Energy Exchange

Solutions for timely interconnection to speed the transition to electric trucks

By EDF Blogs / Published: January 10, 2024

Transportation electrification is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, with nine states adopting the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, which requires manufacturers to produce increasing amounts of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles. There are more pathways than ever for MHDV fleets to electrify, as state and federal programs like those within the Inflation Reduction Act are incentivizing the transition by way of grants, rebates and financing. 

To accommodate the vast amount of MHDEVs gearing up to electrify and help fleets get on the road faster, states can take advantage of a range of available solutions to address existing barriers. For example, one of the biggest challenges utilities face is timely interconnection, i.e., connection to the distribution grid, with fleets that require more capacity facing multi-year delays in some states.

Posted in Electric Vehicles, Energy Financing, Energy Innovation / Authors: admin / Comments are closed

Widespread expansion of zero-emission fleets requires proactive grid upgrades – New York can set the stage

By Cole Jermyn and Dakoury Godo-Solo / Published: November 17, 2023

Fleets across the country are going electric and utilities and regulators must be prepared for this essential transition. New York is currently taking on an ambitious medium- and heavy-duty electric vehicle proceeding to address barriers to charging infrastructure and has just conducted a series of technical workshops that brought together fleets, utilities and experts, including Environmental Defense Fund, to share their knowledge, recommendations and needs with the New York Public Service Commission.

Posted in Electric Vehicles, Grid Modernization / Authors: cjermyn, dgodosolo / Comments are closed

Helping new hydrogen hubs sidestep risks, deliver on climate promise

By Morgan Rote / Published: October 30, 2023

The Department of Energy has announced the list of selectees under its $7 billion Hydrogen Hubs program. If they successfully conclude final negotiations with DOE, projects will receive funding to create close-proximity networks of hydrogen producers, consumers, and connective infrastructure as part of the Biden administration’s ambitious climate and clean energy effort.

Posted in General / Authors: mrote / Comments are closed

Interim Solutions needed while New York Public Service Commission moves forward on longer term truck charging infrastructure programs

By EDF Blogs / Published: September 7, 2023

By Pamela MacDougall and Cole Jermyn

UPDATE: Since the publication of this blog post on April 27, 2023, the New York Public Service Commission has made meaningful progress within its new Medium- and Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure proceeding. The PSC accepted comments on its initial questions from several dozen parties including EDF, and technical conferences are expected this fall. Despite this, the proceeding will likely continue into next year, leaving many early adopter fleets without sufficient access to charging infrastructure and potentially setting the state behind on its electrification goals. With deadlines from the Advanced Clean Trucks rule and emissions reductions goals from the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act rapidly approaching, now is the time to kickstart the deployment of truck and bus charging infrastructure in New York. The state must implement interim solutions while the PSC continues to move forward. Primarily, changes can be made to the medium- and heavy-duty make-ready pilot program by expanding its eligibility to be more accessible to different types of fleets, depot owners and repair shops. Additionally, the program’s budget can be expanded, as the Commission’s Staff has already proposed. The Commission must also work with its sister agencies including the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority and the Department of Transportation to support near-term deployments of charging infrastructure. Not only will these solutions help provide the charging infrastructure that fleets need now, but the PSC will have the learnings it needs to have a full-scale medium- and heavy-duty charging program in the future. Environmental Defense Fund commends the PSC for the progress made so far on the proceeding and is looking forward to working with the commission to ensure no time is wasted in deploying necessary charging infrastructure improvements.

Posted in Electric Vehicles, New York / Authors: admin / Comments are closed

New bipartisan legislation would give U.S. orphan well management efforts a huge boost

By EDF Blogs / Published: August 7, 2023

Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) meets with oil industry and environmental group leaders at kick-off event for orphan well remediation program in Adams County, CO

By Adam Peltz and Meg Coleman

Across the country, a million or more orphaned oil and gas wells threaten the climate, public health, groundwater and surface waters and hamper local economic development. Help is on the way thanks to a major federal effort to invest $4.7 billion in closing orphan wells under the Revive Economic Growth and Reclaim Orphaned Wells Act as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, but the scale of the problem is vast.

In order to get a handle on these orphaned wells, New Mexico Sen. Ben Ray Luján , Democrat, and North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer, Republican, worked together to secure well closure funding in BIL. Now, they have reintroduced the Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act and a bipartisan group in the House led by Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee, Democrat, and republican Oklahoma Rep. Stephanie Bice have introduced a companion bill. This important, bipartisan legislation would invest more than $150 million over the next five years to help find an estimated 800,000 undocumented orphan wells, reuse those we can for beneficial purposes and ultimately close all of the rest more effectively and affordably. While partisan politics seem to divide the Capitol these days, it is exciting to see leaders on both sides of the aisle come together to address orphan wells.

Posted in Air Quality, Methane, Methane regulatons / Tagged New Mexico | Authors: admin / Comments are closed

Landmark study reveals that millions of Americans live less than a mile from an orphaned oil and gas well

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 11, 2023

By Adam Peltz & Kate Roberts

This week, the Department of the Interior announced nearly $660 million in grant funding to plug orphan wells across the U.S., adding to $560 million in initial funding from last summer. The news comes on the heels of new research led by researchers at McGill University and EDF experts that quantifies the extent of the orphan well problem this funding will begin to tackle.

The study found that at least 4.6 million people are living within about a half mile of an orphaned oil and gas well. Published in June 2023 in Environmental Research Letters, the study examined the environmental risks of orphaned wells and how plugging or repurposing wells could play a role in the transition to net zero. An additional key finding is that many essential technical details about this well set, like depth and condition, and environmental impacts, including methane emission rates and whether they have caused groundwater contamination, are largely unknown.

Posted in Air Quality, Methane regulatons / Authors: admin / Comments are closed