Smokestacks at West’s largest coal-fired power plant will explode on Friday

In today’s Electrek Green Energy Brief (EGEB):

• Arizona Navajo Generating Station coal-fired stacks knocked down – VIDEO.
• The Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance publishes principles to accelerate the electrification of US commercial fleets.
• UnderstandingSolar is a free service that connects you with the best solar installers in your area for personalized solar estimates. Tesla now offers price matching, so it’s important to research the best quotes. Click here to find out more and get your quotes. – * a d.

The coal chimneys are tipping over

Update of 12/18: The chimneys of the Navajo power station were demolished this morning. Here’s a video that captures the moment they fell:

December 16: The 2,400 MW Navajo Power Plant (NGS) in northeastern Arizona – the largest coal-fired power plant west of the Mississippi River – was shut down more than a year ago, in November 2019, as Electrek reported.

And this Friday, December 18, the 775-foot-high chimneys of the NGS will be demolished with explosives as part of the decommissioning process around 8:30 a.m.

The demolition of the chimney is a symbol of how the energy landscape has radically changed in a few years. Several months before announcing in February 2017 that they would shut down NGS by the end of 2019, its utility owners were in federal court to claim the right to operate the plant in the 2040s.

In just three years, Arizona’s two largest utilities – Arizona Public Service (APS) and Tucson Electric Power – have pledged to abandon all of their coal assets and work towards 100% carbon-free electricity. On top of that, the Arizona Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities, has also pledged to reach net zero by 2050.

However, much remains to be done to ensure a just and just transition for the Navajo and the Hopi. While APS offered $ 144 million in November to support affected tribes and surrounding communities in the transition from coal to green power, other utilities have yet to step up their aid offer under form of funding.

Leaders of the Navajo and Hopi communities recently published a bulletin assessing the state of the transition:

• Ending Harmful Coal Mining and Burning: B-
• Guarantee corporate responsibility through financial support for the transition from public services: VS
• Tackle land and water rehabilitation and restoration: F
• Develop clean energy projects that are in harmony with sacred tribal values: C +
• Ensure that community voices and community benefits come first: re

You can access the newsletter details here.

Electrification of the American commercial fleet

A group of 21 major global and US companies, including Amazon, AT&T, Best Buy, DHL, IKEA, Siemens, National Grid and Uber, have come together and called themselves the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance (CEVA).

The group is led by the non-profit sustainable development organization Ceres. CEVA was established in January 2020 to accelerate the business transition to electric vehicles in all vehicle segments, from light passenger cars to heavy trucks.

CEVA yesterday released its first set of Cross-Industry Fleet Electrification Principles that provide guidance on what auto and truck manufacturers, regulators, policymakers and utilities need to do to advance the electric vehicle market commercial.

This timing of this action to decarbonise the American transport sector is no accident, with the electoral victory and the next inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden, who has pledged to support electric vehicles and has promised to join the Paris Agreement on the first day of his presidency (cc Pete Buttigieg, whom Biden chose as transport secretary).

Here are the principles of the Corporate Electric Vehicle Alliance, and full details on each principle can be found here:

1. Increased variety and volume of zero-emission vehicle model options
2. Access to an economical charging infrastructure and flexible tariffs
3. More transparency on the timing and availability of new models
4. Initial cost parity with ICE vehicles
5. Integrated access to renewable energies
6. Improved coordination and support of power companies and utility regulators
7. Strategically located and widely available charging infrastructure
8. Technology interoperability and streamlined charging standards
9. Decarbonization of employee travel and regional transport

Badar Khan, President of National Grid, USA, said:

To fight climate change, we need to tackle the transport sector. It starts with companies like us electrifying our own fleets, reducing GHG emissions in our daily operations and helping our customers to do the same.

We will switch to a 100% electric fleet by 2030 for our light vehicles while continuing to replace our medium and heavy vehicles with zero carbon alternatives.

Photo: Mark Henle / The Republic via azcentral.com

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