Energy and Environmental Economics

It’s When You Charge Your EV That Matters A new study from E3 shows big potential cost savings for utilities with smart chargers.

"Whereas unmanaged charging cost the utility $984 per EV added to the system, optimized charging dropped that figure to just $407, a 60% reduction," writes @andrewmoseman.bsky.social.

More below on new research from @ethree.bsky.social on optimizing EV charging ⬇️

E3 wrote a report on justifying a heat pump rate and Massachusetts and pointed out some important realities here. Gas is cheaper than efficient heat pumps to heat homes (even after you have put Mass Save bills accounting for 1/5th the whole cost of it)

fileservice.eea.comacloud.net/FileService....

Avoided Costs and the Benefits of Distributed Resources for an Evolving Grid - E3 The urgency of climate change and emissions commitments, along with growing and shifting loads, changing customer needs, and emerging technologies, is causing a generational shift in the US electric g...

Many utility costs are sunk, aka, they reflect previously-made investments. But some costs could be avoided by reducing load during certain hours. These “avoided costs” have long been used to evaluate energy efficiency programs; today, they’re being used to assess DERs: www.ethree.com/avoided-costs/

Data Center Load Growth: Solutions for Managing Complexity | SEPA SEPA Data Center Load Growth: Solutions for Managing Complexity. We facilitate the electric power industry’s smart transition to a clean and modern energy future through education, research, standards...

Next week we'll cover the topic on every energy planner's mind: data centers. How much demand is there really? Can we meet it quickly enough? What does it mean for clean energy goals? System infrastructure? And how can we fairly allocate costs? Join us, Dec 3 @ 2pm ET. sepapower.org/event/data-c...

Probabilistic planning methods, though still emerging, offer a path. Event recap + presentation materials: www.misoenergy.org/meet-miso/me...

Many participants have been involved in electric system planning for 20+ years and indicated they could not remember a time with as much uncertainty as today. Extreme weather and increases in variable renewables are challenges, but the shift to an era of rapid load growth was cited as #1.

Fantastic 2 days with MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator), industry experts and stakeholders discussing probabilistic planning at MISO's HQ in Carmel, IN. Now is the time to talk about new probabilistic planning methods that can help ensure a reliable, clean grid under deep uncertainty.

New Report: Next Steps for CA's Gas Transition A new white paper from Energy + Environmental Economics offers California utility regulators key next steps for securing an affordable transition off of gas.

Find NRDC's blog post (and our full white paper) here: www.nrdc.org/bio/kiki-vel...

Although CA was an early leader, other states have since implemented a range of actions to manage spending and update cost recovery mechanisms. In a new white paper funded by @nrdc-org.bsky.social, we reviewed gas transition proceedings in other states and identified 5 focus areas (see chart).

High levels of building electrification are expected to create a significant challenge for recovering the costs of CA's gas system, potentially leading to very high gas rates for customers who are unable to electrify. Major changes to gas infrastructure planning and cost recovery will be needed.

We'll be a lot more active here now that our follower count has already surpassed our followers at the other place.

Welcome to all of our new followers! And thank you to whoever added us to a starter pack to allow such a boost in the last 2 days. The best way to engage with all of E3's latest work is to subscribe to our monthly newsletter: mailchi.mp/ethree.com/b...

The impacts of climate change on deeply decarbonized energy systems: A New York case study As the impacts of climate change intensify, it will become increasingly important for energy system planners to directly account for the effects that warming temperatures will have across every segmen...

As climate change progresses, it's important for grid analyses to better account for it and get beyond the blunt, historical assumptions that are commonly used. Looks like @ethree.bsky.social are doing some pioneering work on that front: www.utilitydive.com/news/e3-new-...

Glendale Water and Power Talks Highlight Solar Panel Costs, Permits - Glendale News-Press The community expressed concerns over installation and permit costs for solar panels at Glendale Water and Power’s third community outreach meeting. Community members expressed concerns over installat...

E3 in the news! Here is a brief write-up of our current support for Glendale Water & Power on distributed energy resources. The article features some great quotes from our own Hannah Platter.

glendalenewspress.outlooknewspapers.com/2024/03/18/g...

How targeted electrification can support a managed transition for the gas system Regulatory and policy changes will be necessary for targeted electrification and gas decommissioning to achieve a scale that would support meaningful cost savings for gas ratepayers.

In a new op-ed published today, E3 authors discuss the need to plan for the future of our natural gas infrastructure in California. They describe how “targeted electrification and gas decommissioning could help manage costs on the gas system,” although “this strategy will not be a silver bullet.”

Hawaiʻi Pathways to Decarbonization Report Supported by E3 Analysis - E3 The Hawaiʻi State Energy Office released a new report to the State Legislature evaluating long-term pathways to economywide decarbonization in Hawaiʻi and recommending new policies to ensure the achie...

From last month:

The Hawaiʻi State Energy Office released a new report, supported by E3, evaluating long-term pathways to economywide decarbonization in Hawaiʻi and recommending new policies to ensure the achievement of the state’s decarbonization goals.

www.ethree.com/hawaii-pathw...

E3 Supports Nova Scotia Power in Utility Electrification Strategy Development - E3 Nova Scotia Power operates in a province committed to Net Zero, and studies of Nova Scotia, like those across North America, emphasize that electrification will be critical to decarbonization. Electri...

🌟 New E3 Report 🌟

Nova Scotia Power released an E3 report that outlines important steps utilities should take in both encouraging electrification investments that save customers money and managing grid impacts as electrification materializes at scale.

EnergySky

www.ethree.com/e3-supports-...

We completed all of the projects in this post in the past three months. Follow us here (or come work with us!) to see what the next three months will hold.

And New York City published it's first Long-Term Energy Plan, PowerUp NYC, for which E3 led an inclusive, year-long study to identify the policies and programs needed to achieve the City’s decarbonization goals. climate.cityofnewyork.us/wp-content/u...

We published our study summarizing 5 years of support for Tata Power-DDL, in which we contributed to the development of a distributed energy resources roadmap and valuation framework for the Indian electric utility. www.ethree.com/wp-content/u...

Earlier this month, the US Climate Alliance released its 2023 Annual Report, which included detailed scenario analysis produced by E3. usclimatealliance.org/press-releas...

Last week we published a new report that evaluates the costs and benefits of targeted electrification and gas decommissioning for eleven candidate sites in the Bay Area. We find that all eleven projects would generate lifecycle net benefits. www.ethree.com/wp-content/u...

Last month, we released the newest edition of our off-the-shelf market price forecasts. Our forecasts are used by a wide range of market participants and stakeholders to support market strategy, project development, and major capital investment decisions. Check them out: shop.ethree.com

Now that we're here, let's thread some of the big things that E3's accomplished in the 6 months since we stopped sharing updates at the other place.

Follow this space for announcements and discussion of E3's notable activities including speaking engagements and newly published reports and analysis.