Electricity

The first electric school bus fleet in the US will power Oakland homes

The first electric school bus fleet in the US will power Oakland homes

In an industrial corner of Oakland, wedged between a 10-lane freeway and a freight terminal, sits California’s newest source of renewable energy: a squadron of shiny yellow electric school buses. It’s the first all-electric bus fleet serving a major US school district. Starting in August, the 74 vehicles will also supply 2.1 gigawatt-hours of electricity to the Bay Area power grid, enough energy for 300 to 400 homes.

DOE announces its first National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors
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DOE announces its first National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors

In a continued effort to expedite the build out of a resilient and reliable electric grid, today the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a preliminary list of 10 potential National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors (NIETCs) to accelerate the development of transmission projects in areas that present an urgent need for expanded transmission.

ICC 2024 Revised Building Code Makes Electricity Minimums Optional
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ICC 2024 Revised Building Code Makes Electricity Minimums Optional

The International Code Council, which sets model construction standards for new homes, was expected to include building electrification measures in its 2024 energy code on March 20. But following appeals lodged by industry groups, the ICC board moved the measures to the code’s appendices, effectively making them optional, as first reported by the Huffington Post.

If new homes aren’t wired for increasing power needs from electric appliances and car chargers, it will bump the effort and cost of making such upgrades onto homeowners — a deterrent to going electric.

Big Tech’s Latest Obsession Is Finding Enough Energy

Big Tech’s Latest Obsession Is Finding Enough Energy

The world adds a new data center every three days according to Bill Vass, VP of Engineering at Amazon Web Services. The explosion of artificial-intelligence—and the data centers that power it—is fueling an insatiable appetite for electricity, creating risks to the grid and the transition to cleaner energy sources, according to utility executives. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates told the conference that electricity is the key input for deciding whether a data center will be profitable and that the amount of power AI will consume is staggering.

Data centers, bitcoin and EVs send utilities scrambling for more power

Data centers, bitcoin and EVs send utilities scrambling for more power

After more than 30 years of falling or flat demand for electricity, electric utilities are forecasting the nation will need the equivalent of about 34 new nuclear plants, or 38 gigawatts, over the next five years to supply power for data centers, EVs, crypto mining, cannabis farming, more electrification and new industry according to filings made to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and compiled by Grid Strategies.

WRI Webinar Examines How to Expand Grid-enhancing Technologies
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WRI Webinar Examines How to Expand Grid-enhancing Technologies

Note: This is an advanced topic — adding tech solutions to the existing grid so as to increase the ability of the existing transmission infrastructure to carry larger loads. The growth of demand for electricity is higher than anticipated, and the slow permitting process is retarding deployment of transmission lines that clean energy can connect with. These “GETs” are quick-to-deploy, relatively inexpensive stopgap measures until new transmission capacities are installed.

Grid Enhancing Technology (GET) Addresses Transmission Logjam

Grid Enhancing Technology (GET) Addresses Transmission Logjam

Now, a new report from RMI shows how grid enhancing technologies — called ​“GETs” for short — could clear the way for gigawatts’ worth of clean energy projects to connect to the 84,000-mile interstate transmission network. That’s important for grid operators, utilities, regulators and policymakers trying to add new clean energy to U.S. power grids.