Governor Gina M. Raimondo has announced that Rhode Island will pursue a competitive request for proposals (RFP) to procure up to 600 MW of new offshore wind energy. This latest effort is in-line with Governor Raimondo's Executive Order 20-01, which placed Rhode Island on a path toward meeting 100 percent of its electricity demand with renewable energy resources by 2030.

The competitive RFP will be developed by National Grid, with oversight by the state Office of Energy Resources, and is subject to approval by the Public Utilities Commission. As of the second quarter of 2020, Rhode Island counted 933 MW of renewable energy in its portfolio, representing a nine-fold increase since 2016.

A draft RFP is anticipated to be filed with state regulators in Q1 2021.

In November, OER recognized 20 state and quasi-government agencies, municipalities, and public schools for their renewable energy and energy efficiency achievements at its Fourth Annual Lead by Example Clean Energy Awards ceremony.

The Lead by Example program promotes the adoption of clean energy measures across public sector facilities throughout Rhode Island. State and municipal employees are helping to reduce energy costs and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, while supporting the local clean energy economy. This work often goes unheralded, but is a critical tool in addressing public sector energy burdens across government.

2020 Lead by Example Energy Award-Winners:

Category: Municipality – Town of South Kingstown

Category: Public School – Scituate Public Schools

Category: State Agency – Rhode Island Army National Guard

Category: Quasi-Public Agency – Narragansett Bay Commission

OER is making $100,000 in public funding available for Level II electric vehicle charging station projects.

This incentive will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis and is available for Publicly-Accessible Business, Government & Non-Profit Sites, Workplace and Multi-Unit Dwellings projects.

Funding remains available for Publicly-Accessible DCFC EVSE.

Please visit http://www.energy.ri.gov/electrifyri.php for more information on the Electrify RI program, or reach out to Program Administrator Sara Canabarro via email Sara.Canabarro@energy.ri.gov

We are excited to announce our Energy Storage Photographs Contest! The competition aims to find photographs of energy storage projects throughout Rhode Island. The winning images chosen will receive a photo credit and be featured on the Office of Energy Resources website and newsletter.

We are specifically looking for quality photos of installed energy storage systems. Examples include batteries for homes and businesses. Preference will be given to batteries that are charged from renewable energy resources. Common brands of batteries include Tesla, LG and SolarEdge. Other types of energy storage technologies will also be considered, including mechanical and thermal energy storage systems like flywheels, hot storage tanks, and compressed air systems. All projects must be located in Rhode Island.

Additional requirements for submission include: a description of the project summarizing key technical information; the project installer; the project’s municipality; the general use case for the energy storage system; a photo credit with the photographer’s name; and a link to the installer’s website. Permission from the owner of battery is needed as well – please include the attached signed permission form with your submission. Please submit photos and required materials to Jacklyn.Olivieri@energy.ri.gov as an attachment.

The contest will run from December 10, 2020 to January 8, 2021.

As Rhode Island’s largest water utility, Providence Water provides drinking water to approximately 600,000 Rhode Islanders. The company completed a 17,739-panel, ground-mounted, 4.99-megawatt solar project at its Pine Hill Road location in Johnston.

EDF Renewables designed and built the project at no cost to Providence Water. The Pine Hill Solar project, combined with the rooftop solar array on Providence Water’s Central Operation Facility, will provide Providence Water with 100 percent renewable energy and produce no greenhouse gas emissions. In addition to significant cost savings, the Pine Hill Road Solar Project has substantial environmental benefits, including reduced carbon dioxide emissions.

The utility company expects to save up to $600,000 in the first year, with an anticipated savings of $25 million in utility costs over the next 25 years. Providence Water has agreed to purchase power from EDF at a fixed rate of $0.0914/kWh for the next 25 years, with an additional ten-year option available.

In June 2020, the Rhode Island Office of Energy Resources (OER), Department of Administration (DOA), Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) and Department of Corrections (DOC) completed a collaborative project to upgrade the exterior lighting at the John O. Pastore Complex to current LED technology. The project will help reduce annual greenhouse gas emissions by 811 tons, equivalent to removing 159 vehicles from the road for one year, on average.

Much of site’s exterior lighting had reached the end of its useful life, making this an opportune time for an upgrade. Improving the infrastructure, however, was just one of the project goals. The energy and maintenance cost savings of this large-scale project will be significant, as will reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Equally important is improved security resulting from increased and better-focused illumination across the complex. Finally, the project also upgraded the lighting of the outdoor prison exercise yards, improving conditions for both the inmates and security personnel.