The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on its whitepaper regarding standby and buyback service rates in its Value of Distributed Energy Resources proceeding. The commission held a conference in February to discuss the whitepaper’s findings and recommendations regarding utility filings on these rates and establishing optional demand-based rates. Specifically, the paper considers the application of the “Allocated Cost of Service methodology,” or ACOS, as well as the appropriateness of imposing some of the resulting changes to stand-alone energy storage systems. Further, the paper identifies a proposed ACOS method for investor-owned electric utilities to apply in developing such rates and recommends that stand-alone energy storage systems be exempted from contract demand charges for injections under buyback service. READ MORE

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority will hold a technical meeting on electric distribution companies’ solicitation plan for Year 10 of its Low and Zero Emissions Renewable Energy Credit, or LREC/ZREC, program. The agency initiated a proceeding in 2019 to review the program for Year 9 and 10 solicitations that apply to 2020 and 2021, respectively, and to make determinations regarding the bid price caps following legislation that extended the programs for the aforementioned years. A 2011 law added ZRECs and LRECs as new classes of RECs under the state’s renewables portfolio standard. The companies are required to purchase Class I RECs under long-term contracts with owners and developers of renewable energy projects in Connecticut. 19-06-36

PJM Interconnection LLC, which manages the electric grid across 13 states and the District of Columbia, will conduct its third workshop regarding enhancements to its capacity market. The session will examine specific market design proposals from PJM stakeholders. In January, the grid operator announced four workshops to gather stakeholder input, in order to determine a path forward for advancing market design improvements. The grid operator’s long-delayed capacity auction, for the 2022-2023 delivery year, is set to take place in May under market reforms directed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority will discuss the implementation of a process for electric utilities to distribute residential customer credits and reimbursements for storm-related outages. The discussion will examine proposals by Eversource Energy and The United Illuminating Company in response to the commission’s January order regarding the implementation process. The order detailed specifications to be included in the proposals, such as circumstances, standards, and methodologies for the implementation. The commission also called for proposed parameters to identify customers who meet the specified criteria and issue credits using existing billing and processing procedures. The agency’s Office of Education, Outreach, and Enforcement will present its submission on the processes and waiver provisions related to such credits in other jurisdictions. 20-12-46

The Utah Public Service Commission will conduct a virtual hearing to review certain aspects of its October 2020 order allowing Rocky Mountain Power, a unit of PacifiCorp, to establish export credits for customer generated electricity. In December 2020, the commission granted rehearing on issues related to carrying charge and capacity contribution values related to its order approving PacifiCorp’s tariffs for an export credit rate for customer generation. In 2017, the commission approved a cap for the company’s net metering program, a grandfathering period for interconnection applications granted prior to the cap, as well as a three-year transition program for new customers. The 2020 order ended the transition program for customer generators under the prior schedule and established a rate structure for customer generated export credits. READ MORE

The Michigan Public Service Commission will hold the first meeting of the Distributed Energy Resources Rate Design workgroup, launched in February, to conduct a more comprehensive analysis of rate design options for evolving technologies including solar and other distributed resources. Focus areas of the workgroup include determining how customer-sited generation and energy storage are changing the way customers use the grid, exploring cost allocation and customer charges, and proposing rate design options. The workgroup takes the place of the Distributed Generation Pricing stakeholder workgroup under the Innovative Rate Offerings of the MI Power Grid initiative, which was launched in 2019 to maximize the benefits of the transition to clean, distributed energy resources for residents and businesses. READ MORE

The Texas Public Utilities Commission will discuss CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric LLC’s proposal to build a 345-kilovolt single-circuit transmission line in Wharton County, Texas. The CenterPoint Energy Inc. subsidiary proposed seven alternative routes for the line, ranging from approximately 3.5 miles to 8 miles in length. The estimated cost of the project ranges from $23 million to $71 million depending on the route approved. The project is planned to provide interconnection to EDF Renewables Development Inc.’s solar generation facility consisting of 175 solar inverters with an aggregated output of about 610 megawatts. 51568

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will consider Minnesota Power’s proposed portfolio of electric vehicle programs and associated cost recovery through a new rider. The portfolio consists of a Residential EV Charging Rewards Pilot Program, Residential EV Charging Rebate Program, and an education and outreach program to significantly increase the presence and awareness of EVs and the benefits of the programs over a three-year period. The proposed charging pilot is expected to remove the upfront cost associated with participating in the existing residential EV rate and yield data about driving ranges, charging behaviors and responsiveness to time-based incentives. The proposal follows a 2019 order which determined that transportation sector electrification is in the public interest as it improves system utilization to lower rates, increases demand when renewable energy is prevalent, and reduces emissions. M-20-638