The U.S. Trade Representative on Sept. 19 granted exclusions from import duties for certain solar products. These include 45-W off-grid solar panels, 120-W flexible and semi-flexible off-grid panels designed for motor vehicles and boats, 90-W frameless panels in colors other than black or blue, back contact solar cells, and modules using U.S.-made solar cells. Solar…
More than a dozen members of the Georgia General Assembly, in a Sept. 19 letter to the owners of the Vogtle nuclear plant, expressed concerns over the “ever-escalating cost” of the project and urged them to establish a cost cap to protect electric ratepayers from cost overruns. The lawmakers noted that, last month Georgia Power,…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Sept. 19 authorized NHIP II Bayonne Holdings LLC to indirectly acquire the outstanding equity interests in Thermal Bayonne Holdings LLC from MIC Thermal Power Holdings LLC. Thermal Bayonne is an indirect parent of Bayonne Energy Center LLC, which operates a 610-megawatt gas power plant in New Jersey, and Zone…
The U.S. Energy Department on Sept. 19 authorized Mexico Pacific Limited LLC to export up to 621 billion cubic feet per year of natural gas by pipeline for end use in Mexico and to re-export the gas after liquefaction in Mexico to countries with which the U.S. has a free trade agreement or FTA countries.…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $398.5 million to improve rural electric service in 13 states, according to a Sept. 19 press release. The spending includes about $43.7 million for smart grid technology to enhance the reliability and efficiency of electric power systems. The loan will also finance an 81 MW solar photovoltaic farm…
About 31 percent of U.S. households faced difficulties in paying energy bills or meeting their heating or air conditioning needs in 2015, a year when overall energy-related spending was the lowest in more than a decade, according to a Sept. 19 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The statistics from the agency’s most recent…
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced up to $3 million in grants for installation of fast-charging stations and hydrogen fuel cell equipment for zero emission vehicles through 2019, according to a Sept. 19 press release. Applications for the grant program are due on Jan. 25, July 15, and Dec. 16, 2019. The department will…
The Illinois Commerce Commission held a policy session on the electrification of commercial fleets and buses and the effects of increasing electric vehicles in the transportation sector, according to a Sept. 19 press release. Panelists said that electric vehicles are gaining favor among commercial users due to lower maintenance costs, improved driving range, smaller environmental…
California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, signed legislation on Sept. 19 that directs the state public utilities commission to authorize full funding for the community mitigation settlement and employee retention programs that Pacific Gas and Electric Company proposed in its initial application seeking approval to retire the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. In January, the…
