State renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are a key driver behind the torrid expansion of wind and solar generation across the U.S., responsible for about half of the nation’s deployment of clean energy sources over the last couple of decades, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Over three dozen states, territories and the nation’s capital…
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.
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…...
Amid the growing interest in clean energy, state and federal policy changes to utility power procurement rules under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) are shaping the portfolios of small renewable power producers. PURPA, which has been a key driver of renewable generation in the U.S., sets requirements for utilities to purchase power from small independent electricity and cogeneration facilities.
As the retail energy marketplace evolves, state lawmakers and regulators are expanding their focus on the impacts to clean energy and long-term reliability, in addition to consumer protections and operational efficiencies.
The U.S. offshore wind industry is making strides with significant milestones including approval of the first large-scale project in federal waters, federal efforts to advance permitting processes, and actions towards potential development in the Pacific.
The Bonneville Power Administration on July 29 released a draft decision to join the Western Energy Imbalance Market, or EIM, operated by the California Independent System Operator Corp., in March 2022 after a three-year evaluation of the market opportunity. The federal power marketing administration, which sells electricity from 31 federal dams and one nuclear plant…...
Oregon has embarked on a clean energy transition with the enactment of sweeping legislation that mandates carbon-free power by 2040, setting one of the most ambitious decarbonization timelines in the nation. The state’s carbon reduction efforts range from legislative measures to study renewable hydrogen and expand transportation electrification, to rulemaking for a climate protection plan, and investigation into resource adequacy.
Emission trading is coming to prominence as a key market-based tool in state efforts to reduce greenhouse gases, including decarbonization of the electricity sector. Among recent actions Washington has enacted legislation to implement an economy-wide cap-and-invest system, becoming the second state to have a comprehensive carbon-pricing program, and Pennsylvania has adopted rulemaking for a carbon trading program covering the power sector.
Oregon Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, signed legislation on July 19 requiring electricity providers to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with electricity sold to Oregon consumers to 80 percent below a 2010-2012 baseline of average emissions by 2030, 90 percent by 2035, and 100 percent by 2040. The law requires each electric company to develop…...
PJM Interconnection LLC’s Board of Managers has approved a proposal aimed to reform the minimum offer price rule, or MOPR, in the regional capacity market that PJM operates across 13 states and the District of Columbia. Out of nine proposals presented by the grid operator and its stakeholders, the board selected PJM’s proposal finding that…...