Maine considers beneficial electrification of transportation, heating

The independent administrator of Maine's energy efficiency programs has issued a request for information to inform a study of the barriers to beneficial electrification in the transportation and heating sectors in Maine. While the electricity sector has largely been decarbonized, transportation and heating lag significantly: Maine's transportation sector was responsible for 53 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions in 2017, with heating taking the next greatest share. Meanwhile, electricity generation in Maine accounted for just 9 percent of the state's greenhouse gas emissions. 

Earlier this year, the Maine legislature enacted a law supporting "beneficial electrification", a concept defined in the new statute as "electrification of a technology that results in reduction in the use of a fossil fuel, including electrification of a technology that would otherwise require energy from a fossil fuel, and that provides a benefit to a utility, a ratepayer or the environment, without causing harm to utilities, ratepayers or the environment, by improving the efficiency of the electricity grid or reducing consumer costs or emissions, including carbon emissions." For example, petroleum used as fuel for vehicles and heating could be replaced by electricity generated from cleaner and less costly sources.

The new law also requires Efficiency Maine Trust -- Maine's quasi-governmental independent efficiency program administrator -- to study barriers to beneficial electrification in Maine's  transportation and heating sectors. To inform that study, on August 28, 2019, Efficiency Maine Trust released its Request for Information on Beneficial Electrification Study. It requests that interested parties submit written information, guidance, or comments relevant to the study, including barriers to beneficial electrification of transportation and heating, potential roles of utilities in supporting beneficial electrification, areas or populations where additional policy development or utility intervention are needed to ensure the benefits of beneficial electrification are obtained, and recommended opportunities for beneficial electrification. The Trust has requested written comments by September 18, 2019.

Separately, under another section of the new law, the Maine Public Utilities Commission has issued a request for proposals for pilot programs that support beneficial electrification of the transportation sector. The Commission's August 28 Request for Proposals seeks proposals for "pilot programs and projects that are limited in duration and scope to support beneficial electrification of the transportation sector." It suggests that proposals may address electric vehicle chargers that make use of load management, utility investment in electricity delivery infrastructure for fast-charge direct-current technology, fees for this service, and recommended opportunities for deployment.