Visual Primer: Renewables and Reliability Needs Lead to Multi-Billion-Dollar Transmission Investments

Visual Primer: Renewables and Reliability Needs Lead to Multi-Billion-Dollar Transmission Investments

Climate Change and Emissions, Electric Transmission, Energy Efficiency, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Smart Grid, Solar, Wind

Regulators across the U.S. are accelerating electric transmission projects worth tens of billions of dollars to bring renewable power to consumers and make the grid more resilient against extreme weather events. Infrastructure updates have also garnered bipartisan support on the federal level, with more than $65 billion allocated for clean energy transmission and grid development in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act enacted by the Congress last month.

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

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

Climate Change and Emissions, 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, REC Feed, Retail Power and Gas, Smart Grid

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.

Policy Primer: U.S. Offshore Wind Industry December 2021 Update

Policy Primer: U.S. Offshore Wind Industry December 2021 Update

Climate Change and Emissions, Electric Transmission, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, Power & Utilities, REC Feed, Renewable Energy Credit Market, Request for Proposal, Retail Power and Gas, Smart Grid, Wholesale Power, Wind

Interest in offshore wind energy has reached new levels driven by supportive federal action, ambitious state procurement targets, and evolving technology. Recent developments include federal approval of the second commercial-scale project, and plans to hold up to seven new lease sales by 2025 in the East Coast, as well as the West and Gulf Coasts. Despite the progress, the industry faces opposition with recent lawsuits challenging the approval of the nation’s first major offshore project, the 800-megawatt (MW) Vineyard Wind I venture, over its potential impact to the fishing industry and endangered species.

Visual Primer: Performance-Based Regulation Evolves to Align Utility and Customer Interests

Visual Primer: Performance-Based Regulation Evolves to Align Utility and Customer Interests

EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Integrated Resource Plans, Natural Gas, Nuclear Power, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Renewables, Retail Power and Gas, Smart Grid

Discussion around performance-based regulation (PBR) continues to evolve as utilities and regulators explore a framework aimed at strengthening the connection between utility returns and performance.

Policy Primer: Carbon Pricing November 2021 Update

Policy Primer: Carbon Pricing November 2021 Update

Carbon Market, Carbon Markets, Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Environmental Markets, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Retail Power and Gas, Solar, Wind

Interest in carbon pricing mechanisms has deepened as lawmakers and regulators explore policy tools to address emissions reductions in order to reach ambitious clean energy and climate goals. Cap-and-trade is figuring more prominently as an efficient market-based means to achieve significant carbon reductions and create an incentive to invest in non-emitting technologies.

Visual Primer: Carbon Reduction Goals Prompt Lawmakers to Rethink Nuclear Power Policy

Visual Primer: Carbon Reduction Goals Prompt Lawmakers to Rethink Nuclear Power Policy

Climate Change and Emissions, coal, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Integrated Resource Plans, Natural Gas, Nuclear, Nuclear Power, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Renewables, Wholesale Power

Carbon reduction goals are driving policy support to keep financially-struggling nuclear generation plants operating and encourage new reactors. The fuel diversity and zero-carbon attributes of the resource are fueling the policy debate over its role in meeting state and federal energy and environmental goals.

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

Climate Change and Emissions, Energy Storage, Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Wholesale Power

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.

Policy Primer: Grid Modernization - October 2021 Update

Policy Primer: Grid Modernization – October 2021 Update

Climate Change and Emissions, Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Request for Proposal, Retail Power and Gas, Smart Grid, Solar, Wholesale Power, Wind

A growing number of states are turning to grid modernization initiatives aimed at creating a more flexible system that can accommodate the proliferation of distributed energy resources (DER) and other solutions that meet changing customer needs and climate goals.

Visual Primer: Hydrogen Technology Draws Interest as Federal, State Regulators Explore Pathways to Carbon-Free Economy

Visual Primer: Hydrogen Technology Draws Interest as Federal, State Regulators Explore Pathways to Carbon-Free Economy

Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Smart Grid

As the power and transportation sectors shift toward decarbonization, federal and state regulators are examining hydrogen's untapped potential in lowering emissions across industries ranging from energy storage to heavy-duty vehicles.

Visual Primer: Wave Towards 100 Percent Clean Power Intensifies as Illinois and Oregon Join the Pack

Visual Primer: Wave Towards 100 Percent Clean Power Intensifies as Illinois and Oregon Join the Pack

Climate Change and Emissions, Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, Nuclear, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Renewable Energy Credit Market, Renewables, Solar, Solar Power, Wind

The importance of U.S. state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) continues to grow, with recent changes reflecting the trend of strengthening renewable energy targets. Several states have expanded their RPS programs to broader clean energy standards, which establish milestones to achieve a carbon-free electricity supply.

Solar Panels Power Plants

Illinois Law Requires 100 Percent Clean Energy, Aids Nuclear Plants

EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Grid Modernization, Integrated Resource Plans, Natural Gas, Nuclear, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Renewable Energy Credit Market, Retail Power and Gas, Solar, Wind

Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed legislation on Sept. 15 that puts the state on the path to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. The law sets a goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2040 and provides financial support for the states’ existing nuclear plants at risk of closure due to market…...