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 reliability failure. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc.’s (ERCOT) 2020 Operations Report and Plan, filed with…...
Net metering policies continue to evolve as state regulators seek to make rate structures more equitable to address cross-subsidy issues arising from the growing penetration of distributed solar generation. Net energy metering (NEM), which credits customer generators for grid-exported power, has been a key component of the policy framework to spur investment in customer-sited renewable energy facilities, including solar and energy storage systems. Successors to original tariffs are considering a range of factors including avoided utility costs, value to the grid, cost-shifting, and energy demand.
The share of renewables in the U.S. power generation mix is expected to rise from 21 percent in 2020 to 42 percent in 2050, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s 2021 annual outlook. The agency projects that renewable energy, driven by wind and solar power, will surpass natural gas to become the predominant source…...
Delaware Governor John Carney, a Democrat, signed legislation on Feb. 10 which increases the state’s renewable portfolio standard for regulated utilities to 40 percent by 2035, up from the prior target of 25 percent by 2025. The bill also raises the solar carve-out to 10 percent by 2035, nearly tripling the previous level of 3.5…...
Interest in retail electric competition has been growing as innovative sources of energy production emerge, giving consumers an active role in managing their power supply. This has led to increased oversight as policymakers and regulators explore reforms to enhance customer protections while encouraging the development of a competitive market.
The Michigan Public Service Commission on Feb. 4 established a workgroup to analyze rate design options for distributed energy resources. The commission also adopted a definition for utility pilot projects and criteria for pilot program reviews under the MI Power Grid initiative, the state’s grid modernization effort intended to maximize the benefits of the shift…...
U.S. state regulators and utilities alike are exploring the use of renewable natural gas (RNG) due to its environmental benefits to displace fossil fuels and to support the transition to a low-carbon energy economy. RNG is pipeline-quality methane produced from biomass that is sourced from livestock operations, landfills, and other organic waste.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Jan. 27 that calls for a review of siting and permitting process on public lands and waters to increase renewable energy production with a goal of doubling offshore wind energy by 2030. The order also directs the U.S. Interior Department to pause new oil and gas…...
Energy storage initiatives are moving forward at a swift pace to complement clean energy policies as batteries can facilitate the integration of diverse generation technologies and address grid stability. With improving economics, there is a growing discussion on the role of energy storage as a grid asset to foster reliability and optimize renewables to meet ambitious clean energy goals.
The New York Public Service Commission approved the Marcy to New Scotland Upgrade Project, an $854 million power line starting in Oneida County and extending to Albany County to facilitate greater flow of clean energy to high-demand markets downstate, according to a Jan. 21 press release. The project would replace existing lines with new lines…
U.S. President Joe Biden issued a series of executive actions on Jan. 20 reflecting his energy agenda that prioritizes clean energy and climate action. Biden took action to recommit the U.S. to the Paris Climate Agreement and issued an executive order revoking a key permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline and temporarily halting oil…...
The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority has awarded two offshore wind projects, totaling 2,490 megawatts to Norway’s Equinor ASA, in one of the single largest renewable energy procurements in the U.S. to date. The procurement would bring the state halfway toward the goal of achieving 9 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2035…....