View as Webpage

WHAT ARE THEY SAYING ABOUT US NOW?

As we finish up the summer, we put together some quotes and testimonials from the stakeholders that we have supported over the past year. While our stakeholders power America, their words and support power us here at BEL. Please take a look at our new TESTIMONIALS WEB PAGE.

August Updates:

• Celebrating Success in PA
• Welcome New BEL Family Addition!
• Upcoming Events
• BEL On the Road Supporting Electrification
• BEL Research Update - Multifamily Heat Pump Water Heaters
• Grant Assistance Tracker
• Thank You BEL Sponsors!

BEL’s Technical Support Helps Unlock $13.7M in Infrastructure Funds for Appalachian Communities in Pennsylvania

As part of the Appalachian Region Community-Owned Grid Resilient Infrastructure Project (ARCO-GRIP), BEL worked to identify electric sector infrastructure investment needs for small community-owned utilities (municipal electric utilities and rural electric cooperatives) in the Appalachian region of Pennsylvania, helping small utilities evaluate and navigate the complexities of funding programs at USDA, EPA, DOE, ARC and at the state level, leading to several successful funding applications. The success of the applicants BEL supported with this program mirrors our work in other states on the 40101(d) program. Some of the project details include:

• Northwestern Rural Electric Cooperative: $834,400 for the installation of a new transmission line with advanced smart grid technology to add essential redundancy to the network.

• United Electric Cooperative: $5,049,000 will fortify the electric grid across multiple counties in West Central Pennsylvania. The rural electric cooperative will revitalize an outdated substation using state-of-the-art materials and equipment, replace/relocate power lines increasing efficiency and capacity, implement smart grid technology, and conduct extensive tree trimming in targeted areas.

• Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative: $2,145,000 for the installation of advanced satellite imagery and machine learning technology to provide comprehensive visibility of 2,800 miles of power lines.

• Sullivan County Rural Electric Cooperative: $3,300,000 to relocate and future-proof the electric substation by upgrading its capacity, adding weatherization, and smart grid technology. This project will reduce outage durations by 97 percent.

• Somerset Rural Electric Cooperative: $1,485,000 for the installation of additional power lines supported by smart grid technology. This project will result in 7.5 MW of renewable energy added into the service territory.

• Tri-County Rural Electric Cooperative: $932,200 for the installation of smart grid technology and substation hardening to improve reliability and resilience. The project will give system operators a real-time, accurate visualization of the entire distribution grid remotely to troubleshoot and prevent system issues.

The Pennsylvania Electric Cooperatives expressed their gratitude for the technical assistance provided by the Appalachian Regional Commission via the planning grant to the Beneficial Electrification League. “We appreciate BEL’s support on behalf of our member systems,” said PREA/Allegheny President & CEO Steve Brame. “Electric cooperatives pride themselves on service reliability. The partnership with BEL on these infrastructure projects will help fortify the grid for cooperative communities in this region.”

Read more here

Welcome the Newest Addition to the BEL Family!

Please join us in welcoming the newest and tiniest member of the BEL family: Margot Jane Nachbar, pictured here chilling in the frunk of her family EV with her energized dad.

As the daughter of two proud energy and electricity enthusiasts, Margot is already on the path to becoming a future proponent of electrification (when beneficial, of course). She’s quickly developed a fondness for the warmth provided by electric appliances, and she’s already enjoying the comfort and convenience of her first rides in an electric vehicle—complete with the finest climate control, courtesy of a heat pump.

Margot is sure to bring joy and excitement to her family and the entire BEL community.

Upcoming Events

Below is a list of upcoming in-person events. We hope that you can join us!

Minnesota Electrification Leadership Summit

October 21, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm (CDT)

Minneapolis, MN

New England Electrification Leadership Summit

October 22, 9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Worcester, MA

BEL On the Road Supporting Electrification

The Beneficial Electrification League (BEL) team continues to travel across the country, engaging with stakeholders and discussing the latest developments in the beneficial electrification landscape. Over the past month, BEL President Keith Dennis addressed a policy forum on Capitol Hill focused on Rural and Tribal Community Energy Policy, while BEL COO Alex Hofmann gave the keynote at the annual meeting of Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Power Electronics Accelerator Consortium for Electrification (PACE) in Knoxville.

These engagements allow us to stay closely connected with policymakers, industry stakeholders, and academia, capturing a nuanced mix of optimism and challenges. BEL is committed to harnessing opportunities, overcoming obstacles, and advancing the missions of our stakeholders to enhance the quality of life for all Americans through beneficial electrification.

BEL Supported Research Group Shows Benefits From Centralized Heat Pump Water Heaters for Multifamily Buildings in Cold Climates

A research partnership between Oak Ridge National Lab, Steffes, and BEL recently released a study identifying opportunities for efficiency in multifamily buildings with centralized heat pump water heaters. The study sheds light on the potential of centralized heat pump water heaters (cHPWH) as a beneficial electrification option for multifamily buildings in cold climates. The research highlights how these systems, equipped with CO2 heat pumps, can serve as thermal energy storage (TES) batteries, offering significant demand reduction and efficiency benefits.

The partnership evaluated the performance of cHPWH systems through simulations conducted for buildings in Los Angeles and Chicago. The results demonstrate that utilizing large water storage tanks in these systems can lead to substantial utility cost savings and emission reductions by enabling load shifting via thermal storage—preheating water during off-peak hours and reducing the need for electricity during peak times.

Key findings include a 7.4-15% utility cost reduction and a 10.2-13% emission reduction in various locations. These results underscore the demand reduction potential of central CO2 HPWHs, particularly in cold climates where heating demands are highest.

We are excited to share this research in support of the growing interest in leveraging smart grid technologies and renewable energy integration to enhance building efficiency and reduce environmental impact. As the electricity sector continues to evolve, centralized heat pump thermal storage systems offer a promising solution for multifamily water heating in cold regions.

Read more here

BEL Grant Assistance Tracker

Since the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was enacted in 2021, BEL has been hard at work providing grant assistance to utility coalitions, municipalities, cooperatives, and Tribes across the country. In total, our team has led and worked with applications for projects totaling $10B+ across 30+ states.



In the cases where applications aren't awarded, BEL works with utilities to develop visions and strategies for executing on electrification and looks for other opportunities to develop their projects.

Read more here

For information on sponsorship of BEL, please click below.

BEL is a 501(c)3 organization with Gold status as a charitable organization on Guidestar.