SOLAr Critical Infrastructure Energization (SOLACE)

This document is a technical report based on a large-scale DOE-funded project conducted between 2019 and 2022. The project, called SOLAr Critical infrastructure Energization (SOLACE), is aimed at leveraging distributed energy resources (DERs) to provide local power to communities, feeders, or other regions. The project included a particular focus on high-value critical loads such as municipal water supply, telecommunication hubs, and disaster shelters. The key developments of the project were: (1) A comprehensive pre-event power system analysis methodology that identifies and characterizes the viable local power options. (2) A DMS-based example control system for activating and operating the local power …

Evaluating Impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law on the U.S. Power System

In this report, we detail the methods and results of a study estimating the potential impacts of key provisions of IRA and BIL on the contiguous U.S. power sector from present day through 2030. The analysis employs an advanced power system planning model, the Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS), to evaluate how major provisions from both laws impact investment in and operation of utility-scale generation, storage, and transmission, and, in turn, how those changes impact power system costs, emissions, and climate and health damages. While not exhaustive in capturing every provision, the analysis estimates the possible scale of power sector …

Charging Infrastructure Challenges for the U.S. Electric Vehicle Fleet

This report provides an assessment of the infrastructure needs for electrification of the U.S. vehicle fleet, with an emphasis on the trucking industry. This analysis will focus on three infrastructure components that may prove challenging for electrifying the nation’s vehicle fleet: electricity infrastructure; the infrastructure that supports battery production for electric vehicles;
and the charging infrastructure.

Transportation, which last decade overtook the electric utility sector’s place as the largest emitter of CO2, has also been in the process of shifting to new energy sources to decrease its carbon footprint. In recent decades, these alternatives have
included ethanol and biodiesel among …

Local Government Playbook: How Counties, Cities, and Towns Can Support EV Infrastructure and Leverage Federal Investments

The Local Government Playbook contains recommendations for how counties, cities, and towns can leverage federal investments in electric vehicle infrastructure. It provides a “checklist” of actions and strategies that local governments can enact now and in the future, including best practices, innovative policy approaches, and lessons from previous charging deployments.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act—signed by President Biden in November 2021 and September 2022—dedicate funding to establish a nationwide network of EV charging stations and incentivize EV purchases. Local governments will play an instrumental role in ensuring these funds are implemented efficiently, effectively and equitably.

The Local …

Offshore Oil and Gas: Strategy Urgently Needed to Address Cybersecurity Risks to Infrastructure

A network of over 1,600 offshore facilities produce a significant portion of U.S. domestic oil and gas. These facilities, which rely on technology to remotely monitor and control equipment, face a growing risk of cyberattacks. A cyberattack on these facilities could cause physical, environmental, and economic harm. And disruptions to oil and gas production and transmission could affect supplies and markets.

The Department of the Interior—which is responsible for overseeing the infrastructure—has taken few steps to address cybersecurity risks. We recommended that Interior immediately develop and implement a cybersecurity strategy.…

How Does Permitting for Clean Energy Infrastructure Work?

There are many obstacles to the rapid deployment of this infrastructure, but one key obstacle at the center of much debate is the federal permit process. As part of recent negotiations to secure the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), Senator Joe Manchin made a “side deal” with Democratic leaders. In this deal, he made his critical support for the IRA contingent on passage of an energy infrastructure permit reform bill, which, among other provisions, aims to speed the processes of federal permitting by setting time limits on environmental reviews, prioritizing certain big-ticket projects, and limiting state powers in …

Improving Equity Outcomes for New Federal Investments in Clean Energy Infrastructure

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which passed Congress in 2021 with bipartisan support, makes a historic and necessary $1.2 trillion investment in modernizing America’s infrastructure. Of that total investment, nearly $400 billion will be directed to clean energy infrastructure including initiatives for transportation, power and grid systems, technology demonstration programs, modernized permitting, and climate resilience. The American Association of Blacks in Energy (AABE) and the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) are working together to explore the opportunities and challenges inherent in these new federal investments.

Public investment has a poor record of keeping pace with infrastructure needs, and infrastructure …

Deploying Charging Infrastructure for Electric Transit Buses

This study was supported by Environmental Defense Fund. It is aimed at assisting transit agencies as they begin to plan for significant electrification of their bus fleets. It focuses on battery electric technologies (not fuel cell technologies) and is limited in scope to charging technologies, designs, and choices (rather than vehicle technologies, except as these impact charging).

This report incorporates learnings from 28 industry interviews completed between January and April 2022 by Atlas Public Policy staff. Interviewees are listed in Figure 1. These interviews sought to understand latest developments, challenges, solutions, and lessons learned in BEB charging, and to compile …

Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Oversight Summary and Recommendations

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act1 (IIJA or Act) establishes two funding programs for new electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure investment: the National Electric Vehicle Formula Program and the Discretionary Grant Program for Charging and Fueling Infrastructure. Depending on their locations, retail businesses may be eligible as site hosts for both programs if they meet specified conditions.

The Department of Energy (DOE) and Department of Transportation (DOT) are jointly overseeing the planning, funding, implementation, charger utilization data collection, and evaluation of these two programs. These agencies formed the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation (Joint Office), which will guide and oversee …

Driving Resiliency Through Your Organization’s Energy Infrastructure

This white paper explores ways in which government agencies, companies, and other organizations can leverage their energy infrastructure to minimize the adverse impacts of major events – in other words, to become more resilient. To date, much of the interest in resiliency has been limited to a few key sectors; however, as addressed throughout this white paper, a wide range of organizations, public and private, are beginning to understand that they can use their energy infrastructure to become more resilient in budget-sensitive ways.

With a smart approach to resiliency that integrates innovative technological solutions, contracting structures, and participation in broader …