Browsing by Subject "Electric utilities"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3

Open Access
Analysis of Electric Utility EV Proposals
(2020-05-23) Gowni, Meghana; Zhang, Siyuan
The project analyzes a sample of Electric Vehicle program proposals put forth by electric utilities across the U.S. for developing and installing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. The project looks at each of these proposals in depth and characterizes trends among the proposals that were filed between 2013 and 2019.
Open Access
Electric Utilities and the EV Market: A Decision-Making Tool for State-Specific Strategies
(2020-04-20) Jaishankar, Aishwarya; Weaver, Michelle
Change in U.S. electricity demand has been nearly flat over the past decade. In parallel, electric vehicle (EV) market growth offers opportunities for boosting the revenue and resilience of utilities, while supporting climate change goals. This project uses market research and expert interviews to assess how utilities can best advance the EV market, address key challenges, and benefit from new opportunities. A state-specific multi-criteria decision matrix was developed to rank the viability of ten commonly used utility EV programs based on a utility users’ characteristics. The criteria used to determine the rankings were: profitability through internal rate of return analysis, risk as the probability and impact of failure, state policy environment, and history of regulatory action. Specific case studies yielded that utilities across the U.S. should focus on implementing time of use rates, improving customer engagement, and investing in public and private charging infrastructure.
Open Access
What Would Expand Utility-Led Community Solar in the Southeastern US?
(2021-05-28) Parsonnet, Myra
Community solar (CS) expands access to the benefits of solar energy by overcoming many of the challenges associated with residential solar ownership. Installing rooftop solar is not an option for an estimated 77 percent of the U.S. population. The CS model allows individuals and businesses to own or subscribe to a portion of an off-site solar facility, thus avoiding large upfront costs and the hassle of home installation. Electric Membership Cooperatives (EMCs) and municipal utilities (munis) have a unique opportunity to advance CS development. Unlike investor-owned utilities (IOUs), EMCs and munis are democratic entities which are accountable to their constituents, not to shareholders. Thus, consumer demand should play a larger role in driving CS development at local utilities than at IOUs. Whether consumer demand does play a larger role, however, is a question that has been largely unexplored. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) is interested in understanding the contributing factors behind CS development at EMCs and municipal utilities in the Southeast. The organization’s goal is to make solar accessible for all Southerners, and CS is one component of this mission. Through a mixed-method approach of interviews, surveys, and quantitative analysis, this report explores the drivers of CS development in the Southeastern U.S. and outlines recommendations on how SELC can help advance solar for all.