The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA), passed by the U.S. Congress on Aug. 12, includes a historic $369 billion investment in energy security and climate change programs over the next ten years.
The U.S. Energy Department on Aug. 9 released a request for information on a $675 million critical materials research, development, demonstration, and commercialization program. The program, funded by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, aims to advance domestic production and sourcing of critical materials to mitigate vulnerabilities in the domestic supply chain. Several clean…...
The U.S. Senate on Aug. 7 approved the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which includes $369 billion for energy security and climate change programs over the next ten years. Among the key climate and clean energy provisions, the bill would expand the investment tax credit for clean energy manufacturers, establish the first hydrogen production tax…...
Grid modernization efforts are increasingly focused on resilience and reliability to protect the system against extreme weather and cyberattacks. Lawmakers and regulators are pursuing reforms to ensure that policies keep pace with the rapidly changing resource mix to facilitate the transformation to a future grid capable of integrating the increasing number of intermittent resources and electric vehicles.
The California Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 5 approved a plug-in electric vehicle submetering protocol for Pacific Gas & Electric, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, PacifiCorp and two smaller utilities. The commission demands the stated utilities implement the submetering protocol for all customers with plug in electric vehicles and customer owned submeters…....
The growth in power generation from small-scale, customer-sited solar installations is altering the hourly pattern of metered electricity demand in New England during spring – March to May, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Since 2016, New England has added 3.8 gigawatts to its grid, with small-scale solar accounting for 60 percent of that…...
Performance-based regulation (PBR) is gaining momentum across U.S. states driven by policy and technology changes to meet decarbonization goals and changing customer expectations.
The U.S. Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office has closed a $102.1 million loan to Syrah Technologies LLC for the development of its Syrah Vidalia Facility. This marks the first loan from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing, or ATVM, Loan program in over a decade, and the first such loan entirely for a supply chain manufacturing…...
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator’s (MISO) board of directors on July 25 approved the largest portfolio of transmission projects in the grid operator’s footprint, authorizing $10.3 billion worth of long-range transmission plan, or LRTP, projects to ensure grid reliability during the clean energy transition. The LRTP transmission projects are expected to enhance system performance to…...
The Oregon Public Utility Commission has announced that the state’s electric utilities have filed plans to mitigate and prevent wildfire risk in the region. The plans are the first to be filed in response to legislation enacted in August 2021 requiring utilities to identify high-risk areas within their service territory and reduce those risks. The…
The U.S. Energy Department on July 21 released a notice of intent to offer $225 million for states and local governments to advance the application of latest building energy standards to aid in the development of buildings that consume less energy. The Building Energy Codes: Resilient and Efficient Codes Implementation Program, which is funded by…...
The U.S. Energy Department’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management on July 21 announced a funding of US $96 million allocated for projects aimed at developing clean automotive technologies that can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the domestic transportation industry. The investment complements the $5 billion National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Formula Program, or NEVI,…...