engineering Design program will design regional carbon dioxide pipeline systems to move CO2 from key sources to centralized locations.

[1] https://www.energy.gov/articles/biden-harris-administration-launches-26-billion-funding-programs-slash-carbon-emissions

[USA] TVA announces request for 5 GW of carbon-free energy

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), a federally owned electric utility cooperation[1], issued a request on July 12, 2022, for up to 5 GW of carbon-free energy that must be operational by 2029, representing one of the largest clean energy procurement requests in the U.S.[2] TVA will consider solar, onshore or offshore wind, hydropower, geothermal, biomass, nuclear, renewable gas, battery energy storage systems, and hybrid combinations. While the power would serve TVA’s seven-state territory in the Southeast, clean energy power could come from outside the region. The deadline for proposals is October 19, 2022. TVA said it will announce selected projects in the spring of 2023. TVA aims to reduce carbon from 2005 levels by 70% by 2030, 80% by 2035, and net zero by 2050. To achieve this goal, the agency is planning to bring an additional 10,000 MW of solar energy capacity online by 2035. Currently, TVA has about 35 GW to 38 GW of capacity daily through its own generation and power purchases from other places. In 2021, TVA got more than half of its electricity from carbon-free resources like hydroelectric and nuclear.

[1]  TVA covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia.

[2] https://www.tva.com/newsroom/press-releases/tva-issues-one-of-the-nation-s-largest-requests-for-carbon-free-energy

[USA] PG&E and Tesla announce pilot virtual power plant for 25,000 customers

On July 7, 2022, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Tesla Inc. announced that they have launched a new virtual power plant (VPP) pilot program to help support electric grid reliability and save customers money.[1] Tesla invited approximately 25,000 PG&E customers with Powerwall home battery systems to join the VPP on June 22, 2022. Since then, more than 3,000 customers have expressed interest, and more than 1,500 customers have enrolled in the program. These 1,500 customers could provide between 8 and 10 MW of capacity. Enrollment will continue through October 2022. PG&E customers are eligible if they have an interconnection agreement with PG&E, a Tesla Powerwall, and are not enrolled in other demand response programs. Participating customers will receive $2 for every incremental kWh of electricity their Powerwall discharges during times of high demand.

Through this partnership, Tesla is participating in the utility’s Emergency Load Reduction Program (ELRP) by “enrolling and combining residential Powerwall home battery systems into a virtual power plant to discharge power back to the grid in California during times of high electricity demand.” The ELRP is a five-year pilot started in 2021 to pay consumers for reducing electricity consumption or boosting supply during grid emergencies. In 2021, the utility had about 150 MW of VPPs that could function as demand response in its overall portfolio.

[1] https://www.pge.com/en_US/about-pge/media-newsroom/news-details.page?pageID=d9202eba-9562-4aea-9a76-382b0e4a3a30&ts=1657823764842

[USA] Report: Renewable costs temporarily higher due to inflationary pressures

According to a BloombergNEF analysis released on June 30, 2022, global supply chain issues, such as cost increases in materials, freight, fuel, and labor, caused price increases for onshore wind and solar power in the last year.[1] The research firm found that the cost of onshore wind has risen 7% year on year while fixed-axis solar has risen 14%. The global levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) has temporarily gone back to where it was in 2019. The firm estimates that the global LCOE for utility-scale PV and onshore wind rose to $45/MWh and $46/MWh, respectively, in the first half of 2022. Battery storage also saw a cost increase of 8.4% year on year due to surging lithium carbonate prices.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine have both affected costs. Although demand for low-carbon technologies bounced back in the second half of 2021, supply has struggled to keep up. Analysts found that despite the temporary cost increase, the gap between the cost of renewables and fossil energy continues to widen. New onshore wind and solar projects are about 40% lower than new-build coal- and gas-fired power.

[1] https://about.bnef.com/blog/cost-of-new-renewables-temporarily-rises-as-inflation-starts-to-bite/

[USA] PJM proposes “first-ready, first-served” approach to clear interconnection backlog

On June 14, 2022, PJM Interconnection[1] filed with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to overhaul its interconnection study process to a “first-ready, first-served” approach that reviews proposals and assigns upgrade costs in clusters.[2]  According to PJM, the largest grid operator in the U.S., the proposed changes are a response to the huge influx of interconnection requests over the last few years within its footprint. The grid operator had 2,700 projects in its interconnection queue, representing more than 250 GW, as of May 10, 2022. The proposed reforms aim to speed up the interconnection process by allowing projects that are more commercial ready to be processed before other more speculative projects. Speculative projects that withdraw late in the review process can create delays, creating a need to redo the review process. PJM’s proposal would conduct system impact studies and cost allocation for groups of projects or clusters rather than project-by-project. PJM’s proposal was widely supported in an 18-month stakeholder development process. If approved by FERC, PJM expects to review interconnection applications filed after October 1, 2021, starting in early 2026. PJM requested that FERC approve the proposal by October 3, 2022.

[1] PJM serves all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

[2] https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/filedownload?fileid=f3f74b1d-7352-c120-9c75-81631eb00000

[USA] NextEra Energy announces Real Zero plan to eliminate its carbon emissions by 2045

On June 14, 2022, NextEra Energy announced its Real Zero plan, which would eliminate carbon emissions from its operations no later than 2045 while leveraging low-cost renewables to increase energy affordability for its customers.[1] NextEra said the plan is the most ambitious carbon-emissions reduction goal by an energy producer and is the sector’s only goal not to require carbon offsets for success. The goal would transform the company’s generation fleet by eliminating all scope 1 and scope 2 carbon emissions across its operations while enhancing reliability, resiliency, affordability, and cost certainty for its customers.

To achieve its plan, NextEra has created a Zero Carbon blueprint, a carbon-emissions reduction plan. NextEra intends to help decarbonize the U.S. economy, a more than $4 trillion market opportunity, by increasing low-cost renewable energy deployment. The plan would generate only carbon-emissions-free energy from a mix of wind, solar, battery storage, nuclear, green hydrogen, and other renewable sources. The company has set interim milestones to reach carbon emissions reduction of 70% by 2025, 82% by 2030, 87% by 2035, and 94% by 2040, relative to 2005. A large portion of the company’s plan to decarbonize will happen within its subsidiary Florida Power & Light Company (FPL). As part of Real Zero, FPL's goal is to reach 36% decarbonized by 2025, 52% by 2030, 62% by 2035, 83% by 2040, and 100% by no later than 2045.

[1] https://www.investor.nexteraenergy.com/news-and-events/news-releases/2022/06-14-2022-130240303

[USA] DOT releases proposed standards for national EV charging program

On June 9, 2022, the Department of Transportation (DOT) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking outlining minimum standards and requirements for projects funded under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.[1] The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) allocated $5 billion over the next five years for the NEVI Formula Program. States must submit charging infrastructure plans to the newly created Joint Office of Energy and Transportation by August 1, 2022, to access the $615 million available to states in fiscal year (FY) 2022. The proposed standards would set requirements for states to receive these funds.

The proposed standards aim to ensure the electric vehicle (EV) charging network provides a reliable and accessible customer experience and establish the groundwork for greater EV adoption. DOT’s proposal would require all stations in the network to communicate and operate on the same software platforms. The standards also include network connectivity requirements to allow secure remote monitoring, control, and updates. In addition, charging ports must have an average annual uptime of greater than 97%. Other requirements include standard plugs, American-made EV chargers, and the ability for direct current (DC) fast charging stations to simultaneously charge at least four vehicles at a minimum power of 150 kW. The DOT said there will be a 60-day comment period on the proposal following publication in the Federal Register.

[1] https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-harris-administration-takes-key-step-forward-building-national-network-user

[USA] Xcel Energy to be the first energy company in U.S. to incorporate all-electric bucket trucks

On June 6, 2022, Xcel Energy announced that it will be the first energy company in the U.S. to add all-electric bucket trucks to its fleet.[1] Xcel Energy has a plan to electrify all its light-duty vehicles and 30% of its medium and heavy-duty fleet by 2030. Terex Utilities and Navistar, manufacturer of International trucks, will deliver the trucks two years ahead of industry projections. The new trucks feature two electric sources, one for the drive train and one for the lift mechanism. They have a range of 135 miles and are able to operate the bucket for a full workday on a single charge. The energy company plans to test these trucks in real working conditions over a six to 12-month pilot. Currently, the company operates 1,000 aerial bucket trucks in its fleet. The new trucks will be quieter and zero emissions. Feedback provided during the pilot will ensure the trucks are dependable and help the industry better prepare for the electric vehicle transition. Xcel Energy will introduce the first truck in the Minneapolis, Minnesota region in late June 2022. The second truck will be delivered to its Denver, Colorado fleet at the end of 2022.

[1] https://co.my.xcelenergy.com/s/about/newsroom/press-release/xcel-energy-is-first-in-the-nation-to-add-all-electric-bucket-trucks-to-fleet-MCFAQNJJTNLFCKJIV3QX6NCGLTWU

[USA] Biden administration announces 2-year pause on solar tariffs from four Southeast Asian countries

On June 6, 2022, the Department of Commerce announced a 24-month suspension of tariffs on solar cells and modules from Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam to avoid disruptions to the electric power system. The move follows growing concerns from legislators, industry leaders, and administration officials about the negative impacts of the Commerce Department’s investigation into whether imports of solar panels from those countries are circumventing tariffs on goods made in China. According to the American Clean Power Association, nearly 80% of panels used in U.S. projects come from those four countries. The Commerce Department said the preliminary investigation could lead to tariffs of 50% or more on panels from these countries.

On the same day, President Biden authorized the Department of Energy (DOE) to invoke the Defense Production Act (DPA)[1] to help strengthen domestic production of solar panels, electric transformers, heat pumps, insulation, and hydrogen-related equipment.[2] The DPA allows the president to coordinate with industry to encourage the manufacturing of products that are in the interest of national defense. The president has previously invoked the DPA to spur COVID-19 vaccine and electric battery production.

[1] https://www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2022/06/department-commerce-statement-president-bidens-proclamation-solar-cells

[2] https://www.energy.gov/articles/president-biden-invokes-defense-production-act-accelerate-domestic-manufacturing-clean