Supply Chain & Logistics News 09/16-09/20
Next week I will be attending my second Climate Week NYC. Climate Week NYC was created in 2009 by the nonprofit “Climate Group.”It is one of the key summits on the international calendar and has been driving climate action forward since it was first launched. Climate Week NYC brings together international leaders from business, government, and civil society to showcase the unstoppable momentum of global climate action. The group This year released a Global To-Do List that includes seven actions for governments and businesses to address climate change within the next 12 months. The actions include supporting coal workers, unleashing renewables, banning the relining of coal-based steel furnaces, reducing methane emissions, improving energy efficiency, buying clean, and taxing companies to fund the energy transition. This year will feature over 900 events with impactful speakers from a range of sectors, countries, and levels of government. I am looking forward to attending the Climate Group 2-day conference and countless other events throughout the week. If you are planning on also attending some events please reach out or say hello!
The Northern American Electric Reliability Corp. is raising awareness of its concerns about maintaining sufficient natural gas supplies to address the expected upcoming extreme winter conditions. NERC released a statement on the “criticality of natural gas supply this winter” after experts highlighted the need for greater coordination between the gas and electric sectors. In response, grid operators and gas producers are working to wetherize their systems and improve market mechanisms to keep energy flowing. In 2022, Winter Storm Elliot caused a massive disruption in the grid causing 95,000 MW of outages, 20% of which were related to gas fuel outages. As the electric system becomes increasingly dependent on natural gas, infrastructure including pipelines and storage is needed to improve deliverability.
The unexpected and tragic deaths this week due to the explosion of pagers and walkies highlight the harsh reality that no electronics supply chain can be fully secured. Experts label the attack a first of its kind in the history of spycraft in scale and casualty count. Simply from a supply chain perspective, the attack was a worst-case scenario brought to life in the wake of an increased demand for complex electronic devices in a convoluted global supply chain. The blasts were reportedly linked to explosives hidden inside 5,000 AR-924 pagers that had been imported months before the attack. Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs said that from the beginning of 2022 until August 2024, Taiwan-based manufacturer, Gold Apollo manufactured and exported 260,000 sets of these pagers.
Department of Energy invests $38.8M in decade-old built infrastructure decarbonization program
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $38.8 million to 25 projects across 17 states to advance building decarbonization technologies, energy efficiency, electric load management, and resilience. These projects focus on “next-generation” retrofits for building envelope, lighting, and HVAC systems, enhancing resilience during extreme weather, and enabling buildings to supply electricity back to the grid. The DOE expects these innovations to lower energy costs, reduce carbon emissions, and alleviate peak demand on the electric grid, benefiting a wide range of building owners and occupants across various sectors and regions. The funding is the latest allocated through the 10-year-old Buildings Energy Efficiency Frontiers and Innovation Technologies, or BENEFIT, program. The program selects recipient projects based on criteria that include technical merit, market transformation plans, and community impact, per DOE’s news release. The department’s goals include doubling the energy efficiency of buildings and reducing 90% of their emissions by 2050, DOE said Tuesday.
The North American Energy Standards Board Opens Comments for Utility Contracts
The North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) is seeking comments until October 7 on a draft standard contract for transactions between utilities and distributed energy resource (DER) aggregators. Developed at the U.S. Department of Energy’s request, this contract aims to streamline and standardize procurement of distribution services, reducing uncertainties and negotiation costs. The contract seeks to address market barriers by establishing clear terms and enhancing coordination between distribution and wholesale market interactions. It was crafted with input from various stakeholders and aligns with FERC Order 2222, which mandates DER aggregations’ participation in wholesale markets.
Department of Energy Invests $40M in Solar Supply Chain Lifecycle Management
The Energy Department has announced $40 million in funding to boost the domestic solar supply chain. This includes $16 million for projects to enhance the lifecycle of photovoltaic solar systems and $20 million for advancements in solar manufacturing. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm highlighted that the U.S. has doubled its annual solar installations in the past four years, and this new funding will help manufacturers develop more resilient solar technologies and extend the lifespan of their products. In 2022, the DOE released a five-year strategy to cut the cost of recycling and reduce the environmental impact of solar energy modules at end-of-life in half. The funding is part of the Energy Department’s push to bolster photovoltaic systems’ end-of-life management as more solar panel materials reach the end of their use and enter the waste stream.
Song of The Week:
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