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.
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ahead of the Advance Energy Group’s Q1 Stakeholder Breakfast event in the country’s capital, we look at what has been accomplished by the industry’s thought leaders, policy makers and private and public sector partners as climate security plays a significant role in the U.S. capital’s resiliency planning
On December 13, AEG convened its final Stakeholder Breakfast of 2018. This breakfast focused on Mobility & Transportation as they relate to DC’s clean energy goals. Speakers from Pepco, WMATA, the District Department of Transportation, and UPS gave presentations outlining their answer to the question, “What is the critical challenge I focus on regarding Mobility & Transportation related to Washington DC’s clean energy goals?”
Amazon’s announcement to locate part of its new headquarters in Arlington, Virginia will be a significant jolt to the economy of the DC metro area. This announcement emphasizes the need for a more sustainable living environment. It has created a new focus on DC’s transportation infrastructure, which already experiences regular traffic bottlenecks from transporting hundreds of thousands of commuters to and from the District each day.
There sense of urgency surrounding Washington D.C’s AEG Q3 Stakeholder Breakfast provided a productive backdrop for the meeting. The room of experts covered the unique challenges facing the DC energy sector and the event culminated in the formation of a task force with the twin goals of collating all the relevant data necessary to create a platform and organizing an event to explore the solutions that can be developed with this data.
The Internet of Things (IoT), Innovation & Technology is a dynamic subject that touches an array of fields that extends outside the energy sector. Washington D.C. is one of numerous cities across the country that are racing to take advantage of the potential improvements from IoT technology that will impact different parts of the city’s ecosystem.
The Washington Advanced Energy (WAE) Q2 Stakeholder Breakfast started with a call to urgency, HG Chissell - Founder and CEO of AEG - emphasized the importance of finding grid modernization solutions that were meaningful, effective, and would truly address the challenges facing D.C.’s energy sector in the long run. The risk stakeholders face is providing a well-meaning solution that is ultimately an unhelpful, quick fix.
DC has been paying more attention to the modernization of the electric grid. Cost reductions and improved performance of DERs are creating opportunities for the grid to operate more efficiently and at lower costs. Over the past few years, the city has been exploring how buildings and facilities that were primarily end-users of electricity can assist in power management and delivery across the District.
On February 22, Advanced Energy Group held its first Stakeholder Breakfast of the year in Washington, DC. The topic this time: Resiliency, Critical Infrastructure, and Microgrids. After the significant damage wrought by last year’s hurricane season, the subjects were more relevant than ever. The event’s large attendance reflected the importance of the subject matter, as the room was filled to capacity.
In 2016, Washington, DC became a member of 100 Resilient Cities, joining a network of over 1,000 metropolises around the world dedicated to improving the resiliency of systems and infrastructure. A Resilience Strategy to prepare the District for future threats is being developed through a collaborative effort that will incorporate input from all stakeholders, in hopes of creating a comprehensive strategy for addressing a spectrum of threats.
Could there be a more perfect venue than the U.S. Green Building Council’s headquarters for hosting our Washington Advanced Energy (WAE) Q2 2017 Stakeholder Meeting on Smart Buildings & Grid Modernization? We could not think of one. Dave Witek (Senior Vice President, Finance, Operations & Administration) and the USGBC Team graciously hosted us in their LEED Platinum (2009) space that showcased what smart buildings can do.
How do we move toward tangible action with regard to Transportation and Mobility in Washington D.C.? On December 8th, 2016, energy industry experts participated in the Stakeholder Breakfast to discuss the ways in which participation in data gathering, problem-framing in the transportation industry and EVs, and the generation of reliable power could provide a deliverable product through scaling existing initiatives and better incentivizing end-usage.
How can we develop smart, viable solutions to achieve greater reductions in energy demand and make advancements on sustainability? On September 8, energy industry professionals across Washington DC met to discuss and identify issues respective to technology, buildings, and distributed energy optimization. Ideas on bringing new technologies and scaling existing initiatives presented a wide array of paths forward.
On Thursday, September 8, Washington Advanced Energy will hold a Stakeholders Breakfast to discuss issues around technology, buildings, and distributed energy optimization. Washington Advanced Energy is the result of a number of meetings facilitated by engaged stakeholders with the view to create viable and equitable solutions that meet key needs and desired outcomes.
