The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is a monumental investment in clean energy; AEG is eager to leverage its network and resources to build the partnerships necessary for winning IIJA grant proposals.
Emitting Real Change into Boston’s EV Infrastructure
On December 16th, 2021 AEG Stakeholders met in Boston at Holland & Knight offices to identify the most critical mobility and transportation obstacles that the state and city must overcome in order to achieve its carbon and equity goals. At the forefront of this discussion was how to prioritize infrastructure investments to eliminate MHDV pollution emissions by 2030 while prioritizing community health and welfare.
Social Equity in Mobility: Can Chicago Achieve More Equitable Clean Transit in 2022?
The Pedal Towards “Bikes-to-Bus” Programs in Boston: AEG Boston Mobility & Transportation
The majority of American commuters use their single person vehicles as their main mode of transportation to work. This presents a major barrier to reducing the amount of non-electric vehicles as their primary mode of commuter transit. In order to reach the goal of net zero emissions by 2050, Boston is encouraging commuters to utilize public transit, carpool, bike, or walk. To decrease the amount of cars on the road and benefit the health of the community, a solution is to make public transit, walking, and biking more accessible to commuters.
Less Zoom, More Mobility: AEG Washington 21Q4 Recap
After a year and a half of zooming through remote collaboration AEG Stakeholders gathered in-person for the AEG Washington 21Q4 Stakeholder Challenge on Mobility & Transportation. Many great obstacles were presented by our Speaker Challengers, but ultimately only one was selected as the most critical to overcome in 12 months.
Three Roadblocks and Opportunities for Fleet Electrification from the Illinois Clean Truck Fleet Forum
After over nine months of research and outreach to advance trucking fleet electrification in Chicago, Advanced Energy Group’s 20Q4 Trucking Task Force hosted a successful “Fleet Forum” on September 30, 2021. Attended by over 70 stakeholders representing municipal fleets, commercial fleets, local utilities and more, the Illinois Clean Fleet Forum provided a platform to understand the major roadblocks and opportunities that exist for fleet decarbonization in Illinois.
AEG Washington 20Q4 Task Force Kickstarts Dialogue with U.S. Congress to Expedite the Electrification of Public Transit
Transportation poses as a vital and complex sector to be decarbonized as we continue to confront the climate crisis. As of 2019, transportation composed 29% of the United States’ greenhouse gas emissions. To kickstart a generative partnership with the federal government, the Advanced Energy Group (AEG) Washington 20Q4 Task Force has delivered a letter to the Congressional Delegation which outlines the rationale, requirements, and benefits of bus electrification.
DC Water Task Force Prioritizes Equity as it Finalizes Project Portfolio
In January 2021, AEG convened Stakeholders in Washington DC to discuss major obstacles the District faces on its path to reaching resilience and equity while decarbonizing critical infrastructure. With equity at its center of focus, the District aims for a 50% decrease in emissions from its 2006 baseline and carbon neutrality by 2050. After a series of conversations, Stakeholders decided to tackle the challenge, presented by DC Water’s Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Kishia L. Powell, PE, of creating a unified project portfolio based on cost-benefit analysis that would enable collaborators to make informed, expedient, and equitable decisions.
Labor Shortage, but no Shortage of Engagement on Chicago’s Path to Grid Modernization
The atmosphere was lively with conversation and debate at the AEG Chicago Stakeholder Challenge on Grid Modernization this August 12th at the Holland & Knight law office. Despite the limited capacity of 48 invited leaders and additional COVID precautions, this Stakeholder Challenge upheld its high standard of stakeholder engagement and action with the participation of diverse leaders from utilities, solution providers, city government and energy/equity focused nonprofits.
Modernizing Boston’s Grid: Progress on Workforce Training but More To Do
Boston has a goal of becoming net-zero by 2050. This means electrification of buildings and transportation. Boston’s grid needs to modernize to meet this challenge.
Last year, AEG Stakeholders outlined what they believed was the biggest obstacle to meeting Boston’s net-zero target -- lack of a ready-to-go local clean energy workforce. Such a workforce would not only need to be highly skilled but also diverse. To build this workforce, the industry needs to coalesce to provide funding and raise awareness.
Electrifying Illinois's Trucking Fleet
Last year, Advanced Energy Group Chicago formed the 20Q4 Trucking Task Force to tackle this exact issue, charging key stakeholders with creating a clean trucking roadmap for the city. Engaging with experts from the North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) as well Ozinga, Martin-Brower and other local fleets, the Trucking Task Force has identified key barriers to electrification. With a stakeholder-led plan to electrify Chicago’s trucking industry, local fleets could not only benefit long term from reduced fuel costs, but electrification would also aid Chicago’s environmental and equity goals as well, especially with a focus on intra city drayage routes.
Small-Scale Distributed Energy Resources Are Upending Washington D.C.’s Power Grid As We Know It
As climate change continues to ravage the globe, areas like the District of Columbia are committed to a shift from traditional power generation (such as coal, natural gas and nuclear) to renewable generation sources. In fact, the District’s Clean Energy DC Plan has set some of the most aggressive goals nationwide, with a plan to halve carbon emissions and transition to 100% renewable energy by 2032. This comes with a host of obstacles to overcome, namely, data access and transmission interconnection barriers.
AEG has worked tirelessly to convene leaders to address these challenges. Last week, Stakeholders convened for the AEG Washington 21Q3 Stakeholder Challenge on Grid Modernization to do just that.
Modernizing NY's Grid: Progress on IoT but More To Do
In the last two weeks alone, due to either extreme heat or volatile lightning storms, I have received five alerts from ConEdison warning me that the power may go out. New York’s grid is not ready to handle the climate challenges we are facing and the ones that are sure to come. We need to modernize New York’s grid as soon as possible.
A Glimpse into 'Watt' It Takes to Modernize Washington D.C.’s Electrical Grid
While D.C. may have a unique and interesting grid, like all other grids in the country, it needs to be modernized. As our nation’s capital, it would make sense for D.C. to have not only one of the oldest microgrids in the country, representing our rich technical history, but also one of the newest microgrids in the country to represent our technical progress and innovation. Like all other grids in the country, D.C.’s grid needs to modernize to maximize resilience and efficiency in the face of increasing threats such as extreme weather events. However, as part of the PJM Interconnection, D.C. relies almost entirely on the other 13 states in the interconnection for their electrical needs. Modernizing this grid will take major efforts on the part of all stakeholders in both the district and within the wider interconnection.
New York City’s Electrification Journey: Three Major Obstacles
New York City’s building stock is about to set off a journey of electrification. However, this journey comes with countless obstacles. There are countless concerns regarding the reliability, technology, grid support and cost.
With help from representatives of the New York City Housing Authority, Jaros Baum & Bolles (JB&B), BlocPower and ConEdison, here are the most critical obstacles we identified at last quarter’s AEG New York 21Q2 Stakeholder Challenge on Buildings & Construction…
The New Infrastructure
2019 BAE Q3 Recap: Bostons approach to IoT, Technology and Innovation
2019 CAE Q3: Chicago is being rebuilt in the age of the internet, technology and innovation.
2019 NYAE Q3 Recap: New York's approach to IoT, Technology and Innovation
2019 BAE Q3: Boston's Approach to IOT, Technology and Innovation
Boston has an aggressive vision to be Carbon Free by 2050. In an effort to meet that vision, the city needs strong leaders, innovators willing to disrupt the industry, and significant advances in IoT and Technology.