Advanced Energy Perspectives

Left to right: Josh Cohen, Greenlots; Oscar Rodriguez, NOVAcharge; Ebo Entsuah, AEE; and Linda Ferrone, Orlando Utility Commission/City of Orlando. 

Nicknamed “The City Beautiful,” Orlando is already known for tourism, hospitality, and dining, but another feature is growing in popularity: Electric Vehicles. The city currently has 1,689 alternative fuel vehicles in its fleet, and plans to increase that number to nearly 2,400 by 2030. Over the last 15 years, the city has deployed various/several public-private partnerships to accelerate a positive environment for EV drivers, ratepayers, and the community. Now adding EVs to its municipal fleet and investing in hundreds of charging stations, Orlando is set to become the EV leader of the Southeast.

To highlight the city’s leading role, AEE gathered business owners, elected officials, and the public to learn more about electric vehicles and the regional economic benefits affiliated with Orlando’s ongoing charging infrastructure investments. Hosted in conjunction with the City of Orlando and Greenlots, a leader in EV charging stations and software, the event also highlighted policies the state could adopt to foster continued EV market expansion.

Offshore wind, electric vehicle (EV) technology, and workforce equity have emerged among the hottest advanced energy trends in 2021, with EVs alone making up three of the Top 10 issues considered by state lawmakers this year. In our latest webinar, “Equity, EVs & Offshore Wind: Top State Legislative Issues of 2021 and What’s Driving Them,” these topics were discussed by AEE and industry experts.

New York State has some of the nation’s most ambitious climate goals as established by the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), which commits New York to a 40% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 1990 levels by 2030 and an 85% reduction by 2050. Transportation electrification is critical to achieving these goals, given that transportation is the largest source of emissions in New York State, accounting for nearly one-third. Legislation that is currently awaiting action has the potential to not only bring the state closer to meeting these ambitious goals but also encourage growth in the electrification transportation (ET) supply chain and bring jobs to the state.

This week, all eyes are on the Silver State as a much-anticipated clean energy bill moves through the legislative process on a short timeline. Taking on electric vehicles, transmission, wholesale electricity markets, energy efficiency, energy storage, integrated resource planning, economic development tariffs, net metering, and more, State Senator Chris Brooks’s SB 448 “New Energy Economy Act” is poised to inject new economic life into Nevada by harnessing the clean energy transition. With the session scheduled to end May 31, time is short to get this landmark legislation over the finish line.

When most people think about electric cars and California, they think about Tesla. The buzzy automaker was the first all-electric vehicle (EV) company to reach mass production. Having grown significantly over the past decade, the company now employs over 30,000 workers in California between the solar-storage-EV company’s corporate headquarters in Palo Alto and EV assembly factory in Fremont. But there’s a quieter yet equally important story of EV industry growth unfolding in nearly every corner of the state.