The Vermont Public Utility Commission will discuss Green Mountain Power Corporation’s 2018 Integrated Resource Plan, filed with the Vermont Public Utility Commission on March 6. The 10-year plan underscores the company’s declining electric demand as customers look to install their own systems and utilize improvements in efficiency and appliance standards. Resource additions in the company’s preferred portfolio include a mix of hydropower and offshore wind in the 2020s, around 100 megawatts of energy storage and distributed resources to meet Tier II or new resource requirements in the renewable portfolio standard. READ MORE

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities is scheduled to receive comments on its Energy Storage Analysis. The regulator approved a six-month contract beginning Nov. 1 with Rutgers University to conduct the study. The state enacted legislation in May that sets a target to reach 600 megawatts of storage by 2021 and 2,000 megawatts by 2030. The analysis will also consider the potential of energy storage systems to foster electric vehicle adoption and the potential impact on renewable generation.

The New York Public Service Commission will discuss the application of Innogy SE for a 242-megawatt wind farm in western New York state. The project will consist of up to 69 wind turbines over an area of about 40,000 acres, down from the original proposal of 120 turbines with a maximum total capacity of 300 megawatts. 15-F-0122

The California Independent System Operator Corp. will discuss its plan to enhance the ability of distributed generation, like rooftop solar, demand response and electric vehicles, to participate in the wholesale market. CAISO considers these resources an increasingly important part of the power supply as the state looks to achieve massive cuts to carbon emissions.

The Michigan Public Service Commission will discuss new rules governing interconnection agreement for utility customers who produce their own electricity. Regulators seek to modernize rules that have been in place since 2009 in order to better respond to the growth in distributed generation as well as complying with federal mandates for energy storage connection. The number of individual installations producing electric power under Michigan’s distributed generation program grew by nearly 28 percent last year. Public Acts 341 and 342 of 2016 required Michigan regulators to phase out the net metering program and create a new distributed generation program to replace it. Electric utility rate cases filed after June 1, 2018 are now required to include distributed generation program tariffs. U-20344

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will discuss a procedure to determine goals and metrics for Xcel Energy Inc.’s performance-based rates. The commission adopted the Office of Attorney General’s recommendation which outlines a “goals-outcomes-metrics process” as an effective method to gather stakeholder input and develop performance metrics. The possible outcomes identified include affordability, reliability, service quality, customer satisfaction, and environmental performance. The initiative stems from Xcel Energy’s multi-year rate plan filed in 2017. Performance-based rates adjust utility revenues based on their measurable performance, and they have been gaining popularity nationwide as grid technology keeps evolving. READ MORE

The California Independent System Operator Corp. will discuss the latest proposed changes to its resource adequacy program, which explores reforms needed to the grid operator’s generator procurement process to ensure grid reliability. The rapid transformation to a cleaner, more variable and energy limited energy mix has pushed the operator to re-examine all aspects of the program.

The Missouri Public Service Commission has decided to open a proceeding to study ways of accelerating the development and deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the state, after a court decision last year determined that these assets were under the commission’s jurisdiction. READ MORE

The Oregon Public Utility Commission will discuss the evolution of the state’s utility planning framework, including technical, financial, policy, and planning issues within the scope of distribution system planning. Earlier this year the regulator directed Portland General Electric and Pacific Power to work with commission staff to come up with a more thoughtful consideration of grid modernization measures in the bulk system planning process. UM 2005

The Iowa Utilities Board is scheduled to receive reply comments on a proposed rule issued on Feb. 6 that would remove electric vehicle charging stations from the definition of public utility under state law. The proposal, intended to establish guidelines for charging at public facilities, follows a discussion held last October to gather stakeholder input. The proposal would specify that electricity sold at a commercial or public station for charging vehicles would not be considered as “furnishing of electricity to the public” or “resale of electric service. READ MORE