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 U.S. power grid, in the first six months of 2022, added 15 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale generating capacity, according to an Aug. 3 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind generation had the largest share with 34 percent, gas had the second largest share, and solar and battery storage made up the rest.…
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the State Department of Commerce (DOC) on Aug. 1 adopted new rules for electric utilities, marking an important step forward in the state’s transition to a clean energy future. The rule addresses various key aspects of the 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act, or CETA, including the requirement…...
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 Iowa Utilities Board on July 26 granted certificates for Duane Arnold Solar Projects, pending approval from the Linn County Board of Supervisors. The certificates authorize Duane Arnold Solar LLC and Duane Arnold Solar II LLC to use a public resource within an area. On the back of this, the project proposes to use photovoltaic…...
The evolving retail electricity marketplace has prompted reforms to strengthen customer protections and expand options to access clean energy while addressing reliability concerns.
The Illinois Commerce Commission on July 18 approved $1.1 billion to authorize Illinois Power Agency (IPA) to procure new renewable generation in Illinois over a two-year period under the 2022 Long Term Renewable Resource Procurement Plan, or LTRRPP. The program will provide a minimum of 25 percent of total incentive to projects located in environmental…...
The U.S. Energy Department has announced several financing plans and $56 million in funding, including $10 million from the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, to spur innovation in solar production and recycling. Jointly, the initiatives would aid the reliability and affordability of clean energy, create good, well-paying jobs, and enhance U.S. technological and economic…...
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on July 15 announced that the state has exceeded 4 gigawatts of solar power and 157,000 solar installations statewide, adequate to deliver electricity to more than 500,000 households yearly. Previously, the state surpassed 3 gigawatts of solar power and 116,000 solar installations in October 2019. The state is…...
