U.S. Court Upholds New England Capacity Market Exemptions For State-Sponsored Renewables

New York Governor Seeks to Double Energy Storage Target, Invest $1 Billion in Electric Vehicles

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a plan to increase the state’s energy storage deployment target by twofold to reach at least 6 gigawatts by 2030, as part of the 2022 State of the State. This marks the largest state-level target intended to facilitate New York’s transition to a low-carbon future, providing a pathway…...

New York to reach its Energy Storage Targe

U.S. Energy Department Grants $35 Million to Foster Clean Energy, Climate Solutions

The U.S. Energy Department on Jan. 6 released $35 million to small-scale businesses for scientific projects related to clean energy and climate change. In total, 158 projects will receive funding across 29 states that will contribute to developing a range of clean energy technologies, including tools for climate research and advanced batteries for electric vehicles…....

Anticipated Growth in Electric Vehicles Contribute to PJM's Long-Term Forecast

Anticipated Growth in Electric Vehicles Contribute to PJM’s Long-Term Forecast

The 2022 load forecast report of PJM Interconnection LLC, which manages the electric grid across 13 states and the District of Columbia, estimates summer and winter peak loads to rise by 0.4 percent and 0.7 percent, respectively, over the next 10-year period starting this year. Net energy for load growth in the grid operator’s footprint…...

Year Ahead: Five Must-Watch Power Sector Trends for 2022

Year Ahead: Five Must-Watch Power Sector Trends for 2022

Across the U.S., the massive transformation of the power sector towards renewables and zero-emissions sources is set to accelerate, aided by supportive federal policies from an administration focused on climate action and ambitious state decarbonization goals. The exponential growth of renewables will continue to drive grid modernization and transmission development, while efforts to fortify the…...

California Adopts New Standard Contracts for Small Generators Under Federal Power Purchase Law

U.S. Interior Department Approves 1,000 Megawatts of Solar Projects in California

The U.S. Interior Department on Dec.21 announced it has approved two solar projects, with a third one nearing completion on public lands in Riverside County, California. The three projects are projected to generate 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy and are the first to be approved under the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP) in the…...

U.S. Department of Energy Establishes Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations

U.S. Department of Energy Establishes Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations

The U.S. Energy Department on Dec. 21 formed the “Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations” to deliver on President Biden’s ambitious climate agenda, create jobs and reduce pollution. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted last month, offers over $20 billion to form the new office and enhance clean energy projects such as green hydrogen, carbon capture, grid level…...

U.S. EPA Reverses Finding That Formed Basis for Obama-Era Power Plant Mercury Rules

U.S. Department of Energy Offers $100 Million to Support Clean Energy Innovation

The U.S. Energy Department on Dec. 16 announced a $100 million funding opportunity to support innovative technologies that can contribute to emissions reductions, increase energy efficiency, and support grid modernization. The agency’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) will run the funding program, which is expected to support President Biden’s Building a Better America initiative by…...

California Battery Storage Fire Threat Districts

California Commission Approves Nearly $1.3 Billion Energy Storage Contract to Support Reliability

The California Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 16 authorized Southern California Edison to enter into a contract with Ameresco Inc. for the construction of 537.5 megawatts of energy storage projects to ensure reliability during summer. The projects, valued at $1.226 billion, are expected to come online by Aug. 1, 2022. Previous commission decisions instructed the…...

Department of Energy to Offer Funding for Community-Focused Clean Energy Businesses

Department of Energy to Offer Funding for Community-Focused Clean Energy Businesses

The U.S. Department of Energy on Dec. 13 announced $54 million in funding for small businesses to research and develop new technologies that help accelerate the transition to clean energy. The agency-led initiative will provide up to $250,000 and the applicants will qualify for up to $1.6 million follow-on funding, under the Small Business Innovation…...

Visual Primer: Weather-Induced Energy Crises Drive Resiliency Efforts Across U.S.

Visual Primer: Weather-Induced Energy Crises Drive Resiliency Efforts Across U.S.

The growing incidence of extreme weather events has triggered regulatory and legislative efforts across the U.S. to improve the reliability and resilience of the energy system. Winter Storm Uri, which caused widespread outages in the South Central U.S. in February, prompted a regulatory upheaval in Texas, which suffered the brunt of the storm, leaving more than 4.5 million people without power. California has adopted measures to ensure reliability in the event of extreme weather in the summers of 2022 and 2023. Federal regulators have approved new cold weather electric reliability standards.

Virginia Regulator Approves $650 Million Grid Transformation Plan for Dominion Energy

Infrastructure Bill Provides Over $62 Billion for U.S. Energy Department Initiatives

U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Nov.15, unlocking $62 billion for U.S. Energy Department initiatives, including revitalizing domestic manufacturing, expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy, modernizing the power grid, and advancing next-generation technologies. Among the major provisions, the legislation allocates $6 billion for a Civilian…...

Visual Primer: Utilities Long-Term Resource Plans Reflect Growing Role of Battery Storage in Power Mix

Visual Primer: Utilities’ Long-Term Resource Plans Reflect Growing Role of Battery Storage in Power Mix

Energy storage is becoming an increasingly important part of the power mix to accommodate the exponential growth of intermittent renewables required to accomplish ambitious decarbonization targets set by U.S. states and utilities.