EVs and Storage News

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission has authorized three affiliated electric utilities (Hawaiian Electric Company, Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc., and Maui Electric Company, Ltd. [the HECO companies]) to implement a pilot program designed to provide the utilities with the tools necessary for developing the requisite infrastructure for encouraging the growth and viable development of the electric vehicle (EV) market.

Dominion is one of the first 48 companies to join the U.S. Department of Energy's workplace charging challenge, which is designed to help increase the number of U.S. employers offering workplace charging for electric vehicles. Dominion installed two separately metered electric vehicle charging stations as a pilot program at its Tredegar campus in downtown Richmond. The stations have two lockable power outlets used by employees who pay a monthly fee that covers the cost of electricity and gradually reimburses the company for the installation.

IKEA extended its partnership with ECOtality with plans to add 24 Blink electric vehicle charging stations across eight more locations in the United States. The newly designated sites include seven stores in Illinois, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Texas, as well as the U.S. corporate office. Installation will be completed by end of summer 2013 and will bring the total number of Blink charging stations at IKEA locations to 55.

The Santa Clara City Library installed two new EV charging stations, supplied by ECOtality and Silicon Valley Power (SVP). Blink EV charging stations at the library will provide electricity at both Level 3 (480-volt DC fast charging) and Level 2 (208/240-volt AC charging) power levels, and will accept either credit cards or a ChargePass pre-paid card. The library EV charger project was primarily funded via a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) grant to ECOtality of San Francisco and it’s the nationwide EV Project.

Dominion and FuelCell Energy broke ground on the largest fuel cell power project in North America. Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell will produce 14.9 MW of clean energy using an electro-chemical process that converts natural gas into electricity. Dominion Bridgeport Fuel Cell is part of Project 150, a program sponsored by the state and supported by the Clean Energy Finance and Investment Authority (CEFIA) to increase renewable and clean energy projects in Connecticut by 150 MW.

NSTAR established a new hotline to provide customers with a source of information about electric vehicles and EV technology.

ClearEdge Power, a manufacturer of scalable, distributed power systems, has closed on its acquisition of UTC Power, the fuel-cell production subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

Southern California Edison (SCE) and GE are collaborating to put the smart grid to work by upgrading and modernizing the utility’s infrastructure. The project will include electric-distribution infrastructure, substations, residential homes, cyber security systems, battery energy storage, and EV charging stations at the University of California-Irvine, and other products that affect the reliability of a modernized grid. Funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the demonstration project will launch on June 30, 2013.

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) unanimously approved a decision ordering Southern California Edison (SCE) to procure between 1,400 and 1,800 MW of energy capacity in the Los Angeles basin to meet long-term local requirements by 2021. Of this amount, at least 50 MW is required by the CPUC to be procured by SCE from energy storage resources, as well as up to an additional total of 600 MW of capacity required to be procured from preferred resources – including energy storage. “Preferred resources” also include energy efficiency, demand respon

Sempra U.S. Gas & Power, BP Wind Energy and community leaders dedicated the new Auwahi wind facility on Ulupalakua Ranch in Hawaii. The 21-MW Auwahi Wind facility is BP and Sempra’s first alternative energy venture in Hawaii. The project features a 4.4-MWh grid battery system, which at its peak, can sustain 11 MW of capacity for approximately 25 minutes. The battery system helps regulate and sustain power to Maui Electric Co.’s grid during light wind conditions.