The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 10 passed legislation that would authorize offshore wind energy development in the exclusive economic zone adjacent to all five U.S. territories extending 200 nautical miles seaward, while state waters extending 3 nautical miles would continue to remain under territorial jurisdiction. The bill would provide each territory with state-equivalent…
PJM Interconnection LLC filed revisions with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for market rules that would provide greater flexibility for energy storage resources participating in the wholesale market to manage system operations when charging, discharging or providing continuous electrical service across their full dispatchable range. PJM said the proposal includes modifications, where necessary, to the capacity, energy…
The New York Independent System Operator Inc. on Dec. 7 released a plan outlining a design to internalize the social cost of carbon dioxide emissions in the wholesale electricity markets. The plan would use a carbon price in dollars per ton of emissions, proposing a net cost of $40.74 per ton in 2020. The proposal would require suppliers to include the charges in their energy offers, allowing the price to…
PJM Interconnection expects to have 185,611 megawatts of resources available to meet the forecasted peak demand of 135,506 megawatts, according to a Dec. 5 press release. The grid operator said its system is ready to meet needs despite a “less-certain winter weather forecast,” noting that climate models indicate a warmer season but similar studies point…
The U.S. Energy Department issued a request for proposal for innovative designs to build coal-fired plants as part of its new “Coal FIRST” initiative which envisions future plants to be “Flexible, Innovative, Resilient, Small and Transformative.” As part of the solicitation, the department encourages teaming arrangements involving engineering companies, technology developers, equipment manufacturers, and end…
The U.S. Senate voted 50-49 on Dec. 6 to confirm Bernard McNamee as a member of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, restoring the agency’s Republican majority amid questions of McNamee’s support for fossil fuels over renewable energy. On the same day, the Harvard Electricity Law Initiative filed a brief with FERC saying that McNamee must…
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources announced that the state’s electric vehicle rebate program, which has issued or reserved more than $23 million in rebates for over 11,000 cars since its launch in 2014, will be extended through June 30, 2019, according to a Dec. 6 press release. Starting next year, the program will support…