Efficiency & Demand Response

Volvo wins $21.7M in grants to deploy electric trucks in California

Fleets will receive the trucks starting in 2021 and will be able to operate them for at least a year as the company collects data. 

By S.L. Fuller • Oct. 21, 2020

DOE campaign drives $95M in annual building energy cost savings

The campaign, facilitated by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, unlocked what is reportedly the world's largest dataset of building energy analytics and value propositions.

By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 20, 2020

Honda, GM-led group develops global blockchain standard for EV grid integration

The initiative could pave the way for an expansion of the vehicle electrification market, but must support innovation in a manner that benefits entire communities and not just the wealthy few, according to one expert. 

By Thomas Gresham • Oct. 19, 2020

Kenworth to produce its first Class 8 battery-electric truck in 2021

Manufacturers are pushing forward on electric, heavy-duty trucks even as one study shows the pandemic might drop EV sales by 17%.

By Jim Stinson • Oct. 16, 2020

Amazon to deploy 10K electric last-mile vans en route to net-zero carbon

Electrification is key to Amazon's Climate Pledge to reach net-zero carbon in its own operations by 2040.

By Emma Cosgrove • Oct. 16, 2020

Electric vehicle firms partner to ramp up charging station access, reliability

EV Connect joined three of its industry peers for its Partner Program, designed to increase station reliability and help chargers avoid maintenance issues.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 14, 2020

Opinion

Demand response works: It's time to 'shimmy' over and unleash Flexiwatts

California needs to focus on implementing policies that will unlock innovation in the market and provide financial incentives to deploy flexible devices equitably and at scale to enable the future of load management, the author writes. 

By Lillian Mirviss • Oct. 13, 2020

FERC's Glick blasts fellow commissioners for intruding on New York's resource mix decisions

FERC voted 2-1 last week to remove an offer exemption for some demand response resources in the New York ISO capacity market, which some experts say will reduce the competitiveness of those resources.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 12, 2020

Elected officials urge automakers to support cleaner cars

The Clean Cars Declaration, signed by more than 200 elected officials, called on manufacturers to drop their support for the Trump administration’s rollback of clean car standards.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 09, 2020

Deep Dive

California has a renewables curtailment problem. Can your Google and Facebook activity help?

A new study proposes data center processing loads be shifted to match wind and solar supply, but the issue will require a mix of solutions, including advances in energy storage, analysts said.

By Lynn Freehill-Maye • Oct. 08, 2020

Heat storm and insufficient planning caused August rolling blackouts, California regulators say

"[I]t is our responsibility and intent to plan for such events, which are becoming increasingly common in a world rapidly being impacted by climate change," regulators said in their preliminary analysis.

By Kavya Balaraman • Oct. 08, 2020

Sysco tests Daimler electric truck as private fleets embrace low-emissions transport

The food distributor will test Daimler's Freightliner eCascadia for regional trips around San Francisco.

By Jim Stinson • Oct. 08, 2020

Mack delivers Class 8 electric refuse truck ahead of 2021 production

Waste company Republic Services will assess safety performance and range capabilities for local routes while it considers buying more electric trucks from Mack.

By Cole Rosengren • Oct. 07, 2020

Toyota and Hino to develop Class 8 hydrogen fuel-cell electric truck for North America, compete with Daimler

The rivalry between hydrogen fuel-cell trucks and battery-electric trucks is just getting started.

By Jim Stinson • Oct. 07, 2020

NYC 'leapfrogs' to top of ACEEE clean energy scorecard

While many leading U.S. cities are boosting their efforts to achieve a clean energy future, more action will be needed from "lower-ranking" cities to move the needle nationally.

By Kristin Musulin • Oct. 06, 2020

Deep Dive

Cities push ahead on Energy Efficiency as a Service as private sector plays catch up

Forms of EEaaS have existed for decades as alternative funding mechanisms in cities. Now, as technologies accelerate and COVID-19 continues, the private sector wants in.

By Chris Teale • Oct. 05, 2020

Lion, ABB partner to streamline electric truck infrastructure

Deployment is among fleets' chief concerns with EVs, and manufacturers are getting the message.

By Jim Stinson • Oct. 05, 2020

Sponsored by Shell Energy

What utilities and cooperatives may not know about winter supply

Utility companies in winter-peaking demand regions are accustomed to the seasonal challenges of ensuring reliable supply. However, COVID-related market forces are complicating energy use projections.

Electric truck maker Nikola keeps manufacturing plans on track despite CEO departure

The company plans truck tests in 2021, but an analyst said "dark clouds" hover, particularly a delayed GM deal.

By Jim Stinson • Oct. 02, 2020

Calculating the total cost of ownership for electric trucks

The purchase price is an important part of justifying a buy, but some considerations aren’t so obvious.

By Amanda Loudin • Oct. 01, 2020

Deep Dive

Demand response failed California 20 years ago; the state's recent outages may have redeemed it

The West's recent heatwaves put California power users in the dark but showed how flexible demand response, including distributed storage, can keep the lights on.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 28, 2020

With PSE&G's new $1B efficiency program, New Jersey takes early steps toward new utility business model

PSE&G's new efficiency program is the first in the state to decouple utility profits from electric sales, a model that state regulators are looking to expand.

By Matthew Bandyk • Sept. 25, 2020

'This will change the nature of load': what California's zero emission vehicle order means for the power sector

"I strongly suspect that the grid planners of the world are already looking to an all-electric vehicle future," said Morten Lund, a partner at Stoel Rives.

By Kavya Balaraman • Sept. 23, 2020

Sidewalk Labs tool aims to boost building energy efficiency

Mesa, which uses automation and real-time data to optimize energy use, is part of a suite of products developed in the wake of the company's Toronto exit.

By Chris Teale • Sept. 22, 2020

Nikola CEO exits electric truck maker amid reports of SEC, DOJ investigations

Trevor Milton and Nikola attacked a critical report by Hindenburg Research, which claimed the company did not have a working model of its electric truck and relied on outsourced technology.

By Jim Stinson • Sept. 22, 2020