More states and utilities are exploring microgrids as part of their resiliency strategies driven by the growing demand to bolster the reliability of the power system in the face of extreme weather events, such as storms and wildfires.
The California Public Utilities Commission on April 29 proposed a decision adopting short-term actions to expedite the deployment of microgrids and related resiliency strategies that would mitigate the impacts of safety power shutoff events to avoid the risk of power lines starting wildfires. The proposal would direct the state’s large investor-owned electric utilities to streamline…...
New Jersey and Maryland filed a lawsuit with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, challenging the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s order directing PJM Interconnection LLC to extend the minimum offer price rule, or MOPR, to state-subsidized resources, according to an April 27 news release. Several states have criticized the move, citing its potential to harm…...
The New England grid operator has proposed a long-term, market-based solution to the region’s energy security problem as the power generation fleet moves towards a mix of energy-limited resources. With the retirement of resources with stored fuel, the system is increasingly reliant on facilities that run on just-in-time natural gas deliveries and weather-dependent wind and solar energy. To address the ensuing challenge, the grid operator proposes to improve the current market structure by creating incentives for the region’s fleet to invest in the energy supply arrangements and technologies on which the region depends.
A growing number of states are exploring grid modernization to keep pace with fast-evolving technological advances and growing distributed generation. The smart grid concept ties together multiple initiatives ranging from solar-battery microgrids to vehicle-to-grid power flow management, and grid hardening to support reliability and resiliency. It may also include advanced meters, which are a pivotal…...
The Illinois Commerce Commission ended a three-year investigation into the possible adoption of a process that would allow non-retail electric suppliers to access the energy usage data of customers, according to an April 2 news release. While acknowledging the potential benefits of data sharing via grid modernization, the commission pointed to concerns that the proposal…
In just the last three months, almost a dozen states have advanced measures to ramp up support for electric vehicles (EVs), reflecting the important role of transportation electrification in achieving clean energy goals. However, transportation electrification, similar to other clean energy sectors, faces uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the rollback of federal fuel economy standards.
The Virginia State Corporation Commission on March 26 rejected portions of Dominion Energy Inc.’s grid transformation plan including a $752 million proposal to deploy smart meters over the next decade. The agency found that Dominion failed to justify its smart meter proposal with a well-crafted plan including rate design that would maximize the potential for…...
Virginia has become the first state in the South to begin a clean energy transition with the passage of a sweeping energy bill that sets the state on the path to carbon-free power by 2050. The law replaces the voluntary renewable energy portfolio program with a mandatory standard, and paves the way for an enormous expansion of wind and solar power, energy storage, and energy efficiency.
The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission on March 4 approved Indianapolis Power & Light Company’s seven-year grid modernization plan, which proposes an investment of $1.2 billion to replace or upgrade the company’s aging transmission and distribution system assets. The plan will provide new technology, equipment, and systems including a self-healing grid that allows the company to…...
A growing number of cities across the U.S. are moving toward electrifying their building sectors and banning natural gas use. The Northern California city of Berkeley passed the first such ban, initiating a wave of similar ordinances as a means to reduce carbon emissions. The movement prompted Arizona to enact the first state law preventing local bans on natural gas, and several other states to introduce bills with similar language.
The final version of Virginia’s Clean Economy Act cleared the state’s House of Delegates and Senate on March 7, and now awaits Democratic Governor Ralph Northam’s signature. The legislation codifies the 2050 clean energy goal that Governor Northam laid out in an executive order issued last September. The bill calls for more wind and solar…...
