New England Grid Operator Proposes Market-Based Solution to Energy Security Challenges

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – New England Grid Operator Proposes Market-Based Solution to Energy Security Challenges

coal, Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Natural Gas, Oil, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Solar, Wholesale Markets, Wholesale Power, Wind

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.

Michigan Regulator Approves $99 Million Rate Hike for Consumers Energy

Illinois Rejects Process for Third Party Access to Customer Energy Usage Data, Citing Cost, Privacy Concerns

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, Retail Power and Gas

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…

Electric Transportation Faces Uncertain Future Amid Federal Policy Changes, COVID-19 Crisis

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Electric Transportation Faces Uncertain Future Amid Federal Policy Changes, COVID-19 Crisis

Electric Vehicles, Electric Vehicles, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, PRODUCTS, Renewables

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.

Virginia Commission Denies Dominion’s $750 Million Smart Meter Proposal Over Cost Concerns

Virginia Commission Denies Dominion’s $750 Million Smart Meter Proposal Over Cost Concerns

Cyber Security, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, PRODUCTS, REC Feed

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 Joins Top Tier of U.S. States Advancing Climate Action

EnerKnol’s State Policy Playbook: Virginia Joins Top Tier of U.S. States Advancing Climate Action

Carbon Market, Climate Change and Emissions, coal, Electric Vehicles, Energy Efficiency, Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, Natural Gas, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, Retail Power and Gas, Smart Grid, Solar, Wind

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.

IPL Wins Indiana Approval to Implement $1.2 Billion Grid Modernization Plan

IPL Wins Indiana Approval to Implement $1.2 Billion Grid Modernization Plan

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, PRODUCTS

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…...

Building Electrification Comes to the Forefront as More U.S. Cities Ban Natural Gas Use

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Building Electrification Comes to the Forefront as More U.S. Cities Ban Natural Gas Use

Climate Change and Emissions, Energy Efficiency, Energy Efficiency, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Natural Gas, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, Solar

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.

Virginia’s Landmark Zero-Carbon Bill Calls for 5.2 Gigawatts of Offshore Wind, 3.1 Gigawatts of Energy Storage

Carbon Market, Climate Change and Emissions, coal, Electric Vehicles, Energy Efficiency, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Solar, Wind

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…...

New Mexico Enacts Trio of Bills Supporting Renewable Energy Expansion

New Mexico Enacts Trio of Bills Supporting Renewable Energy Expansion

Electric Transmission, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Solar

Democratic Governor Michelle Grisham signed a suite of bills on March 3 including legislation that reinstates the solar tax incentive that expired in 2016, helping the state move toward its goal achieving 50 percent renewable energy 2030. A second bill provides that transmission line projects qualify for industrial revenue bonds available through cities and municipalities,…...

New York Grid Operator Finds No Reliability Need in 10-Year Assessment

Michigan Approved $420 Million in Rate Hikes, $4.1 Billion in Federal Tax Cut Refunds Last Year: Report

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, REC Feed, Solar, Wind

The Michigan Public Service Commission authorized rate increases totaling $417.5 million in five electric and natural gas rate cases last year, $245.5 million less than what the utilities requested, according to the agency’s annual report issued on March 2. The increases were driven largely by investments needed to replace aging infrastructure to improve safety and…

EnerKnol's Visual Primer - Aggressive State and Utility Decarbonization Goals Behind Boom in Large-Scale Solar

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Aggressive State and Utility Decarbonization Goals Behind Boom in Large-Scale Solar

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, PRODUCTS, Renewables, Solar, Solar Power

Utility-scale solar is growing at a remarkable pace driven by declining costs, state clean energy commitments, retirement of fossil-fueled generation, and utility decarbonization goals. The industry is poised to add about 13.5 gigawatts of new projects this year, outpacing the previous annual record of 8 GW set in 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

Advance Innovative Energy Technologies

U.S. Senators Introduce Bipartisan Bill to Advance Innovative Energy Technologies

Climate Change and Emissions, Cyber Security, Electric Vehicles, Energy Efficiency, Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, Natural Gas, Nuclear, REC Feed, Solar, Wind

Senators Lisa Murkowski, a Republican representing Alaska, and Joe Manchin, a Democrat representing West Virginia, unveiled a bipartisan legislative package on Feb. 27 that compiles more than 50 energy-related measures reported by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. The comprehensive bill supports innovative energy technologies covering a range of topics including energy efficiency,…