Truck Electrification Delivers Air Quality Benefits

Polluting emissions from medium- and heavy-duty trucks are a big problem. But new research by Dr. Yanzhi (Ann) Xu at Texas A&M’s Transportation Institute finds that in one large U.S. city, electrifying those trucks could pay major dividends in improving air quality. David Farnsworth, Camille Kadoch and Nancy Seidman highlight the findings in an article for Utility Dive.

A Conservation Incentive for PIPP Customers

Several states use a percentage of income payment plan (PIPP) to keep utility bills more affordable for low-income households, but the design of PIPP mechanisms may not provide an incentive for customers to conserve electricity. Janine Migden-Ostrander writes that PIPP mechanisms could be adjusted to help households save both energy and money.

Building a Heat Pump Market in the UK

Britain’s ambitious net-zero energy goals require a key role to be played by heat pumps, but installation rates are so far falling far short of the needed deployment levels. In a new paper, Richard Lowes, Jan Rosenow and Pedro Guertler describe how regulation, restructuring of taxes, financial support, area-based planning and citizen engagement can help close the gap.

FURTHER NOTES

Designing Standby Rates for CHP

What Grid Resilience Means