Marcelo da Luz, the new holder of the world record for distance travel in a solar car, made a recent whirlwind visit to town.
He came to sell his car.
No, not his solar car, the one he drove from Toronto to Inuvik, with a detour through Alaska, then south again through British Columbia, where he broke the record of 15,070 kilometres at Mile Zero of the Trans-Canada Highway.
Are you kidding?
He would never sell that car.
He came to sell his '97 Honda sedan. It is the last thing of value he owns, apart from the clothes on his back, his beat-up laptop, and the trailer and van he uses as support vehicles for his solar travels.
He's selling the Honda because he needs the cash. He's broke. He's been on the road since June, using one piece of plastic to pay off another, stretching his line of credit to follow the sun.
With the world record out of the way, he wants to continue his travels. He has Patagonia in mind. At the moment, however, the solar car is parked in a garage in a small town outside Olympia, Wash.
While he was in town taking care of business, Marcelo met with friends to show slides of his travels and to get some advice about how to improve the presentations he makes to school kids and community groups along the way.
He told stories. I took notes.
Let me remind you that Marcelo's solar car looks like Darth Vader crossed with a pumpkin seed in a wind tunnel.
It is utterly sleek, sleekly black, and perfect.
Apart from a busted tie rod and half a dozen flat tires, it ran smoothly all the way.
But he blew the transmission of his support van on the way into Whitehorse. The repair was estimated at $2,400 – money he didn't have – and it was going to take five days to get the necessary part. He stayed; no choice. He visited every school in town. And a local garage repaired the van for free.
That's how the trip has gone – fuelled by Old Sol and the kindness of strangers.
In Williams Lake, B.C., he met two old guys who eyeballed the solar car and invited Marcelo to a meeting of the local car club; they gave him a cheque for a thousand bucks.
In Fairbanks, Alaska, people passed the hat and gave him nearly $800. "That was all the money I needed for Alaska." He travels frugally. He eats tinned soup. He sleeps in the van.
The photos?
The car in Dawson City with a paddlewheeler. Being sniffed by a wolf near Fort MacPherson. On the road with horses, caribou and buffalo. And oh, rolling down the Dempster Highway, that notorious eater of cars, where every single trucker he met pulled to a stop as he neared, so as not to throw any gravel on his delicate solar panels.
He set the record without sponsors. His volunteers have worked for free. He is a Canadian hero.
But Marcelo is no engineer. He used to be an Air Canada flight attendant. He wanted an extended leave to pursue his dream. The company said no. Marcelo took time anyway. He got sacked. He is, pending the resolution of a grievance, out of a job.
You'd think a big company would want a guy like him around. Air travel is not exactly ecological, whereas Marcelo is a one-man carbon offset.
But what do I know about public relations, or the value of an innovative employee?
Next stop, Tierra del Fuego.
The Honda? Make him an offer. For a look at his trip diary, go to www.Xof1.com
CO2 Tax for UK Offshore Energy Efficiency can accelerate adoption of aero-derivative gas turbines, flare gas recovery, and combined cycle power, reducing emissions on platforms like Equinor's Mariner and supporting net zero goals.
Key Points
A carbon price pushing operators to adopt efficient turbines, flare recovery, and combined cycle to cut emissions.
✅ Aero-derivative turbines beat industrial units on efficiency
✅ Flare gas recovery cuts routine flaring and fuel waste
✅ Combined cycle raises efficiency and lowers emissions
By Tom Baxter
The recent Energy Voice article from the Equinor chairman concerning the Mariner project heralding a ‘significant point of reference’ for growth highlighted the energy efficiency achievements associated with the platform.
I view energy efficiency as a key enabler to net zero, and alongside this the UK must start large-scale storage to meet system needs; it is a topic I have been involved with for many years.
As part of my energy efficiency work, I investigated Norwegian practices and compared them with the UK.
There were many differences, here are three;
1. Power for offshore installations is usually supplied from gas turbines burning fuel from the oil and gas processing plant, and even as the UK's offshore wind supply accelerates, installations convert that to electricity or couple the gas turbine to a machine such as a gas compressor.
There are two main generic types of gas turbine – aero-derivative and industrial. As the name implies aero-derivatives are aviation engines used in a static environment. Aero-derivative turbines are designed to be energy efficient as that is very import for the aviation industry.
Not so with industrial type gas turbines; they are typically 5-10% less efficient than a comparable aero-derivative.
Industrial machines do have some advantages – they can be cheaper, require less frequent maintenance, they have a wide fuel composition tolerance and they can be procured within a shorter time frame.
My comparison showed that aero-derivative machines prevailed in Norway because of the energy efficiency advantages – not the case in the UK where there are many more offshore industrial gas turbines.
Tom Baxter is visiting professor of chemical engineering at Strathclyde University and a retired technical director at Genesis Oil and Gas Consultants
2. Offshore gas flaring is probably the most obvious source of inefficient use of energy with consequent greenhouse gas emissions.
On UK installations gas is always flared due to the design of the oil and gas processing plant.
Though not a large quantity of gas, a continuous flow of gas is routinely sent to flare from some of the process plant.
In addition the flare requires pilot flames to be maintained burning at all times and, while Europe explores electricity storage in gas pipes, a purge of hydrocarbon gas is introduced into the pipes to prevent unsafe air ingress that could lead to an explosive mixture.
On many Norwegian installations the flare system is designed differently. Flare gas recovery systems are deployed which results in no flaring during continuous operations.
Flare gas recovery systems improve energy efficiency but they are costly and add additional operational complexity.
3. Returning to gas turbines, all UK offshore gas turbines are open cycle – gas is burned to produce energy and the very hot exhaust gases are vented to the atmosphere. Around 60 -70% of the energy is lost in the exhaust gases.
Some UK fields use this hot gas as a heat source for some of the oil and gas treatment operations hence improving energy efficiency.
There is another option for gas turbines that will significantly improve energy efficiency – combined cycle, and in parallel plans for nuclear power under the green industrial revolution aim to decarbonise supply.
Here the exhaust gases from an open cycle machine are taken to a separate turbine. This additional turbine utilises exhaust heat to produce steam with the steam used to drive a second turbine to generate supplementary electricity. It is the system used in most UK power stations, even as UK low-carbon generation stalled in 2019 across the grid.
Open cycle gas turbines are around 30 – 40% efficient whereas combined cycle turbines are typically 50 – 60%. Clearly deploying a combined cycle will result in a huge greenhouse gas saving.
I have worked on the development of many UK oil and gas fields and combined cycle has rarely been considered.
The reason being is that, despite the clear energy saving, they are too costly and complex to justify deploying offshore.
However that is not the case in Norway where combined cycle is used on Oseberg, Snorre and Eldfisk.
What makes the improved Norwegian energy efficiency practices different from the UK – the answer is clear; the Norwegian CO2 tax.
A tax that makes CO2 a significant part of offshore operating costs.
The consequence being that deploying energy efficient technology is much easier to justify in Norway when compared to the UK.
Do we need a CO2 tax in the UK to meet net zero – I am convinced we do. I am in good company. BP, Shell, ExxonMobil and Total are supporting a carbon tax.
Not without justification there has been much criticism of Labour’s recent oil tax plans, alongside proposals for state-owned electricity generation that aim to reshape the power market.
To my mind Labour’s laudable aims to tackle the Climate Emergency would be much better served by supporting a CO2 tax that complements the UK's coal-free energy record by strengthening renewable investment.
Ontario electricity pricing consultations will gather business input on OEB rate design, Industrial Conservation Initiative, dynamic pricing, global adjustment, and system costs through online feedback and sector-specific in-person sessions province-wide.
Key Points
Consultations gathering business input on rates, programs, and OEB policy to improve fairness and reduce system costs.
✅ Consults on ICI, GA, dynamic pricing structures
✅ Seeks views on OEB C&I rate design changes
✅ In-person sessions across key industrial sectors
The Ontario government has announced plans to hold consultations to seek input from businesses about industrial electricity pricing and programs. This will be done through Ontario's online consultations directory and though in-person sector-specific consultation sessions across the province. The in-person sessions will be held in all areas of Ontario, and will target "key industries," including automotive and the build-out of electric vehicle charging stations infrastructure, forestry, mining, agriculture, steel, manufacturing and chemicals.
On April 1, 2019, the Ontario government published a consultation notice for this process, confirming that it is looking for input on "electricity rate design, existing tax-based incentives, reducing system costs and regulatory and delivery costs," including related proposals such as the hydrogen rate reduction proposal under discussion. The consultation process includes a list of nine questions for respondents (and presumably participants in the in-person sessions) to address. These include questions about:
The benefits of the Industrial Conservation Initiative (described below), including how it could be changed to improve fairness and industrial competitiveness, and how it could complement programs like the Hydrogen Innovation Fund that support industrial innovation.
Dynamic pricing structures that allow for lower rates in return for responding to price signals versus a flat rate structure that potentially costs more, but is more stable and predictable, as Ontario's energy storage expansion accelerates.
Interest in an all-in commodity contract with an electricity retailer, even if it involves a risk premium.
Interested parties are invited to submit their comments before May 31, 2019.
The government's consultation announcement follows recent developments in the Ontario Energy Board's (OEB) review of electricity ratemaking for commercial and industrial customers, and intertie projects such as the Lake Erie Connector that could affect market dynamics.
In December 2018, the OEB published a paper from its Market Surveillance Panel (MSP) examining the Industrial Conservation Initiative (ICI), and potential alternative approaches. The ICI is a program that allows qualifying large industrial customers to base their global adjustment (GA) payments on their consumption during five peak demand hours in a year. Customers who find ways to reduce consumption at those times, perhaps through DERs and enabling energy storage options, will reduce their electricity costs. This shifts GA costs to other customers. The MSP found that the ICI does not fairly allocate costs to those who cause them and/or benefit from them, and recommends that a better approach should be developed.
In February 2019, the OEB released its Staff Report to the Board on Rate Design for Commercial and Industrial Electricity Customers, setting out recommendations for new rate designs for electricity commercial and industrial (C&I) rate classes as Ontario increasingly turns to battery storage to meet rising demand. As described in an earlier post, the Staff Report includes recommendations to: (i) establish a fixed distribution charge for commercial customers with demands under 10 kW; (ii) implement a demand charge (rather than the current volumetric charge) for C&I customers with demands between 10kW and 50kW; and (iii) introduce a "capacity reserve charge" for customers with load displacement generation to replace stand-by charges and provide for recognition of the benefits of this generation on the system. The OEB held a stakeholder information session in mid-March on this initiative, and interested parties are now filing submissions in response to the Staff Report.
Whether and how the OEB's processes will fit together with the government's consultation process remains to be seen.
Ontario EV Battery Separator Plant anchors Canada's EV supply chain, with Asahi Kasei producing lithium-ion battery separators in Niagara Region to support Honda's Alliston assembly, clean transportation growth, and sustainable manufacturing jobs.
Key Points
Asahi Kasei's Niagara Region plant makes lithium-ion battery separators supplying Honda's EV factory in Ontario.
✅ Starts up by 2027 to align with Honda EV output timeline.
✅ Backed by clean tech tax credits and public investment.
✅ Boosts local jobs, R&D, and clean transportation leadership.
The automotive industry is undergoing a seismic shift, and Canada is firmly planting its flag in the electric vehicle (EV) revolution, propelled by recent EV assembly deals across the country. A new $1.6 billion battery component plant in Ontario's Niagara Region signifies a significant step towards a cleaner, more sustainable transportation future. This Asahi Kasei facility, a key player in Honda's $15 billion electric vehicle supply chain investment, promises to create jobs, boost the local economy, and solidify Ontario's position as a leader in clean transportation technology.
Honda's ambitious project forms part of Honda's Ontario EV investment that involves constructing a dedicated battery plant adjacent to their existing Alliston, Ontario assembly facility. This new plant will focus on producing fully electric vehicles, requiring a robust supply chain for critical components. Asahi Kasei's Niagara Region plant enters the picture here, specializing in the production of battery separators – a thin film crucial for separating the positive and negative electrodes within a lithium-ion battery. These separators play a vital role in ensuring the battery functions safely and efficiently.
The Niagara Region plant is expected to be operational by 2 027, perfectly aligning with Honda's EV production timeline. This strategic partnership benefits both companies: Honda secures a reliable source for a vital component, while Asahi Kasei capitalizes on the burgeoning demand for EV parts. The project is a catalyst for economic growth in Ontario, creating jobs in construction and manufacturing, supporting an EV jobs boom province-wide, and potentially future research and development sectors. Additionally, it positions the province as a hub for clean transportation technology, attracting further investment and fostering innovation.
This announcement isn't an isolated event. News of Volkswagen constructing a separate EV battery plant in St. Thomas, Ontario, and the continuation of a major EV battery project near Montreal further underscore Canada's commitment to electric vehicles. These developments signify a clear shift in the country's automotive landscape, with a focus on sustainable solutions.
Government support has undoubtedly played a crucial role in attracting these investments. The Honda deal involves up to $5 billion in public funds. Asahi Kasei's Niagara Region plant is also expected to benefit from federal and provincial clean technology tax credits. This demonstrates a collaborative effort between government and industry, including investments by Canada and Quebec in battery assembly, to foster a thriving EV ecosystem in Canada.
The economic and environmental benefits of this project are undeniable. Battery production is expected to create thousands of jobs, while the shift towards electric vehicles will lead to reduced emissions and a cleaner environment. Ontario stands to gain significantly from this transition, becoming a leader in clean energy technology and attracting skilled workers and businesses catering to the EV sector, especially as the U.S. auto pivot to EVs accelerates across the border.
However, challenges remain. Concerns about the environmental impact of battery production, particularly the sourcing of raw materials and the potential for hazardous waste, need to be addressed. Additionally, ensuring a skilled workforce capable of handling the complexities of EV technology is paramount.
Despite these challenges, the future of electric vehicles in Canada appears bright. Major automakers are making significant investments, government support is growing, and consumer interest in EVs is on the rise. The Niagara Region plant serves as a tangible symbol of Canada's commitment to a cleaner and more sustainable transportation future. With careful planning and continued Canada-U.S. collaboration across the sector, this project has the potential to revolutionize the Canadian automotive industry and pave the way for a greener tomorrow.
EU Gas Price Cap Strategies aim to curb inflation during an energy crisis by capping wholesale gas and electricity generation costs, balancing supply and demand, mitigating subsidies, and safeguarding supply security amid Russia-Ukraine shocks.
Key Points
Temporary EU measures to cap gas and power prices, curb inflation, manage demand, and protect supply security.
✅ Flexible temporary price limits to secure gas supplies
✅ Framework cap on gas for electricity generation with demand checks
✅ Risk: subsidies, higher demand, and market distortions
The European Commission has outlined possible strategies to cap gas prices as the bloc faces a looming energy crisis this winter.
Member states are divided over the emergency measures designed to pull down soaring inflation amid Russia's war in Ukraine.
One proposal is a temporary "flexible" limit on gas prices to ensure that Europe can continue to secure enough gas, EU energy commissioner Kadri Simson said on Tuesday.
Another option could be an EU-wide "framework" for a price cap on gas used to generate electricity, which would be combined with measures to ensure gas demand does not rise as a result, she said.
EU leaders are meeting on Friday to debate gas price cap strategies amid warnings that Europe's energy nightmare could worsen this winter.
Last week, France, Italy, Poland and 12 other EU countries urged the Commission to propose a broader price cap targeting all wholesale gas trade.
Russia has slashed gas deliveries to Europe since its February invasion of Ukraine, with Moscow blaming the cuts on Western sanctions imposed in response to the invasion, as the EU advances a plan to dump Russian energy across the bloc.
Since then, the EU has agreed on emergency laws to fill gas storage and windfall profit levies to raise money to help consumers with bills.
Price cap critics One energy analyst told Euronews that an energy price cap was an "unchartered territory" for the European Union.
The EU's energy sector is largely liberalised and operates under the fundamental rules of supply and demand, making rolling back electricity prices complex in practice.
"My impression is that member states are looking at prices and quantities in isolation and that's difficult because of economics," said Elisabetta Cornago, a senior energy researcher at the Centre for European Reform.
"It's hard to picture such a level of market intervention This is uncharted territory."
The energy price cap would "quickly start costing billions" because it would force governments to continually subsidise the difference between the real market price and the artificially capped price, another expert said.
"If you are successful and prices are low and you still get gas, consumers will increase their demand: low price means high demand. Especially now that winter is coming," said Bram Claeys, a senior advisor at the Regulatory Assistance Project.
ITER Nuclear Fusion advances tokamak magnetic confinement, heating deuterium-tritium plasma with superconducting magnets, targeting net energy gain, tritium breeding, and steam-turbine power, while complementing laser inertial confinement milestones for grid-scale electricity and 2025 startup goals.
Key Points
ITER Nuclear Fusion is a tokamak project confining D-T plasma with magnets to achieve net energy gain and clean power.
✅ Tokamak magnetic confinement with high-temp superconducting coils
✅ Deuterium-tritium fuel cycle with on-site tritium breeding
✅ Targets net energy gain and grid-scale, low-carbon electricity
It sounds like the stuff of dreams: a virtually limitless source of energy that doesn’t produce greenhouse gases or radioactive waste. That’s the promise of nuclear fusion, often described as the holy grail of clean energy by proponents, which for decades has been nothing more than a fantasy due to insurmountable technical challenges. But things are heating up in what has turned into a race to create what amounts to an artificial sun here on Earth, one that can provide power for our kettles, cars and light bulbs.
Today’s nuclear power plants create electricity through nuclear fission, in which atoms are split, with next-gen nuclear power exploring smaller, cheaper, safer designs that remain distinct from fusion. Nuclear fusion however, involves combining atomic nuclei to release energy. It’s the same reaction that’s taking place at the Sun’s core. But overcoming the natural repulsion between atomic nuclei and maintaining the right conditions for fusion to occur isn’t straightforward. And doing so in a way that produces more energy than the reaction consumes has been beyond the grasp of the finest minds in physics for decades.
But perhaps not for much longer. Some major technical challenges have been overcome in the past few years and governments around the world have been pouring money into fusion power research as part of a broader green industrial revolution under way in several regions. There are also over 20 private ventures in the UK, US, Europe, China and Australia vying to be the first to make fusion energy production a reality.
“People are saying, ‘If it really is the ultimate solution, let’s find out whether it works or not,’” says Dr Tim Luce, head of science and operation at the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), being built in southeast France. ITER is the biggest throw of the fusion dice yet.
Its $22bn (£15.9bn) build cost is being met by the governments of two-thirds of the world’s population, including the EU, the US, China and Russia, at a time when Europe is losing nuclear power and needs energy, and when it’s fired up in 2025 it’ll be the world’s largest fusion reactor. If it works, ITER will transform fusion power from being the stuff of dreams into a viable energy source.
Constructing a nuclear fusion reactor ITER will be a tokamak reactor – thought to be the best hope for fusion power. Inside a tokamak, a gas, often a hydrogen isotope called deuterium, is subjected to intense heat and pressure, forcing electrons out of the atoms. This creates a plasma – a superheated, ionised gas – that has to be contained by intense magnetic fields.
The containment is vital, as no material on Earth could withstand the intense heat (100,000,000°C and above) that the plasma has to reach so that fusion can begin. It’s close to 10 times the heat at the Sun’s core, and temperatures like that are needed in a tokamak because the gravitational pressure within the Sun can’t be recreated.
When atomic nuclei do start to fuse, vast amounts of energy are released. While the experimental reactors currently in operation release that energy as heat, in a fusion reactor power plant, the heat would be used to produce steam that would drive turbines to generate electricity, even as some envision nuclear beyond electricity for industrial heat and fuels.
Tokamaks aren’t the only fusion reactors being tried. Another type of reactor uses lasers to heat and compress a hydrogen fuel to initiate fusion. In August 2021, one such device at the National Ignition Facility, at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, generated 1.35 megajoules of energy. This record-breaking figure brings fusion power a step closer to net energy gain, but most hopes are still pinned on tokamak reactors rather than lasers.
In June 2021, China’s Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) reactor maintained a plasma for 101 seconds at 120,000,000°C. Before that, the record was 20 seconds. Ultimately, a fusion reactor would need to sustain the plasma indefinitely – or at least for eight-hour ‘pulses’ during periods of peak electricity demand.
A real game-changer for tokamaks has been the magnets used to produce the magnetic field. “We know how to make magnets that generate a very high magnetic field from copper or other kinds of metal, but you would pay a fortune for the electricity. It wouldn’t be a net energy gain from the plant,” says Luce.
One route for nuclear fusion is to use atoms of deuterium and tritium, both isotopes of hydrogen. They fuse under incredible heat and pressure, and the resulting products release energy as heat
The solution is to use high-temperature, superconducting magnets made from superconducting wire, or ‘tape’, that has no electrical resistance. These magnets can create intense magnetic fields and don’t lose energy as heat.
“High temperature superconductivity has been known about for 35 years. But the manufacturing capability to make tape in the lengths that would be required to make a reasonable fusion coil has just recently been developed,” says Luce. One of ITER’s magnets, the central solenoid, will produce a field of 13 tesla – 280,000 times Earth’s magnetic field.
The inner walls of ITER’s vacuum vessel, where the fusion will occur, will be lined with beryllium, a metal that won’t contaminate the plasma much if they touch. At the bottom is the divertor that will keep the temperature inside the reactor under control.
“The heat load on the divertor can be as large as in a rocket nozzle,” says Luce. “Rocket nozzles work because you can get into orbit within minutes and in space it’s really cold.” In a fusion reactor, a divertor would need to withstand this heat indefinitely and at ITER they’ll be testing one made out of tungsten.
Meanwhile, in the US, the National Spherical Torus Experiment – Upgrade (NSTX-U) fusion reactor will be fired up in the autumn of 2022, while efforts in advanced fission such as a mini-reactor design are also progressing. One of its priorities will be to see whether lining the reactor with lithium helps to keep the plasma stable.
Choosing a fuel Instead of just using deuterium as the fusion fuel, ITER will use deuterium mixed with tritium, another hydrogen isotope. The deuterium-tritium blend offers the best chance of getting significantly more power out than is put in. Proponents of fusion power say one reason the technology is safe is that the fuel needs to be constantly fed into the reactor to keep fusion happening, making a runaway reaction impossible.
Deuterium can be extracted from seawater, so there’s a virtually limitless supply of it. But only 20kg of tritium are thought to exist worldwide, so fusion power plants will have to produce it (ITER will develop technology to ‘breed’ tritium). While some radioactive waste will be produced in a fusion plant, it’ll have a lifetime of around 100 years, rather than the thousands of years from fission.
At the time of writing in September, researchers at the Joint European Torus (JET) fusion reactor in Oxfordshire were due to start their deuterium-tritium fusion reactions. “JET will help ITER prepare a choice of machine parameters to optimise the fusion power,” says Dr Joelle Mailloux, one of the scientific programme leaders at JET. These parameters will include finding the best combination of deuterium and tritium, and establishing how the current is increased in the magnets before fusion starts.
The groundwork laid down at JET should accelerate ITER’s efforts to accomplish net energy gain. ITER will produce ‘first plasma’ in December 2025 and be cranked up to full power over the following decade. Its plasma temperature will reach 150,000,000°C and its target is to produce 500 megawatts of fusion power for every 50 megawatts of input heating power.
“If ITER is successful, it’ll eliminate most, if not all, doubts about the science and liberate money for technology development,” says Luce. That technology development will be demonstration fusion power plants that actually produce electricity, where advanced reactors can build on decades of expertise. “ITER is opening the door and saying, yeah, this works – the science is there.”
Gulf Power 40% One-Time Bill Decrease approved by the Florida Public Service Commission delivers a May fuel credit and COVID-19 relief, cutting residential and business costs across rate classes while supporting budgeting and energy savings.
Key Points
PSC-approved fuel credit cutting May electric bills about 40% for homes and 40-55% for businesses as COVID-19 relief.
✅ One-time May fuel credit on customer bills
✅ Residential cut ~40%; business savings 40-55% by rate class
✅ Online tools show daily usage and projected bill
Gulf Power announced that the Florida Public Service Commission unanimously approved its request to issue a one-time decrease of approximately 40% for the typical residential customer bill beginning May 1, similar to recent Georgia Power bill reductions seen elsewhere. Business customers will also see a significant one-time decrease of approximately 40-55% in May, depending on usage and rate class.
"We are pleased that the Florida Public Service Commission has approved our request to deliver this savings to our customers when they need it most. We felt that this was the right thing to do, especially during times like these," said Gulf Power President Marlene Santos. "Our customers and communities now more than ever count on the reliable and affordable energy we deliver, and we are pleased that May bills will reflect this additional, significant savings for our customers."
In Florida, fuel savings are typically refunded to customers over the remainder of the year to provide level, predictable bills. However, given the emergent and significant financial challenges facing many customers due to COVID-19, Gulf Power instead sought approval to give customers the total annual savings in their May bill, similar to a lump-sum electricity credit approach, which will be reflected as a line-item fuel credit on their May statement.
New tools to help save energy and money
Many customers are working from home and, in general, staying at home more. More time and extra people in the home will likely increase power usage, which could lead to higher monthly bills.
Gulf Power recently added new tools to our customers' online account portal to help them better understand and manage their energy usage, including their monthly projected bill amount and a breakdown of daily energy usage, which is available for most residential customers*. Customers can now see their previous day's energy usage using their online account portal to help them more easily understand how their previous day's activities impacted energy usage, allowing them to quickly make adjustments to keep bills low. The new projected bill feature is a valuable tool to assist customers in budgeting for their next month's energy bill.
Additional energy-saving tips that can be implemented with no additional cost or equipment are also available. As always, Gulf Power's free online Energy Checkup tool will provide customers with a customized report based on their home's actual energy use.
Helping customers pay their bills
Gulf Power has a long history of working with its customers during difficult times, including periods of pandemic-related energy insecurity, and will continue to do so. Gulf Power encourages customers that are having difficulty paying their energy bill to visit GulfPower.com/help to view available resources that can provide assistance to qualifying customers.
Customers are encouraged to pay their electric bill balance each month to avoid building up a large balance, which they will continue to bear responsibility for. Gulf Power will work with the customer's personal situation and assist with a solution, similar to how utilities in Texas have waived fees during this period, to help customers fulfill their personal responsibility for their Gulf Power balance.
Those who can afford or want to help others who may need assistance with their energy bill can make a donation to Project SHARE in your online customer portal. Project SHARE donations are added to a customer's monthly bill and all contributions are distributed to local offices of The Salvation Army. Customers in need of utility bill assistance can apply for Project SHARE assistance at The Salvation Army office in their county.
Supporting our communities
The Gulf Power Foundation gave $500,000 to United Way organizations across Northwest Florida to assist those most vulnerable during this time, which has helped support food, housing and other essential needs throughout the region. In addition, the Foundation recently made a $10,000 donation to Feeding the Gulf Coast and launched an employee donation campaign to provide food for our neighbors in need, while Entergy emergency relief fund offers a similar example of industry support. In total, Gulf Power and its fellow NextEra Energy companies and employees have so far committed more than $4 million in COVID-19 emergency assistance funds that will be distributed directly to those in need and to partner organizations working on the frontlines of the crisis to provide critical support to the most vulnerable members of the community.
Lower fuel costs are enabling Gulf Power to issue a one-time decrease of approximately 40% for the typical residential customer bill in May, even as FPL faces a hurricane surcharge controversy in the state - a significant savings amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
Gulf Power will deliver savings to customers through a one-time bill decrease, rather than the standard practice of spreading out savings over the remainder of the year, even as FPL proposes multi-year rate hikes elsewhere
