EnerKnol Blog - Company News and Stories from our Team

Nov282017

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Solar Set to Grow under Michigan’s New Avoided Cost Rules for Consumers Energy

The Michigan Public Service Commission has ﬁnalized a formula to determine the avoided cost that Consumers Energy Co. must pay to buy power from qualifying facilities under the federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978. The new methodology extends the power purchase contract period to up to 20 years, and boosts the capacity of eligible projects to 2 megawatts, up from 100 kilowatts. While current contracts are based on the costs of running a coal plant, new contracts will be based on the energy and capacity costs of natural gas-fueled plants. The ruling, which marks the first update to avoided cost payments in almost 30 years, is expected to increase certainty for distributed energy resources, such as solar.

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November 28, 2017

Nov212017

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Virginia Approves Cap-and-Trade Plan and Moves to Join RGGI

The Virginia Air Pollution Control Board has approved a proposal to reduce power sector carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent between 2020 and 2030. The proposal would link Virginia with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), the nation’s first mandatory cap-and-trade program. The proposal is consistent with RGGI’s recently announced proposed improvements that caused a rebound in allowance prices in the September auction. With member states in agreement over the program's post-2020 path, RGGI is likely in for a boost that could see both price increases in future auctions and additional states joining the group.

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November 21, 2017

Nov142017

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Ohio Net Metering Update Limits System Size but Opens Doors to Energy Marketers

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio has revised its net metering rules requiring regulated electric utilities to offer a standard tariff to standard service offer customers, while competitive retail electric service providers can offer diverse net metering products and service to shopping customers. The Ohio rule comes after months of review and seeks to address the interests of distributed generation customers, electric utilities, and competitive providers. Importantly, the ruling opens doors to energy marketers, some of which might be able to offer better rates than the utilities.

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November 14, 2017

Nov72017

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Connecticut Passes Bill Paving Way to Subsidize Dominion Nuclear Plant

The Connecticut Governor has signed legislation that could allow the state’s only nuclear plant to compete for long-term contracts with renewables provided such rule change is corroborated by a currently ongoing study into the plant's viability. Recently, additional states including Pennsylvania and Ohio have joined in with policies supporting their nuclear facilities. These actions coincide with the Department of Energy’s recently-proposed grid resiliency pricing rule offering hope for financially struggling nuclear power plants.

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November 7, 2017

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EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Solar Set to Grow under Michigan’s New Avoided Cost Rules for Consumers Energy

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Virginia Approves Cap-and-Trade Plan and Moves to Join RGGI

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Ohio Net Metering Update Limits System Size but Opens Doors to Energy Marketers

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Connecticut Passes Bill Paving Way to Subsidize Dominion Nuclear Plant