Banding Together: How Aggregation Helps Cities Buy Renewables at Scale
By Yuning Liu & Mia Reback
In March 2021, 24 local governments in Maryland joined together on a plan to purchase enough renewable energy to power more than 246,000 homes a year. They did this by issuing a joint request for proposal (RFP) through the Baltimore Regional Cooperative Purchasing Committee (BRCPC) to seek a supply of up to 240,000 MWh of renewable energy starting in 2022. This large-scale transaction was made possible by an energy procurement approach known as energy aggregation, which is a way for two or more buyers to purchase electricity from a utility-scale generation facility.
According to the new Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) must peak within four years to limit global warming to 1.5°C, and cities have a critical role to play in meeting that target. Aggregation can be a powerful way for cities to rapidly increase their renewable energy and help decarbonize local economies at the necessary speed and scale. Yet most cities have not pursued aggregation due to an inadequate understanding of its novel deal structure and a lack of tools and resources to help streamline the process.
Aggregation can be a powerful way for cities to rapidly increase their renewable energy and help decarbonize local economies at the necessary speed and scale.
To help cities overcome these barriers, last year the American Cities Climate Challenge Renewables Accelerator, an initiative co-led by RMI and World Resources Institute, began organizing a Large-Scale Renewables Aggregation Cohort. This cohort provided technical assistance to more than 30 organizations, including the BRCP. A second iteration of the cohort is now underway with a new group of organizations. In addition, a newly released RMI report, Procuring Large-Scale Renewables through Aggregation: A Guide for Local Governments aims to help more cities understand and pursue aggregation.
As more and more cities take actions to decarbonize the electricity system, aggregation will be an increasingly important option that can provide buyers with several advantages, such as opening doors for smaller cities, creating positive network effects, and unlocking more cost savings.
Enabling Smaller Buyers to Access Large-Scale Projects
Aggregation can enable participation from smaller cities that, on their own, are not able to purchase enough electricity to warrant the attention from developers. This is particularly important for smaller communities with 100 percent renewable energy goals, as most municipalities cannot supply 100 percent of their electricity needs with on-site solar generation alone. Therefore, a utility-scale, off-site procurement will be an essential component of many smaller buyers’ decarbonization strategy.
One instance of a small buyer accessing large-scale renewables projects is a 25 MW joint solar purchase completed by MIT, Boston Medical Center (BMC), and Post Office Square (POS) in 2016. In this aggregated deal, MIT committed to buy 73 percent of the power generated by the new array, with BMC purchasing 26 percent and POS purchasing the remainder.
“Entering into a renewable power purchase agreement was our next step, but our consumption is too small to do it alone,” said Pamela Messenger, general manager of Friends of POS. “It is exciting to join forces with two industry leaders, allowing us to mitigate 100 percent of our electricity footprint.”
Similarly, other smaller local governments have also used aggregation to gain access, such as five local governments in Maine. They teamed up for the state’s first multi-town renewables project, a 4 MW solar array, which provides climate benefits equivalent to more than 4,000 acres of forests.
Without pooling the electricity demand with other buyers, smaller cities would not be able to access utility-scale projects on their own, making it difficult to reduce their carbon emissions efficiently.
Creating Knowledge-Sharing Opportunities
By joining together, cities can not only aggregate their buying power but also pool their knowledge to streamline procurement processes. The shared experience among participants can generate positive network effects, including increased mentorship, increased credibility, and support for inexperienced buyers.
For example, the City of Nashville partnered with Vanderbilt University last year to purchase electricity from a 125 MW solar project as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Green Invest program. This public-private partnership allowed the city to leverage the expertise of the University’s Large-Scale Renewable Energy Study Advisory Committee to identify the best risk mitigation strategy.
According to Susan R. Wente, interim chancellor of Vanderbilt University, “We want this partnership to serve as a model of collaboration that other organizations within our region and beyond can replicate to make long-term, lasting changes to protect our shared environment.” In fact, the connections formed within the aggregation group have garnered national media attention and are sending a powerful signal to utilities, policymakers, and developers that local governments are serious about rapidly decarbonizing the electricity system.
In addition, a group of buyers can also share external lawyers, accountants, or consultants. For instance, 15 Pennsylvania municipalities and public entities, which also participated in the Renewables Accelerator’s Large-Scale Renewables Aggregation Cohort, have teamed up to investigate the viability of investing in a joint solar deal. The 15 entities issued a joint RFP for energy consultants in May 2021 to share external advisory services.
Unlocking More Cost Savings
Throughout the collaborative process, aggregated deals can produce various cost savings because they enable cities to achieve greater economies of scale by combining the renewable energy demands of multiple buyers.
For example, a National Renewable Energy Laboratory analysis estimates that procuring 100 MW of solar instead of 5 MW can reduce development costs by 24 percent. This can lead to cost savings in the form of lower power purchase agreement prices for all buyers, regardless of size.
In another case, the company Enel X, which is working with the BRCPC on a joint purchasing strategy, found that renewable energy projects typically must be over 20 MW in size to be economical. The company discovered that aggregation is one way for smaller buyers to participate in large projects.
In Florida, 12 cities joined together to form the Florida Municipal Solar Project. They are developing 372.5 MW of zero-emissions energy capacity, enough to power 75,000 Florida homes. According to Jacob Williams, CEO and general manager of the Florida Municipal Power Agency, “By working together, our cities are able to provide clean power to their communities in a cost-effective way.” Clint Bullock, Orlando Utilities Commission general manager and CEO, explained, “We can leverage the economies of scale to bring the price of solar down to a point where a dozen municipal utilities can afford to sign on and I believe this is something people around the country will take notice of.”
Better Together
As more cities set goals to transition to renewables, aggregation is democratizing clean energy access by enabling participants, especially smaller buyers, to collectively develop significantly larger renewables projects than any one buyer would be able to access individually. The partnerships can create positive network effects through knowledge sharing and inspire other organizations within the region to replicate the collaboration model. By unlocking more cost savings, aggregated deals provide a lower-cost mechanism for cities to achieve climate goals efficiently.
The new IPCC report underscores the urgency of decarbonizing the electricity system and reducing GHGs. To play their part, cities need to increase the pace and scale of renewable energy procurement. Although aggregation is still a relatively underutilized procurement method, this approach is crucial to help them do that.
Procuring Large-Scale Renewables through Aggregation: A Guide for Local Governments helps walk local governments through the aggregated procurement process step-by-step and links to other key tools and resources relevant to each stage.
Cities must act now to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The best path forward involves engaging all actors and ensuring a more promising economic structure for a wide array of purchasers. In the battle against climate change, it is better to aggregate than to go it alone.
Article courtesy of RMI.
While the typical buyers of the flagship Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 may not have to ask what one costs, they do need to know what number to write on the check – and if they happen to be asking this month, that number will be $50,000 LOWER than before.
CarsDirect is reporting a MASSIVE $50,000 lease or purchase cash incentive on the $181,050 top-of-the-line Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680, which amounts to a JC Penney-like 27% discount from the luxo liner’s original asking price and the biggest factory discount deal on any new Mercedes-Benz model so far.
Mercedes-Benz nearly doubled the savings on the 2025 Mercedes-Maybach EQS 680 this month, making it the SUV with the largest rebate offer. The high-end luxury SUV is available with $50,000 in lease cash or purchase cash. Previously, the automaker offered $30,000, making this the best deal to date on the $181,050 vehicle.
For that money, Mercedes-Maybach EQS buyers get Rolls-Royce rivaling material appointments and infotainment features that wouldn’t look out of place in a futuristic sci-fi movie, as well as reclining and massaging rear seats with quilted leather upholstery, lumbar support pillows, and a whole lot more, too.
It’s nice in there
The Maybach EQS 680 is all about opulence, of course – and the list of available features reads exactly the way you’d expect it to on a ride like this. For example: there’s a 12.3″-inch” digital instrument cluster, 17.7″ OLED touchscreen central multimedia display, another 12.3″ OLED display for the front passenger, something called MBUX Hyperscreen, ventilated/rapid-heating front seats so your chauffeur doesn’t get too sweaty, the previously-mentioned massaging seats, “soft close” doors, power side-window sunshades for added privacy, illuminated running boards, and a 64-color choice of interior mood lighting.
Power and torque rarely matter on a ride that you’re more likely to be relaxing in rather than driving, but the big Mercedes doesn’t disappoint in that department, either, thanks to a fully variable 4MATIC AWD system with Torque Shift power vectoring that can send the big SUV’s 649 hp away from the wheels that slip to the wheels that grip, and also work to accelerate inside wheels at a different rate than outside wheels to neutralize handling at the limits.
You know, in case you need to escape the hungry mobs with pitchforks forgot to pick up little Suzie from soccer and need to get there now, Now, NOW!
The big EQS features a 107-ish kWh battery pack good for an EPA-estimated 200 miles of range, with 10-80% charge available in about 30 minutes on a 200 kW DC fast charger. And, trust me, that’s the kind of convenience your personal driver will love.
You can find out more about Mercedes’ killer EV deals on the full range of EQ models, from this top-shelf Maybach on “down” to the also super-discounted compact EQB crossover, below, then let us know what you think of the three-pointed star’s latest discount dash in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
SOURCE: CarsDirect; images via Mercedes-Benz.
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Despite decades of market dominance, it seems like the days of loud, finicky gas-powered lawnmowers may finally be behind us — and I say that because five of the highest-rated mowers on Amazon won’t burn a drop of gas.
While the federal push for EVs may have stalled under the current Trump Administration, state and local governments continue to tightening restrictions on noise and small-engine emissions — and that means your next lawn mower is more likely to plug in than fill up, whether you like it or not. The good news, however, is that in addition to being quieter, safer, and not poisoning the air you breathe while you walk behind them, electric mowers have come a long way in terms of power and performance in just a few years. So much so, in fact, that many of the highest-rated models on Amazon, period, are electric.
Consumer site SlashGear recently compared the average star ratings of a number of lawn mowers on Amazon, focusing on products that had at least 2,000 reviews and a four-star average or higher, and found that battery-electric units from EGO, Greenworks, and Worx were among the top-rated mowers, regardless of fuel type:
The products on this list have the highest ratings for lawn mowers on Amazon. Not only do they have high ratings, but they also have an extensive number of reviews from customers. There are lawn mowers not included on this list with higher customer ratings, but they don’t have the same quantity of reviews.
There’s one manual push mower (sometimes called a reel mower) on that top five list, but virtually no mention of the fact that there are precisely zero gas-powered mowers on the list – despite there being more than 600 pages of results when I searched “gas mower” earlier today. And it’s that fact that seems like the Real News™ item here, not the affiliate links.
So, in that spirit, here’s a brief rundown of each of the top-performing mower brands that’s both free of ad links and in alphabetical order. Enjoy!
EGO
Over the past few years, the EGO brand has staked a claim to being the gold standard for cordless lawn equipment with its high-voltage 56V battery platform and premium build quality, and the brand’s self-propelled mowers regularly top customer satisfaction charts (they show 4.6-star average rating with more than 2,600 reviews).
That’s no surprise, as the EGO mowers offer superior durability, long runtimes, quick charging, and enough torque to rival (if not outperform) comparable gas models.
Greenworks
Another electric lawn care standard-bearer, Greenworks has been covered a number of times in these pages for everything from a powerful 60V cordless chainsaw to an electric minibike. Today, though, we’re focusing specifically on the brand’s 24V 13″ brushless electric mower – a product with a 4.3-star rating after more than 21,000 Amazon reviews. (!)
Fans of the Greenworks lawnmowers often cite their low weight, durability, ease of use, and for a small suburban yard (let’s call it a 1/4-1/2 acres, on the high side) the 13″ version shown, above, should be more than up to the task.
WORX
Full disclaimer: I have a few WORX-branded toys in my garage, partly because of the brand’s smart, compact, and consumer-friendly approach to product design and partly because the brand’s excellent Power Share platform let users swap batteries between tools before some of the other brands figured out that was a huge selling point, giving WORX a significant head start in the logistical simplicity and convenience departments.
The results speak, meanwhile, for themselves. The brand enjoys high customer ratings for its 40V 17″ mower (above, which fits neatly between the other two options), and a growing base of users who’ve discovered that going electric doesn’t have to mean going expensive.
If you’re looking to get yourself some electric lawn equipment, keep an eye out for Electrek’s “Green Deals” posts which frequently feature big discounts. And check with your state or regional clean air regulator to see if any rebates are available – here’s California’s page, and here’s Colorado’s, but there are constantly shifting incentives available elsewhere too, so even if you’ve looked into those before: look again.
Source links throughout; featured image by EGO.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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This one is bound to upset the DSM purists still out there — meet the all-new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, an all-electric crossover with over 370 miles of range that’s rolling out to European dealers as you read this. (!)
First unveiled last month, the all-new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross EV is one of the first fruits of the Nissan- Mitsubishi- Renault alliance to wear the Mitsubishi badge and early production versions of the new SUV have already begun rolling out of Renault’s ElectriCity Douai Plant in Cuincy, France.
“Following the launch of the Outlander plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) and the Grandis hybrid EV (HEV), rolling out the all-new Eclipse Cross marks a crucial step in our electrification strategy in Europe,” said Takao Kato, president and chief executive officer of Mitsubishi Motors, at the vehicle’s debut. “Having developed the world’s first mass-produced BEV, Mitsubishi Motors has made it a mission to provide environmentally friendly vehicles and has been working toward achieving carbon neutrality. We will continue contributing to the realization of a decarbonized society by expanding our lineup of electrified vehicles, as well as addressing the diverse needs of our European customers.”
Smart Armor styling
Mitsubishi calls its latest Eclipse’ design language “Smart Armor,” and says that its design, “conveys robustness and security by incorporating powerful, armor-like design elements into an advanced and sophisticated smart EV design.”
I don’t know about any of that, but the design is certainly a noticeable, modern update on the Outlander and Outlander Sport that have dominated the struggling Japanese car brand’s North American product line for the last decade. So, while it may not win any awards or make into a “future classics” coffee table book, the latest Eclipse would certainly look “new” in a modern American Whole Foods parking lot.
Modern outside, modern inside
Inside, the new Mitsubishi Eclipse EV offers a comforting mix of buttons and touchscreens angled, cockpit-style, towards the driver and finished in a color palette that will be familiar to any 1st-gen DSM driver, paired with the chunky steering wheel and diamond-quilted seats that drivers familiar with Mitsubishi’s more recent SUV- and crossover-heavy are used to.
Like the exterior, the new Eclipse EV’s probably won’t win any design awards, but it seems comfortable and practical enough and — I can’t state this enough — looks to be a noticeable improvement over the previous generation. The car’s tech, connectivity, and infotainment features, too, also seem thoroughly modern:
The all-new Eclipse Cross is equipped with a vertical 12.3-inch Smartphone-link Display Audio (SDA) system, offering the latest infotainment experience. As it is a vehicle with Google built-in1, drivers can use apps like Google Assistant and Google Maps the moment they step into the car and even download additional apps via Google Play. Simply saying “Hey Google” enables drivers to operate the air conditioner, search for destinations, make phone calls, and play music—all hands-free. Both Apple CarPlay®4 and Android AutoTM are supported with wireless connectivity, offering a seamless connection to smartphones. The audio system features a Harman Kardon premium sound system with five selectable listening modes to suit any mood or preference, delivering an immersive, high-quality sound experience. In addition, four drive modes, Personal, Eco, Comfort, and Sport can be selected at will through the SDA, depending on the driver’s preferences and driving conditions. The Mitsubishi Motors mobile app enables remote access to the vehicle, including locking and unlocking, charging, and checking the parking location, all from a smartphone, enhancing everyday convenience. The model supports Firmware-Over-The-Air (FOTA) wireless software update technology, enabling drivers to easily update to the latest software environment by simply following the instructions on the SDA screen.
The all-new Eclipse Cross features up to 20 advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS)5. Ultrasonic sensors, cameras, and forward radar constantly monitor the vehicle’s surroundings to support safe driving. With a range of advanced safety technologies, including the MI-PILOT2 same-lane driver assistance system for highways and Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)2 system, it offers a safe and secure driving experience.
The new Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross EV features an 87 kWh battery good for up to 600 km (~375 miles) of range on the European cycle. That battery sends electrons to a capable 160 kW (~215 hp) electric motor that delivers 300 Nm (220 lb-ft) of torque at 0 rpm. DC fast charging can happen at up to 150 kW of charging, which (by my math) works out to something like a 25 minute 10-80% charge time.
Spanish-language site Motorpasión was able to get their hands on a preproduction version of the new Mitsubishi Eclipse and gave it a pretty solid review. You can check that out here, but we’ll be holding back our review until Fred or Micah can get their hands on one. Stay tuned.
Electrek’s Take
I’ve alluded to this a few times in this article, but it’s worth saying again: the new Eclipse Cross EVs aren’t wining awards or setting any performance records here, but they’re perfectly adequate and zippy enough to more than keep up with modern traffic. And, frankly, that’s a refreshing change of pace from an automotive market that seems to be constantly chasing the cancerous mantra of, “bigger, faster, more.”
If Mitsubishi’s US dealers aren’t positively begging for the parent company to bring this new EV to North America, they have truly lost the plot.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Mitsubishi.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
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