Democratic Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation on March 18 creating a pilot program to disburse loans or rebates for solar installations in households whose income is at or below 80 percent of the state or regional median income. (HB 2741) Residents applying for the program are required to document the installation of energy efficiency services…...
Democratic Governor Ralph Northam vetoed legislation on March 14 that would prohibit the state from joining a regional carbon program to reduce power plant emissions, without a two-thirds majority vote from both the legislative chambers. Northam also vetoed a similar bill related to limiting emissions from vehicles, saying that the measures violate the state constitution…
Renewables generated a record 742 million megawatt-hours (MWh) of electricity in 2018, almost double the 382 million MWh produced in 2008, accounting for 17.6% of electricity generation in the United States last year, according to the Energy Information Administration’s Electric Power Monthly. About 90 percent of renewable capacity additions were wind and solar, largely driven by federal and state policies in…
Kentucky lawmakers passed legislation on March 14 that would redefine net metering by requiring state regulators to set the compensation rate for solar customers through a ratemaking process. Retail electric suppliers would be entitled to implement rates to recover the costs incurred to serve customer-generators, including fixed and demand-based charges. (SB 100) The bill would…...
Illinois lawmakers are considering a bill known as the Path to 100, which would boost the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 40 percent by 2030, up from the current 25 percent by 2025, as well as improve opportunities for utility-scale renewable projects to get approval and begin construction, putting the state on a path to 100 percent clean…
The Kansas Corporation Commission decided that there is no need for utilities to offer an alternative metering solution for customers who wish to opt out of advanced meters, according to a March 14 order. The agency said that implementing an opt-out program would be difficult, given the high costs and administrative burden. Such a program…...