September 23
Uplight Launches Electric Vehicle Solution Suite
Top consumer smart energy news hand-selected and brought to you by the Smart Energy Consumer Collaborative.
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Uplight announced the launch of its Electric Vehicle Solution Suite, the only comprehensive, end-to-end set of software solutions for utilities to drive customer adoption and grid-friendly charging solutions for electric utility customers. Uplight’s configurable solution set will help utilities engage and activate their customers, manage related customer rate programs and orchestrate the related load increases in a seamless and affordable way.
GE announced the brand names of the future companies it will create through its planned separation into three global, investment-grade public companies focused on the growth sectors of healthcare, energy and aviation. GE’s existing energy portfolio of businesses, including Renewable Energy, Power, Digital, and Energy Financial Services, will sit together under the brand name GE Vernova.
California public power utility SMUD and ESS Inc. on Sept. 20 announced an agreement to provide up to 200 MW)/2 GWh of long duration energy storage (LDES) that will be provided by ESS. The agreement calls for ESS to deliver a mix of its long-duration energy storage LDES technology for integration with the SMUD electric grid beginning in 2023.
The Smart Electric Power Alliance (SEPA) offered its 2022 Utility Transformation Program of the Year award to a Duke Energy subscription pilot program last week for its efforts to provide Florida customers with renewable energy, smart thermostats and flat monthly bills. Known as Your FixedBill, the program allowed customers of Duke Energy to pay the same flat-rate energy bill for a year, with no adjustments required at the program’s conclusion.
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Industry News
Automakers say they are engaged in a “range war,” adding energy storage capacity in order to win over EV customers concerned about how far they can drive their car or truck before needing to recharge. However, “you can’t just pile on batteries” as the additional storage can quickly add to the vehicle price and weight, Rivian Senior Director of Public Policy Chris Nevers said last week at the Novi Battery Show.
Resonant Energy, a Boston-based solar energy provider, has developed a novel approach for sharing the benefits of solar energy. Working with software developer MySunBuddy, the certified B Corporation has launched a platform that enables customers in Massachusetts who oversize their arrays to donate the extra energy savings to low-income families.
The U.S. energy storage market set a new record in the second quarter of 2022, with grid-scale installations totaling 2,608 MWh, the highest installed capacity for any second quarter on record, according to a new report. According to Wood Mackenzie and the American Clean Power Association’s (ACP) latest U.S. Energy Storage Monitor report, grid-scale storage was boosted by a series of deployments in Texas.
In August, the California Air Resources Board adopted a rule requiring all new cars and light trucks sold in the state to be zero-emission by 2035. Sixteen other states already follow California’s vehicle rules, constituting an estimated 40 percent of car sales nationwide — though they will need to decide by individual referendum whether to adopt the new rule.
