U.S. EPA Memo Offers Direction on Lithium Battery Recycling—Essential to the Future Supply Chain for Battery Electric Vehicles
Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used in a wide variety of applications, from medical devices to laptops — and now, increasingly, in electric vehicles (EVs). With the market for personal and commercial EVs growing, it is essential for U.S. manufacturers to have a secure, reliable supply chain of the critical minerals needed to produce EV batteries, including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper. Indeed, a recent study highlights the growing demand for these minerals — and the challenges the U.S. faces to meet this demand from mined sources.
PJM Limits Renewable Energy Resource Capacity Values for Allocation of Capacity Interconnection Rights
On April 7, 2023, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an Order Accepting Tariff Revisions Subject to Condition (183 FERC ¶ 61,009) approving a PJM Interconnection LLC (PJM) proposal to limit the power capacity values of wind, solar, and hybrid resources within PJM’s recently adopted grid reliability framework.
DOE Announces Over $4B in Energy Transition Project Tax Credit and Grant Programs
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), alongside the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Department of the Treasury, has announced plans to implement programs funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: the Low-Income Communities Bonus Credit Program (48(e)), the Qualifying Advanced Energy Project Credit (48C)), and the Advanced Energy Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Program. Together, these programs will make available more than $4 billion in federal tax credits and grants for energy transition projects in an effort to “accelerate domestic clean energy manufacturing and ensure traditionally underserved communities benefit from clean energy technologies.”