Facebook building solar-powered data center in Arizona 8.16.2021 Facebook will build its newest data center in Mesa, Arizona – powered by 100% renewable energy. The social media giant announced a collaborative effort with the City of Mesa, Arizona Commerce Authority, and the Salt River Project to bring three new solar…
Senate Avoids Solutions on Highway Funding With Another Bailout
Senate Avoids Solutions on Highway Funding With Another Bailout Aug. 10, 2021 Senators allocated more than $100 billion to bail out the Highway Trust Fund in the bipartisan infrastructure bill, pushing off a pain point for lawmakers that have struggled to find a permanent solution of how to pay for…
Global clean energy technology investment reached a record $500 billion in 2020
Global clean energy technology investment reached a record $500 billion in 2020 Energize Weekly, August 11, 2021 Global investment in clean energy technologies reached a record $501.3 billion in 2020, with renewable energy generation accounting for 60 percent of the total, according to a BloombergNEF analysis. The 2020 figure represents…
Federal cybersecurity defenses not strong enough to protect American data, Senate report warns
Federal cybersecurity defenses not strong enough to protect American data, Senate report warns AUGUST 3, 2021 Federal agencies responsible for safeguarding the security and personal data of millions of Americans have failed to implement basic defenses against cyberattacks, according to a report from Senate investigators released Tuesday. The agencies earned…
Biden infrastructure deal could create 500,000 manufacturing jobs, business group finds
Biden infrastructure deal could create 500,000 manufacturing jobs, business group finds JULY 27, 2021 A bipartisan infrastructure deal being negotiated in the U.S. Senate could create roughly half a million new manufacturing jobs by 2024, the end of President Biden’s first term, an analysis conducted on behalf of the trade group Association…
Private network underpins smart city plans for Las Vegas
Private network underpins smart city plans for Las Vegas 20 July 2021 The City of Las Vegas has deployed what is claimed to be the largest LTE, 5G-ready private municipal network in the US. The network is part of a broader plan for new tech-enabled services, economic development and digital…
Connecticut launches nine-year effort to build up EV charging infrastructure
Connecticut launches nine-year effort to build up EV charging infrastructure July 19, 2021 The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) approved a nine-year program to support electric vehicle charging infrastructure installation in the state. PURA established a statewide Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Program that provides a combination of incentives for…
Democrats closing in on deal to unlock massive infrastructure bill
Democrats closing in on deal to unlock massive infrastructure bill 07/12/21 Senate Democrats indicated on Monday that they are close to a deal on a budget resolution that will pave the way for them to pass a sweeping, multi-trillion infrastructure bill along party lines later this year. Read more
Recently passed bill could accelerate 5G deployment across Pittsburgh
Recently passed bill could accelerate 5G deployment across Pittsburgh June 29, 2021 Pennsylvania passed House Bill 1621, or the Small Wireless Facilities Deployment Act, in a move that could make the Pittsburgh region more competitive with other tech hubs around the country. Read more
New York City Department Of Environmental Protection Partners With Arcadis To Drive City-Wide Resilience
New York City Department Of Environmental Protection Partners With Arcadis To Drive City-Wide Resilience June 21, 2021 Arcadis today announced its partnership with the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to launch a $53 million program designed to engage property owners across the city with resiliency measures that improve local and…
Lawmakers introduce American Cybersecurity Literacy Act
Lawmakers introduce American Cybersecurity Literacy Act June 28, 2021 Bipartisan House lawmakers introduced legislation to increase cybersecurity literacy and security awareness among the American public amid a spike in cybersecurity threats against critical infrastructure. Read more
State, Local Governments Highlight Cybersecurity Funding Needs
State, Local Governments Highlight Cybersecurity Funding Needs June 18, 2021 State, local and county governments officials testified that they need continually renewed, flexible funding to fend off increasing cyber threats during a U.S. Senate hearing. Read more
Less state debt, but a ‘lost decade’ for U.S. infrastructure spending, S&P finds
Less state debt, but a ‘lost decade’ for U.S. infrastructure spending, S&P finds June 15, 2021 Most U.S. states took on less debt during the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing a years-long stretch of deleveraging, according to a report published Friday from credit rating agency, Standard & Poor’s. But an emphasis on…
White House expands investment ban on Chinese tech and telecom companies
White House expands investment ban on Chinese tech and telecom companies June 3, 2021 The Biden administration has replaced and expanded Trump-era restrictions on investing in certain Chinese firms deemed supportive of that country’s surveillance and military apparatus. Major tech, space and telecom companies are listed in the initial 59…
Hackers Exploit Post-COVID Return to Offices
Hackers Exploit Post-COVID Return to Offices May 28, 2021 With COVID-19 restrictions lifting and workers trickling back to offices, threat actors are sharpening their spear phishing ploys. The latest scam includes pelting recipients with emails purportedly from their CIOs welcoming employees back into offices. Read more
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack Prompts DHS to Issue New Cybersecurity Regulations
Colonial Pipeline Ransomware Attack Prompts DHS to Issue New Cybersecurity Regulations JUNE 1, 2021 Hot on the heels of an executive order aimed at standardizing federal response to cyber attacks and creating new reporting requirements for government vendors, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is establishing its own requirements specifically…
Green push presents cybersecurity problems of its own
Green push presents cybersecurity problems of its own May 17, 2021 The shift to cleaner energy forebodes greater cybersecurity challenges as the economy adds new technologies and relies increasingly on electricity to fuel vehicles and heat homes. Read more
GOP weighs going bigger on infrastructure
GOP weighs going bigger on infrastructure 05/10/2021 Senate Republicans are signaling that they could raise the price tag of their infrastructure offer to President Joe Biden, days ahead of a pivotal series of meetings that could make-or-break Biden’s hopes for a bipartisan deal. Read more
Biden prepared to take additional steps after Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack
Biden prepared to take additional steps after Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack MAY 10, 2021 President Joe Biden said Monday that his administration was prepared to take additional steps as the energy sector grapples with a colossal cyberattack targeting one of the largest fuel pipelines in the nation. Read more
GOP senator says Republicans will have infrastructure counteroffer by the end of week
GOP senator says Republicans will have infrastructure counteroffer by the end of week BY GRACE SEGERS, APRIL 20, 2021 Republican senators may unveil their counteroffer to President Biden’s infrastructure proposal by the end of this week, Senator Shelley Moore Capito said Tuesday, while the president continues to solicit bipartisan opinions…
Millions of connected devices have security flaws, study shows
Hannah Murphy, Apr 13, 2021 Millions of “internet of things” devices using software from groups including Siemens and Microsoft contain security flaws that could be used to compromise government servers or hospitals, new research has found. Read more
7 Big Winners From Biden’s American Jobs Plan
By Alex Sirois, Apr 6, 2021 President Joe Biden introduced his American Jobs Plan on March 31. The plan outlines $2.251 trillion of estimated spending to improve the country and jobs for Americans. It is divided into four major sectors: infrastructure at home, transportation infrastructure, research and development (R&D), workforce development and manufacturing, and…
After Stimulus, Biden to Tackle Another Politically Tricky Issue: Infrastructure
By Annie Karni and Jim Tankersley, March 1, 2021 Strengthening the country’s highways, bridges and broadband networks has broad popular support, but Washington remains bitterly divided on the details. Read more
Florida water hack shows infrastructure cyber weaknesses
Judy Greenwald, February 23, 2021 A thwarted attempt by an unknown hacker to put lye into a small Florida city’s water treatment facility highlights the need for infrastructure operators to keep software updated and follow other cyber security measures, experts say. Read more
Roads, transit and tech: How Buttigieg plans to localize the federal transportation agenda
DANIEL MOORE, Post-Gazette Washington Bureau Feb, 22, 2021 In January 2020, presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg stood before an audience of U.S. mayors and repeated his call for a “Pittsburgh summit” on climate to find solutions to the most pressing challenges in infrastructure, climate change, housing and education. Read…
New reports affirm cybersecurity war is not being won
By Phil Hall, February 16, 2021 Despite the best efforts by technology experts, the cybersecurity war continues to rage and digital miscreants still have the upper hand in their assaults on corporate, government and individual targets. Read more
Smart Buildings with AI: It’s Only the Beginning
By Joe McKendrick | RTInsights While AI is seen as the ultimate future of smart building management, there’s still a lot of work to be done before it takes hold. The idea of smart buildings — outfitted with automated energy management and maintenance alerts — has been well-documented for years now. Now, the…
How Biden Could Change the Conversation on Cybersecurity
The incoming administration could mean significant changes for technology, especially where federal cybersecurity is concerned. The increased attention will no doubt mean big changes for state and local governments as well. Read More
Technologies to bring economies to zero carbon emissions still lacking, IEA says
Energize Weekly, August 12, 2020 Many countries have announced ambitious climate goals to bring their economies to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but the technologies needed to cut emissions in areas like shipping and steelmaking don’t exist and may take decades to bring to market, according to the International Energy…
Transition costs to a zero-emissions transport system drop with falling battery prices
Energize Weekly, July 22, 2020 The cost of a transitioning to zero-carbon transportation is plummeting – thanks to a drop in battery prices – and may not need much in the way of direct government investment to speed the adoption of zero-emission vehicles, according to an analysis by University of…
Global EV sales hit a coronavirus speed bump, but how big a bump is a question
Energize Weekly, May 27, 2020 Electric vehicle (EV) sales are hitting a pandemic speed bump in 2020, but whether it’s a small bump, a big bump or a huge pothole depends on who is doing the forecasting. The projections for the year range from a modest 4.5 percent increase in…
Companies join global effort to set science-based emission targets for their operations
Energize Weekly, December 11, 2019 Nearly 700 companies around the world are moving to adopt “science-based targets” for reducing their greenhouse gas emissions with 40 percent already having plans in place, according to the non-profit and governmental groups sponsoring the initiative. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) – a collaboration…
U.S. market for ‘smart home’ devices to triple to $75 billion by 2025
Energize Weekly, September 25, 2019 The U.S. market for “smart home” devices will more than triple by 2025, reaching $75 billion, according to data analytics company GlobalData. The growth will be driven by the increased use of smart thermostats, which consumers see as an energy-saving device and utilities as one…
July EV sales plunge as China cuts subsidies, but rebound is likely in Q4
Energize Weekly, September 11, 2019 After a sharp decline in electric vehicle (EV) sales in July – the first drop in 30 months – Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) cut its sales forecast for the year by 6 percent to 1.5 million vehicles. EV sales in July were down nearly…
Dominion Energy launches a program to swap diesel school buses for electric ones
Energize Weekly, September 4, 2019 Dominion Energy has launched a program to replace diesel school buses in Virginia with electric buses starting with 50 vehicles in 2020 and then a second phase – adding 200 buses each year through 2025 – with the ultimate goal of replacing all diesel buses…
The crossover point when EVs are cheaper than ICE cars is getting closer, BNEF says
Energize Weekly, May 8, 2019 The “crossover point” when electric vehicles (EVs) are cheaper than their internal-combustion-engine (ICE) counterparts continues to get closer with falling battery costs, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF). In a 2017 BNEF analysis, the crossover point was forecast as 2026. In 2018, the crossover…
Duke Energy proposes a $76 million EV charging station program in North Carolina
Energize Weekly, April 10, 2019 Duke Energy has filed a plan with North Carolina regulators for a three-year, $76 million pilot plan to add electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and promote the growth of the vehicles in the state. “North Carolina’s current pace of EV infrastructure availability cannot support the…
Dynamic pricing for EVs could lead to $2.6 billion in benefits for Illinois consumers, study says
Energize Weekly, April 10, 2019 A well-designed electric vehicle (EV) program in Illinois could create $2.6 billion in consumer benefits, according to the Citizens Utility Board (CUB), a consumer watchdog group. The key to those benefits is simultaneously promoting the adoption of EVs and creating a rate structure that optimizes…
Demand response programs providing U.S. utilities with 18.3 gigawatts of capacity
Energize Weekly, November 28, 2018 The demand response programs of the major U.S. utilities, designed to reduce peak demand, tallied 18.3 gigawatts (GW) of capacity in 2017, with more than half of it dispatchable, according to an industry survey. The 2018 Utility Demand Response Market Snapshot, which covers 155 utilities,…
Thin-film solar can grow in high-value markets like aerospace and building materials, NREL study says
Energize Weekly, November 21, 2018 Silicon solar cells account for 95 percent of the global market, but there are potentially multi-billion dollar markets for flexible, thin-film cells, according to an analysis by researchers at the federal National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). “Multiple markets are emerging for renewable, low-cost power generation…
