Rhode Island
21 states join Biden administration in bid to modernize nation’s aging grid • Rhode Island Current
Twenty-one states are joining a push by the Biden administration to modernize America’s aging electric grid, which is under pressure from growing demand, a changing power generation mix that includes lots of wind and solar and severe weather.
The administration, which has set a goal of a carbon-free power sector by 2035, announced Tuesday that the states had joined what it called the “Federal-State Modern Grid Deployment Initiative,” which is intended to “help drive grid adaptation quickly and cost-effectively to meet the challenges and opportunities that the power sector faces.”
In exchange for federal technical and financial assistance opportunities, participating states will “prioritize efforts that support the adoption of modern grid solutions to expand grid capacity and build modern grid capabilities on both new and existing transmission and distribution lines.”
That means in part focusing on ways to get more out of existing transmission lines, since building new ones can take a decade or more in some cases.
“There are technologies we can use to optimize the current infrastructure we have,” said Verna Mandez, director of transmission at Advanced Energy United, a clean energy trade group.
Those include re-conductoring existing lines to handle more juice as well as so-called grid-enhancing technologies, a suite of tools that include sensors, power-flow controls, software and hardware that can better deliver real-time weather data, among other technologies.
In many cases, those technologies have been adopted in other countries but uptake has lagged here, in part because utilities aren’t incentivized to adopt them and generally don’t face consequences as a result of grid congestion, which costs electric customers billions of dollars each year.
“Most transmission providers get more money when they build transmission projects,” Mandez said.
The White House said in a news release that adopting newer technologies “means that renewables and other clean sources of power can be integrated sooner and more cost-effectively than waiting for new transmission construction, which will address load growth challenges more rapidly, create good-paying jobs and lower Americans’ utility bills.”
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also in several orders prodded utilities and grid operators to consider more use of grid-enhancing technologies.
And some states are taking action on their own. Virginia, which did not join the initiative announced Tuesday, passed legislation signed by GOP Gov. Glenn Youngkin that requires utilities to consider grid-enhancing technologies in their planning. Last year, Montana passed legislation aimed at increasing use of advanced reconductoring. Minnesota’s legislature also voted this month to add grid-enhancing technologies to the state’s transmission planning process and require some utilities to evaluate the tools for highly congested lines.
‘More tools than ever’
To get a more reliable and cleaner electric grid, as well as accommodate electric demand that’s growing for the first time in more than a decade, the U.S. needs lots of new transmission capacity, experts agree.
Last year, the U.S. Department of Energy found that almost all regions of the country would benefit from more transmission lines and a National Renewable Energy Laboratory study estimated that getting to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2035 could require anywhere from 1,400 to 10,100 miles of new high capacity transmission lines per year starting in 2026.
That’s why the Biden administration has been pushing hard to remove roadblocks to new transmission lines, which can take a decade or more to develop in some cases, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission published a landmark new rule on regional transmission planning and cost allocation. Last month the administration also announced a public-private partnership to upgrade 100,000 miles of transmission lines over the next five years and the Department of Energy has identified 10 potential “national interest” electric transmission corridors, a designation that would help expedite the projects and give developers access to federal financing.
“The power sector, which is responsible for a quarter of annual U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, now has more tools than ever – including unprecedented financial support, efficient permitting, and long-term regulatory certainty – to reduce pollution and upgrade the grid to support more factories, electric vehicles and other growing sources of electricity demand,” the White House said.
The states joining the effort are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.
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Rhode Island
How important is Quonset Business Park to RI’s economy? We break down the numbers.
Go out to sea for a view of Point Judith’s breakwaters
Fisherman are calling for repairs to be made to Point Judith’s breakwaters
NORTH KINGSTOWN – When the Navy base at Quonset Point closed in the 1970s, it delivered a body blow to Rhode Island’s economy that would be felt for years.
But when the federal government transferred the Quonset Naval Air Station and adjacent Naval Construction Battalion Center Davisville, which closed almost two decades later, to the state, Rhode Island leaders envisioned an industrial park that could take up some of the slack left in the Navy’s wake.
While much of the infrastructure was already in place – including rail lines, docking facilities and an airport – the state has poured millions into developing the Quonset Business Park, which is now home to the premier nuclear submarine builder in the world and one of the busiest auto importing ports in the country.
Here’s a by-the-numbers look at the industrial park, now run by the Quonset Development Corporation, a state agency that is a subsidiary of the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, the state economic development agency:
The industrial park
Located about 20 miles south of Providence by road, Quonset Business Park sits on 3,198 acres, including 1,446 acres for business development, of which 130 acres remain unrestricted.
People
As of July 2024, more than 14,379 full- and part-time jobs were located at more than 239 companies in Quonset, including submarine maker General Dynamics Electric Boat; North Atlantic Distribution (NORAD), an automobile importer; Toray Plastics (America); and Ørsted, the offshore wind-farm company that has a regional operations and maintenance hub in Quonset.
The average annual wage for those who work in the industrial park is $69,656.
Planes
Run under the auspices of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation, also a state agency that is a subsidiary of the commerce corporation, Quonset State Airport is home to the Rhode Island Air National Guard. The airport, at an elevation of 18.3 feet above sea level, has a 7,504-foot main runway and a 4,000-foot crosswind runway.
Trains
Last year, 7,513 rail cars moved on the industrial park’s 18.2 miles of freight rail lines.
Automobiles
Cars can be looked at in two ways when it comes to Quonset:
First, the industrial park has 20 miles of roadways – plus 2.3 miles of paved bike path, for those looking for substitutes for motor vehicles.
But, more important economically, the Port of Davisville within the industrial park is one of the top 10 importers of cars in the nation. In 2023, 239,761 auto imports moved through the port, plus 10,731 used autos were shipped out.
Ships
The Port of Davisville has five terminals with 4,500 feet of berthing space, including three active roll-on/roll-off berths, with 235 acres of operating capacity.
In 2023, 260 ships made port calls at Davisville.
The port is also home to the Rhode Island Fast Ferry terminal, offering service to Martha’s Vineyard.
Rhode Island
North Kingstown (RI) quarterback Jack Diano tosses 5 TDs in 42-20 win over Westfield
WESTFIELD – Although the Westfield High School football team lost to a 2023 Division 1 football state championship runner-up from Rhode Island on Friday night, Bombers head coach Rob Parent said his team learned a valuable lesson.
North Kingstown (RI) junior quarterback Jack Diano threw for five touchdowns and the Skippers defeated the Westfield Bombers, 42-20, in an independent game Friday night at Bullens Field.
Rhode Island
RIPTA says East Side Tunnel to remain closed through October | ABC6
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority said that the East Side Tunnel will remain closed for repairs and renovations through Oct. 31.
RIPTA said Routes 1, 32, 33, 34, 40 and 61x will continue to be on detour to accommodate the construction.
Detours will remain as follows:
Routes 32, 33, 34, 40 and 61x:
- Inbound trips will travel regular route to the intersection of Angell and Thayer Streets, continue onto Angell Street through to Steeple Street and then resume regular route. Passengers will utilize the bus stop on Angell Street at Hope Street. There will be no stops between Angell and Hope Streets and Kennedy Plaza.
- Outbound trips will travel regular route to North Main Street via Washington Place, continue up the hill on Waterman Street and then resume regular route. At the bottom of the hill, passengers will board at a temporary stop on the traffic island on Washington Place. At the top of the hill, passengers will utilize the bus stop on Waterman Street at Hope Street.
Route 1:
- Inbound trips will travel regular route to Thayer Street, left onto Waterman Street, left onto Brook Street, left onto Angell Street, continue on Angell Street through to Steeple Street and then resume regular route. Passengers will utilize the bus stop on Thayer Street before Meeting Street. There will be no stops between Thayer and Meeting Streets and Kennedy Plaza.
- Outbound trips will travel regular route to North Main Street via Washington Place, continue up the hill on Waterman Street, turn left onto Brook Street and then resume regular route. At the bottom of the hill, passengers will board at a temporary stop on the pedestrian island on Washington Place. At the top of the hill, passengers will utilize the bus stop on Brook Street after Angell Street.
A map of temporary bus stops can be found here.
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