Policy Primer: U.S. Offshore Wind Industry April 2021 Update

Policy Primer: U.S. Offshore Wind Industry April 2021 Update

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The prospects of the U.S. offshore wind industry are brightening as East Coast states and the Biden administration step up efforts to harness the potential of carbon-free electricity. The administration has established a goal to deploy 30 GW of offshore wind in the U.S. by 2030. To facilitate the achievement of the goal publicized on March 29, the administration announced several investment and funding opportunities. These include access to $3 billion in funding for offshore wind projects through the Department of Energy’s Innovative Energy Loan Guarantee Program and $230 million in funding opportunity for port authorities and other applicants for infrastructure-related projects through the Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration.

New York Begins Process for Second Offshore Wind Solicitation to Procure At Least 1,000 Megawatts

Biden Administration Establishes Offshore Wind Goal of 30 Gigawatts by 2030

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The Biden administration has announced a series of initiatives to advance the U.S. offshore wind industry, including committing to a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of capacity by 2030. Achieving the 2030 target is expected to lead up to the installation of 110 gigawatts of capacity by 2050. The 2030 goal, a shared commitment by…...

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

Massachusetts Law Calls for Net Zero Emissions, Raises Offshore Wind Goal

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Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker signed legislation on March 26, which commits the state to achieve net-zero emissions in 2050. The law allows Massachusetts to procure an additional 2.4 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, bringing the state’s total authorization to 4 gigawatts by 2027. The law – An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate…...

EnerKnol Research PU Visual Primer Small Modular Reactors 2021 03 30 Blog preview

Visual Primer: Decarbonization Timelines Drive Interest in Advanced Nuclear Reactors

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Recent progress towards commercializing small modular reactors (SMRs) has sparked interest in the role of advanced nuclear technologies to accomplish decarbonization goals. Twenty states and jurisdictions across the U.S. now have 100 percent clean energy mandates or goals, implying the need for a portfolio of every available carbon-free technology that can be deployed on a timeline compatible with their targets.

Carbon Pricing

Policy Primer: Carbon Pricing

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As the Biden administration takes action to address climate change through federal policies including rejoining the Paris Agreement and increasing the social cost of carbon, states continue to strengthen existing carbon pricing programs and advance new initiatives. State-level activity on emission-trading programs and carbon pricing is expected to remain on the rise as more jurisdictions embrace policy goals to transition to a lower-carbon power system and economy.

Visual Primer: Fallout From Winter Storm Uri Elicits Regulatory Actions Across U.S. States

Visual Primer: Fallout From Winter Storm Uri Elicits Regulatory Actions Across U.S. States

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The fallout from severe arctic weather during February has prompted regulators from Texas to Montana to examine utility infrastructure, preparedness and response, and impacts to customers. Texas, which experienced the worst power outages resulting from Winter Storm Uri, has issued multiple orders and initiated investigations to address the impacts of the grid event. Following announcements of an inquiry into the grid event and the possibility of market violations, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is now set to examine the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events on electric system reliability. Regulators across several U.S. states are investigating the after-effects of the storm to mitigate bill impacts to customers while exploring cost-recovery for utilities which faced extraordinary expenses as natural gas prices soared to unprecedented levels.

Massachusetts Regulator Approves Long-Term Contracts for 800-Megawatts of Offshore Wind Power

U.S. Interior Completes Environmental Review of Vineyard Wind’s 800-Megawatt Offshore Project

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The U.S. Interior Department on March 8 announced the completion of its environmental analysis of Vineyard Wind LLC’s proposed 800-megawatt wind project offshore Massachusetts. Conclusion of the final review marks a key milestone for the project, which is expected to be the nation’s first large-scale offshore wind farm. In January, U.S. President Joe Biden signed…...

Visual Primer: Texas Power Outages Draw Scrutiny into Grid Operator’s Market Design and Reliability

Visual Primer: Texas Power Outages Draw Scrutiny into Grid Operator’s Market Design and Reliability

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The widespread power outages across Texas during the extreme winter weather conditions brought about by a polar vortex in mid-February has raised questions about the reliability of the power grid operated by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. (ERCOT). The grid operator, which manages about 90 percent of the state’s electric load, reported that 48.6 percent of generation was forced out at the highest point due to the winter storm.

Washington Utilities Denied Recovery of $15 Million Related to Colstrip’s 2018 Outage

Texas Regulator Investigates Retail Electric Providers’ Business Practices After Winter Storm Grid Event

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The Texas Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 24 launched an investigation into retail electric suppliers’ business practices following complaints of skyrocketing bills for plans with pricing indexed to the wholesale rate in the aftermath of sweeping power outages caused by extreme winter weather conditions. Although indexed plans are allowed under law, an influx of complaints…...

ERCOT Holds Emergency Board Meeting In Light of Sweeping Power Failures Across Texas

ERCOT Holds Emergency Board Meeting In Light of Sweeping Power Failures Across Texas

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The Electricity Reliability Council of Texas Inc. (ERCOT) Board of Directors on Feb. 24 convened for an emergency meeting to discuss and analyze the issues that led to grid infrastructure failures across Texas from Feb. 12 onwards. These outages were prompted by the presence of a polar vortex which brought about severely cold weather conditions…...

EnerKnol Special Report Part II: ERCOT Forecast Risks

EnerKnol Special Report Part II: ERCOT Forecast Risks

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EnerKnol is committed to providing real-time transparency of the fragmented and highly technical landscape of energy regulation. With this as our guiding principle we are examining our database of over 35,000,000 regulatory records for insights into last week's Texas outages.

Visual Primer: State Decarbonization Goals Spur Innovative Resource Planning Measures

Visual Primer: State Decarbonization Goals Spur Innovative Resource Planning Measures

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Innovations in energy planning continue to emerge as state regulators devise programs and explore solutions that effectively meet customer needs and support policy goals. Recent state initiatives range from New York’s efforts to align gas planning with climate goals, to Maine’s investigation into the future design of the grid to accommodate growing renewables, and California’s transmission planning guidance to achieve ambitious decarbonization goals.