Tag Archives: EV charging infrastructure

Nebraska’s Onramp for Good-Paying EV Tech and Clean-Energy Jobs

By Eric Galatas, Producer, Public News Service

Central Community College of Nebraska is putting students of all ages on a path to good-paying jobs in the state’s growing clean-energy sector. Taylor Schneider is the energy technology instructor at the school’s Hastings campus. He said students receive valuable hands-on experience in the latest solar, wind and battery-storage technologies. They also get to climb a wind turbine tower that generates the school’s electricity. Continue reading here.

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UTILITY DIVE POSTS

AMERICAN-MADE SOLAR PANELS – A SOLAR POWER WORLD RESOURCE

U.S. solar panel manufacturers – Updated June 2022
This is a current list of U.S. solar panel manufacturers/assemblers that produce solar panels for the traditional residential, commercial and utility-scale markets. This data was collected by Solar Power World editors and will be continually updated as facilities are started and/or expanded. If there is a facility update not included on this list, please contact editor Kelly Pickerel: kpickerel@wtwhmedia.com.

See Also: AES Forms US Solar Buyer Consortium with Leading Solar Companies to Invest More Than $6 Billion on Solar Panels to Scale Up Domestic Solar Manufacturing, AES Corporation News Release

FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Proposes New Standards for National Electric Vehicle Charging Network

The White House Briefing Room, June 9, 2022

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Investments to Enable Families to Plug-In,
Charge Up, and Drive Across America

Today, the Biden-Harris Administration is announcing new steps to meet President Biden’s goal to build out the first-ever national network of 500,000 electric vehicle chargers along America’s highways and in communities, a key piece of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Department of Energy, is proposing new standards to make charging electric vehicles (EVs) a convenient, reliable, and affordable for all Americans, including when driving long distances. Without strong standards, chargers would be less reliable, may not work for all cars, or lack common payment methods. The new standards will ensure everyone can use the network –no matter what car you drive or which state you charge in. Continue reading here.

Related 

  • Department of Transportation: Network of User-Friendly, Reliable, and Accessible Electric Vehicle Chargers
  • Nebraska Department of Transportation: National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program. Over the next five years, Nebraska will have access to $30.2 million (~$6 million/year) in formula funds for EV charging infrastructure while also still being able to compete for a portion of an additional $2.5 billion in discretionary grant funding. This funding supports the Administration’s goal of expanding EV charging stations along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs) and other corridors that could be identified in the state.With guidance from U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT), NDOT will collaborate with key stakeholders such as public power districts, communities along routes, planning partners, and businesses on EV charging development. The initial statewide plan will be submitted to our federal partners before August 1, 2022. Click here to learn more and take a survey.

Additional Recommended Reading

FACT SHEET: Tackling Climate Change and Creating Clean Energy Jobs in the Americas,White House Briefing Room

U.S. can get to 100% clean energy with wind, water, solar and zero nuclear, Stanford professor says

By Catherine Clifford, CNBC

Mark Jacobson, a Stanford professor of civil and environmental engineering and the director of its Atmosphere/Energy Program, has been promoting the idea of all renewable energy as the best way forward for more than a decade. His latest calculations toward this ambitious goal were recently published in the scientific journal Renewable Energy.

Transitioning to a clean-energy grid should happen by 2035, the study advises, with at least 80% of that adjustment completed by 2030. For the purposes of Jacobson’s study, his team factored in presumed population growth and efficiency improvements in energy to envision what that would look like in 2050. Read more here.

ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDED READING & VIEWING

DOE Establishes New Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Department of Energy News Release, December 21, 2021

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced the establishment of the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, a new DOE office that will help deliver on President Biden’s bold climate agenda, create new, good-paying jobs for American families and workers, and reduce pollution while benefitting disadvantaged communities.


Job Opportunities

Previously Posted

OPPD News 

OPPD awards contract for battery storage project, by Jodi Baker, The Wire


“We expect energy storage will play a vital part in OPPD’s decarbonization efforts as we add more solar, wind, or other forms of renewable energy in the future,” said Collin Sniff, alternative energy contracts manager for OPPD.

 

Featured Nebraska Wind & Solar Conference Videos 

 

 

 


Utility-Scale Battery Storage
Presented By:

  • Carter Scott, Director, Energy Strategy, Ranger Power
  • Courtney Kennedy, Alternative Energy Program Manager, Omaha Public Power District
  • Moderator: David Rich, Sustainable Energy Manager, Nebraska Public Power District

Community Scale – Solar Battery Storage
Presented By:

  • Jeff Berggren, Nebraska Program Manager, Genpro Energy Solutions
  • Travis Kepler, Director of Engineering, GRNE
  • Drake Becksted, Contracts Administrator, Interconnection Systems, Inc.
  • Moderator: Josh Moenning, Mayor, City of Norfolk

Letter to the Editor by Heidi Heitkamp 

American Farmers Are Leaning Into a Clean Energy Future: Here’s How We Can Help, Progressive Farmer

It’s undeniable that climate change will impact our country’s farmers, but the more pressing question is, how can we help them leverage the tools necessary to fight back? Unlike in previous years, most American farmers today are ready and willing to embrace their role in implementing natural climate change solutions. According to a recent poll from Farm and Rural Life, approximately 80% of American farmers believe climate change is occurring, and more than half of respondents were concerned about the climate’s impact on their operations. 

Heidi Heitkamp is Director of Agriculture for alliantgroup and former U.S. Senator representing North Dakota from 2013 to 2019.

 NRDC Expert Blog 

Accelerating Progress on Clean Vehicles, by Luke Tonachel, Natural Resources Defense Council 

The United States is getting back on the road to cleaning up transportation pollution. This year, multiple states enacted strong pollution standards for cars and freight trucks, helping to accelerate the shift to pollution-free electric vehicles (EVs). Investments in plugs to charge electric vehicles also grew across the country. And, in a fitting cap to 2021, the Biden administration just finalized standards for new passenger cars that will allow all Americans to drive cleaner, more affordable vehicles.

Electric car drivers are growing in the Midwest, now chargers need to keep up

By Elizabeth Rembert, Reporter for Harvest Public Media 
KCUR / NPR in Kansas City

Keeping an electric vehicle charged can be a challenge. Even for the editor-in-chief of a website focused on electric vehicles. 

Just consider the range anxiety of Bill Moore. He was scheduled to talk about the cars at the Nebraska Wind & Solar conference. The 12-volt auxiliary battery on his Nissan Leaf had gone dead. He’d thought, well, he could manage the drive in his backup, an all-electric Fiat 500e. Continue reading here.

You can learn more about EVs here: 

Additional Resources

National EV Charging Infrastructure 

FACT SHEET: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal Boosts Clean Energy Jobs, Strengthens Resilience, and Advances Environmental Justice, The White House
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal will invest $7.5 billion to build out the first-ever national network of EV chargers in the United States.

American Clean Power 3Q market report shows record clean energy capacity growth in 2021

American Clean Power Association News Release

WASHINGTON DC, October 25, 2021 – The Clean Power Quarterly 2021 Q3 Market Report, released today by the American Clean Power Association (ACP), shows the U.S. clean energy industry installed 3,336 MW of new capacity during the third quarter, with additions totaling 15,317 MW in the first three quarters, a 23 percent increase compared to 2020.

Demand for clean power continues to rise with power purchasers and project developers announcing 9,054 MW of new Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) in the third quarter. Overall, a total of 17,442 MW of PPAs have been announced in 2021, a 16 percent increase compared to the same period in 2020. Continue reading here.

INTERCONNECTIONS SEAM STUDY

DOE study details ‘supergrid’ for high levels of renewables, E&E News, Energywire
DOE released a statement last week highlighting a September paper from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) on the NREL study’s major conclusions — the first time the lab’s findings were formally published. IEEE’s report titled “The Interconnections Seam Study” showed how Sun Belt solar power could be delivered to the Midwest at dusk. Later, the study shows, electricity flows could be reversed to move Great Plains wind power westward.

NEBRASKA CONSERVATION VOTERS PETITION

 NPPD Board Meeting: November 10, 2021 at 8 a.m.

The Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) is considering setting a net zero carbon goal, but they won’t do it unless they hear from you! If you haven’t already, sign the petition today to ask Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) to commit to a clean energy future. 

We are the only 100% public power state in the country, so your voice makes a big difference. If you have already signed the petition and would like to know how else you can help, please fill out our volunteer form. – Chelsea Johnson, Deputy Director, Nebraska Conservation Voters

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION LINKS

Monolith Materials: Previously Posted Articles & News Releases

Previously Posted Energy News Network Articles by Karen Uhlenhuth 

ALSO IN THE NEWS

FACT SHEET: The American Jobs Plan Supercharges the Future of Transportation and Manufacturing

The White House Briefing Room

Increasingly, the global market is shifting to electric vehicles (EVs) – tapping into EVs’ potential to save families thousands of dollars, lower carbon pollution, and make the air we breathe cleaner. Yet, despite pioneering the technology, the United States is behind in the race to manufacture these vehicles and the batteries that go in them.

Today, the U.S. market share of plug-in electric vehicle (EV) sales is only one-third that of the Chinese EV market. And in 2020, China had approximately 800,000 public charging points compared to just 100,000 in the U.S. President Biden believes it is time for this to change and for the U.S. to lead in EV manufacturing, infrastructure, deployment, and innovation. Continue reading here.

Additional Recommended Reading

Photo Credit: Autoweek

Remarks by President Biden at the Virtual Leaders Summit on Climate Session 5: The Economic Opportunities of Climate Action

The White House Briefing Room

We’ve made great progress, in my view, so far. And I’m grateful to all the leaders who have announced new commitments to help us meet the existential threat of climate change. This summit is a start — a start of a road that will take us to Glasgow for the U.N. Climate Change Conference in November where we’re going to make these commitments real, putting all of our nations on path to a secure, prosperous, and sustainable future.

Today’s final session is not about the threat of climate change poses; it’s about the opportunity that addressing climate change provides. It’s an opportunity to create millions of good-paying jobs around the world and innovate — in innovative sectors — you know, jobs that bring greater quality of life, greater dignity to the people performing those jobs in every nation. Read more here.

MORE WHITE HOUSE RELEASES

SOLAR ENERGY INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION 

Tackling the Climate Crisis Means Smart Solar Solutions, by President & CEO Abigail Ross Hopper 

The American Jobs Plan is a massive step toward meeting our clean energy goals, but Congress must first deliver legislation and then pass it into law. Earth Day is a reminder of the urgency to act. Investing in solar + storage and clean energy infrastructure can generate hundreds of billions of dollars in private investment and hundreds of thousands of family-supporting jobs to help America build back better.

This includes using the tax code to encourage long-term clean energy growth, modernizing the electric grid, prioritizing domestic manufacturing, and investing in a strong, diverse workforce. SEIA is leading a campaign to ensure that Congress seizes on this opportunity and passes meaningful policies that will accelerate an equitable clean energy transition. But we cannot do this alone. We need you to send a message to your elected representatives in Washington, urging them to prioritize clean energy in upcoming infrastructure legislation.

AMERICAN CLEAN POWER ASSOCIATION

American Clean Power Association Applauds Biden Administration on Successful Leaders Summit on Climate, ACP News Release

“This has been a groundbreaking summit for climate action, shining a light on the growing global marketplace for clean energy. The Summit showcased a powerful global demand signal for clean energy. The American clean power industry congratulates the Administration for restoring American global leadership on the road to Glasgow and COP 26. But the hardest work begins now, and it begins at home. Ambitious commitments demand even more ambitious actions to drive progress. Our industry has rolled up our sleeves ready to move the country forward towards a more sustainable energy future, harnessing American ingenuity, investment, and innovation to deliver economic and jobs benefits to communities nationwide.” – Heather Zichal, ACP CEO

FACT SHEET: The American Jobs Plan

The White House Briefing Room

The President’s American Jobs Plan is a historic public investment – consisting principally of one-time capital investments in our nation’s productivity and long-term growth. It will invest about 1 percent of GDP per year over eight years to upgrade our nation’s infrastructure, revitalize manufacturing, invest in basic research and science, shore up supply chains, and solidify our care infrastructure. These are investments that leading economists agree will give Americans good jobs now and will pay off for future generations by leaving the country more competitive and our communities stronger. In total, the plan will invest about $2 trillion this decade. If passed alongside President Biden’s Made in America corporate tax plan, it will be fully paid for within the next 15 years and reduce deficits in the years after. Read more here. 

Additional Recommended Reading & Viewing

Here’s how Biden’s infrastructure package will likely tackle climate change

By Emma Newburger, CNBC


The president is expected to introduce up to $3 trillion in spending on efforts to boost the economy, including rebuilding aging infrastructure like highways, bridges and rail lines, and investing in technologies to reduce planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions.


Some of the policies on the table include:

  • Installing thousands of new electric vehicle charging stations
  • Funds to build energy-efficient homes
  • Constructing new electric power lines

Read more here.

Additional Recommended Reading

Build America Bonds may be key to financing Biden’s infrastructure, by Thomas Frank, CNBC 
The bonds allow states and counties, which manage the majority of U.S. infrastructure, to float debt with interest costs subsidized by the federal government. Build America Bonds entered U.S. markets more than a decade ago as the Obama administration sought ways to finance capital projects across the country and jumpstart the economy in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

President Biden Invites 40 World Leaders to Leaders Summit on Climate, The White House Briefing Room, March 26, 2021. Today, President Biden invited 40 world leaders to the Leaders Summit on Climate he will host on April 22 and 23.  The virtual Leaders Summit will be live streamed for public viewing.

How infrastructure is banking on green banks

By Heather Clancy, Editorial Director, GreenBiz Group

Quick, what do Alaska, Maine and South Carolina have in common? 

All three U.S. states are seriously evaluating the creation of green banks — financing institutions created with the explicit mission of combining public and private funds to invest in climate solutions and green infrastructure. They would join roughly 20 other U.S. jurisdictions that have used this mechanism to drive more than $5 billion in clean energy investments as of the end of 2019, including Connecticut, Florida, Michigan and Washington, D.C. 

Alaska is so invested in the idea that Rep. Don Young, a Republican who championed Deb Haaland’s nomination as Interior Secretary, last week stepped across the aisle again to become a co-sponsor of the latest legislation to create a national-level green bank. The bill would make $100 billion of public funds available for a nonprofit organization that would provide financing and other support to regional, state and local green banks — an amount the sponsors say could catalyze $884 billion in green infrastructure investments over the next decade and help create 4 million clean economy jobs within the next four years. Continue reading here.

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