Republican Governor Christopher Sununu vetoed legislation on July 24 that sought to revise the state’s renewable portfolio standards for solar to 5.4 percent by 2025. Currently, the state’s RPS requires 25.2 percent of power to come from renewables by 2025, with a solar carve-out of 0.7 percent by 2020. This is the second solar bill…
Duke Energy Renewables LLC on July 22 announced the purchase of its largest solar energy project, a 200-megawatt facility, which is being developed by 8minute Solar Energy in Texas. The solar farm, which is expected to be complete in the summer of 2020, will sell much of its output through a 12-year hedge agreement to…
The California Independent System Operator Corporation called for an immediate plan to address near-term reliability needs through 2022, according to a July 23 filing in response to the Public Utilities Commission’s rulemaking to refine long-term procurement planning requirements. The grid operator projects a gap of up to 2 gigawatts beginning in the summer of 2021…
Virginia, followed by Ohio and Pennsylvania ranked as the top states within the PJM Interconnection LLC system for the amount of solar capacity requesting to be connected to the network, according to a July 26 report from the system manager. The bulk of the wind project requests, mostly large offshore projects, are from New Jersey…
Ohio state lawmakers approved legislation on July 23 requiring electric customers to pay new monthly surcharges from 2021 through 2027 to raise $150 million per year to subsidize FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.’s ailing nuclear plants. Governor Mike DeWine, a Republican, signed the bill into law, making Ohio the fifth state in the nation to prop up…
The Hawaiian Electric Company has submitted a plan with state regulators for its largest-ever renewable energy solicitation, seeking about 900 megawatts of new renewable generation capable of delivering nearly 2 million megawatt-hours each year, according to a July 17 filling. Pending regulatory approval, the utility plans to issue the final RFPs by August 9 and…
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed legislation that allows a one-year extension of the date by which the Illinois Power Agency is required to deliver renewable energy credits from new utility-scale wind and solar projects acquired through long-term contracts. The bill sets a June 1, 2022 deadline for the agency to begin supplying…
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo on July 18 announced the selection of two projects totaling 1.7 gigawatts in New York’s first comprehensive offshore wind solicitation. Cuomo also signed legislation, which requires a carbon-neutral power system by 2040 and codifies the state’s targets of 6 gigawatts of solar by 2025, 3 gigawatts of energy storage by 2030,…
The Ohio state Senate approved legislation on July 17 that would require electric customers to pay new monthly surcharges from 2021 through 2027, raising $150 million per year to subsidize FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.’s ailing nuclear plants. The revised version of the bill, which passed the House in May, would scale back the state’s renewable portfolio…
The Georgia Public Service Commission on July 16 approved Georgia Power’s integrated resource plan, allowing the company to invest in 80 megawatts of battery storage and increase its renewable generation by 72 percent over the next five years. The IRP calls for 2,260 megawatts of new renewables, increasing the capacity to 5,390 megawatts by 2024…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission accepted the California Independent System Operator Corporation’s revisions requiring equipment improvements for renewable power generators, facilitating higher integration of wind and solar power into the grid, according to a July 16 news release. The changes will avoid “temporary and sporadic losses” of inverter-based generation connected to the grid. These generators…
National Grid plc completed a $100 million transaction through its competitive non-regulated unit National Grid Ventures, acquiring Geronimo Energy LLC, a prominent wind and solar developer in North America, according to July 15 news release. The company also entered into an agreement with the Washington State Investment Board for a 51 percent stake in a…