DOE Makes Funds Available for Grid Projects

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The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity released three Notices of Funding Opportunity totaling nearly $18.4 million for programs to support research and development of electricity grid technologies.

The programs will reduce the cost of high-voltage direct current circuit breakers, improve risk assessment and communication for grid operators, and ensure communities are ready to respond to unanticipated energy storage system failures, it said.

“Upgrading critical systems and controls will extend the life of existing grid components, increase the grid’s ability to receive, transmit, and deliver electricity, and improve communications to help predict and prevent failures,” it said.

“Moreover, quantifying and clearly communicating risk and uncertainties to decision-makers and human operators enables more accurate and effective prediction, prevention, and mitigation of cascading failures in the grid. In addition, ensuring communities are prepared to safely manage and monitor energy storage systems is critical to successfully deploying storage technologies.”

The three funding opportunities are:

  • $8 million for the Renewable Integration Management with Innovative High-Voltage Direct Current Power Circuit Breakers (REIMAGINE BREAKERS)
  • $6.25 million for the Human-Centric Analytics for Resilient & Modernized Power sYstems (HARMONY)
  • $4.125 million for the Blue Sky Training Program

Click HERE to read more…

Winter Weather Challenges

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Winters in the Midwest can sometimes be rough due to rain, snow, wind, ice and whatever else comes along. Ice can many times be the worst. Accompanied by wind it presents several challenges. Safety is of the utmost importance, and it starts with protecting yourself. This includes falls, frostbite and several other potential dangers. This article is an oldy, but it gives you a good overview of some of the challenges for your system this winter. Work together and be safe.

Winter Weather Challenges for Substation and Transmission Components

Save on Energy this Winter

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SPP Projects Confidence in Meeting Energy Needs This Winter

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LITTLE ROCK, ARK. — Southwest Power Pool (SPP), responsible for coordinating electric reliability in a 14-state area in the central United States, expects to have enough generation to meet energy demand this winter.

SPP conducts an assessment each year to identify and mitigate threats to energy reliability during the winter season lasting from December to March. The analysis considers factors such as historical and predicted future electricity use, weather forecasts, the variability of available wind energy, drought conditions and generation and transmission outages.

Based on its assessment results, SPP anticipates a 98.5% probability that it will have sufficient resources to meet the projected peak demand for electricity and maintain energy reserves throughout the upcoming winter season. SPP further anticipates an even greater chance that it can meet region-wide demand with the help of reserves if needed.

This winter’s forecast represents an increase in SPP’s operational certainty over the past two seasonal assessments (winter 2023/24 and summer 2024). Weather forecasts, peak demand projections, expected generation availability and other trends suggest the region will have a greater margin between electricity demand and generating capacity than in the previous two peak seasons.

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Celebrating Gerry Bieker’s Remarkable Journey at KMEA

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It is with mixed emotions that we announce the retirement of Gerry Bieker from KMEA. Gerry has been an integral part of our team since August 31, 2016, when he joined as the Manager of Member Services. His dedication has significantly contributed to KMEA’s growth over the years.

Gerry’s journey with KMEA has been marked by numerous achievements. His passion for public power manifested itself in the KMEA’s lineman program, which he was instrumental in developing. On November 1, 2021, he was promoted to Managing Director of Electric Operations.

Prior to joining KMEA, Gerry worked in the municipal public sector for an impressive 36 years. His extensive experience and deep understanding of public utilities have been invaluable assets to our organization.

As Gerry prepares to retire, we reflect on his vital contributions and the positive impact he has had on our organization. His last day with KMEA will be December 23, 2024. While we will miss his friendship, calming presence, and sense of humor, we are excited for Gerry as he embarks on this new chapter of his life. He is ready to spend more quality time with his family, especially his new grandson Fynn, and enjoy time at the lake.

Please join us in celebrating Gerry’s remarkable career and wishing him all the best in his retirement. His contributions will be remembered for years to come.

Thank you, Gerry, for your dedication and service to KMEA. You will always be a friend and a cherished member of our KMEA family. We will miss you for sure.

Marie Seneca from the City of Pomona Receives the Gilbert E. Hanson Award

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Marie Seneca, the mayor for the City of Pomona was the recipient of the Gilbert E. Hanson award this year. She has been serving as Mayor of the city since 2010. Marie’s civic journey started in 2007, when she joined the governing body as a council person, and then stepped up to fulfill the remaining term of the Mayor just 3 short years later. She’s remained steadfast in that role ever since, and her vision and leadership have set a high standard for the city’s future among city employees and citizens alike. Her support and contributions to ongoing developments include the following accomplishments:

  • Spearheading economic development projects that have attracted growth and helped stimulate the local economy.
  • Overseeing the renovation of critical infrastructure including roads, water and sewer improvement projects, parks, and the new AMI system for utilities.
  • Implementing programs that address the needs of her city’s diverse population, including partnership with organizations that will work with community development, senior services and public health initiatives.
  • Leading efforts to promote sustainability and environmental responsibility by being the first to recycle and reduce or eliminate waste.
  • Championed the development of the KMEA lineman services for the Osage City and Pomona crew.

Marie continues to strive to support and contribute to the ongoing development projects and prosperity of her community. She has not only shown up and displayed exceptional service and dedication to her city but continues to help her community thrive in all possible ways.

Marie was unable to attend the Annual Conference to receive the award. The award was presented to her at Pomona’s council meeting on December 2, 2024.

Winter 2024: U.S. Natural Gas Inventories Reach Highest Levels Since 2016

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Working natural gas in storage in the Lower 48 states ended the natural gas injection season with 3,922 billion cubic feet, the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported on Dec. 2.

EIA released estimates based on data from its Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report released on November 7.

U.S. inventories are starting winter 2024–25 with the most natural gas since 2016. Inventories are currently 6% above the five-year (2019–23) average, despite less-than-average injections into storage throughout the entire injection season, which runs April 1 through October 31.

Less natural gas than the five-year average was injected in nearly every week during the 2024 injection season, in part because starting inventories were relatively full.

Natural gas inventories in the Lower 48 states at the end of March 2024 (the end of withdrawal season) totaled 2,282 Bcf, 25% more than at the same time in 2023 and 40% more than the five-year average for March, EIA reported.

 

Click HERE to read more.

 

 

A Different Perspective on Artificial Intelligence

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Recently we learned about the Three Mile Island nuclear facility recommissioning one of the reactors to sell energy to Microsoft to support their efforts in AI. Google and Amazon have recently announced their investments in small modular reactors. These SMRs are built as a unit making them quicker to produce and easier to install. It appears that nuclear may be taking the lead to support the need for a huge amount of energy to support AI data centers.

I recently read an article, published by the Forbes Technology Council, which has a unique perspective on AI. The FTC suggests that developers must properly control the autonomy of AI and its appetite for power. They present several questions and concerns as to how this will be done.

This article will challenge you to think of AI differently and it presents more questions than answers. Enjoy!

Click HERE to read more.

KCC Announces Notice of Funding Opportunity For Subgrants to Eligible Entities to Improve the Resilience of the Electric Grid – Second Round (Federal Fiscal Year 2024)

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The purpose of this Notice of Funding Opportunity is to provide guidance to eligible entities (electric grid operators, electricity storage operators, electricity generators, transmission owners or operators, distribution provider and fuel suppliers or other entities determined by the DOE) for preparation of subgrant applications to be submitted to the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) in response to Section 40101(d) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).

Under this Program, the Department of Energy (DOE) provides grants to States to improve the resilience of their electric grid against disruptive events.  A disruptive event, as defined by the Program, is “an event in which operations of the electric grid are disrupted, preventively shut off, or cannot operate safely due to extreme weather, wildfire, or a natural disaster.”

The primary goals of the Program are to demonstrate measurable improvements in energy resilience, with a focus to necessary and supporting grid modernization investments in rural, underserved and disadvantaged communities, to invest in modernized grid infrastructure and to create good-paying jobs.

The KCC’s allocation for this second round of funding from the DOE totals $6,489,249.

Click HERE to learn more…

KMEA/KMGA Annual Conference Recap

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The conference held on October 23 and 24, 2024, in Wichita, Kansas, was a significant event that brought together member cities, vendors from the energy world and KMEA/KMGA staff. Hosted at the Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview, the conference featured a packed schedule filled with insightful sessions and networking opportunities.

The conference kicked off with  KMGA and KMEA Board of Directors meetings.

The evening featured a reception and a recognition banquet, where the award winners were recognized for the significant contributions they made to their communities.

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