Electricity News in January 2017

New York Offshore Wind advances as South Fork Wind Farm by Deepwater Wind gains LIPA approval near Long Island, delivering 90-megawatt clean power with offshore turbines, supporting renewable energy goals, jobs, and climate action.

Key Points

New York Offshore Wind includes South Fork Wind Farm powering Long Island and advancing state renewable energy goals.

✅ LIPA approves 90 MW South Fork Wind Farm construction

✅ Deepwater Wind to build 15 offshore turbines near Montauk

✅ Supports NY 2030 renewable targets and coastal grid reliability

The company behind the first offshore wind farm in North America won approval Wednesday from New York state to build the country’s biggest seaward turbines yet, as U.S. offshore wind power is about to soar nationwide.

The Long Island Power Authority, a state-run utility company, gave Deepwater Wind the green light to begin construction on the South Fork Wind Farm, a 90-megawatt, 15-turbine development 30 miles southeast of Montauk, amid more South Shore turbine proposals from local planners.

“New York leads the nation in pioneering clean energy innovation, and this bold action marks the next step in our unprecedented commitment to offshore wind, as well as our ambitious long term energy goal of supplying half of all electricity from renewable sources by 2030,” New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said in a statement. “This project will not only provide a new, reliable source of clean energy, but will also create high-paying jobs, continue our efforts to combat climate change and help preserve our environment for current and future generations of New Yorkers.”

The move comes as the nascent U.S. offshore wind industry finally begins to gain steam. In November, Deepwater Wind completed construction on the Block Island Wind Farm, the five-turbine, 30-megawatt project that became the country’s first commercial wind farm located in the water. Last month, Statoil, Norway’s state-owned oil and gas giant, won a $42.5 million bid to lease 79,350 acres of federal waters located 14 miles off Long Island’s southwest coast, through a process overseen by BOEM officials and regulators. It’s unclear how many turbines would go up, but the company plans to build a wind farm producing at least 600 megawatts.

Winds off the coast of the U.S. are so reliably strong, turbines built offshore could generate 4,223 gigawatts of power ― four times the amount of electricity that’s currently produced from all sources in the country, according to a 2012 study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Yet, even as the offshore wind industry boomed in Europe, tapping that resource has proved difficult, and questions remain about when the U.S. will reach 1 GW of offshore wind on the grid at scale. Wind turbines remain expensive. Electricity produced mostly by natural gas and coal continues to be cheap, relative to prices in other countries. Developers must navigate a Byzantine web of state and federal regulations before gaining approval to build turbines offshore.

Despite his pledge to eliminate up to 75 percent of federal regulations, newly sworn-in President Donald Trump could complicate things for the industry. He filled his Cabinet with climate science deniers and fossil fuel executives explicitly bent on boosting the oil, gas and coal sectors by slashing environmental rules that favor zero-emissions energy sources. He has a history of battling the wind industry, describing land-based turbines as a death trap for eagles and restarting a yearslong feud over an offshore project underway that obstructs the view at his golf course in Scotland. 

Under Cuomo’s plan for New York to get half of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030, as New York investigates offshore wind sites, offshore wind provides 2,400 megawatts ― enough to power 1.25 million homes, according to state estimates. 

“It’s massive, how much energy is out there,” Catherine Bowes, senior manager for climate and energy at the National Wildlife Federation, told The Huffington Post on Wednesday. She added that her nonprofit planned to work with Deepwater Wind to ensure that migrating whales, fish and other sea creatures would not be hurt by the construction of the windmills. “It is a game-changing scale of the amount of clean energy out there right where we need it, right along the big coastal zone from Boston down to Washington, D.C.,” she said.

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Canadian Solar BeamLight and Alfred Sale underscores a renewable energy acquisition in Ontario, as 10 MW AC solar power plants change hands, featuring MaxPower PV modules, generating 35,941 MWh annually and cutting carbon emissions significantly.

Key Points

A CAD152.5M transaction transferring two 10 MW AC Ontario solar plants to Concord Green Energy affiliates.

✅ Sale closed Dec 29, 2016 for over CAD152.5M

✅ 20 MW AC total capacity across two Ontario solar farms

✅ 35,941 MWh/year; CO2 offset ~467,437 t over 20 years

Canadian Solar Inc. one of the world's largest solar power companies, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Canadian Solar Solutions Inc., completed the sale of its 10 MW AC BeamLight LP ("BeamLight") and its 10 MW AC Alfred solar power plants to 9285806 Canada Inc. and Concord BeamLight GP2 Ltd., affiliates of Concord Green Energy Inc. ("Concord") for over CAD152.5 Million (USD115 Million), a move consistent with other Canadian transactions like the Sault Ste. Marie solar portfolio that have reached financial close. The transaction was closed on December 29, 2016 and the Company expects to recognize the difference between the sales proceeds and the book value of the projects under 'Other income (expenses)' in the income statement for the fourth quarter of 2016, reflecting broader market activity, including RBC's Alberta solar power purchase highlighted in recent announcements. BowMont Capital and Advisory acted as financial advisor to Concord on this transaction.

The BeamLight plant is located in Georgina, Ontario and uses approximately 46,224 Canadian Solar MaxPower CS6X-P PV modules. The Alfred plant is located in Alfred, Ontario and uses about 46,656 Canadian Solar MaxPower CS6X–P PV modules, while large rooftop systems like the Edmonton rooftop solar array showcase urban adoption.  

These solar systems will generate significant environmental benefits, aligning with trends where Alberta solar contracts beat natural gas on cost. The amount of clean solar energy that the plants will collectively generate is estimated at 35,941 MWh per year and 665,130 MWh over 20 years. The amount of carbon dioxide that will be displaced during the systems' 20 year lifetimes is approximately 467,437 metric tons, equivalent to taking around 98,738 cars off of the road for one year.

"Dr. Shawn Qu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Canadian Solar, commented: "We are very pleased to announce the successful sale of two operating solar power plants in Canada.  This deal demonstrates that we are well on track to monetize our quality solar power plant assets to recycle our capital and strengthen our balance sheet, as Alberta's surging solar market underscores nationwide momentum. This is another successful cooperation between Canadian Solar and Concord Green Energy after a previous transaction of 5 solar power plants in Canada. We value our strategic partnership with Concord Green Energy and look forward to continuing our successful cooperation."

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EFC Industry Recognition Award 2017 opens a call for entries from Electro-Federation Canada, honoring leadership in the Canadian electrical industry with recognition of supporters, delegates, and past winners across regional and national activities.

Key Points

An annual EFC honor recognizing leadership and impact in the Canadian electrical industry; 2017 entries are open.

✅ Call for entries from industry delegates and supporters

✅ Honors leadership, dedication, and community involvement

✅ Past winners: Bob Shapiro, Harald Henze, Charlie Cipolla

Electro-Federation Canada (EFC) has issued its Call for Entries for the 2017 Industry Recognition Award, which is presented annually to an individual who has influenced electricity innovation in 2017 across the Canadian electrical industry, including evolving Ontario electricity programs and policies—either as a current or retired industry delegate—or as an industry supporter.

“IRA award recipients demonstrate strong leadership through their personal and professional industry involvement, including efforts like Alectra's EV leadership that advances the sector, and symbolize dedication, balance, and achievement in regional, national and/or community activities, such as the Quebec Electric Vehicle Show that raises public awareness,” says EFC.
Some past winners include:

• 2016 - Bob Shapiro
• 2015 - Harald Henze
• 2014 - Charlie Cipolla

These recognitions occur as Canada EV manufacturing accelerates across the country, reflecting broader industry momentum.

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Nova Scotia Energy Training Program connects students and recent graduates to energy sector internships, wage subsidies, and specialized training, helping SMEs create youth employment, paid work terms, and career pathways across the province.

Key Points

A provincial wage-support initiative funding student and graduate placements in the energy sector with paid work terms and training.

✅ 50% wage support up to $7.50/hour for eligible employers

✅ 12-17 week work terms between May and August

✅ Supports SMEs hiring post-secondary students and graduates

Young Nova Scotians will again be connected to opportunities in the energy sector, including electricity careers, through government's Energy Training Program. 

Applications are now available to employers for the 2017 program which supports opportunities for students and recent graduates to gain specialized training in a rapidly changing electricity sector and work experience.

"Across government we're helping hundreds of young people find opportunities that will lead to rewarding careers here in Nova Scotia," said Energy Minister Michel Samson. "There is tremendous potential in our energy sector, with initiatives like the offshore wind job fair illustrating demand, and this program helps businesses create momentum by giving some of our brightest young minds the chance to get a foot in the door."

Through the program small and medium-sized companies in the energy sector can apply for wage support to hire post-secondary students and recent graduates.

The program provides eligible employers with 50 per cent of a student's salary, up to $7.50 per hour, during a student's employment with the company. Work terms run from 12 to 17 weeks between May and August. The application deadline is Feb. 24. 

Since 2002 the Energy Training Program has funded about 420 student placements at more than 100 companies, while other provinces have supported energy workforce transitions through coal transition funding as needed. 

National labour statistics indicate that Nova Scotia made more progress on reducing youth unemployment than any other province in Canada in 2015, though later events such as COVID-19 impacts in Saskatchewan reshaped labour markets nationwide.

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Wyoming Anti-Renewable Energy Bill proposes banning utility-scale wind and solar for in-state electricity, favoring coal and gas, imposing fines on utilities, and reshaping energy policy, rates, and climate goals statewide.

Key Points

A Wyoming bill to ban utility-scale wind and solar in-state, prefer coal and gas, and penalize utilities.

✅ Bans utility-scale wind and solar for in-state electricity

✅ Prioritizes coal, gas; excludes large renewable projects

✅ Imposes $10/MWh penalties on non-eligible power

Coal supporters are pushing a bill that would bar utilities from using the state's abundant wind power to provide electricity within the state.

While many U.S. states have state renewable policies and incentives to get more of their electricity from renewable energy, Republican legislators in Wyoming are proposing to cut the state off from its most abundant, clean resource—wind—and ensuring its continued dependence on coal.

A new measure submitted to the Wyoming legislature this week would forbid utilities from providing any electricity to the state that comes from large-scale wind or solar energy projects by 2019. It's an unprecedented attack on clean energy in Wyoming, and possibly the nation. And it comes at a time when such resources are becoming cheaper and increasingly in demand as the world seeks to transition to clean energy to prevent the worst impacts of climate change.

The bill's nine sponsors, two state senators and seven representatives, largely come from Wyoming's top coal-producing counties and include some deniers of man-made climate change. They filed the bill on Tuesday, the first day of the state's 2017 legislative session. Activists and energy experts are alarmed by the measure, which would levy steep fines on utilities that continue providing (or provide new) "non-eligible" clean energy for the state's electricity, even as some utilities try to tilt the solar market in other states as well. But they are skeptical it will get enough support to become law.

"I haven't seen anything like this before," Shannon Anderson, director of the local organizing group Powder River Basin Resource Council, told InsideClimate News. "This is essentially a reverse renewable energy standard."

Anderson, who has tracked the Wyoming legislature's work for a decade, added: "I think there will be a lot of concerns about its workability and whether this is something the state needs to do... it seems to be 'talking-point' legislation at this point."

Last year, Republican Gov. Matt Mead introduced a new energy plan for the state that involved "doubling down" on coal. But even this fossil fuel-centric plan included room for the state's renewable resources, especially wind energy, to grow.

The new bill mandates utilities to use "eligible resources" to meet 95 percent of the state's electricity needs in 2018 and then all of its power supply in 2019. Those sources are defined as coal, hydroelectric, natural gas, net metering sources (such as rooftop solar, where rooftop solar caps are being debated, or backyard wind projects for homeowners and small business), nuclear and oil. Using power from utility-scale wind, solar and other renewable projects would be outlawed under this legislation.

Wyoming generates and consumes mostly coal-powered electricity, even amid talk of an end to the 'war on coal' nationally. Nearly 90 percent of electricity generated in the state came from coal in September 2016, the latest month with available data. Renewables, mainly wind, were the second-biggest source; other small sources of electricity included petroleum- and natural gas-powered plants and hydroelectric power.

A big state with vast energy resources and a small population, Wyoming produces a lot more power than it needs: It  is the nation's largest producer of coal, fourth-largest natural gas producer and eighth-biggest crude oil producer, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency. Wyoming also ranks high in untapped wind resources, with one of the nation's largest wind farms under construction. The wind power expected to be generated at this massive project, however, along with much of the wind power already being produced in the state, is already destined for out-of-state markets.

Under this new proposal, power providers could continue to generate and sell wind to customers outside of Wyoming without a penalty—but they would be hit with a fee for providing that same power to in-state residents and businesses. Utilities that fail to meet the proposed standards would face $10 penalty for each megawatt hour of energy the utility fails to procure from approved sources and the utility couldn't recover this penalty by raising customer rates, amid concerns over federal electricity pricing changes now being debated.

Pacific Corp.'s Rocky Mountain Power and Black Hills Corp.'s Black Hills Energy are among the utilities operating in Wyoming that could feel the bill's impact because some of the electricity they provide to the state comes from clean energy sources now. Spokespeople from both companies told InsideClimate they are still reviewing the bill and wouldn't comment further.

When asked about the motivation for the bill and concerns about it driving away future wind generation, bill sponsor Republican Rep. David Millerfrom Fremont County said, "Wyoming is a great wind state and we produce a lot of wind energy. We also produce a lot of conventional energy, many times our needs. The electricity generated by coal is amongst the least expensive in the country. We want Wyoming residences to benefit from this inexpensive electrical generation."

"We do not want to be averaged into the other states that require a certain [percentage] of more expensive renewable energy," Miller wrote in an email to InsideClimate News.

(In Wyoming, wind and natural gas are the cheapest forms of new energy generation, according to Dave Eskelsen, a spokesman for Rocky Mountain Power.)

Some of the bill's sponsors are also vocally opposed to climate action and continue to openly question the scientific consensus on climate change.

"The controversy of climate change affects our families in Campbell County," writes state Rep. Scott Clem on his website. "Coal=Jobs. The fact of the matter is that man-made climate change is not settled science. Instead, it is hotly disputed by reputable and educated men and women...."

Although Republicans outnumber Democrats 51-9 in the state House and 27-3 in its Senate, Miller, the sponsor, isn't confident the bill will pass. He estimates its chances are "50 percent or less."

"It's a clear statement the legislature is supporting the traditional sectors of the economy," said Robert Godby, director of University of Wyoming's Center for Energy Economics and Public Policy. Regardless of whether this bill passes, he added, "the fact that it has been run up the flagpole might have some negative consequences." For example, wind developers may be less interested in operating in the state.

Another recently proposed state bill seeks to increase the state's tax on wind generation, a move that could also potentially discourage future wind projects as well.

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Great River Energy wind transition reflects a market shift as wind power and natural gas undercut coal at Coal Creek Station in North Dakota within MISO, boosting renewable energy integration and flexible, marginal-cost operations.

Key Points

A shift from coal to flexible wind and natural gas in MISO, lowering costs and improving reliability.

✅ Coal Creek output cut during high wind seasons

✅ MISO pricing shifts dispatch to wind and gas

✅ New 300 MW wind PPA with NextEra from 2019

Minnesota’s second biggest utility, Great River Energy, has begun to significantly ramp down the output of its largest coal plant as the market has shifted to wind power and natural gas production.

The generation and transmission utility’s Coal Creek Station, located 50 miles north of Bismarck, North Dakota, can produce 1,100 megawatts (MWs) of electricity. That makes it the largest power plant in North Dakota and by far the biggest in Great River Energy’s system.

Currently, though, the plant operates at less than a third of its full output in times of high wind production – spring and fall – as the cost of having it operate at full capacity costs the company money. Some days the plant produces less than 300 MW.

“In the old days we used to want to turn on our coal plants and leave them at full output and fill in with other resources,” according to Great River Energy vice president and chief generation officer Rick Lancaster.

“Things have reversed now. Wind power and natural gas are running at the top and coal is filling in when the wind is not blowing and demand is high – that’s when we have to ramp up our coal plant.”

Great River Energy – which provides electricity to 28 cooperatives serving 1.7 million customers – remains highly dependent on fossil fuel plants, primarily coal for baseline generation and natural gas for peaking plants. But wind has increasingly become an investment of choice.

The company announced this week that it will buy electricity starting in 2019 from NextEra Energy Resources LLC’s new 300 MW wind project slated for construction in south-central North Dakota.

Currently, the utility has 469 MW of production coming from wind farms in North Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. Solar production is up to 3 MW collectively from many different sites. The company also has a waste-to-energy plant.

Great River Energy produces 17 percent of its energy from renewable energy and is on track to meet the state’s requirement to produce 25 percent of annual electric sales by 2025.

Therese LaCanne, corporate communications manager, said the utility also plans to close the coal-fired Stanton Station in North Dakota by May and end a long term contract with Dairyland Power Cooperative to purchase electricity from the coal-fired Genoa plant, similar to Alberta’s move to retire coal power by 2023.

Perhaps the biggest change in the market has come from wind power, a trend mirrored in German renewables as well. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO) has seen wind power increase from 1,000 MW in 2006 to 15,000 MW by the end of 2015, Lancaster said, and 2016’s additions will just add to the total.

Natural gas plants producing electricity continue to garner larger market share. The U.S. Energy Information Administration just reported coal production continues an eight year decline, falling 15 percent in 2016, even as a new U.S. coal plant has opened in a unique case.

The EIA summarized the market data: “Low natural gas prices, warmer-than-normal temperatures during the 2015-16 winter that reduced electricity demand, the retirements of some coal-fired generators, and lower international coal demand have contributed to declining U.S. coal production.”

Great River Energy has four peaking plants but those operate mainly in high demand times, especially in summer, he said. The fracking industry has definitely changed the equation and made natural gas, once prone to big swings in price, more competitive, Lancaster said.

Great River Energy produces power for the MISO market and then buys electricity from the agency’s power pool. That’s how the market has been structured for more than a decade.

The price of electricity during windier seasons such as fall and spring send a “price signal” to utilities that can make coal power production uneconomical, he said, and in Alberta the power price cap has come under scrutiny as generators switch to gas.

“We know what the variable cost of each of our plants is,” Lancaster said. MISO’s “locational marginal pricing” for electricity for the next day may lead to a curtailment in Coal Creek’s output because producing the power would be too costly, Lancaster said.

In winter the plants may run closer to capacity as some natural gas production shifts to heating. In summer, when the wind is weaker, the plants also run closer to capacity, said Lancaster, although solar has a growing ability to absorb some of that demand.

Great River might run a plant at minimal load to avoid having to turn it off during the night or to serve an area considered to be in a “load pocket,” Lancaster said. That’s utility speak for sections of the grid lacking transmission capacity.

The flexible approach has basically “redefined the mission of our plants” from producing as much energy as possible to nimbly responding to market demands, he added.

Coal could decrease even more once breakthroughs are made for wind and solar storage, he predicted. “The real key in our industry in the future is storage,” he said.

“That’s where there’s a gap. We don’t have good ways of storing electricity – batteries are inefficient, expensive and they tend to wear out. The industry needs a breakthrough in storage technology. Until we get that we’re continue to rely on coal and other fossil fuel plants to provide energy when we need it.”

Although Great River Energy has to comply with Minnesota’s renewable energy standard, and is on track to do so, Lancaster did not highlight greenhouse gas reduction as much of a driver. Yet the convergence of market forces has led to greener power.

The switch to wind “is driven by economics but will make complying with the Clean Power Plan easier,” he said. The Clean Power Plan’s status, however, remains unclear.

Matt Prorok, policy associate at the Great Plains Institute, explained that marginal costs include the price of running a plant in addition to fuel costs. Natural gas has been cheaper than coal for the last couple of years.

Despite that situation, Prorok said in the MISO market coal-based plants produce 45 percent of  the region’s power, followed by natural gas (22.5 percent), nuclear (16.5 percent) and wind (10.7 percent). Coal was nearly 60 percent just two years ago.

“There are projections for continued growth for wind power and natural gas, which will remain a low cost fuel for the foreseeable future,” Lancaster said. “It’s tough times for coal.”

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California Solar Panel Mandate requires new buildings to install photovoltaics or solar water heating, advancing renewable energy, cutting emissions, and aligning building codes with San Francisco's ordinance and statewide climate policy goals.

Key Points

California law requiring new buildings to install solar PV or solar water heating boosting energy and cutting emissions.

✅ Applies to new buildings; PV or solar water systems required.

✅ Aligns with San Francisco ordinance; enhances building codes.

✅ Supports state goals: emissions cuts, 50% renewables by 2030.

The new statewide legislation is modeled after a San Francisco ordinance that went into effect on January 1st.

California Senator Scott Wiener introduced legislation on Monday that would require certain buildings erected in the state to be equipped with solar panel installations as part of the state's push toward renewable electricity standards.

California law already requires all residential and commercial buildings under 10 stories to have at least 15 percent of the roof clear of obstructions and shade—in other words, “solar ready.” Wiener’s legislation goes a step further, mandating that either solar photovoltaic or solar water panels actually be installed on any new rooftops to bolster resiliency as California avoids rolling blackouts during extreme heat.

Buildings constructed after January 1st are subject to the ordinance, which is modeled after a San Francisco ordinance introduced last year by Wiener, formally a member of the city’s Board of Supervisors.

“People are frustrated with the slow pace of moving toward renewable energy, and people have a sense of urgency that we don’t have time to waste,” Wiener told the San Francisco Chronicle. “We need to move away from a carbon-based economy.”

After the Trump administration, which is full of climate deniers, takes power later this month, state-level climate action will become all the more important. And California, home to the world’s eighth largest economy, is poised to be a climate leader. While Trump has promised to “cancel” the Paris Agreement, California is still committed to drastically cutting emissions and getting half of it’s energy from renewable sources by 2030, and the state continues to weigh a 100% carbon-free electricity mandate as part of that trajectory.

But there is a more effective way for California cities to become greener than increasing the number of solar panels, according to Vox’s Brad Plumer: Ease the restrictions on housing density and tap new funding to go green through practical programs. People in cities tend to have a smaller carbon footprint than those in rural areas, Plumer writes; they walk more, live in smaller spaces, and use less energy. This is especially true in temperate regions like California, where residents don’t have to use heat or air conditioners to create habitable homes. Plumer even did the math:

"If San Francisco relaxed its restrictions and enabled, say, an additional 10,000 people to move from elsewhere in the Bay Area to the city, we could expect that to cut 79,000 metric tons of CO2 per year (to a first, crude approximation). This is three times as much CO2 as the solar panel law would save."

Equipping buildings with solar installations should absolutely be a standard operating procedure, especially now that solar energy is now as cheap, or less expensive, than fossil fuels, as California recently made more clean energy than it needed during peak generation. But California has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions to 40 percent below 1990s levels by 2030, and no single program or policy will get us there—especially if the state has to pick up the slack as federal support for becoming a carbon neutral society wanes.

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GHI Solar Resource Assessment integrates on-site irradiance sensors and long-term satellite data for utility-scale PV forecasting, improving power output estimates, reducing financial risk, and aligning with finance-grade, meteorological best practices.

Key Points

Combines on-site GHI measurements with long-term satellite data to forecast utility-scale PV power more accurately.

✅ On-site SRA sensors calibrated with satellite time series

✅ Reduces GHI bias up to 14% versus distant weather stations

✅ Finance-grade data logging for bankable energy yield models

As the utility solar industry continues to grow, with renewable power developers seeking diversified strategies to improve projects, the need for solar resource assessment to facilitate more accurate power output forcasting is becoming increasingly important. The most critical parameter used to estimate power output is Global Horizontal Irradiance (GHI). Because of its direct impact on energy production estimates, miscalculations of GHI can cause critical financial risk for project owners and investors. When Pacifico Energy first set out to determine power output at the Kumenan PV project, they used publically available, long-term GHI data from New Energy and Industrial Technology Organization (NEDO). Such resources are common in Japan, where large-scale renewable initiatives like biomass power projects are also growing, but are not ideal for every project.

In Pacifico Energy’s case, the weather stations used by NEDO to collect GHI data were located too far from the Kumenan PV project to provide accurate output projections. Instead, they selected an approach that aligns with the solar industry’s GHI measurement best practices, integrating the high-quality irradiance data collected onsite with RNRG’s ground-based SRA Systems with long-term satellite data, an emphasis that supports bankability as programs like ADFD and IRENA advance renewable financing globally. According to Nate Franklin, who manages Pacifico Energy’s activities in Japan, ”Deploying finance-grade solar assement campaigns like this one is fairly new in Japan, but Pacifico Energy wants to lead the way towards a high-standard approach to PV project development in the country.”   

Pacifico Energy opted for RNRG’s solution because of its exemplary quality, reasonable cost, and its ease of installation and maintenance, a priority as O&M providers such as Omnidian expand global service networks across the industry. The SRA Systems were installed at the Kumenan PV site in 2013 and collected real-time irradiance data for one year. The monitoring station was equipped with best-in-class meteorological sensors that integrated seamlessly with RNRG’s much-lauded SymphoniePLUS3 data logger, providing measured data directly to Pacifico Energy’s control room. The long-term satellite data were later corrected with the records collected by the SRA Systems, providing the most accurate irradiance input to energy production simulation model, an approach that reduces forecasting risk as markets like New England grapple with grid upgrade cost responsibilities. “The SRA System configuration that is used here is recommended for utility-scale resource assessment campaigns and solar monitoring applications when measurement accuracy is the top priority,” said Dave Hurwitt, VP Marketing & Product Management at RNRG. “Pairing RNRG’s solution with satellite data ensures that deviations between predicted irradiance and actual site conditions are minimized, which is extremely beneficial for PV project developers.”

Once the solar assessement campaign reached completion, Pacifico Energy concluded that RNRG’s SRA Systems helped improve the long-term GHI estimation by up to 14% when compared with the irradiance data collected by NEDO weather stations alone. The Kumenan PV plant has been in operation since early 2016 and power output has closely mirrored RNRG’s predictions. The impressive resource assessment accuracy at the Kumenan PV project led Pacifico Energy to install RNRG’s SRA Systems at six other projects in Japan. “This way, we can ensure that all of our projections reflect reality,” added Franklin.

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DEWA renewable energy initiatives showcase solar park expansion, smart grids, R&D, hydroelectric power, EV charging, and net zero buildings at WFES 2017, advancing Dubai Clean Energy Strategy and green economy goals.

Key Points

DEWA initiatives expand solar, smart grids and EV charging to support net zero under Dubai's Clean Energy Strategy.

✅ Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park expansion to 5,000MW by 2030

✅ Smart grids, meters, and EV charging via Green Charger

✅ Net zero HQ Al Sheraa and Hatta hydroelectric plant 250MW

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is highlighting its latest renewable-energy innovative projects at the 10th World Future Energy Summit (WFES), which is organised by Masdar, Abu Dhabi's multi-faceted renewable energy company, and features ADFD-IRENA funding milestones, from 16-19 January 2017 at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre. DEWA is the efficiency sponsor of WFES 2017.

“DEWA is participating in WFES to exchange experiences, expertise, and best practices, and learn about the latest developments in green technologies and solutions, including outreach in China to attract renewable energy firms. This will enhance knowledge and Research and Development to find innovative and sustainable solutions in clean and renewable energy and streamline efforts to address the current challenges facing the energy sector. We are happy to share our experiences and expertise in clean and renewable energy, especially the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA.

“The UAE has consolidated its global leading position in clean and renewable energy and is implementing quality projects to increase the percentage of renewable energy in the energy mix. At WFES, we highlight our efforts in building and developing renewable energy projects, and supporting research and development. These efforts support the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to transform the Emirate into an international hub for clean energy and green economy, and to generate 7% of Dubai’s total power output from clean energy sources by 2020. This target will increase to 25% by 2030 and to 75% by 2050,” added Al Tayer.

At its stand in WFES 2017, DEWA highlights the latest developments of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, such as solar-powered hydrogen production plans, which is the largest single-site solar energy project in the world, based on the Independent Power Producer (IPP) model. The solar park will produce 5,000MW by 2030 with a total investment of AED 50 billion. It will reduce 6.5 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually. DEWA is also showing a model of its new head office, which it is building in the Cultural Village, in the Al Jadaf area of Dubai. DEWA’s new headquarters is called ‘Al Sheraa’ (Arabic for sail), and is set to be the tallest, largest and smartest Net Zero Energy government building in the world. DEWA is also highlighting its three smart initiatives launched to support the Smart Dubai initiative, to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world. DEWA’s initiatives include connecting solar energy to houses and buildings through the Shams Dubai initiative, smart applications through smart meters and grids, and building the infrastructure and electric vehicle charging stations through the Green Charger initiative.

DEWA also highlights its initiatives and projects that support the Comprehensive Hatta Development Plan, which was launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. DEWA’s projects include the first hydroelectric power station in the GCC. The power station will be completed within five years and will produce 250MW. Other projects include installing photovoltaic panels on rooftops to produce electricity from solar power and installing smart meters in buildings. These other projects will be completed by the end of 2018. DEWA will also install electric vehicle charging stations in Hatta. These projects will provide around 2,500 job during and after the implantation phases.

DEWA is also highlighting the Solar Decathlon Middle East (SDME), which was created through an agreement between the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and DEWA, and the United States Department of Energy. Dubai will host the first two rounds of the Solar Decathlon, which is held for the first time in the Middle East, in 2018 and again in 2020 to coincide with World Expo in Dubai, whose theme 'Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ fits well with this distinguished international competition. The total competition prizes are AED 10 million. University teams have to design, build, and operate energy self-sufficient houses, while preserving the environment and taking into account the region’s climate.

DEWA’s stand at WFES will also highlight the projects and initiatives of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and the Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), which promote energy efficiency, and reduce consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions. The stand also features Mai Dubai, which provides low-sodium drinking water to world-class standards, Etihad Energy Services Company (Etihad ESCO), which was established by DEWA to retrofit 30,000 buildings to increase their energy efficiency and reduce consumption, and the Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence (Dubai Carbon), which recommends viable targets for reducing carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases and a methodology to monetise emissions, and other carbon reduction schemes.

DEWA’s stand also presents the key projects of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), which is under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. In cooperation with DEWA, Suqia’s R&D projects include reverse osmosis of sea water and a photovoltaic desalination plant, in addition to water purification using solar technology. The stand highlights the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Water Award. The initiative has allocated USD1 million to finding sustainable solutions to help address water shortages internationally. The stand also features Innogy Middle East, the leading consultancy in energy and innovation.

WFES 2017, which is part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, highlights energy-efficiency market, and the goals and initiatives of energy efficiency contracts in the Middle East and North Africa. It also focuses on the latest developments in sustainable transport, and macroeconomic indicators in the solar energy sector in the region, such as Saudi Arabia's 60 GW clean energy drive over the next decade.

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IRENA REthinking Energy reports falling costs and policy innovation accelerating renewable deployment, with auctions, battery storage, and grid integration enabling investment, jobs, and off-grid access while advancing decarbonization and socioeconomic benefits worldwide.

Key Points

IRENA REthinking Energy is a report on how innovation, policy, and finance scale renewables, create jobs, and cut carbon.

✅ Auctions deliver record-low prices and bankable contracts.

✅ Battery storage scales to integrate variable renewables.

✅ Off-grid systems expand access and support development.

Falling costs, driven by innovation in technology and policy, is spurring renewable energy deployment and with it a myriad of socioeconomic benefits, as the over 30% share of global electricity now comes from renewables, according to the new comprehensive publication released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). REthinking Energy, now in its third edition, was released today at IRENA’s seventh Assembly, the Agency’s ultimate decision-making authority.

“Renewables are gaining ground by nearly every measure. Accelerating the pace of the energy transition and expanding its scope beyond the power sector will not only reduce carbon emissions, it will improve lives, create jobs, achieve development goals, and ensure a cleaner and more prosperous future,” said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin.

The publication highlights how global investment in renewables has steadily grown for more than a decade, rising from less than USD 50 billion in 2004 to a record USD 305 billion in 2015, while IRENA data indicated a record year in 2016 as well. Despite this enormous growth, current investment and deployment levels are making headway to meet international carbon reduction targets.

“As we advance deeper into a new energy paradigm, we need to pick-up the pace of our decarbonisation efforts, aligning with the UN call to double NDC ambition by 2030. Policies and regulations continue to remain crucial to this end and to develop the renewables market,” explained Mr. Amin. “We are seeing more and more countries hold auctions to deploy renewables, and as variable and distributed sources of renewables take-on a greater role, regulators have implemented changes to enable grid integration at scale. Heating and cooling, and the potential of renewables for transport, are areas where future efforts are needed.”

The publication provides insights on the innovations, policy and finance driving further investment in sustainable energy system, including that:

• Renewable energy auctions are gaining popularity in developed and developing countries, generating record-breaking low energy prices;
• Demand for battery storage is increasing rapidly and playing a larger part in integrating variable renewables, despite hidden challenges that merit attention;
• New capital-market instruments are helping increase available finance by offering new groups of investors access to investment opportunities;
• Institutional investors are moving into renewable energy as it offers stable returns over the long term;
• New business models promise new ways to finance renewable energy.

The publication states that solar PV will grow the fastest in terms of capacity and output, and new ways to store electricity will be a game changer for growing variable renewable energy generation. IRENA estimates that battery storage for electricity could increase from less than 1 GW today to 250 GW by 2030.

Off-grid renewables provide electricity to an estimated 90 million people worldwide, and enable people to climb the energy ladder. They are cost-effective and can be installed in modular fashion, linked to grid extension plans. REthinking Energy describes how off-grid solutions can provide modern energy access to hundreds of millions of more people and achieve development goals.

“Achieving universal electricity access by 2030, will require us to boost global power generation — nearly 60 per cent of that will have to come from stand-alone and mini-grid solutions,” said Mr. Amin. “Meeting this aim with off-grid renewables depends on the right combination of policies, financing, technology and institutional capacity. Making needed changes and accelerating deployment will allow countries to address global issues in sustainability, education, gender equality, health, water and food.”

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IRENA/ADFD Project Facility Round 4 delivers USD 44.5 million in concessional finance for renewable energy, funding solar PV, wind integration, hydropower, and hybrid micro-grids to expand energy access across Pacific and African developing countries.

Key Points

An ADFD-IRENA funding round providing USD 44.5M concessional loans for four renewable projects in Africa and the Pacific.

✅ USD 44.5M concessional loans at 1-2% over 20 years

✅ Four projects: solar PV, wind-solar, hydropower, micro-grids

✅ Expands energy access for 170k+ people across islands and Sahel

Four renewable energy projects in developing countries in the Pacific and Africa have been identified by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) and the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to receive USD 44.5 million in funding. ADFD’s funding will support a diverse set of projects including a hybrid micro-grid project employing solar PV and advanced lithium-ion batteries, a hydropower project, integrated wind and solar, at a time when renewable power is the cheapest new electricity in most of the world, and a combination project consisting of micro-grid and solar home kits. The announcement of this fourth round of funding by the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility was made today at the Seventh Session of the IRENA Assembly.

“Over the course of the last four years, the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility has identified path breaking renewable energy projects that are helping to expand access to energy, bolster energy security as an IRENA report on renewables underscores, and provide sustainable, affordable energy for those who need it most,” said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin.“Importantly, this Facility is also putting in place an innovative process which supports transformational and replicable projects that can potentially bring sustainable energy to millions of people around the world.”

For his part, His Excellency Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of ADFD said: “ADFD is committed towards steadfast development in the renewable energy sector; it’s a crucial industry for sustainable continuity, long-term growth and constructive evolution of developing nations. Over seven funding cycles, our USD 350 million partnership, IRENA/ADFD Project Facility, aims to support and enhance the developing world’s energy needs by tapping into their abundant renewable energy sources. This collaboration further exemplifies ADFD’s mission and commitment to provide governments with the financial resources, tools, methods and instruments to safeguard against future unknowns, grasp opportunities and seize desired development goals.”

“The UAE’s commitment to advancing sustainable energy transitions in countries around the world has been unwavering, with DEWA renewable initiatives demonstrating recent progress today. “ said His Excellency Ali Al Shafar, the Permanent Representative of the UAE to IRENA. “Our renewable energy development aid has been growing significantly to more than USD 900 Million. This is a testament of our belief in the vital role of renewable energy in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and universal access to modern energy.”  

Through the IRENA/ADFD Project Facility, ADFD provides consessional loans ranging from USD 5 million to USD 15 million per project. Finance is offered at 1 to 2 per cent lending rates with a 20-year loan period, including a 5-year grace period. Loans for each project cover up to half of the estimated project cost, leveraging additional funding from other sources. To help facilitate additional sources of funding, including efforts to accelerate funding for electricity access in developing regions, project developers can register and seek financing sources from IRENA’s Sustainable Energy Marketplace.

The projects selected in this funding round are:

• Marshall Islands: A 4.6-megawatt (MW) hybrid micro-grid project, using solar PV and advanced lithium-ion batteries, that will provide renewable energy access to over 16,000 people. It will essentially eliminate fossil fuel based generation on three outer islands and reduce it by more than a third on a fourth island. 
• Niger: A project focused on rural electrification for over 150,000 people, aligning with IEA analysis on Africa's power investment needs, using 2.1 MW solar PV micro-grids and solar home kits. 100 schools will be electrified, drinking water supplies will be improved, and several thousand jobs will be created. 
• Seychelles: A government supported solar PV utility scale project will integrate a 5-MW solar PV plant into an existing wind farm, demonstrating an innovative space-saving solution for this small island nation. The project will reduce the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, create almost 300, and supply renewable power to over 1,800 households — benefiting the entire population of 90,000 people.  
• Solomon Islands: A government-backed 20 MW reservoir dam and hydropower facility will diversify the country’s energy mix, provide renewable energy access to 5,000 people, create around 400 jobs, and avoid 44,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. 

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Energy Efficiency Standards face congressional scrutiny as bipartisan rules meet regulatory reform proposals like the REINS Act, risking appliance standards, consumer savings, grid reliability, and pollution cuts secured through transparent review and stakeholder consensus.

Key Points

Federal rules set minimum performance for appliances to cut costs, reduce pollution, and ease grid demand.

✅ Backed by 30 years of bipartisan support and stakeholder input

✅ Proposed REINS Act could delay or block new efficiency rules

✅ Typical households save about $500 annually under current standards

A coalition of energy efficiency groups, trade associations, energy efficiency organizations, environmental organizations, and consumer groups sent a letter to congressional leaders Friday voicing concern about legislative efforts that threaten years of bipartisan, cost-saving rules and standards on energy efficiency.

Bills being considered in the House and Senate would eliminate longstanding checks and balances that ensure thorough review and debate before Congress can eliminate federal regulation implemented appropriately under the law, including bipartisan efficiency standards. Lawmakers are also considering proposals such as the “REINS Act” that could effectively block new standards by adding lengthy, burdensome new steps to the regulatory process, even as energy groups warn of rushed electricity pricing changes, based on arbitrary cost limits that ignore the tremendous net financial gains to consumers from energy efficiency standards.

“We urge you to proceed with caution as Congress considers how best to accomplish broad regulatory reform and debates energy-related tax incentives to ensure that cost-saving energy efficiency standards, which have enjoyed 30 years of bipartisan support, are not put at risk,” the groups wrote in the letter.

The groups signing the letter were the Alliance to Save Energy, American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy, Appliance Standards Awareness Project, ASHRAE, California Energy Commission, Consumer Federation of America, Copper Development Association, Cree, Environmental and Energy Study Institute, Hannon Armstrong, Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance, National Consumer Law Center on Behalf of its Low Income Clients, Natural Resources Defense Council, Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships, Polyisocyanurate Insulation Manufacturers Association, Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, Urban Green Council, and Vermont Energy Investment Corporation.

“Efficiency standards that take years to review, analyze and develop – with extensive involvement and most often the support from the industries and other stakeholders affected – are threatened by these sweeping bills,” Alliance to Save Energy President Kateri Callahan said. “Congress absolutely should review and update regulations where necessary, but it can and should do so under the current rules that already provide meaningful checks and balances. Businesses and consumers need a predictable playing field in which utility rate designs can evolve without being upended every time we have a power shift in Washington.”

The groups said some of these legislative proposals would make it far too easy for Congress to eliminate in one reckless and fell swoop dozens of regulations that have been years in the making.

They cited the “Midnight Rules Relief Act” that recently passed the House and has been introduced in the Senate. It would allow Congress to quickly rescind all regulations finalized since June 13. Among regulations finalized since then are several significant appliance standards, including, dehumidifiers, battery chargers and compressors. Several more standards have been issued but await final administrative approval under the Trump administration as a potential Clean Power Plan replacement is weighed by officials.

“These are not last-minute standards rushed in under the cover of darkness,” said ASAP Executive Director Andrew deLaski. “They were developed over years of transparent public review and stakeholder negotiation. Many of them have broad consensus support from affected industries that have long since adapted to the new rules and don’t want to see them changed.”

“There should be no question about the benefits of efficiency standards. A typical household with products meeting the latest standards is saving about $500 a year,” said ACEEE Executive Director Steven Nadel. “Appliance prices have dropped as the standards have been enacted and consumers have more product choices than ever before. And at the same time, we’ve reduced stress on the grid, significantly cut pollution, and, alongside a clean electricity standard, eliminated the need for expensive new power plants that drive up utility rates.”

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ABB Belo Monte UHVDC Converter Transformers enable 800 kV HVDC, 4000 MW clean power transmission from Xingu to Rio, boosting grid stability, reliability, and renewable integration across Brazil with minimal losses and long-distance efficiency.

Key Points

Converter transformers for Brazil's 800 kV Belo Monte HVDC link, boosting grid reliability and efficient clean power.

✅ 14 x 400 MVA, 400 kV converter transformers for Belo Monte link

✅ 4000 MW UHVDC over 2,518 km; long-distance, low-loss transmission

✅ Transmits clean power from Xingu to Rio, improving grid stability

ABB has won an order worth around $75 million to supply advanced converter transformers for the Belo Monte 800 kilovolts (kV) ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission link. The 2,518 kilometer (km) link will transmit clean power generated in the north of Brazil, from the Xingu substation, to the Rio Substation in the southeast, echoing projects such as the Scotland-England subsea link now awarded funding. It will be capable of transporting up to 4000 megawatts (MW) of electricity – enough to meet the needs of around ten million people. The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2016.

“Ultra-high voltage technologies are a key focus area of our Next Level strategy, and our advanced converter transformers are making it possible to integrate renewable energy sources and transmit clean power across long distances with minimum losses, reliably and efficiently, as seen with recent US-Canada transmission approvals that expand cross-border capacity” said Claudio Facchin, President of ABB’s Power Grids division. “We have a long and successful track record in Brazil and remain committed to continue supporting the country’s power infrastructure development.”

ABB supplies for the Belo Monte UHVDC link include fourteen 400 mega-volt-ampere (MVA), 400 kilovolt (kV) converter transformers and other related equipment. Converter transformers are among the most vital components in a transmission system, enabling grid stability and power reliability, while minimizing losses, a challenge also targeted by superconducting cables in modern grids.

UHVDC is an advancement of HVDC, a technology pioneered by ABB over 60 years ago, and represents the biggest capacity and efficiency leap in over two decades, with new studies on Europe's HVDC potential exploring further integration. In keeping with its pioneering heritage, ABB was also the first to successfully develop and test 1,100 kV converter transformer technology setting the record for the highest DC voltage levels ever and making it possible to increase the power transmission capacity of UHVDC links to the unprecedented level of 12000 megawatts.

Transformers are integral components of an electrical grid enabling the efficient and safe conversion of electricity to different voltages. ABB’s world leading transformers are designed for reliability, durability and efficiency with a portfolio that includes power transformers rated up to 1,200 kilovolts, dry- and liquid-distribution transformers, traction and special application transformers and related components, alongside industry moves toward digital transformer stations for enhanced monitoring.

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India Advancion Energy Storage Project enables grid stabilization in Delhi using AES battery storage with TPDDL and Mitsubishi, supporting renewables integration, peak shaving, reliability, and emissions reduction across distribution networks serving 7 million customers.

Key Points

An AES-TPDDL-Mitsubishi 10 MW battery in Delhi that stabilizes the grid, integrates renewables, and cuts emissions.

✅ 10 MW Advancion system at TPDDL for peak shaving

✅ Supports grid reliability and renewable integration in Delhi

✅ Lowers T&D costs and greenhouse gas emissions

Mitsubishi Corporation reached a basic agreement with AES Corporation and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Limited (TPDDL), which distributes electricity in Northern and Northwestern Delhi, to develop an energy storage demonstration project in India. The project will be concentrated in the grid sectors operated by TPDDL, where initiatives to fast-track grid connections are key to reliability.

Under the partnership, MC and AES will establish a 10 MW energy storage system at TPDDL's facilities, in line with solar-plus-storage microgrid deployments elsewhere in Asia. Administered jointly by the three companies, the energy storage system will contribute to stabilizing the grid network, which delivers power to over 7 million customers across the region. The project will be implemented using Advancion(1), the cutting-edge energy storage technology developed by AES Energy Storage, a subsidiary of AES.

The Indian government has been undertaking a number of initiatives aimed at curbing chronic electricity shortage and addressing growing electricity needs while at the same time reducing green-house gas emissions and improving air quality. One approach has been the proactive use of renewable sources such as wind and solar energy. However, the energy secured from these natural sources is not yet sufficient to fill demand-supply gaps or provide the stability required for the grid network. In light of this, electricity storage systems, including energy storage for microgrids that support local resiliency, have proven to be a valuable option as they provide a back-up of energy supply, which addresses these and other concerns, including the risk of power outages caused by overloading at peak periods. The outlook for electricity storage systems is therefore very positive.

This project will not only serve to demonstrate the contribution that advanced Advancion technology can make to stabilizing electricity grids, but it will also lay the groundwork for MC to develop projects of this nature successfully in India and in other parts of the Asia and Oceania region. More broadly, the introduction of Advancion in the region is likely to have a positive impact in terms of increasing the use of renewable energy, reducing costs related to power transmission and distribution, including cross-border transmission projects that expand capacity, and lowering the volume of green-house gas emissions.
 

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GenCell G5rx delivers hydrogen fuel cell backup power for utilities and substations, enabling black start capability, zero-emissions reliability, remote NOC monitoring, and diesel generator replacement to keep critical controls and batteries online during grid outages.

Key Points

GenCell G5rx is a hydrogen fuel cell delivering zero-emissions backup power and black start support for utility substations.

✅ 5 kW output keeps batteries charged 40+ hours

✅ Supports black start without diesel generators

✅ Remote NOC monitoring reduces maintenance costs

GenCell, the leading Israel-based fuel cell developer and manufacturer, is announcing its hydrogen-based GenCell G5rx™ backup power solution.

Featuring unique fuel cell technology used in space missions, the G5rx provides immediate and reliable, long-term backup power to mitigate the challenges of power outages. When the grid goes down, the GenCell G5rx kicks-in to charge utility back-up batteries, and as regions like California deploy grid batteries to stabilize supply, it keeps them at full power for up to 10 times longer than standard battery rooms. This enables substations and power plants to keep their breakers and controls in an operational mode and allows utilities to quickly restart power distribution to end-users once the grid recovers.

With a growing North American population and the increasing use of electricity to power a digital world increasingly shaped by the digital grid of modern utilities, utilities are under ever more pressure to keep remote and urban systems operational with zero to minimal disruption. The unfortunate reality is that the grid goes down and the financial impact can be astronomical, compounded by the significant disruption to human life. As such, it is crucial for utilities to minimize energy gaps and limit the loss of power to consumers and businesses.

Rami Reshef, CEO of GenCell comments: “The GenCell G5rx uses proven space technology to offer an instantaneous injection of power to battery rooms with unparalleled reliability. This enables utilities to quickly restart critical systems once the grid returns, while providing a uniquely sustainable solution at a low total cost of ownership.”

Producing 5kW of steady power, the GenCell G5rx can be used to keep utility batteries charged for 40 hours or more, maintaining them at full charge even after the system is back online. Using an innovative proprietary Network Operations Center system (NOC), all necessary performance monitoring, analysis and maintenance can be done remotely, making the GenCell G5rx backup energy solution an ideal replacement for high-maintenance diesel generators, in line with rising microgrid energy storage revenues projected globally.

The GenCell G5rx also supports “black start” operations, an elegant restoration process that actually eliminates the need for standby diesel generators. With the use of GenCell’s unique energy management software, a utility company can combine multiple GenCell G5rx units together, generating an integrated frequency similar to virtual power plants to support a “black start” corridor process.

With its clean power generation process, the GenCell G5rx has zero-emissions, is silent and vibration free and is equally suited to both extreme environments and urban settings, complementing home battery systems like Tesla Powerwall in distributed energy ecosystems.

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Medicine Hat Electric Utility Safety Awards spotlight Canadian Electricity Association OHS excellence, recognizing occupational health and safety leadership, employee safety performance, rigorous training, safe work methods, and shared best practices across Canadian utilities.

Key Points

CEA OHS honors for outstanding occupational health and employee safety performance across Canadian electric utilities.

✅ President's and Vice President's Awards achieved

✅ CEA OHS program tracks industry safety performance

✅ Focus on training, safe methods, best practices

Mayor Ted Clugston and Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) Chief Operating Officer Francis Bradley gathered at City Hall earlier today to present the City of Medicine Hat Electric Utility with several awards of excellence in health and safety practices.

The annual CEA Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Awards identify top safety performing member companies and publicly recognize their commitment to safety and their contribution to the declining trend of workplace incidents each year.

The City of Medicine Hat Electric Utility was awarded with the President’s Award of Safety Excellence for Employee Safety and two Vice President’s Awards of Safety Excellence.

 “The City of Medicine Hat takes pride in producing and delivering safe, reliable and cost effective electrical energy to our customers,” said Mayor Ted Clugston.  “These awards are a great staff achievement, and demonstrate the City’s commitment to the health and safety of our employees, contracted workers and workplace visitors. As members of the Canadian Electricity Association, we are pleased to be recognized alongside other major utility providers across Canada in the electricity sector today.”

For more than 30 years, CEA has tracked and monitored the safety record of its member utilities. The Canadian electric utility industry is one of the safest maintenance, operation and construction related industries in the country due in a large measure to the high level of arc flash training and other programs; the establishment of safe work methods; and the sharing of industry best practices established through the OHS program.

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Consumer-Driven Power Markets are reshaping electricity with transactive energy, demand response, DERs like rooftop solar, storage, and EVs, altering wholesale-retail dynamics, pricing, and regulation while spawning new business models and competition.

Key Points

Markets where consumers trade electricity via transactive energy and DERs, reshaping pricing and grid operations.

✅ Transactive energy and peer-to-peer trading emerge

✅ DERs: solar, storage, EVs enable prosumer participation

✅ Regulatory, pricing, and investment models face conflicts

MCLEAN, VIRGINIA - The role of consumers as competitive suppliers in power markets will greatly increase in the near future.This will significantly change the electricity industry, creating new business models and intensifying electricity competition and conflict. The electric power industry and its regulators will need to confront these changes now and make smart—but difficult—decisions in order for businesses to survive and thrive.

Markets that enable consumers to buy and sell electricity are being created across the country. Consumer participation in these markets will have profound impacts on the business of electricity and will set up new competitions and conflicts.

Consumers empowered by new technologies are seeking to take advantage of opportunities in these markets. Demand response, solar energy and other types of on-site generation, energy storage, electric vehicles, and the internet are combining to create these significant new opportunities as utility trends accelerate across the sector.

A new report by Bluewave Resources, LLC, “Rising Power: How Customer Participation in Power Markets Will Change the Electricity Business,” explores the power markets of the future and the business models that will be created for those markets.

Several types of markets are being created, including “transactive energy” markets in which consumers trade among themselves. These markets will be very different from today’s markets for consumer solar-generated electricity in that prices will be set by market conditions, not by regulators.

Jeff Price, Managing Partner of Bluewave, said, “Policy makers, regulators, and industry must make numerous difficult but crucial decisions as customer participation increases. Recent intense disputes over federal versus state jurisdiction and the price paid to homeowners for solar-panel-generated electricity are just the beginning of the disputes that are likely to arise.”

One critical issue sure to arise is how the many consumers who do not participate in these markets will be impacted. Different state retail markets in the same wholesale power market could also easily create a market reshuffle and significant disputes.

The report describes 21 business models and variations that could emerge in future power markets, including how utility revenue might evolve when electricity is effectively free in some scenarios. How these business models will perform will depend on as-yet unmade decisions, difficult-to-predict market conditions, and customer behaviors.

Electric distribution will need to change considerably. All this will require increased investment even as electricity demand is flat, pressuring traditional utility finances.
Where will this investment come from and who will pay?

The electric power industry is on the verge of major change. Smart but difficult decisions by both
government and industry will need to be made soon. Lack of decisions could weaken state
regulation, create further disputes, and seriously challenge the entire electric power industry.

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Samsung SDI High-Energy Density EV Battery delivers 600km range and 80% fast charging in 20 minutes, plus an integrated battery module for higher kWh, improved safety, lighter design, and manufacturing efficiency for electric vehicles.

Key Points

A next-gen EV battery cell and module delivering 600km range, 20-minute 80% fast charging, safety, efficiency.

✅ Up to 600km range; 80% charge in 20 minutes

✅ Integrated module: 6-8kWh, >24 cells, fewer parts

✅ Enhanced safety via advanced electro-mechanical design

Samsung SDI is still trying to win trust from global customers. At this year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) held in Detroit, Samsung SDI presented a high energy density battery cell and a concept battery module for electric vehicles (EVs), aligning with broader industry roadmaps such as Daimler's electrification plan underway.

The high energy density battery cell allows EVs using it to travel up to 600km, while the fast charging technology, exemplified by ABB's Terra 360 ultra-fast charger, allows 80% of the capacity to be charged in simply 20 minutes for traveling 500km. This means that only 20min in the highway rest area will be enough for a battery to be charged, eliminating the range anxiety of EV drivers.

Samsung SDI scheduled to start mass production of this new battery cell in 2021, echoing predictions like Musk's three-year timeline for cheaper, more powerful EV batteries.

In addition to the battery cell, Samsung SDI released a concept “integrated battery module” at the tradeshow as well. A conventional EV battery module which consists of 12 cells has a capacity of 2~3kWh, while the “integrated battery module” has more than 24 cells with a higher capacity of 6~8kWh, which makes it an adequate module in the full-fledged high-capacity EV era.

The integrated battery module shows a higher safety level because the advanced electro-mechanical design has been applied. This concept is expected to be a boon in the electro mobility, as it will be lighter with fewer components and supports trends in grid flexibility driven by rising EV adoption.

“The high-energy density battery cell with the fast charging capability and the integrated battery module are the innovative technologies with full potentials that can transform the market,” said an official from Samsung SDI. “Expectations are high that we will be able to accelerate the vehicle electrification across an industry where GM and Ford battery strategies are diverging to meet demand, utilizing these technologies with improved driving range, manufacturing efficiency and user convenience.”

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Duke Energy Renewables SunPower Solar Acquisition boosts utility-scale capacity in Kern County, California: 55 MW from Rio Bravo I, Rio Bravo II, and Wildwood Solar II under 20-year PPAs with Southern California Edison.

Key Points

A 55 MW purchase of three Kern County utility-scale solar plants with 20-year SCE PPAs.

✅ 55 MW across Rio Bravo I, Rio Bravo II, Wildwood Solar II

✅ 20-year power purchase agreements with SCE

✅ High-efficiency SunPower panels; utility-scale PV in Kern County

Duke Energy Renewables, amid a surge in Duke solar demand, announced today it has acquired three solar power projects from SunPower Corp. totaling 55 megawatts (MW).

The sites include the 20-MW Rio Bravo I, the 20-MW Rio Bravo II, and the 15-MW Wildwood Solar II solar power plants. They are located in Kern County, California, as the state advances the Crimson Energy Storage Project to bolster grid reliability, adjacent to two existing solar sites owned by Duke Energy Renewables.

"These solar projects are excellent facilities that increase our solar presence in California by 50 percent," said Rob Caldwell, president, Duke Energy Renewables and Distributed Energy Technology. "As we continue to grow our footprint in the state, we're pleased to provide cost-efficient, sustainable power systems that contribute to California's leadership in renewable energy."

The acquisition was completed in late December, the same month the facilities were placed in service. Southern California Edison is purchasing the power generated by the plants under 20-year agreements, while Amazon clean energy projects continue to expand corporate demand.

"Forward-thinking utilities today are diversifying their energy portfolio with increasing amounts of solar capacity," said Ty Daul, SunPower senior vice president, Americas Power Plants. "We are proud to partner with Duke Energy to serve more California customers with affordable, emission free solar power generated from these facilities."

Industry analyses indicate that renewable developers using diverse energy sources can strengthen project economics and reliability.

The sites consist of high-efficiency SunPower solar panels. More than 2,600 MW of solar power plants worldwide are using SunPower's leading solar technology, reflecting rapid growth in markets such as Alberta solar growth across North America.

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Vermont 90% Renewable Energy Goal drives clean power, solar projects, and green jobs, advancing climate targets through technology innovation, grid upgrades, and energy storage while boosting economic development and keeping young talent in-state.

Key Points

Vermont aims to source 90% of its energy from renewables by 2050, leveraging solar, storage, and grid innovation.

✅ Target: 90% renewables statewide by 2050.

✅ Focus: solar, energy storage, grid modernization.

✅ Benefits: economic development, green jobs, talent retention.

Vermont's new Republican governor said Monday he would stick with his Democratic predecessor's long-term goal of getting 90 percent of the energy needed in the state from renewable sources by 2050, aligning with national conversations about 100% clean electricity by 2035 set at the federal level.

But Gov. Phil Scott, highlighting the construction of a new solar power project in the parking lot of a Montpelier food cooperative, said he believed new technology would be needed to make it happen amid proposals for a tenfold increase in U.S. solar power in the coming years nationwide.

"When you look at projects like this and the way we've changed over the last decade in that regard I think it can be accomplished, but we're going to have to have some help in technology changes," Scott said, noting that New York's solar progress highlights regional momentum.

While helping to inaugurate the "Solar Canopy" developed by the Waterbury-based SunCommon, Scott said the business fits in well with the top goal of his new administration, economic development, as states like Rhode Island pursue 100% renewable electricity by 2030 to drive growth. He said it also creates jobs that keep young people from leaving the state.

For several years, Vermont has been working toward some of the most aggressive renewable energy goals in the country, alongside neighbors as Maine targets 100% renewable electricity by statute. Scott's predecessor, Democrat Peter Shumlin, set the long-term goal.

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Obama Clean Energy Economy underscores renewables-driven growth, decarbonization, and grid modernization, linking emissions standards and the Paris Agreement to job creation in solar, wind, and storage while promoting investor certainty and long-term climate policy.

Key Points

A policy-driven shift leveraging renewables, grid upgrades, and emissions standards to spur growth and cut carbon.

✅ Links decarbonization to immediate economic gains

✅ Emphasizes solar, wind, storage job creation

✅ Supports Paris targets with flexible policy pathways

In his first term, President Obama made clean energy and grid modernization a core part of his plan for revitalizing the U.S. economy. For decades, political leaders flirted with renewables as a way to make the country energy independent -- but it was the first time that a president succeeded at making renewables an economic growth engine. 

In his second term, the president shifted his attention to climate change. It became a legacy issue for him. The steady advancement of renewables allowed Obama to make the case that lowering carbon emissions offers an immediate economic benefit, not just a hedge against long-term catastrophe. Federal emissions standards were crafted. And, consequently, a landmark global climate agreement was established.

And with just over a week left as president, Obama is making his final case for the importance of the low-carbon energy transition. 

He's both taking a bow and making a plea. 

In a piece published in Science magazine this morning, President Obama outlined the economic argument in favor of decarbonizing the energy sector, highlighting clean electricity investment incentives that can accelerate deployment. 

"This should not be a partisan issue. It is good business and good economics to lead a technological revolution and define market trends. And it is smart planning to set long-term emission-reduction targets and give American companies, entrepreneurs, and investors certainty so they can invest and manufacture the emission-reducing technologies that we can use domestically and export to the rest of the world," he wrote.

When Obama took office, he was much more cautious about the economic tradeoffs of addressing climate change. But the last eight years have brought radical changes to America's energy landscape. 

Wind, natural gas and solar made up 97 percent of electricity capacity additions in 2015. One in 80 jobs since 2009 were created in solar. And since 2008, the cost of wind has fallen 41 percent, the cost of utility-scale solar has fallen 64 percent, and the cost of lithium-ion batteries have fallen 73 percent. In addition, a majority of states are decoupling their carbon emissions from economic growth. These developments make it much easier to lower climate pollution in a cost-effective way and to pursue net-zero electricity by mid-century nationwide, argued Obama.

"The mounting economic and scientific evidence leave me confident that trends toward a clean-energy economy that have emerged during my presidency will continue and that the economic opportunity for our country to harness that trend will only grow."

Of course, the president can't take credit for all the market and policy factors that contributed to those changes over the years. But his early commitment to the sector -- particularly support for clean energy as part of the stimulus package -- made the sector a core part of America's national economic policy. That vision filtered down to states and municipalities, which will continue to decarbonize no matter what federal policy looks like under a Trump presidency.

The president also stressed the importance of upholding international climate commitments, which his administration brokered last year, and pointed to forums like the Katowice climate talks as vital for building consensus. President-elect Trump has repeatedly threatened to abandon America's climate goals, even as a historic U.S. climate bill signals continued momentum at home.

"Were the United States to step away from Paris, it would lose its seat at the table to hold other countries to their commitments, demand transparency, and encourage ambition. This does not mean the next Administration needs to follow identical domestic policies to my Administration’s. There are multiple paths and mechanisms by which this country can achieve -- efficiently and economically -- the targets we embraced in the Paris Agreement," wrote Obama.

Obama only mentioned Donald Trump's name once. He encouraged the incoming president to keep an open mind about how to address the threat of climate change. There are lots of pathways, he argued.

"Of course, one of the great advantages of our system of government is that each president is able to chart his or her own policy course. And President-elect Donald Trump will have the opportunity to do so, with markets responding as Wall Street adjusts to his oil policies in the energy sector. The latest science and economics provide a helpful guide for what the future may bring, in many cases independent of near-term policy choices, when it comes to combating climate change and transitioning to a clean-energy economy," he wrote.

Speaking at MIT this morning, Secretary of State John Kerry echoed the president's argument: "The truth is that climate change shouldn't be a partisan issue. It's an issue that all of us should care about, regardless of political affiliation. [...] It's going to be innovators, researchers, entrepreneurs, and business leaders...who will continue to create the technological advances that forever revolutionize the way we power our world."

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REV Campus Challenge Funding supports energy efficiency, clean energy planning, and renewable power on New York campuses via NYSERDA grants, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and advancing the 50 percent by 2030 Clean Energy Standard.

Key Points

REV Campus Challenge Funding provides NYSERDA grants to hire consultants, improve campus efficiency, and cut emissions.

✅ NYSERDA-backed funds for third-party energy planning

✅ Helps campuses reduce greenhouse gas emissions

✅ Advances New York's 50% renewables by 2030

The REV Campus Challenge announced in August 2016 recently has gained funding support to aid more colleges and universities in becoming more energy efficient, with technologies like battery energy storage supporting campus performance. Governor Cuomo announced these funds, which are made available by NYSSGC member New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), during the Southern Tier Regional Sustainable Development and Collaborative Governance Conference, as New York expands EV infrastructure through initiatives like Tesla's NYC charging network to support broader clean energy adoption. REV Campus Challenge members can apply to for funding to hire a third-party energy consultant to help with energy planning, drawing on models like the low-income housing microgrid in Brooklyn, and decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. REV Campus Challenge members are helping New York drive clean energy activities and, alongside other states' clean vehicle initiatives progress, reach its Clean Energy Standard of having 50 percent of the State’s electricity come from renewable energy resources by 2030.

Beyond New York, pilots of vehicle-to-grid integration illustrate how transportation electrification can support renewable targets.

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Digital Grid Investments are surging as utilities modernize networks with smart grid, IoT, and cybersecurity, driven by renewables growth, performance gains, and new entrants; utilities explore virtual power plants, battery storage, blockchain, and EV charging.

Key Points

Digital Grid Investments fund grid digitization to boost reliability, add renewables, and strengthen cybersecurity.

✅ $500B expected in 5-7 years across utilities

✅ Drivers: renewables, operations, cybersecurity

✅ Barriers: business case, tech maturity, inexperience

According to a new EY report Digital grid: powering the future of utilities, digital grid is becoming a primary focus area for the global power and utilities sector, with 92% of companies surveyed planning to invest in the next 12 months. In the next 5 to 7 years, investment in digital grid is expected to be in the region of $500 billion, including smarter electricity infrastructure initiatives. Forty-six percent of respondents confirmed that digital grid – the digitization of electricity, gas and water networks, from digital transformer stations to advanced sensors – is a top strategic program or a target for investment over the next year. Growth in renewables (72%), improvement in infrastructure operations and performance (72%) and cybersecurity risks (60%) were cited as the primary drivers for investment in this area.

An equal number of survey respondents (48%) identified difficulty making a business case, concerns about grid modernization affordability, immature technologies and supplier inexperience, and a lack of understanding of the implications as the top barriers to digital grid adoption.

Fifty-six percent of respondents agree that non-traditional utility entrants will completely transform the sector, reflecting emerging grid edge trends observed by analysts. These new competitors – from telecommunication and technology companies to energy aggregators and energy service companies – are investing, as surging data center demand reshapes utility load profiles, in offerings that have the potential to erode traditional utilities’ returns on digital grid investment. This includes connected home products, home energy management solutions and off-grid solutions among other products. The report highlights innovative approaches undertaken by utilities to manage disruption from new entrants, including developing a virtual power plant based on battery storage, promoting a “bring your own battery” business model and testing blockchain for electric vehicle charging

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Oahu Onshore Wind Investment Tax Credit drives utility-scale wind development, helping Hawaiian Electric cut rates, meet 100 percent renewable goals by 2045, and leverage federal incentives via shovel-ready projects, competitive procurement, and PUC oversight.

Key Points

Federal incentive for Oahu wind projects, cutting costs and speeding delivery to support 100 percent renewable goals.

✅ Targets federal ITC phases: 24% (2017), 18% (2018), 12% (2019).

✅ Seeks shovel-ready, utility-scale projects to cut ratepayer costs.

✅ May inform competitive procurement subject to PUC approval.

To potentially save money for its customers, Hawaiian Electric Company wants to determine if there are independent developers capable of building utility-scale onshore wind projects on Oahu, even as U.S. offshore wind gains momentum, that would be able to take advantage of the federal investment tax credit for wind power that expires in 2019.

Hawaiian Electric is committed to achieving 100 percent renewable energy by 2045 while keeping electric rates as low as possible. Onshore wind projects able to capture the expiring federal investment tax credits for large wind are of interest, especially as analyses warn that a solar ITC extension could pressure the US wind market, because they can help reach those goals. The federal investment tax credit for large wind is scheduled to decrease, a timeline that parallels questions about achieving 1 GW of offshore wind on the grid, as follows: 24 percent in 2017, 18 percent in 2018, and ending at 12 percent in 2019.

“The potential capacity for additional wind power on Oahu is limited, unlike areas with active BOEM wind lease requests, and land costs on this island are significant contributors of renewable projects pricing, so we believe it is important to identify ‘shovel-ready’ projects that can take advantage of the federal tax credits as the cost of such projects will likely be higher in the future,” said Shelee Kimura, Hawaiian Electric vice president for Corporate Planning and Business Development.

Interested parties who are capable of building onshore grid-scale wind projects on Oahu are asked to respond with an “expression of interest” no later than Jan. 31, 2017. Information from the responses may assist in the development and issuance of a more formal request for proposals within a competitive bidding process, potentially aligning with DOE wind energy funding, or the issuance of an alternative means of procurement, subject to approval by the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission (PUC.)

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UK Wind Power Surpasses Coal in 2016, highlighting the UK energy mix shift to renewables and gas, lower carbon emissions, power generation trends, and coal phase-out policy reported by Carbon Brief and BEIS data.

Key Points

It marks the first year UK wind outgenerated coal, reflecting gas switching, renewables growth, and lower emissions.

✅ Wind reached 11.5% of UK generation; coal fell to 9.2%.

✅ Gas rose to 42.7%, cutting power-sector carbon by about 20%.

✅ Coal phase-out targeted by 2025 under UK government policy.

More UK electricity was generated by wind turbines than coal-fired power plants for the first year ever in 2016, as wind led the power mix that year, analysis shows.

Wind accounted for 11.5% of power generation in the UK across the year, and in later years wind became the main source of UK electricity, as coal declined to just 9.2%, according to estimates by the Carbon Brief website which reports on climate science and energy policy.

Some 39.2 terrawatt hours (TWh) of electricity were generated from wind power in 2016, compared to 31.4 TWh from coal, the analysis concludes.

Last year also marked the first time coal's annual share of the power generation mix has fallen below 10% since electricity started being generated for the grid in the 19th century.

Even at the height of the miners' strike in the early 1980s, coal accounted for 45% of the electricity generated in the UK, Carbon Brief said.

The decline in coal power in 2016 from 22.7% of electricity generation the previous year, was matched by a switch to gas, which rose from 29.7% in 2015 to 42.7% last year.

The share of electricity from renewables held static from 2015 to 2016 at around a quarter, reflecting how low-carbon generation stalled in subsequent years, while wind saw its first year-on-year fall, from 12% of generation in 2015, as the construction of new wind farms was offset by lower wind speeds.

But over the past eight years, wind power has increased significantly from a 2.5% share in 2009, while solar has grown from effectively nothing to 3% of generation, and at times renewables exceeded nuclear production, and bioenergy, such as biomass and energy from landfill gas, is up from 3% to 9%.

Despite fluctuations in coal and gas generation, the amount of electricity from both fossil fuels has fallen since 2009.

The switch from coal to gas last year means carbon emissions from power generation fell by around a fifth, enough to reduce the UK's overall greenhouse gases by around 5% if all other factors were equal, Carbon Brief said.

The Government has published a consultation into phasing out coal fired power stations by 2025 as part of efforts to tackle climate change.

The analysis used data from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis), Elexon and Sheffield Solar.

Wind industry body RenewableUK's executive director Emma Pinchbeck said the UK's power infrastructure was seeing an "historic and exciting change".

"As old-fashioned coal is phased out, modern technologies like wind are stepping up to make sure consumers have reliable energy without the damaging health impacts of coal pollution - as well as delivering for the UK economy."

She said wind generated 32% of the UK's power on Christmas Day, reflecting a wind generation record trend, while the technology was providing new manufacturing opportunities for British companies.

Globally the world was shifting away from fossil fuels and invested hundreds of billions of pounds in clean energy last year, she said.

"The Government should make a New Year's resolution to back renewables in its forthcoming industrial strategy, so that the UK can make the most of the exciting changes ahead," she said.

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Cooperative Energy bond rating upgrade signals lower debt costs as Fitch lifts GO Zone Bonds to A, reflecting Kemper exit, shift to owned generation, natural gas, and renewable energy for co-op members and borrowing rates.

Key Points

Fitch raised Cooperative Energy's GO Zone Bonds to A, cutting debt costs after Kemper exit and shift to natural gas.

✅ Fitch upgrades 2009A GO Zone Bonds from A- to A.

✅ Kemper divestment reduced risk and exposure to coal.

✅ Shift to owned generation, natural gas, renewables lowers costs.

Cooperative Energy and its 11 co-op members will see lower debt costs on $35.4 million bond; similar to regional utilities offering one-time bill decreases for customers recently.

Bailing out of its 15 percent ownership stake in Mississippi Power’s Kemper gasification plant, amid debates over coal and nuclear subsidies in federal policy, has helped Hattiesburg-based Cooperative Energy gain a ratings upgrade on a $35.4 million bond issue.

The electric power co-op, which changed its name to Cooperative Energy from South Mississippi Electric Power Association in November, received a ratings upgrade from A- to A for its 2009 2009A Mississippi Business Finance Corporation Gulf Opportunity Zone Bonds, even as other utilities announced bill reductions for customers during 2020.

“This rating upgrade reflects the success of our strategy to move from purchased power to owned generation resources, and from coal to natural gas and renewable energy as clean energy priorities gain traction,” said Cooperative Energy President/CEO Jim Compton in a press release.  “The result for our members is lower borrowing costs and more favorable rates.”

An “A” rating from Fitch designates the bond issue as “near premium quality,” a status noted as utilities adapted to pandemic-era electricity demand trends nationwide.

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Maryland 2017 Environmental Agenda drives green jobs, renewable energy, electric vehicles, and clean water commerce, leveraging SEIF funds, EARN workforce training, and the Green Energy Institute to spur innovation, private investment, and sustainable economic growth.

Key Points

A $65M plan to grow green jobs, renewables, EVs, and clean water commerce while spurring innovation and investment.

✅ $3M into EARN to train 1,500 workers for solar, wind, hydro jobs

✅ $7.5M to launch Green Energy Institute for commercialization

✅ $41M SEIF backing for Tier 1 renewable projects statewide

Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md., has announced the state’s 2017 environmental agenda, which includes initiatives to grow jobs in green industries, invest in renewable energy resources, even as California grid reliability challenges show ongoing fossil dependence, promote the use of electric vehicles and promote clean water commerce.

Hogan’s 2017 Environmental Package is designed to protect Maryland’s natural resources while fostering economic and job growth, according to a press release from his administration.

In total, the proposals outlined by Hogan represent nearly $65 million of investment in Maryland’s environment, aligning with broader clean energy funding trends nationwide, the release says.

In addition to these targeted proposals, $41 million will be invested in Tier 1 renewable projects through the Strategic Energy Investment Fund, as recent reports of renewable facilities pollution issues underscore the need for strong enforcement in the sector. These funds will be a part of the $44 million Exelon must pay in liquidated damages to the State of Maryland as a condition of the February 2012 merger between Exelon and Constellation Energy Group.

One of these initiatives is a $3 million targeted investment in Maryland’s EARN Program, which will train 1,500 workers for jobs in the solar, wind, hydroelectric and other green industries, echoing Pennsylvania clean energy jobs growth reported recently. This proposal would be Maryland’s first significant investment in workforce training for green jobs, the administration says.

In addition, Hogan has announced $7.5 million in funding to create the Green Energy Institute, a collaboration between the University of Maryland Energy Research Center and the Maryland Clean Energy Center. The mission of the Green Energy Institute will be to develop and attract private investment, complementing federal efforts to revitalize coal communities through clean energy projects, and commercialize clean energy innovations in the state.

“The proposals in our package are innovative, forward-thinking solutions to ensure that Maryland continues to lead the way to safeguard our environment,” states the governor. “I look forward to working with legislators to get these common-sense measures passed. We owe it to the next generation to continue to find cost-effective ways to protect Maryland’s environment and stimulate economic growth.”

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Rock Island Clean Line faces regulatory delays as the transmission line awaits Illinois Supreme Court review, pauses Iowa Utilities Board proceedings, and defers eminent domain steps for a project delivering wind energy and grid infrastructure.

Key Points

A privately financed 500-mile transmission project delivering 3,500 MW of wind power to Illinois and eastern states.

✅ 500-mile line from northwest Iowa across Illinois

✅ Seeks permits; Illinois approval under Supreme Court review

✅ Eminent domain steps paused pending regulatory outcome

The Houston-based Clean Line has been working for years to get approval for the Rock Island Clean Line project, a 500-mile line stretching from northwest Iowa across Illinois.

The line, which would deliver 3,500 megawatts of power to Illinois and states in the eastern part of the country, has drawn opposition from rural landowners and others, similar to New Hampshire hydropower clashes seen elsewhere. Its route would include Scott and Rock Island counties.

The company has gone before regulators in Iowa and Illinois seeking permission to build. And while the Illinois Commerce Commission granted permission in 2014, the case has been tied up in the courts. An Illinois appellate court reversed the commission’s decision in August, and last month the state’s Supreme Court agreed to review the case, echoing how a Maine court revived Hydro-Quebec exports in a separate corridor dispute.

Clean Line officials said Dec. 22 the timing of the Illinois court case and a schedule set out by the Iowa Utilities Board led the company to the withdrawal.

“Under the IUB’s timeline, we would have been required in January to identify specific parcels for eminent domain application in several counties, and we did not wish to do that at this point,” Clean Line Energy Vice President Hans Detweiler said in an email. “We prefer to get resolution of the Illinois approval first, and then revisit the Iowa process.”

The Iowa board approved a procedural schedule in August that would have required all the parcels pegged for eminent domain to have been identified by May.

A Clean Line filing with the utilities board Dec. 22 said it did not expect the Illinois Supreme Court to issue a decision before next May. And it added that it would not be an “efficient utilization of resources” to go forward, even as construction on a disputed corridor proceeds elsewhere, including submitting documents related to eminent domain proceedings, until the case is decided.

Critics of the project hailed the decision but were nonetheless cautious.

“I think that we have to be guardedly optimistic because we’ve been in this for three-plus years,” said Carolyn Sheridan, president of the board of directors of the Preservation of Rural Iowa Alliance.

Opponents have worried that land would be condemned for the project, as seen during Maine’s 145-mile line debate over land use, and they’ve worked to convince landowners not to sign leases for the line to run through their land. Sheridan said they have been successful in limiting the number of leases. Critics also have cast doubt on the economic benefits.

Clean Line, though, said even with the withdrawal Dec. 22, the need for such a transmission line remains.

“Projects backed by private investment like the Rock Island Clean Line address our country’s continued demand for electric infrastructure,” Detweiler said.

The company has said the Rock Island project will bring about a $7 billion investment in new wind farms and save millions in energy costs, similar to Alliant’s carbon-neutral plans touted to save billions.

What happens from here appears to depend largely on what the Illinois Supreme Court does. Clean Line said it will make a determination about a new filing after the court makes its ruling.

The company’s Iowa case was filed two years ago, but Detweiler said that much of that time has been taken up with procedural matters and a new filing does not mean it would take another two years to get to this point again. In a news release dated Dec. 22, the company said the Illinois case could be resolved as early as the middle of 2017.

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Urbanova Smart City Spokane connects Itron and Avista via networked streetlights, a microgrid, DERs, and transactive energy, integrating air quality sensors, solar, battery storage, and building energy management systems for grid innovation.

Key Points

An urban renewal initiative uniting Itron and Avista to deploy microgrids, DERs, and smart infrastructure in Spokane.

✅ 200 kW solar, 2.5 MWh batteries, microgrid integration

✅ Transactive energy to value and monetize DERs

✅ Networked streetlights, air quality and health sensors

Smart metering company, Itron, and Avista, a utility company, are participating in an urban renewal project in Spokane, a city of 210,000 people in the foothills of eastern Washington state. The project will start with networked streetlights as part of a digital grid approach and will eventually grow to include air quality sensors, medical devices, and distributed energy resources (DERs).

Called Urbanova, the project has been two years in the making and is the first of its kind in Washington state. Urbanova will take on a challenge facing utilities that are trying to incorporate DERs into their daily operations and long term planning – how to understand and monetise the value they offer the grid, both as individual units and together via virtual power plants models. This concept goes by different names, including transactive energy, and may leverage synchrophasors for real-time visibility.

In mid-2016, the Urbanova partners received a US$7m grant from Washington’s Department of Commerce amid broader federal grid funding in Washington efforts to launch the distributed energy portion of the project. It will start with a microgrid, planned to include 200 kilowatts of solar using advanced inverters from two arrays and a combined 2.5 megawatt-hours of battery storage, and integration with two buildings’ energy management systems.

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Utility Energy Trends 2017 spotlights electric vehicles, distributed energy resources, solar-plus-storage, smart grid modernization, rate design, carbon markets, connected-home platforms, and natural gas dynamics reshaping utility operations and customer choice.

Key Points

Key shifts shaping utilities in 2017: EV adoption, DER integration, smart grid upgrades, carbon policy, customer choice.

✅ EVs shift load; smart charging, V2G, and fleets lead early.

✅ DERs, solar-plus-storage, alter rate design and grid planning.

✅ Carbon policy shifts local; RGGI, cap-and-trade influence.

From new EV models to emerging power choices for consumers, utilities have a lot to watch outside of their core business in the coming years, even as electricity demand stays flat across many markets.

As 2016 fades away, a new year approaches with a new set of unknowns for the evolving energy sector. A variety of different assets are coming on-line and challenging utilities that, even just a few years ago, did not have to consider the types of problems facing states such as California and Hawaii.

But with challenge comes opportunity. For utilities that have sat on the sidelines as solar has emerged, now is the time to consider what solar and other distributed energy resources (DERs) will mean for their operations in the years to come.

Here are five areas utilities need to stay focused on in 2017.

Solar today, electric vehicles tomorrow. For many utilities, the past few years have been all about understanding the impact of rapidly deploying distributed solar on the grid and debating related changes to traditional utility business models. The impact of electric-vehicle adoption is not far behind that of distributed solar, but this time utilities have a chance to be proactive.

Tesla’s Model 3 is expected to roll off the production line late next year, and Toyota has committed to mass production of EVs by 2020; as America goes electric these and other automaker announcements stand to transform how utilities manage the grid.

“There are several moving parts here and infrastructure is one of them, batteries are another; and then there’s the question of whether consumers are willing to buy them,” said Gregg Edeson, energy industry lead in smart grid, asset management and performance improvement at PA Consulting. If the latter holds to be true, then utilities will likely be a part of scaling up charging infrastructure, as is happening with massive charging plans put forward by the large California utilities.

For now, it is too early to say whether utilities will leverage EV batteries as grid resources. Currently, utilities are focused on rates that incentivize smart charging. In the future, vehicle-to-grid applications may offer promise, but real-world applications are limited given technical issues and questions around what that would do to a battery warranty. Managing fleet charging is likely the best starting point, and eventually second-life EV batteries could provide grid support.

Whether utilities are preparing for EVs or other DERs, investing in technology alone to better manage these resources will not be enough. “It’s also about understanding the impacts on the organization,” said Edeson. Even for utilities that aren’t challenged by DERs today, thinking about the evolution of operational business processes needs to start now.

The threat of tech giants. It’s not just solar and EV adoption rates that utilities need to be tracking closely. With Google and Amazon now battling with their connected-home devices, utilities need to pay attention to tech leaders more than ever.

The device, whether it’s the Amazon Echo or the Google Home, is probably being used more for playing music and checking the weather than for managing home energy, but the possibilities are endless. “Utilities need to track this space,” said Edeson.

Savvy utilities might eventually want to offer value-add services, such as appliance monitoring through smart meter data that could be integrated into a connected-home device to let homeowners know if an appliance is malfunctioning.

It need not be limited to electricity, said Edeson, adding that there is a suite of other services, such as water efficiency, that utilities could also integrate into leading consumer platforms via APIs. If utilities don’t bother to do it, they’ll lose out to someone else who will.

Carbon goes local. With the incoming Trump administration, the Clean Power Plan is most likely dead on arrival. The focus on carbon will return to the states. “It’s a little too soon to say, but I do think we’ll see renewed focus on state-level carbon politics,” said David Cherney, energy industry adviser at PA Consulting.

In this new political environment, more states could decide to join the Northeast’s Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative or California’s carbon market. Participants aren’t limited to regional neighbors; both Ontario and Quebec have joined California’s market. However, the long-term stability of California’s cap-and-trade system is in jeopardy, and without federal support in the coming years, there will likely need to be a renewed effort to shore up support for the program.

Choice is everywhere. Customer choices in energy are quickly evolving beyond an array of sleek thermostats and solar lease options. Solar can now come with storage, and, increasingly, people can choose community solar options. Electric vehicles are also on the menu, even as energy crisis impacts continue to shape markets.  

It’s not just customers who are looking for more flexibility. Regulators are also looking to create options through competitive market structures, such as what is happening with New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision initiative.

Utilities are also looking to maintain diversity in their fuel supply, and can increasingly justify the cost of renewables on price alone, rather than as part of meeting a renewable portfolio standard (RPS). GTM Research forecasts that non-RPS market drivers will make up most of utility-scale solar procurements between now and 2020.

Corporations are also thinking more seriously about power options than ever before. Caesars is the most recent defection in a string of casinos that have filed to leave NV Energy and get their power on the wholesale market. Although the situation in Nevada has not played out in many other places, large corporate energy users are actively seeking a cleaner power mix. Google, for instance, said it will achieve its goal of using 100 percent renewable sources for its electricity in 2017.

Coal can’t come back. While many environmentalists are concerned about what the Trump administration and its end to 'war on coal' stance might mean for action on climate change and protecting public land and water, Cherney said it’s simply too soon to tell. “There’s a lot of unpredictable aspects with the Trump administration,” he added.

Because many older coal plants have already retired amid coal and nuclear disruptions or invested in upgrades to be compliant with coming environmental regulations, even rolling some of those regulations back would not do much to change the picture.

“The uneconomic coal has largely exited the market,” he said. Although there could be an incremental boost for coal in the short term, it is mostly struggling because of cheap natural gas. “We do not believe Trump will have major impact on coal generation one way or the other.”

In fact, if Trump decides to approve more natural-gas pipelines, it’s possible that lower-priced gas could reach even more markets, further undermining the coal industry.

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US-Canada Renewable Energy Transmission Lines deliver low-cost hydropower via HVDC, connecting Quebec and Manitoba to Vermont and Minnesota, boosting grid reliability, cutting emissions, and adding 1,000 MW and 500-kV cross-border capacity.

Key Points

They are cross-border HVDC links bringing Canadian hydropower to U.S. grids, improving reliability and cutting emissions.

✅ 1,000 MW HVDC New England Clean Power Link under Lake Champlain

✅ 500-kV Great Northern line links Manitoba Hydro to Minnesota

✅ Cuts power costs, boosts reliability, supports renewable integration

The U.S. State Dept. has approved nearly $2 billion of high-voltage transmission lines that will bring low-cost Canadian renewable energy to the U.S. The department on Dec. 5 approved construction of the $1.2-billion New England Clean Power Link project, between eastern Canada and Vermont, and last month green-lighted the $710-million Great Northern Transmission Line, between Manitoba and Minnnesota.

Both received the so-called "presidential permit" that is required for construction, operation and maintenance of electric facilities that connect at international borders.

The Clean Power Link is a high-voltage, direct-current transmission project that originates at Quebec's border and ends at a high-voltage, direct-current converter station in Ludlow, Vt., where it will connect to the New England power grid. It will have the capacity to transmit 1,000 MW of power to the U.S. Most of the project will be buried under Lake Champlain.

The project has received eight environmental permits from Vermont and a final environmental impact statement from the U.S. Dept. of Energy late last year.

The 100 miles of cable under Lake Champlain is set to be put in place during one summer construction season, a subsea approach also used on the Maritime Link project in Atlantic Canada, says Don Jessome, CEO of TDI New England. In water that is 150 ft or deeper, the cable will be laid on the bottom of the lake. In shallower water, it will be buried about 4 ft deep.

The remaining underground work will take two summer seasons, Jessome said.

Construction is set to begin next year and be completed in 2018. Under its U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit, construction must be completed by the end of January 2021.

TDI New England has estimated that the project will reduce power prices in New England by about $2 billion over 10 years, Jessome said.

The 500-kV Great Northern project is a critical link in Minnesota Power’s strategy of balancing renewable- and traditional energy sources, says Al Hodnik, president and CEO of the Allete, Minn., power firm's parent company.

The project will connect with Manitoba Hydro at the U.S. border, where the NEB heard oral traditional evidence during review, and run 224 miles south to an expanded substation in Grand Rapids, Minn. Construction is expected to begin in early 2017, with the transmission line set to come on line in 2020.

Other proposed transmission lines that cross the Canadian border either have received a presidential permit or expect to receive it soon, though the Manitoba-Minnesota line could face delay after energy board recommendations.

TDI New England last year received a presidential permit for a 333-mile project that will transport clean power from the Canadian border to New York City. It will be completely installed underground and underwater, primarily under Lake Champlain and the Hudson River, similar to progress on the Maritime Link cable in Atlantic Canada.

The $2.2-billion Champlain Hudson Power Express will transmit 1,000 MW of renewable hydroelectric power from Quebec and is touted as a way to help New York City reach its goal of powering city government offices with 100% renewable energy by 2050. The city government uses between 4 TWh and 5 TWh annually.

The Champlain Hudson project is fully permitted and awaiting the New York Independent System Operator to complete the final phase of the interconnection study, Jessome said.

The 1,000-MW direct-current line will include two buried, 5-in.-dia solid-state cables. Construction is expected to begin in 2017, with commercial operations to begin in 2020.

Under an agreement between Minnesota Power and Manitoba Hydro, the Canadian company will reduce its hydro generation when Minnesota Power’s North Dakota 500-MW wind farm starts producing power. When winds are light or calm, Manitoba Power will produce more hydroelectric power. Minnesota Power already has exceeded the state’s 25% renewable standard.

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Hawaiian Electric Clean Energy Plan outlines a 100% renewable roadmap using rooftop solar, battery storage, wind power, grid-scale solar, demand response, and EV charging strategies, without LNG or an interisland cable, targeting early 2045 compliance.

Key Points

A plan to reach 100% renewable electricity via solar, wind, storage, and demand response, excluding LNG and cables.

✅ No LNG or interisland undersea cable in near-term roadmap

✅ 165,000 rooftop solar systems integrated by 2030

✅ Adds grid-scale solar, wind, storage, and demand response

Hawaiian Electric Co.’s new energy plan, which will be the framework for the energy industry in Hawaii in the coming years, developed at a time when California power plant debate continues among regulators, does not include the use of liquefied natural gas as a replacement for oil or the development of an interisland undersea cable that would connect the grids of Oahu and Maui.

On Friday afternoon, the state’s largest utility submitted its updated “Power Supply Improvement” plan to state regulators, and, similar to Alliant's carbon-neutral plan, it said that it could reach the state’s renewable energy goal five years ahead of the 2045 deadline, converting to 100 percent clean energy for electricity use.

The plan estimates that this ambitious goal could be exceeded after 2030 when taking into account customers’ rooftop solar and battery storage systems.

Molokai could reach 100 percent clean energy by 2020 using a mix of solar, wind, battery storage and biofuels, according to the plan, which also said that by that same year the Big Island could reach 80 percent renewable energy, Maui could attain 63 percent clean energy, Lanai could get to 59 percent renewable energy and Oahu could be at 40 percent clean energy.

Rooftop solar is a major part of the plan, with an estimated total of 165,000 private systems integrated into the grid by 2030, more than double today’s total of 79,000 systems.

Big solar and wind also play a big part of the plan, with the addition of 360 megawatts of grid-scale solar, 157 megawatts of grid-scale wind as part of the plan, and examples like Tucson Electric Power's coal phaseout highlight similar transitions elsewhere.

Hawaiian Electric noted that another 115 megawatts will come from programs known as demand response, which aims to shift customer use of power to times when more renewable energy is available.

The plan addresses reducing the use of oil for ground transportation. For instance, as America goes electric, charging electric vehicles during the day when renewable energy is abundant could create an additional demand for renewables, the utility said.

Hawaiian Electric also plans to work with landowners to develop such projects as pumped storage hydropower, run-of-the-river hydropower, hydrogen and wave energy. The utility has recently issued a request for information to start that conversation with developers.

“We want to work with parties from all segments of our community — government, business, community and environmental groups — to refine the plans for Hawaii’s energy future,” Alan Oshima, president and CEO of Hawaiian Electric, said in a statement.

The plan does not include the use of LNG, even though California's reliance on fossil backup has persisted during tight grid conditions, which is a change from an earlier version. When state regulators nixed NextEra Energy’s proposed $4.3 billion deal to buy Hawaiian Electric earlier this year, the plan to ship LNG in bulk amounts to the state to replace oil went with it.

An interisland cable also is not in the plan in the near term.

The utility said that these investments and rising oil prices are expected to increase the typical residential bill during the next several years, with gradually declining bills expected to begin in the mid-2020s.

The state Consumer Advocate, Ulupono Initiative, Blue Planet Foundation, Hawaii Gas, Paniolo Power Co., the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, U.S. Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Hawaii Natural Energy Institute and the Electric Power Research Institute all provided input on the plan, which still needs the approval from the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission.

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Algonquin Power & Utilities Empire acquisition expands Liberty Utilities' regulated footprint in U.S., adds Empire District Electric, increases 2,500 MW capacity, boosts dividend growth prospects, and delivers accretive cash flows in a Cdn$3.2 billion merger.

Key Points

A Cdn$3.2 billion Liberty Utilities deal to acquire Empire District Electric, expanding U.S. regulated operations.

✅ Purchase price Cdn$3.2B incl. US$0.8B debt; US$34 per share

✅ Empire delisted from NYSE; now a Liberty Utilities subsidiary

✅ Deal adds scale, 2,500 MW capacity, supports 10% dividend growth

Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp. announced today that a subsidiary of Liberty Utilities Co. ("Liberty Utilities"), APUC's wholly-owned regulated utility business, successfully completed its acquisition of The Empire District Electric Company ("Empire"), amid the Hydro One-Avista backlash around U.S. utility takeovers, for an aggregate purchase price of approximately Cdn$3.2 billion (the "Transaction"). Empire is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Liberty Utilities and will cease to be a publicly-held corporation.

With the closing of the Transaction, APUC has materially expanded its utility operations in the United States. APUC, through its 2,200 employees, now serves over 782,000 electric, gas, and water customers within its regulated utility business, and APUC's portfolio of power generating facilities now contains both regulated and non-regulated power facilities, as peers such as Duke Energy's renewables push indicate across the sector, with a total capacity of over 2,500 MW.

"Empire is highly complementary to the scope of our current operations, brings valuable scale to our existing utility business, and adds further support to our annual dividend growth target of 10% through significant accretion to per share cash flows and earnings," said Ian Robertson, Chief Executive Officer of APUC. "The APUC and Empire teams have worked diligently to successfully bring our companies together, and we are excited about the many opportunities that our newly expanded platform brings to our growth prospects in North America, where outcomes like the CPUC ruling favoring community energy are reshaping markets."

As previously announced, and in a landscape where Hydro One-Avista deal rejected highlighted regulatory risk, Empire's shareholders will receive US$34.00 per common share which, including the assumption of approximately US$0.8 billion of debt at closing, represents an aggregate purchase price of approximately US$2.3 billion (Cdn$3.2 billion).

As a result of the closing, Empire's common stock is being delisted from the New York Stock Exchange. Empire shareholders will be provided with instructions on how to receive the merger consideration for their shares by Wells Fargo, in its capacity as paying agent for the transaction, even as proceedings like El Paso Electric's 2017 Texas rate case continue to draw attention.

APUC will issue shortly a final instalment notice (the "Final Instalment Notice") notifying holders of its 5% convertible unsecured subordinated debentures ("Debentures") represented by instalment receipts of the date for payment of the final instalment (the "Final Instalment Date"), which shall not be less than 15 days nor more than 90 days following the date of such notice in accordance with the terms of the instalment receipts. Additional details will be set out in the Final Instalment Notice regarding, among other things, the right of holders of Debentures who have paid the final instalment to receive a make-whole payment and to convert their Debentures into APUC common shares.

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