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I grew up in Florida and lived right here via faculty. Then I moved away for about 14 years. Then I moved again about 6 years in the past. In brief, I’ve lived right here for roughly 3 a long time. We went via some hurricanes once I was youthful, and have been actually threatened by many hurricanes, however Hurricane Ian two years in the past and Hurricane Milton this 12 months have been the most important hurricanes I’ve gone via. My neighborhood in the intervening time seems like a brand new development website due to all of the roof work being completed due to the injury from Milton, and we simply had our personal new roof placed on a pair days in the past. Whereas I’ve to say I used to be fairly impressed with how properly utilities dealt with these hurricanes and bought electrical energy operating once more after the storms handed, there was nonetheless numerous energy outage and the entire struggles and prices that include that. It may very well be higher.
The US Division of Power (DOE) acknowledges this and is right here to assist. Sure, when somebody says, “Howdy, I’m with the federal government and I’m right here to assist,” most of us really do respect that. The fantastic factor immediately is that battery know-how has superior massively and prices are dramatically decrease than they have been once I was a child or in faculty. And batteries are probably the most responsive and helpful factor you may add to the grid, particularly to assist throughout storms. Naturally, that’s the place the DOE is now directing some funding.
“In a continued effort to expedite the construct out of a resilient and dependable electrical grid, immediately the US Division of Power (DOE) introduced a $28.7 million funding in a extra resilient and equitable vitality system to guard Florida communities and companies in opposition to excessive climate occasions,” the DOE writes. “Supported by a Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships (GRIP) Program Grid Resilience Grant, the Metropolis of Tallahassee Electrical & Gasoline Utility’s chosen challenge will deploy a utility-scale battery vitality storage system (BESS) to supply backup energy to amenities offering crucial companies, like nursing properties and group facilities. The BESS can also be anticipated to supply an estimated general annual gasoline price financial savings of $160,000 that can profit municipal utility prospects.”
Tallahassee?!?! That’s too far-off — that’s not going to assist me! Joking apart, I’ve bought sufficient residence vitality storage capability to get me via the aftermath of a storm (thanks, Bluetti and Yokoshima), and I’m positive the Tallahassee area might use the battery storage enhance and larger resilience when hit with hurricanes. “Like many communities throughout the nation, Tallahassee, Florida experiences excessive climate occasions, and its current substation is overburdened,” the DOE explains.
“The residents of Florida repeatedly bear the impacts of maximum climate change, and the Biden-Harris Administration continues to work arduous to make sure that the entire nation’s grid is hardened within the face of intensified results of local weather change,” US Secretary of Power Jennifer M. Granholm (for just a few extra weeks) provides. “The Administration’s Investing in America agenda has delivered the biggest grid funding in U.S. historical past, including extra energy to the grid sooner, bettering reliability and resilience, and investing in modern applied sciences so all Individuals can have entry to reasonably priced, dependable vitality.”
Wanting extra broadly, this GRIP program was funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Regulation. It’s a $10.5 billion program for the huge deployment of options just like the one talked about right here, and never simply in Florida after all. It’s for “communities throughout the nation to reinforce grid flexibility and enhance the resilience of the ability system in opposition to rising threats of maximum climate.” That features fires in California, floods in North Carolina, and extra. Thus far, since October of final 12 months, $7.6 billion has been despatched out to 105 completely different initiatives, spanning all 50 states and Washington, DC. “In whole, GRIP initiatives are anticipated to allow 53 GW of grid capability, equal to powering practically 40 million properties annually. All informed, via the primary two rounds of funding, the GRIP program chosen initiatives will add or improve practically 2,500 miles of transmission.” They higher get the remaining $3 billion deployed shortly although or the Trump administration might kill this system (or they’ll simply hold sending the cash out and declare credit score for what Democrats in Congress and Joe Biden within the White Home bought handed, as usually occurs).
Particulars on these 105 initiatives will be discovered right here. The intention is to announce the third spherical of GRIP funding in 2025.
Listed here are just a few extra notes from the DOE on the broader work completed by the Biden administration and the way all of this matches into it:
“This funding helps the Biden-Harris Administration’s Justice40 Initiative, which units a purpose that 40% of the general advantages of sure federal funding in local weather, clear vitality, and different areas circulate to deprived communities which can be marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by air pollution.
“The Investing in America agenda is offering the biggest electrical grid infrastructure funding in historical past to strengthen America’s energy grid whereas reducing vitality prices and creating good-paying jobs. Underneath the Biden-Harris Administration’s management, the U.S. is projected to construct extra new electrical technology capability this 12 months than in 20 years whereas additionally mobilizing to improve hundreds of miles of current transmission traces. This contains catalyzing nationwide collaboration on fashionable grid applied sciences and funding their deployment, accelerating transmission allowing, and rising grid capability to assist electrical energy demand to assist elevated electrification, information facilities, and manufacturing.”
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