Energy Exchange

Goodbye, internal combustion! Electric vehicles are rolling in

By EDF Blogs / Published: August 2, 2017

Electric vehicles (EVs) don’t make much noise on the road, but they’re generating a lot of buzz about the future of this technology and what it means for business and the environment.

Cars, buses, and trucks are the second biggest source of pollution in the U.S. after electricity production. They are responsible for over 26 percent of emissions that adversely affect the health and well-being of the population, and put communities located close to highways and other major thoroughfares at risk. These communities, typically low-income, are often plagued by elevated asthma rates and other pollution-induced health conditions.

When thinking about ways to reduce pollution, EVs can make a world of difference. And, when charged using renewable energy sources, they produce no emissions and can be much cheaper to operate than traditional, internal combustion vehicles. As such, let’s take a look at the global EV market and impacts in the U.S. on the electric grid in two environmentally progressive states ‒ New York and California. Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles, Electricity Pricing, General, New York REV / Read 3 Responses

Waiting for Perry: Leaked draft gives us a glimpse into the study he should release

By Jim Marston / Published: July 28, 2017

It’s been 100 days (and counting) since Secretary Perry ordered the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct a 60-day study of the U.S. electricity system. We expect the final report to be issued any day now.

The initial focus of the study was clear: to determine whether renewable energy policies or regulations have accelerated the retirement of coal and nuclear plants. Perry himself admitted the so-called study was intended to reassess “politically driven policies driven by a hostility to coal,” implying he intends to use the study to discriminate against renewables in favor of dirty, expensive coal.

But a bombshell recently hit. A leaked draft of the study seems to contradict Secretary Perry’s pro-coal thesis and rhetoric.

The draft is thoughtful, and it boils down to some conclusions that Secretary Perry’s political appointees – ahem, editors – will be hard pressed to massage into policy recommendations that call for more coal. Namely, America’s grid reliability remains strong with more clean energy and less coal. Read More »

Posted in Clean Energy, Grid Modernization, Renewable Energy / Comments are closed

Four opportunities to strengthen Canada’s draft methane regulations

By Drew Nelson / Published: July 27, 2017

Canada’s move to reduce methane emissions from its oil and gas sector passed another milestone this week, as the deadline passed for stakeholders to submit comments about the proposed regulations to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC). EDF issued extensive comments commending ECCC for moving forward, but urging decision makers to address some critical weaknesses of the draft rules.

EDF is not alone in this thinking. A group of investors from Canada, US, and Europe, which together represent $89 billion CAD in investments, released a synopsis of their comments. Many leading Canadian NGOs, including the David Suzuki Foundation, the Pembina Institute, Environmental Defence (no relation to this EDF), Equiterre, and the Blue Green Alliance, also issued a press release urging ECCC to improve and strengthen the draft regulations.

As Canada’s effort to regulate this potent greenhouse pollutant continues, EDF is focused on ensuring Canada takes advantage of low-cost reduction opportunities, which have the added benefit of improving air quality, eliminating waste, stimulating innovation, and creating jobs. For that to happen, the country’s draft methane regulations need to be strengthened. Read More »

Posted in General, Methane, Natural Gas / Tagged Canada, Canada methane | Comments are closed

Electric vehicles enter the here and now

By EDF Blogs / Published: July 25, 2017

By Jason Mathers

The high level of confidence that automotive industry leaders have in the future of electric vehicles (EV’s) has been on full display recently.

In just the past few weeks:

Tesla’s Model 3 started to roll off the assembly line
Daimler announced a $740 million investment to produce EV batteries in China
Cummins noted it would have a fully electric truck platformavailable by the end of 2019
Lyft pledged to provide a billion rides a year powered by electricity by 2025
Porsche set a 2023 target for having 50 percent of its production be electric vehicles
Volvo Cars announced that “all the models it introduces starting in 2019 will be either hybrids or powered solely by batteries”

Posted in Clean Energy, Electric Vehicles / Comments are closed

Whether it’s safe or not, do we need Aliso Canyon?

By Tim O'Connor / Published: July 25, 2017

In early 2016, southern California awoke to the harsh reality that reliable operation of the regional energy system might be tied to a single aging natural gas storage field called Aliso Canyon, where a catastrophic blowout that started the previous October was not closed until February. So while Southern California Gas Company got to work to repair the facility, several government and private institutions also went to work assessing whether the facility was actually needed in the first place.

Last week multiple state agencies issued a verdict that Aliso Canyon is now safe, and giving the green light to increase the gas stored in it on a limited basis. The decision caused an outcry from nearby residents, but it should also be a concern for utility customers throughout the region.

But what if we don’t need the facility at all? Why take the risk? The latest analysis strongly suggests we don’t have to. Read More »

Posted in Aliso Canyon, Methane, Natural Gas / Comments are closed

UPDATE: A tale of two utilities: One Illinois power provider looks ahead, while the other won’t budge

By Dick Munson / Published: July 25, 2017

TaleOfTwo Energy Exchange published an original version of this post in July 2016. This post updates the original to reflect recent developments in Illinois.

As a utility executive, it is the best of times, it is the worst of times. It is the age of innovation, it is the age of stagnant tradition. With a nod to Charles Dickens, it is the epoch of environmental improvement, it is the epoch of continued pollution.

Perhaps no state better represents those extremes than Illinois, where Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) in the north is considering new business models and embracing greenhouse-gas reductions, while Ameren in the south is rejecting change and virtually anything related to clean energy.

Posted in Energy Efficiency, Utility Business Models / Comments are closed