The Next Frontier of Transportation Electrification
For our last stop in Austin, we visited the depot where Waymo’s electric vehicles are charged and go through inspections and repairs, then are launched into service on the Uber network in Austin. In Austin, autonomous vehicles are ubiquitous; we spotted three additional operators currently in service.
Autonomous vehicles are the next frontier for transportation electrification; they represent a growing market share in cities across the country. Thank you to Waymo for providing our delegation a firsthand look at the infrastructure and operations needed to support autonomous electric transportation!
Welcome to Houston!
After our Waymo visit, we touched down in Houston and immediately toured CenTrio’s district cooling facility. Their district energy operations support more than 19 million square feet of building space, including Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros. CenTrio’s Houston district also features a national operations center (NOC). If CenTrio sounds familiar – it’s because they should! They operate a district heating system locally that supports some of downtown Seattle.
District energy is an efficient, affordable, and reliable way to deliver heating or cooling from a central source to buildings throughout a network. It uses a network of underground infrastructure that can eliminate in-house HVAC equipment. It also saves a significant amount of space – that’s why you see district energy adopted in dense European cities including Vienna and Copenhagen, along with cities like Reykjavík (we saw the geothermal power that helps power their energy operations on our Study Mission 5.0).
After CenTrio, we visited the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, or HETI. A strategic initiative of the Greater Houston Partnership, HETI works across constituencies to facilitate a market-based, low-carbon economy in the Houston area.
At HETI, we received a briefing from Kera Gautreau, who leads the power management work at the initiative. Houston considers itself the energy capital of the world, and it intends to hold on to that title. That means embracing new forms of low-carbon energy. Here’s how and why they’re doing it:
- It’s all about the green (as in money). This is the core of our argument at Clean & Prosperous. When you put renewables up against fossil fuels in a cost-competitive environment, clean energy is going to win out every time. And we’re seeing that play out in one of the most deregulated, free markets in the country.
- A successful transition relies on uncommon allies. HETI – and the Houston Gulf Coast region generally – brings together uncommon allies to develop and implement innovative, low-carbon solutions. That means having oil and gas at the table and part of the solution. We’ve seen this work before – it’s how Washington defended the Climate Commitment Act at the ballot box.
- Clean energy development begets economic growth. It’s notable that HETI was launched as a key strategic initiative of Houston’s chamber of commerce. It underscores the reality that clean energy development is fundamentally about growing our economy and creating jobs! For more on that, you can review our Build Sustainable High Impact Infrastructure Together report.
Thank you to our sponsors for making Study Mission 6.0: Building Bigger & Faster in Texas possible!
Showcasing Cutting-Edge ZEVs at the WAZIP Eastern WA Ride & Drive
Last week, we joined the Washington State Department of Transportation, CALSTART, and Avista for the Washington Zero Emission Incentive Program (WAZIP) Eastern WA Ride & Drive in Spokane.
Fleet operators, dealers, and clean transportation leaders came together to test drive eligible zero-emission vehicles and equipment, connect with WAZIP-approved dealers, and learn more about how to access vouchers through the program.
Thank you to all participating dealers and vehicle manufacturers for helping showcase the growing range of zero-emission vehicle and equipment options available.
WAZIP offers point-of-sale discounts on medium- and heavy-duty zero-emission vehicles and equipment, helping reduce upfront costs and making it easier for fleets to transition away from diesel. WAZIP is funded by Washington’s Climate Commitment Act.
Learn more about the program and available incentives at wazip.org.
Support Solar and BESS in Pierce County Ahead of Key Vote
On Monday, July 15, the Pierce County Community and Economic Development Committee is voting on crucial updates to facilitate the development of solar and battery energy storage systems (BESS). The County’s proposed ordinance seeks to streamline project approvals and strengthen safety regulations while demonstrating leadership on climate and grid resilience.
Combating climate change and cleaning up our air requires one thing above all else: We must transition off of polluting and expensive fossil fuels. To do that, we need to build more clean energy facilities and we must do it much faster. This ordinance will help Pierce County tap into the existing economic and workforce potential in its clean energy pipeline, and Clean & Prosperous encourages a swift passage of the policy.
If you’re interested in supporting this ordinance, you can send a letter to the Pierce County Council using this customizable letter-writing tool – it shouldn’t take more than a couple minutes of your time!
As we’ve discussed in a previous newsletter, utility-scale BESS is the technology that can supercharge Washington’s clean energy transition. In addition to supporting the Pierce County ordinance, you can sign this petition to show your support for BESS throughout Washington state – and consider sharing the petition with your network!
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