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[VIDEO] POWER Insights: Developing Reliable, and Efficient, Energy Solutions

August 7, 2020

The post [VIDEO] POWER Insights: Developing Reliable, and Efficient, Energy Solutions appeared first on POWER Magazine.

Ameresco has a 20-year history of providing energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for its customers across North America and the UK. The company works on upgrades of facility infrastructure, and develops, builds, and operates renewable energy plants.

The company also works with customers on tailored financial solutions to bring projects to fruition. Ameresco’s business engages with clients on both sides of the meter, with an eye toward reducing operating expenses, upgrading and maintaining facilities, stabilizing energy costs, and increasing energy reliability.

Ameresco was founded in 2000 by George Sakellaris, a pioneer in the energy service business. Much of the company’s recent work centers around microgrids, as Ameresco works to provide more reliable and resilient power both in support of the grid, and for installations off the grid. Among its projects is a comprehensive energy solution for the U.S. Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island in South Carolina (Figure 1), and a microgrid at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine.…

Xcel Energy Approved to Run Two Coal Units on Seasonal Basis

July 20, 2020

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The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved Xcel Energy’s request to offer two of its coal units into the Midcontinent Independent System Operator market on a seasonal basis. That means the company can idle the two units for six months of the year, which is expected to save customers money while also reducing air emissions.

“This is an important proposal and I appreciate Xcel Energy bringing it forward,” said Commissioner Matt Schuerger. “I think this highlights Xcel’s focus on saving their customers money, on meeting Minnesota’s environmental policies, and in being responsive to the investigation the Commission opened.”

Under the order, Xcel would be allowed to operate the Allen S. King Generating Station and Unit 2 of the Sherburne County Station (Sherco 2) from June through August and from December through February, while idling the units during the remaining six months, unless required to meet reliability needs.…

UK Energy Giant Will Cut 5,000 Jobs

June 12, 2020

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Centrica, the major UK utility and the biggest supplier of energy to British homes, on June 11 said it would cut 5,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting effort. CEO Chris O’Shea, who took over the company three months ago, said he also wants to simplify the utility’s business model.

The company Thursday said the changes would fast-track cost savings as part of its plan to cut $ 2.54 billion from the business by 2022. Centrica is the parent of British Gas, and the company in a February financial report said it lost £849m ($ 1.07 billion) in 2019. It blamed the loss on the UK’s cap on energy prices, and falling prices for natural gas. The government price cap weighed on the company’s profits, and many of the utility’s customers have left to find smaller and cheaper suppliers.

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EPA Curbs State Review of Energy Projects

June 2, 2020

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The Trump administration on June 1 moved to limit the ability of individual states to use provisions of the Clean Water Act (CWA) to block energy projects, a potential win for the power generation and other energy industry sectors that have battled lengthy licensing and permitting reviews and rejections based on climate change arguments.

The rulemaking is a setback for those who oppose the siting of oil and natural gas transportation pipelines, and power generation projects such as coal- and natural gas-fired power plants, and hydroelectric dams, the permitting of which has been among the biggest legal and political battlegrounds in recent years.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler on Monday signed a rule that restricts the scope of state reviews under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. Wheeler defended the action in a call Monday with media, saying the EPA wants “to make sure we are limiting the 401 process just to water quality,” noting the rule excludes limits on state reviews of climate and air pollution impacts.…

Siemens Details Spinoff of Energy Business

May 26, 2020

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The parent of Siemens Energy on May 26 provided details of the planned spinoff of the company’s energy business, saying 55% of Siemens Energy will be spun off to Siemens’ shareholders. The company said Siemens shareholders would automatically receive one share of Siemens Energy AG for every two shares they own of the parent, Siemens AG.

The company in its news release Tuesday said Siemens AG plans to further reduce its stake in the new business within 12 to 18 months of the effective date of the spinoff. The company, like others in the power generation business such as General Electric and ABB, has been restructuring its operations as the global energy landscape continues to evolve, with an increased emphasis on renewable power and a lessening of dependence on fossil fuels. ABB in late 2018 announced Hitachi would acquire more than 80% of the company’s Power Grids unit in an $ 11 billion deal.…

Clean Energy Sector Sheds 106,000 Jobs in March

April 16, 2020

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The renewable energy sector has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, with more than 106,000 U.S. workers losing their jobs last month, according to an analysis of unemployment data released April 15 from several clean energy groups.

Wednesday’s report said hundreds of thousands more job losses in the sector are expected in the next several months due to the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and quarantines, which have disrupted supply chains and created project delays worldwide.

The analysis of Department of Labor data by groups including E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), E4TheFuture, and BW Research Partnership found that 106,472 workers in clean energy occupations filed for unemployment benefits in March. Those job losses wiped out all 2019 job gains in the clean energy sector, which includes renewable energy, energy efficiency, clean vehicles, energy storage, and clean fuels.

Jobs lost include electricians, HVAC and mechanical trades technicians and construction workers who work in energy efficiency; solar installers; wind industry engineers and technicians; and manufacturing workers employed by electric and other clean-vehicle manufacturing companies and suppliers.…