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Wake up to breaking news that impacts you. Get our e-newsletter Public Power Current — published every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday — with exclusive news and features on federal policy, regional and state initiatives, and case studies from public power utilities across the country. All employees and board members of American Public Power Association member organizations can sign up.

Recently in Public Power Current
To find earlier stories in Public Power Current, browse by popular topics or contact us at News@PublicPower.org.
Environment
To keep pace with increasing water demand as Central Florida’s population grows, the Board of Commissioners for Florida public power utility OUC voted on April 9 to approve a new alternative water supply project.
Electric Vehicles
A new study found that electric vehicle efficiency improvements have the potential to significantly reduce future electric infrastructure buildout, energy usage, and consumer costs over the next three decades.
Environment
Washington State’s Snohomish County PUD recently announced a pilot program designed to provide funding support for selected tree planting projects in public green spaces and urban areas.
Grid Modernization
The U.S. Department of Energy released a report that it said shows how commercially available advanced grid solutions can cost effectively increase the existing grid’s capacity to support upwards of 20-100 gigawatts of peak demand growth.
Electricity Markets
The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced funding for six projects aimed at improving state and regional engagement in wholesale electricity markets. The projects announced on April 11 “will help facilitate the improvement or creation of more efficient and flexible wholesale markets, which will be essential to ensure grid resilience and reliability as new load and generation come online,” DOE said.
Safety
The Northwest Public Power Association recently recognized Idaho Falls Power for its improvements in workplace and employee safety.
Distributed Energy Resources
The following is a transcript of the April 15, 2024, episode of Public Power Now. Learn more about subscribing to Public Power Now at Publicpower.org/Podcasts. Some quotes may have been edited for clarity. Paul Ciampoli Welcome to the latest episode of Public Power Now. I'm Paul Ciampoli, News
Distributed Energy Resources
The backlog of new power generation and energy storage seeking transmission connections across the U.S. grew again in 2023, with nearly 2,600 gigawatts of generation and storage capacity now actively seeking grid interconnection, according to new research from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.