Ozarks Electric Cooperative and Today’s Power, Inc. alongside the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, are working on a storage solution for a proposed solar energy facility with 12-megawatts of solar energy generation, with a storage capacity of 24-megawatt hours. At the same time, Entergy Arkansas and NextEra recently announced plans for a 100-megawatt solar energy facility that will be able to store up to 30-megawatt hours.
As the cannabis industry grows, so too does the demand for energy from numerous utilities across the country. Estimated to grow another 162% until 2022, electricity demand and costs are now at the forefront of the minds of both utility companies looking at how to meet rising demand and cultivators budgeting for overhead costs. Studies show marijuana growers are 10 times as energy intensive as a regular office building. As growers look to make profits, many are turning to energy efficiency to cut energy costs and meet emissions goals.
The American Wind Energy Association recently released its 2018 U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report, view the executive summary here. Up 8% in 2018, wind energy growth is on the rise nationwide with over 114,000 jobs supported in all 50 states. With increased growth, so too have annual state and local tax payments, with investments rising to over $1 billion to state and local governments and private landowners.
The Bakken Pipeline is a 600-mile natural gas pipeline that can transport 60,000 barrels of natural gas liquids a day according to the project website. The Public Service Commission recently approved a siting permit for a pipeline project that will connect ONEOK Bakken Pipeline, LLC’s, natural gas processing plant with a pipeline in Montana. The new steel pipeline is designed to carry up to 1.68 million gallons of natural gas liquids per day.
Used for keeping things like our food, medicines and donated blood cold, cold storage warehouses are using robots to help run the show. One of the four ways robots are being used in the facilities is in the area of energy efficiency and conservation. Automated storage and retrieval systems are able to provide more storage density in a small space, and save a hefty 30-50% in energy consumption. Automation also helps reduce the need for as many people entering the warehouses, thus reducing the amount of cool air released each time the door is opened.
