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Improving Performance in Publicly Owned Utilities

Consistently setting, measuring, and updating quantitative performance metrics should be a central feature of any program.

Modern performance-management practices can – and should – be applied to public and private utilities alike.
Byline: 

Sonia Aggarwal and Michael O’Boyle

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Sacramento Municipal Utility District Awarded $600,000 Federal Grid Resilience Grant

Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2015-08-18 17:01

The Department of Energy (DOE) awarded the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) $600,000 to install smart-grid technologies. The Grid Resilience Grant helps fund half of SMUD's $1.2 million Resilient Grid Initiative that is designed to make SMUD's distribution system more adaptable to major disasters and reduce the effects of climate change through the installation and operation of high-voltage switches and the implementation and operation of voltage optimization measures.

People (May 2015)

CLEAResult named David Mehok CFO; Dominion East Ohio named v.p. Jeff Murphy its top executive; Emera named Rob Bennett COO of Emera Eastern Canada and Scott Balfour COO for Emera Northeast United States and Caribbean; Sacramento Municipal Utility District made several executive appointments; Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) was elected to serve as honorary chair of the Alliance to Save Energy; FirstEnergy elected Dr. Jerry Sue Thornton to its board of directors; And others ...
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Electric Vehicle Charging: Tariffs and Tradeoffs

We examine various types of charging strategies and infrastructure available today and report on the experience gained from rate structures for electric vehicle charging now being offered at four different utilities. These findings lead us to provide recommendations to achieve more productive use of the electric grid.
Byline: 

Mindy Blank and Kevin B. Jones

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Smart by Default

Time-varying rates from the get-go – not just by opt-in.

Default enrollment for time-varying rates, with an opt-out, will reduce peak demand and far more than a default flat rate with a TVR opt-in.
Byline: 

Ahmad Faruqui, Ryan Hledik, and Neil Lessem

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SMUD Unveils Electric Vehicle Fast-Charge Station

Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-04-08 16:32

The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) installed a new EV fast-charge station at the SMUD campus. The station features dual capability to accommodate most types of EVs manufactured by domestic and foreign automakers. This station is one of the world's first commercial installations of certified DC fast-charge hardware that meets the new industry standard. The station is a joint SMUD, General Motors and U.S. Department of Energy project. Funding for this station comes from the sale of carbon credits.

Digest

Duke Energy Renewables begins construction on 5-MW solar project in North Carolina; Duke and Integrys partner with Canadian Solar and Community Energy Solar on 3-MW PV project; First Wind contracts for 333 MW in Massachusetts; EDF Renewable Energy buys into 20-MW anaerobic digester plant; AEP to retire Tanners Creek 4 coal plant; Opelika Power Services selects Tantalus for fiber-based triple-play system; ABB wins substation contract in Brazil and commissions offshore wind transmission link in Europe; Arista Power to develop microgrid system for U.S. Army facility; plus announcements and contracts from Standard Solar, ComEd, British Gas, Tenaska, and others.
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