Democratic Governor Ralph Northam on April 11 signed into law the Virginia Clean Economy Act, which sets the state on the path to carbon-free power by 2050. The law replaces the voluntary renewable energy portfolio program with a mandatory standard, and paves the way for an enormous expansion of wind and solar power, and energy…...
The volatile situation created by the COVID-19 spread has prompted state utility commissions to respond with new directives and guidance on a number of proceedings. Regulators have responded with various measures, including suspending service disconnections, transitioning to virtual meetings, and delaying rate cases.
The U.S. electric power sector will add 19.4 gigawatts of wind capacity and 12.6 gigawatts of utility-scale solar capacity in 2020, according to the Energy Information Administration’s Short-Term Energy Outlook issued on April 7. These annual wind and solar capacity additions are 5 percent and 10 percent lower, respectively, compared to the previous report. Renewable…...
The District of Columbia Public Service Commission approved a pilot program to procure renewable energy through a long-term power purchase contract to supply five percent of the district’s standard offer service, or SOS, procurement portfolio, according to an April 8 press release. The commission directed Potomac Electric Power Company, which administers the SOS program, to…
The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment on April 9 denied petitions seeking rehearing of the agency’s December 2019 decision permitting Bluestone Wind LLC to construct a 124-megawatt wind energy project in Broome County. Petitioners challenged the factual and legal findings of the board with regard to the project’s impact…
New York lawmakers passed legislation as part of the Fiscal Year 2020-2021 state budget to establish an Office of Renewable Energy Permitting, which will create a siting process specifically designed for renewable energy projects, according to an April 3 announcement from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The office, the first of…
The U.S. Energy Department announced $20 million funding for offshore wind projects focused on enhancing the ability to forecast production and demonstrating the application of new commercial-scale technologies. In a separate funding opportunity, the department’ Water Power Technologies Office announced up to $22 million for marine energy foundational research by continuing to build research capabilities…
DTE Electric Company proposed a 225-megawatt wind farm and two solar power purchase contracts of about 125 megawatts in its revised renewable energy plan filed with the Michigan Public Service Commission on March 31. The generation capacity, to be added over the next two years, would enable compliance with the 15 percent of the renewable…
Offshore wind energy, which is key to realize the clean energy transition in several East Coast states, is faced with tough challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic disrupts the global supply chain, affecting project timelines. Delays have the potential to threaten power purchase contracts and federal tax credits that are crucial for project economics.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on March 27 opened a proceeding to examine whether the state can achieve its long-term clean energy and environmental goals under the current resource adequacy procurement paradigm. The commission will assess alternatives to the state participating in the regional capacity market administered by PJM Interconnection LLC as the…...
U.S. President Donald Trump on March 27 signed into law the CARES Act, a $2.2 trillion economic stimulus package aimed to provide financial and emergency relief to alleviate the impact of the COVID-19 global pandemic. The rescue package does not include tax credit extensions and direct pay provisions that wind and solar groups sought as…
Even modest carbon fees can facilitate emissions reductions in the short term, especially in the power sector where natural gas and renewables supplant coal, according to a March 17 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. However, once the emissions level linked to coal consumption is reached, the remaining gas- and petroleum-related emissions are harder…...