NV Energy Seeks to Add 350 Megawatts of Renewables, Storage in Nevada

NV Energy Seeks to Add 350 Megawatts of Renewables, Storage in Nevada

NV Energy Inc. issued a request for proposals for projects of at least 20 megawatts to add 350 megawatts or more renewable energy capacity in Nevada, according to the company’s Oct. 16 press release. The solicitation is open to solar, geothermal, wind, biomass and biogas technologies that comply with the state’s renewable portfolio standards. The…

NRG Files Appeal Against New York Utilities Said to Unfairly Slash Credits for Community Solar Power

New York to Jumpstart Energy Storage With $40 Million Funding For Solar-Paired Projects in Move Towards 1.5 Gigawatt Goal

Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced the funding to advance progress towards the state’s ambitious target of deploying of 1,500-megawatts of energy storage by 2025 and also support the Clean Energy Standard, which requires half of the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy by 2030. The NY-Sun program, a $1 billion initiative that strives…

Trump Nominates McNamee to FERC as Agency Examines Crucial Issues of Pipeline Policy, Resiliency

Trump Nominates McNamee to FERC as Agency Examines Crucial Issues of Pipeline Policy, Resiliency

President Donald Trump nominated Bernard L. McNamee to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for the term ending June 30, 2020, to fill the vacancy resulting from Commissioner Robert Powelson’s resignation in August, according to an Oct. 9 release from the agency. McNamee currently serves as the Executive Director of the U.S. Energy Department’s Office of…

Duke Energy Plans Microgrid in North Carolina, Envisions $500 Million in Battery Projects in Long-Term Resource Plan

Duke Energy Plans Microgrid in North Carolina, Envisions $500 Million in Battery Projects in Long-Term Resource Plan

Duke Energy Progress LLC asked the North Carolina Utilities Commission to approve its Hot Springs microgrid project consisting of a 2-megawatt solar facility and a 4-megawatt lithium-based battery storage facility in Madison County, according to an Oct. 8 filing with the agency. The company said the project provides an innovative grid solution without the need…

Michigan Regulator Lifts Suspension on Consumers Energy’s Avoided Costs Paid to Small Renewable Power Producers

Michigan Regulator Lifts Suspension on Consumers Energy’s Avoided Costs Paid to Small Renewable Power Producers

The Michigan Public Service Commission on Oct. 5 ruled that avoided costs set for Consumers Energy Co. last November can take effect, dismissing contentions that the utility has no capacity need for the next 10 years. The commission ruled that the integrated resource plan will be used to determine annual capacity requirements and that capacity…

Michigan Regulator Clears Consumer Energy’s Green Pricing Programs for Voluntary Renewable Electricity Purchases

Michigan Regulator Clears Consumer Energy’s Green Pricing Programs for Voluntary Renewable Electricity Purchases

The Michigan Public Service Commission on Oct. 5 approved Consumers Energy Company’s voluntary green pricing programs that allow customers to meet a portion of their electricity needs from renewable energy resources. The programs stem from legislation enacted in 2016 that requires all electric utilities, including regulated, municipally owned, cooperatives, and alternative suppliers, to give customers…

Washington State Regulator Adopts Requirements for Community Solar Companies to Ensure Customer Protection

Washington State Regulator Adopts Requirements for Community Solar Companies to Ensure Customer Protection

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission established requirements governing the services of community solar companies – entities other than electric utilities – based on guidelines for other regulated industries, according to the agency’s Oct. 2 press release. The rules create consumer protection measures including written permission to release private consumer information, escrow accounts to refund…

Capture222

Virginia Unveils 10-Year Energy Plan Including 5 Gigawatt Boost to Renewables

Governor Ralph Northam, a Democrat, released Virginia’s new energy plan which provides a strategic vision for the commonwealth’s energy policy over the next 10 years. The plan is the implementation strategy of the Grid Transformation and Security Act (Senate Bill 966), signed into law earlier this year. Among other things, the legislation includes 3,000 megawatts…

U.S. Court Upholds New England Capacity Market Exemptions For State-Sponsored Renewables

PJM Proposes Options to Tackle Price Distortions From Subsidized Resources

PJM Interconnection LLC on Oct. 2 unveiled a proposal addressing a June 29 directive from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to revamp the capacity market rules to address price distortion as the participation of sources receiving out-of-market state revenues continues to grow. The plan proposes an expanded minimum offer price rule or MOPR that would…

Kansas Regulator Lowers Westar’s Electric Rates by $66 Million, Adds Demand Charge For Solar Customers Citing Cost Shifts

Kansas Regulator Lowers Westar’s Electric Rates by $66 Million, Adds Demand Charge For Solar Customers Citing Cost Shifts

The Kansas Corporation Commission approved a settlement that lowers electric rates for customers of Westar Energy Inc. by $66 million annually, resulting in a $3.80 cut in monthly bills, according to a Sept. 27 press release. The settlement includes bill credits of about $50 million to reflect savings from the federal tax law that slashed…