The New Hampshire legislature approved a bill on May 16 aimed to expand the state’s net metering cap to 5 megawatts from the current level of one megawatt. The legislation also includes a provision to prevent reselling of net-metered electricity into the New England wholesale market. (HB 365) The bill passed the legislature by a…
The Ohio Power Siting Board on May 16 authorized the construction of Hecate Energy Highland LLC’s 300-megawatt solar project, as well as Hardin Solar Energy II LLC’s 170-megawatt facility paired with a 60-megawatt battery. Hecate’s project will occupy nearly 2,000 acres within a 3,400-acre project area in Highland County. The developer plans to begin construction…
In this update, Nevada, Washington and Puerto Rico are the latest states and territory to strengthen targets for clean energy, showing how momentum is building across the U.S. for more aggressive renewable portfolio targets. Nevada State lawmakers unanimously approved legislation in April to upgrade the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030, while Washington committed…
The Texas renewable energy credit, or REC, program currently has a registered capacity of nearly 28.7 gigawatts, including 2.2 gigawatts derived from non-wind technologies, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc.’s annual report released on May 15. Offset generation accounts have a registered capacity of nearly 290 megawatts. The total amount of energy…
The Florida Public Service Commission approved Tampa Electric Company’s shared solar tariff, providing an option for electric customers to buy power from the company’s designated solar energy resource to meet all or part of their monthly energy needs, according to a May 14 press release. The program ensures equal access to solar power to homeowners,…
Republican Governor Larry Hogan signed legislation on May 13 that extends the state’s community solar pilot through 2024 and removes the limit on the maximum number of subscribers in the program. Hogan also signed a bill establishing an energy storage pilot program that requires each investor-owned utility to solicit offers for projects under various commercial…
The North Carolina Utilities Commission on May 10 authorized Duke Energy Progress LLC to construct the generation components of the company’s proposed Hot Springs microgrid project consisting of a 2-megawatt solar facility and a 4-megawatt lithium-based battery storage facility. The project, to be located in Madison County, is designed to provide an innovative grid solution…
U.S. power plants are projected to generate 2 percent less power during the summer months of 2019 compared to last year due to changes in the mix of energy sources, according to a May 9 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Coal is forecast to supply 25 percent of generation this summer, down from…
The South Carolina legislature on May 9 passed a measure that will eliminate the 2 percent cap on net metering for rooftop solar customers until a successor program is in place. The bill directs the Public Service Commission to open a generic docket by January 1, 2020 to investigate and determine the costs and benefits…
A bipartisan group of state legislators re-introduced a pair of bills aimed at getting Pennsylvania to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Christopher Rabb, a Democrat, introduced HB 1425, while Tom Killion, a Republican, is sponsoring the Senate version, SB 630. The proposals will set benchmarks for phasing out nonrenewable energy by requiring 50 percent…
The United States produced a record amount of energy from various sources in 2018, reaching 96 quadrillion British thermal units, 8 percent higher than in the previous year, according to the Energy Information Administration’s latest Monthly Energy Review. While fossil fuels like crude oil and natural gas saw increases of 17 and 12 percent respectively…
California’s large investor-owned utilities procured about 38 percent of their total generation from renewable resources, which accounted for nearly 42 percent of their total generation costs in 2018, according to a May 8 report from the California Public Utilities Commission. Wind and solar dominated utility power contracts, with the average prices for contracts dropping to…
