Massachusetts Installs EV Chargers Across State
Massachusetts is installing 105 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in 25 cities and towns across the state.
They’ll be easily accessed on downtown streets, in parking garages, shopping malls, schools and colleges, and commercial, medical and industrial parks. They’ll also be at Logan Airport garages, Logan Express parking lots and at MBTA commuter parking locations.
The Department of Energy Resources (DOER) invited cities and towns to apply for EV charging equipment grants, funded with approximately $280,000 made available through a 2007 settlement obtained by Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office for alleged pollution control equipment violations by an Ohio-based power plant.
That funding was subsequently augmented through a public-private partnership with Coulomb Technologies of California, which received a Dept. of Energy grant under the Recovery Act grant for EV charging installation.
"Electric vehicle technology is a significant way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and expand our clean energy economy," says Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Richard Sullivan Jr. "Our communities have come forward in partnership with local business, colleges and employers to find highly visible, well-utilized locations where owners of plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles can charge their vehicles. Through these public-private partnerships, we are ensuring that ‘green’ transportation options will be a reality in cities and towns throughout the state."
Today’s announcement is the latest in a series of steps Massachusetts is taking on EV technology. DOER and Nissan North America are working together to eliminate roadblocks and promote the use of EVs in Massachusetts in advance of sales of Nissan’s EV LEAF.
Energy and Environmental Affairs is also in discussions with other electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle manufacturers regarding pilot testing pre-commercial vehicles, including trucks and small vans and electric concept cars.
"The Governor and Lieutenant Governor have recognized the chicken-and-egg dilemma – that if individuals are to be comfortable purchasing electric vehicles, they must also be assured that there are available charging stations for these vehicles," says Hank Manz, chairman of the Lexington Board of Selectmen.
Florida Says No to Energy Efficiency
Florida’s Public Service Commission (PSC) voted to ignore a state law that requires utilities to expand energy efficiency programs.
They decided investments in such programs would cost rate-payers too much on their monthly bills. PSC staff estimate rate increases for Florida Power & Light and Progress Energy Florida customers would range from $4 per month this year, up to $16 per month in 2014.
Governor Rick Scott favors rolling back the law, reports the Miami Herald. His former policy director, Mary Anne Carter, says he wanted the PSC to soften energy efficiency goals as a way of lowering electricity costs in Florida to attract new business.
The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy says the estimates are inflated, showing only the short-term implementation costs and not the long-term savings.
Novel Policy Solutions for Environmental Challenges
The University of Maryland is launching a multidisciplinary research center to develop novel policy solutions for today’s most pressing environmental challenges.
Principally funded by a newly announced $27.5 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation, the multidisciplinary university center will bring together the expertise of environmental, social, and computational scientists, engineers, economists, public policy experts and others from around the world.
The National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center (SeSynC), will be home for collaborative research on such critical issues as water availability, sustainable food production and the interaction between human activity and healthy ecosystems.
Science, public policy and engineering faculty from the University of Maryland, environmental economists from non-profit Resources for the Future, and social scientists from the University of Michigan will lead activities at the center, which will also draw experts from around the world.
"The enormity of today’s environmental problems requires a new approach to how we conduct research," says Margaret Palmer, a University of Maryland entomologist and environmental scientist who will serve as the executive director. "There is a fundamental mismatch between the specialization required for research excellence and the integrated nature of today’s global challenges. This center will bridge that divide, in effect ‘synthesizing’ knowledge, data, and methods from divergent disciplines with the unifying goal of creating effective, workable solutions."
Boulder Shuts Down Talks with Xcel
The City of Boulder, Colorado, has suspended talks with utility Xcel Energy over a new franchise agreement.
In June, the utility proposed a plan to provide 70% renewable energy, ramping up to around 90% by 2020.
But according to Renew Grid’s Angela Beniwal, the City Council opposes signing a new 20-year power purchase franchise with the utility.
Xcel was hoping the issue would be put before voters as one of three ballot choices: a 20-year franchise agreement with the utility; a franchise agreement combined with a wind energy plan; or the creation of a city-owned municipal utility.
The city is currently in the process of approving a ballot vote only on the last issue – whether or not to created a municipal utility.
Boulder’s elected officials have put a high priority on renewable energy and reportedly want the option of purchasing the electricity on the open market at what might end up being cheaper costs.
"We feel like a straight, 20-year ‘business as usual’ franchise would not accomplish any of the goals that the community has set out for its energy future," Sarah Huntley, a spokesperson for the City of Boulder, told Renew Grid. "We also believe that the industry is changing so quickly that to lock into something for 20 years could tie our hands for future opportunities."
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