“Our entire union welcomes our latest members from Ultium,” said United Auto Workers President Ray Curry. “As the auto industry transitions to electric vehicles, new workers entering the auto sector at plants like Ultium are thinking about their value and worth. This vote shows that they want to be a part of maintaining the high standards and wages that UAW members have built in the auto industry.”
CLEAN ENERGY
Must Be Equitable
Battery workers unionize. Workers at an Ohio battery production plant owned by Ultium Cells — a joint battery venture between GM and LG Energy Solution — have voted 710-16 to unionize with the United Auto Workers. The vote comes as auto sector unions like the UAW look to adapt to the fast-changing EV industry and ensure this emerging segment of the economy creates jobs with high labor standards and wages. A GM spokesperson told the Free Press, they expect union representation to take hold at every Ultium Cells plant. (Detroit Free Press)
Solar microgrids are a lifeline amid blackouts in Puerto Rico. When the city of Castañer experiences power outages — as often as four times a week — a local solar-powered microgrid has been kicking in to provide an electrical lifeline for the town of 6,000. Literally. During one recent blackout, the owner of a restaurant powered by the microgrid kept his neighbor’s oxygen machine powered. As Puerto Rico grapples with a fragile power grid still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria and more recently Hurricane Fiona, more localities are turning to solar microgrid projects to support their communities during blackouts. The federal government is adding new support to these efforts with $1.3 billion in funding for microgrids across Puerto Rico. (Bloomberg $)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is A Good Investment
DOE loans $2.5 billion for battery hubs across three states. The Energy Department announced the loan would help Ultium Cells build battery manufacturing facilities in Ohio, Tennessee, and Michigan. The loan is intended to help the Biden administration reach its target of 50 percent EV sales by 2030, and GM meet its goal of shifting to all electric vehicles by 2035. The new factories are part of a larger trend of re-shoring EV manufacturing as automakers and their suppliers race to capture incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act tied to domestic sourcing. The three facilities are expected to create over 11,000 jobs.(CNN)
CLEAN ENERGY
Has Many Benefits
Electric school buses are cleaning up school commutes. Nearly half a million school buses transport students every day in this country— and thanks in large part to federal support, more school districts are shifting to electric school buses. Electric school buses typically cost more than their traditional diesel counterparts but recent economic incentives in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act are helping school districts defray those upfront costs. Electric school buses also have important long-term advantages: they produce no air pollution (while diesel fumes have long plagued students with asthma and respiratory diseases), they require lower maintenance and fueling costs over time, and they can act as a backup power source.(CNBC)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Replacing Fossil Fuels
California offshore wind auction brings in over $750 million. The Biden administration’s lease sales off two areas of the Golden State’s coastline showed strong competition for offshore wind development. Auctions for the five lease tracts had bids totaling more than the Atlantic coast’s first lease sales. Experts and analysts say the winning developers are well-known in the industry, inspiring confidence in California’s offshore wind future. Floating turbines on the California coast could power more than 1.5 million homes, help the state and federal government hit clean energy targets, and create tens of thousands of jobs.(KQED)
A year that brought big wins for clean energy. 2022 was a banner year for clean energy progress in the U.S., with major federal policy efforts like the $370 billion Inflation Reduction Act turbo-charging the domestic clean energy supply chains and ambitious energy and climate legislation at the state level. Rhode Island led the country with the most ambitious power sector goal, signing a new law to offset 100 percent of any electricity sector emissions with new renewable energy production by 2033. The EV sector is also booming, with sales rapidly rising to over 5 percent of the new car and light truck market. State and federal clean energy efforts have also begun to focus on ensuring energy transition benefits for low- and moderate-income communities.(Inside Climate News)
CLEAN ENERGY
Is Challenging
California needs a plan for end-of-life EV batteries. While the state has done a good job of getting more people into EVs, California has lagged in planning how to handle EV battery waste. In the absence of clear regulations and guidelines, recycling has mostly been left up to industry with little public oversight. To avoid letting batteries go to waste, leech toxic chemicals, or start fires in scrap heaps, experts say the state needs to outline clear policies that can shape industry-wide reuse and recycling efforts. But with the right policy support, used EV batteries can help expand energy storage and meet rising demand for battery minerals as the EV market grows.(Business Insider)
MULTIMEDIA
Graph: U.S. battery storage capacity will increase significantly by 2025
