Energy Solutions - Experts & Thought Leaders

The California Heat Pump Partnership (CAHPP) officially launched its first convening to bring together state agencies, manufacturers representing more than 90% of the U.S. consumer heat pump market, utilities, and other market actors to help achieve the state’s goal to install six million electric heat pumps by 2030. Launched with a shared vision to catalyze a sustainable, decarbonized future, the public-private partnership will drive forward a clean energy economy and advance California’s climate objectives by propelling widespread heat pump adoption through cross-sector collaboration and strategic partnerships. Heat pump technology “California knows how to scale clean energy. We've done this with electric vehicles, solar, wind, and battery storage and now it's time to take the benefits of heat pump technology mainstream," said California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild. “Heat pumps provide Californians a way to both cool and heat their homes with no pollution. The California Heat Pump Partnership will help government and industry leaders do the barrier-busting necessary to ensure heat pumps are accessible to all Californians." Building Decarbonization Coalition “The Building Decarbonization Coalition is uniquely positioned to manage the partnership, and bring together state and industry leaders to rapidly grow the heat pump market in California,” said Terra Weeks, Director for the CAHPP. “Scaling this technology will usher California into a new era of clean electric heating and cooling, and propel the state toward a carbon neutral future.” Addressing technical, market, and policy barriers The partnership will also deploy a statewide consumer marketing campaign through The Switch Is On The CAHPP will develop a blueprint outlining how to address technical, market, and policy barriers to achieving the state’s heat pump targets. The partnership will also deploy a statewide consumer marketing campaign through The Switch Is On, an initiative launched by the Building Decarbonization Coalition, to educate, inspire, and make switching to electric appliances easier for communities, contractors, and all those who live and work in buildings. decarbonization goals “As California moves toward a carbon-neutral future, it's crucial to foster close coordination between state and market leaders to achieve our building decarbonization goals," said California Public Utilities Commission President Alice Reynolds. “The Heat Pump Partnership is a vital step in supporting California’s transition to clean electric heating and cooling. By aligning key stakeholders in the clean energy transition, we can minimize costs and maximize benefits for all Californians, driving us towards a more sustainable future.” climate and air quality solutions “California has advanced climate and air quality solutions through innovation and collaboration between government, communities, and industry to ensure equitable outcomes,” said California Air Resources Board Chair Liane Randolph. “The heat pump partnership is the latest example of how state agencies and other climate leaders are working together to face the growing threat of extreme heat and the need to decarbonize with action, urgency, and a commitment to addressing the needs of vulnerable Californians.” clean energy transition Scaling heat pump adoption in the world’s fifth-largest economy will also act as a global market signal California currently has about 1.5 million heat pumps deployed and is on pace to install less than 200,000 heat pumps a year. To close the gap of 4.5 million heat pumps by 2030, heat pump adoption will need to nearly quadruple with about 750,000 units installed annually. Large-scale coordination efforts like the CAHPP are crucial to align major players in the clean energy transition and support California’s climate goals. Scaling heat pump adoption in the world’s fifth largest economy will also act as a global market signal, with the potential to transform the world’s green economy. Energy-efficient heat pumps “As a global leader in intelligent climate and energy solutions, Carrier is committed to supporting the installation of six million heat pumps in California’s buildings by 2030,” said Kyle Gilley, Vice President of Government Relations at Carrier. “Electrification continues to be a solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and we are proud to be contributing to a greener tomorrow with our high quality, energy efficient, sustainable heat pump systems.” Inverter technology "The California Heat Pump Partnership represents the public-private collaboration that we need to accelerate the adoption of advanced heat pumps, such as those that utilize inverter technology," said David Calabrese, Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at Daikin. "As a global leader in providing heat pumps, we are committed to working with the California government, its utilities, the environmental community, and our industry to help meet the state's six million heat pump target and ensure that this technology is accessible to all Californians." enhance efficiency, load flexibility That agreement outlined commitments to help create manufacturing capacity, enhance efficiency The partnership also builds on an agreement made last year by ten of the world’s largest manufacturers, distributors, and suppliers of heating and cooling equipment for buildings to rapidly scale the heat pump market. That agreement outlined commitments to help create manufacturing capacity, enhance efficiency, and incorporate load flexibility to decarbonize California’s buildings. heat pump adoption “As a leading manufacturer serving the California market with efficient electric space, water heating, and pool heat pumps, Rheem is committed to supporting the state’s goals to install six million electric heat pumps by 2030,” said Chris Day, Vice President, Global Product Strategy, Marketing and Training at Rheem. “The objective of the Partnership and Market Advisory Board is to scale heat pump installations through collaboration with the entire supply chain and channel partners. I am excited about the ability of the Partnership to focus the state on the most important policy and market levers to drive heat pump adoption and Rheem’s role in enabling wide-scale building decarbonization.” saving money with decarbonization "Our company is pleased to participate and contribute its more than twenty years of heat pump water heating expertise to the California Heat Pump Partnership as the state of California embarks on its ambitious goal of installing six million new heat pumps and heat pump water heaters by 2030,” said Joshua C. Greene, Corporate Vice President for Government, Regulatory, and Industry Affairs at A. O. Smith. “Through the leadership of Governor Newsom and the California Energy Commission, these combined efforts will help emphasize the co-benefits that heat pump technology offers—decarbonizing the built environment to help mitigate the impacts of climate change and lowering utility costs that will save consumers money.” achieving ambitious heat pump goals “Decarbonizing the built environment is within reach and comes with improved air quality, lower energy use, and more personal comfort,” said Dana Fischer, Senior Director of Regulatory Strategy at Mitsubishi Electric. “Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC U.S. is ready to do our part in achieving ambitious heat pump goals in California. Together we can make changes for the better.” The California Heat Pump Partnership members Heat pump manufacturers, including A. O. Smith, Bradford White, Carrier, Daikin, Fujitsu General America, Inc., Johnson Controls, Lennox, LG, Mitsubishi Electric, Rheem, and Trane Technologies Distributor: Ferguson Electricity providers, including Pacific Gas and Electric, Edison International, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, and Ava Community Energy Policymakers representing the California Energy Commission, California Air Resources Board, California Public Utilities Commission, and the Office of Governor Gavin Newsom Innovation leader: Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator

ATMOsphere, the publisher of NaturalRefrigerants.com, has finalized the program for the ATMOsphere (ATMO) America Summit 2024 on natural refrigerant-based cooling and heating, with sessions on refrigeration and heat pump case studies, end users, market trends, project funding, training, PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and policy; famed environmental attorney Robert Bilott will deliver the keynote.  13th ATMO America This 13th annual edition of ATMO America will be held Monday, June 10, and Tuesday, June 11, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. Attending will be key industry experts, including manufacturers, policymakers, end users, and contractors to learn about the latest developments in natural refrigerant-based systems. End users can register for free, and contractors/installers of HVAC&R systems are eligible to receive one free ticket per organization, with a 50% discount on additional tickets. refrigeration and heat pump case studies Flow Environmental Systems and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs will deliver case studies on CO2-based heat pump applications A wide range of refrigeration and heat pump case studies involving the use of CO2 (R744), propane (R290), and ammonia (R717) as refrigerants will be presented by industry-pioneering companies. Energy Recovery, Kysor Warren and Kroger; Copeland and Future Green; Hillphoenix; Güntner, Zero Zone and Amond World; VEIC; and Zero Zone and Coolsys will present CO2-based refrigeration case studies. In addition, Dorin; Hillphoenix and Flō Energy Solutions; Intellihot; Flow Environmental Systems, and Lawrence Berkeley National Labs will deliver case studies on CO2-based heat pump applications. Other related case studies will be presented by Axiom Cloud and Ratio Institute.  propane-based refrigeration, ammonia absorption heat pump Delivering case study presentations on propane-based refrigeration will be Tecumseh and TruMed; Embraco and Structural Concepts; and VEIC. Ammonia-based refrigeration case studies will be presented by Evapco and ColonialWebb jointly, as well as Smart Care. An ammonia absorption heat pump case study will be offered by Stone Mountain Technologies.  Event highlights Other technology highlights include:  End users will share their experiences using different types of natural refrigerant technologies, including benefits, challenges, and plans. Speakers will include Bob Siler, Operations Engineer, Amazon; Megan Rodriguez, Senior Manager of Refrigeration, Grocery Outlet; Aer Teale, Director of Engineering, Lineage Logistics; and a representative of General Refrigeration.  The latest natural refrigeration market trends in North America will be discussed by representatives of Hillphoenix, Hussmann, Copeland, Kysor Warren Epta US, and Johnson Controls–Frick/M&M Carnot. Heat Pump Market Trends: the latest market trends related to natural refrigerant heat pumps in North America will be addressed by Andy Baker, Owner & Project Manager of YourCleanEnergy. Training Panel: Natural refrigerants-based training and certification opportunities will be discussed by Rusty Walker, Training Director, North American Sustainable Refrigeration Council (NASRC), and Jim Barron, Executive Director, Refrigerating Engineers & Technicians Association (RETA).  PFAS and policy  Bilott’s keynote will be followed by a PFAS and global warming panel discussion The link between PFAS and refrigerants will be a focus of ATMOsphere America. Robert Bilott, the pioneering U.S. environmental attorney, will open the conference with a keynote on how he exposed the global threat of PFAS, with lessons for the cooling and heating industry. Bilott’s keynote will be followed by a PFAS and global warming panel discussion including Richie Kaur, Non-CO2 Climate Pollution Reduction Advocate, Climate & Energy, for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); Mindi Messmer, Senior Research Scientist for MedStar Health and former New Hampshire State House Representative; Gabriel Salierno, Green Chemist for the Toxics Use Reduction Institute; and a representative of ATMOsphere.  policy and standards session In addition, a policy and standards session will discuss developments impacting the uptake of natural refrigerants in North America. Speakers will include:  A representative of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s StratosphericProtection Division at the Office of Atmospheric Programs, will provide an update on the U.S. AIM Act. Ram Narayanamurthy, Deputy Director, Building Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Suzanne Hagell, Chief of the GHG Mitigation Bureau, Office of Climate Change, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.   Beth Porter, Senior Climate Policy Analyst, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). Dr. Rajan Rajendran, Advisor – EIA, Five Rivers Research and Consulting.   Tony Lundell, Senior Director of Standards and Safety, International Institute of All-Natural Refrigeration (IIAR). funding options There will also be a session on current and future funding options for natural refrigerant-based systems There will also be a session on current and future funding options for natural refrigerant-based systems, including the $65-million California F-gas Reduction Incentive Program (FRIP), and other states actively pursuing funding programs. Presenters will include Danielle Wright, Executive Director, NASRC, and Michael FitzGibbon, Branch Chief, Research Division, California Air Resources Board (CARB). ATMO Awards/North America ceremony At the end of day one, the conference will hold the ATMO Awards/North America ceremony recognizing companies and individuals pioneering the transition to natural refrigerant-based technologies. The Platinum sponsor of ATMO America 2024 is Hillphoenix. Gold sponsors are Hussmann, Kysor Warren, Copeland, M&M Carnot and Frick.

Energy Solutions announced that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has completed its review of the License Termination request for the La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor (LACBWR) Decommissioning project located in Genoa, Wisconsin. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission - NRC has approved the request for Energy Solutions to finalize documentation for the plant’s license transfer back to Dairyland Power. NRC completes review of License Termination request “We appreciate the NRC’s thorough and rigorous process to ensure the safe, successful completion of La Crosse Boiling Water Reactor decommissioning,” stated Ken Robuck, President and CEO of Energy Solutions. He adds, “This approval is a testament to Dairyland Power and Energy Solutions’ dedicated, highly skilled employees, and our key partners. I want to express our appreciation for their efforts to safely complete this work.”  Stewardship agreement Energy Solutions assumed license responsibility for the LACBWR decommissioning Energy Solutions finalized the license stewardship agreement with Dairyland Power Cooperative in January of 2015. Under the exclusive arrangement, Energy Solutions assumed license responsibility for the LACBWR decommissioning, an arrangement similar to the model Energy Solutions used for the Zion Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning Project located approximately 220 miles south of Genoa. Performance of the decommissioning process “This major milestone is the result of years of dedication by employees and our project partner, Energy Solutions,” said Brent Ridge, President & CEO of Dairyland Power Cooperative, adding “We appreciate the safe and thorough performance of the decommissioning process by all stakeholders.” After the license is returned to Dairyland the project will officially be complete and Dairyland will assume responsibility for the spent nuclear fuel that remains on site.