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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
Transportation & Mobility is an important component of urban carbon reduction strategy. The IPCC Special Report stresses the need for stronger climate action in the mobility field, as the transportation sector accounts for 23% of CO2 emissions. The Boston’s Q4 series is going to be especially interesting as the city has developed a clear plan for addressing these action-items through Go Boston 2030
Boston’s Q3 IoT Series has become one of AEG’s most successful events. With a full house at Holland & Knight, energy stakeholders discussed specific problems related to advancing IoT for the City of Boston. AEG founder H.G. was so pleased with the results, he shared a public thank you note for the attendees, highlighting what he appreciated most and what he hoped for moving forward.
AEG’s Boston chapter is approaching its one year anniversary with the upcoming Q3 Series on IoT, Innovation, and Technology. Past Boston AEG series have had spectacular turnout with a highly-engaged stakeholder audience, and this series should be no exception. Boston is at the top of the charts for National Clean Tech Leadership, primarily derived from its ability to innovate and its access to a high-quality workforce.
Advanced Energy Group hosted the first ever post-breakfast lunch in Boston on June 14th for a specific stakeholder group and sector: Energy Strategies in Healthcare. This stakeholder lunch was facilitated by Navigant’s Ken Horne, Director for Smart Grid. Considering the trail-blazing nature of Boston’s healthcare facilities in regard to Smart Buildings, this lunch entailed fascinating presentations and conversations regarding the energy strategy and management of these critical facilities.
Boston’s Q2 series on Smart Buildings and Grid Modernization this past June brought together a diverse crowd of energized and engaged stakeholders to discuss the city’s future energy system. The series entailed a variety of events that provided attendees the opportunity to establish and reinforce relationships, to exchange diverse perspectives, and to take leadership roles within the local energy stakeholder community.
The overarching problem and opportunity in Smart Buildings and Grid Modernization is that building operations account for 75% of the nation’s energy consumption, and 70% of the grid is over 25 years old. In cities like Boston, the working towards development includes energy efficient buildings that possess Distributed Energy Resources (DERs).
We closed out our inaugural season in Boston with a great line-up, bringing multiple perspectives to a challenge that requires an enormous amount of coordination. Speakers at the breakfast covered a wide range of related topics from how to get more ridership on public transit and address their needs, to how we decarbonize transportation, to how do we deal with the specific issues concerning EV deployments and charging infrastructure?
