Energy

Mountain Line unveils first fully electric buses in Flagstaff

March 29, 2023

When the bay doors opened and the new electric bus rolled in during Mountain Line’s launch event on Thursday, there was a strange silence. Despite the cavernous acoustics of the warehouse space, the bus moved forward with almost no sound — the gentle creak of fresh rubber on its tires louder than its electric propulsion. Even inside the bus, sitting right over the motor, there was not much to hear. Casual conversations — even whispers — were fully audible.

Clean energy news: March 2023

March 28, 2023

Phoenix council member Yassamin Ansari pushes for climate action, sustainable energy; Mountain Line unveils first fully electric buses in Flagstaff; SRP looks from within to select new CEO to replace retiring Mike Hummel; Microsoft agrees to make data centers air cooled amid water infrastructure challenges in Goodyear; KORE Power selects Siemens as infrastructure technology provider for Arizona battery gigafactory; Hobbs won’t support water legislation that ‘creates additional loopholes’; Atlis Motor Vehicles becomes first company to successfully demonstrate over 1 megawatt charging capability; new lithium-ion battery recycling plant planned for Pinal County; Arizona still gets a significant amount of power from burning coal – how soon could that change?; Arizona voters support expanding access to natural spaces for underserved communities; and ZEVX closes $20M+ funding round, appoints Don Listwin as CEO.

LG Energy Solution to ramp up investment in planned Valley battery manufacturing plant

March 28, 2023

South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution Ltd. has confirmed its plans to move forward with building a battery complex in Arizona and will be significantly increasing its investment in the project. LGES, one of the largest battery makers in the world, said Friday that now it plans to invest $5.5 billion to construct two manufacturing plants in Queen Creek, a town located just south of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.

Salt River Project looks from within to select new CEO to replace retiring Mike Hummel

March 27, 2023

Salt River Project has named longtime employee Jim Pratt as the company’s new general manager and CEO. Pratt will start his new job on May 5 to lead Arizona’s largest community-based, not-for-profit utility. Pratt succeeds CEO Mike Hummel, who is retiring. The Tempe-based company said that Pratt was selected from among a number of internal candidates.

KORE Power selects Siemens as infrastructure technology provider for Arizona battery gigafactory

March 6, 2023

KORE Power, Inc., the leading U.S.-based developer of battery cell technology for the clean energy and e-mobility industries, has chosen Siemens to support the company’s future 12-GWh lithium-ion battery cell production facility, known as ‘the KOREPlex.’ Smart factory technology from Siemens and investment capital via Siemens Financial Services will help accelerate the build-out of KORE Power’s Buckeye, AZ-based facility, a plant that will address the growing demand for battery cells due in large part to electric vehicle (EV) and renewable energy applications.

Hobbs won’t support water legislation that ‘creates additional loopholes’

March 2, 2023

Gov. Katie Hobbs has made her stance on water clear as numerous bills related to water use and development are progressing through the Arizona Legislature this session. Water was one of the main talking points for Valley Partnership’s Q&A with the governor on Friday morning, where President and CEO Cheryl Lombard and Hobbs discussed her stances on priorities like transportation, education and development.

AMV announces landmark achievement: First company to successfully demonstrate over 1 megawatt charging capability

March 1, 2023

Atlis Motor Vehicles (Nasdaq: AMV), a vertically integrated electric vehicle technology ecosystem company, and the first battery cell manufacturer to be fully owned and operated in the US, today announced successful demonstration of their ability to charge over 1 Megawatt. This is a significant milestone and marks a critical step towards realizing the Company’s vision of establishing a 1.5MW charging network.

New lithium-ion battery recycling plant planned for Pinal County

February 27, 2023

Ecobat, one of the largest battery recyclers globally, has made plans to locate its its first North American battery recycling facility in the Phoenix metro and bring 60 new jobs to the area. The company announced that the facility will be located in Casa Grande and is Dallas-based Ecobat’s third lithium-ion battery recycling facility. The new location will produce an estimated 10,000 tons of recycled material per year with plans to expand capacity. Operations are expected to start in the third quarter of 2023.

Arizona still gets a significant amount of power from burning coal. How soon could that change?

February 24, 2023

Four years ago, the biggest electric company in Arizona declared that solar energy plants paired with batteries were the cheapest way to power the state, marking a major departure from fossil fuels. Months later, the largest coal-fired power plant in the West, the Navajo Generating Station, shut down outside of Page, ending a 45-year run. Arizona Public Service Co. and Salt River Project appeared to dive headfirst into renewables at the expense of coal.

AZ voters support expanding access to natural spaces for underserved communities

February 24, 2023

A majority of Arizona voters say they care about increasing access to natural spaces for lower-income populations and communities of color, a new bipartisan poll revealed. In the survey, 72% of respondents said ensuring marginalized communities are better connected to natural areas was important within the efforts of environmental conservation. Twenty-three percent said they viewed it as not very important or not important at all.

Energy

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