Duke Energy Florida, a subsidiary of Duke Energy Corp., completed a $700 million green bond transaction to finance renewable energy projects, including solar generation and utility-scale battery storage deployments in the state, according to a Nov. 26 news release. This is the third green bond transaction by Duke Energy utilities over the past year, following…
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission on Nov. 27 granted a permit allowing Tatanka Ridge Wind LLC, a subsidiary of Avangrid Renewables LLC, to construct and operate a $216 million wind generation project in Deuel County. The developer has entered into two power purchase contracts, one with Google for 98 megawatts of the output, and…
U.S. energy sector carbon emissions rose by 2.7 percent last year compared to 2017, reaching 5.27 billion metric tons, according to a Nov. 26 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Emissions in 2018 rose for the first time since 2014, driven by higher natural consumption to meet demand during extreme weather conditions and transportation-related…
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo on Nov. 25 announced a settlement with National Grid plc to immediately lift the moratorium on gas service in Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn. The move follows Cuomo’s notification earlier this month threatening to revoke National Grid’s operating license over its inability to provide reliable supply. The utility committed to short-term…
U.S. House Representative Donald McEachin, a Democrat representing Virginia, introduced legislation on Nov. 21 that would set a nationwide goal of achieving a 100 percent clean energy economy by 2050. The bill, which has over 150 co-sponsors, calls on federal agencies to use their existing authorities to reach the net-zero carbon goal while remaining technology-neutral. The…
Community choice aggregation has existed for over two decades, but it has gained popularity in recent years, driven by competitive rates, consumer interest in controlling their electricity source, and the desire for renewable energy options. The procurement model allows local governments to buy power on behalf of their communities, tailoring their purchases to meet customer preferences.
Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order on Nov. 19 that raises the state’s offshore wind generation target to 7.5 gigawatts by 2035, more than double the previous goal of 3.5 gigawatts by 2030. The target is the second largest in the nation, next only to New York, which aims to achieve 9 gigawatts…
The compliance obligations under Ohio’s renewable portfolio standard continue to shift from electric distribution companies to competitive retail suppliers, who were responsible for 78 percent of the requirements, up from 77 percent in the prior year, according to a Nov. 13 draft annual report by the Ohio Public Utilities Commission staff. Electric distribution utilities accounted…
In the latest sign of the health and growth of the nation's nascent offshore wind industry, state commitments to procure supplies of the energy source rose to nearly 20 gigawatts this year, quadruple the amount of capacity from just two years ago. The burgeoning industry remains upbeat even as federal permitting delays to the nation’s first large-scale project raised concerns of regulatory roadblocks.
The California Public Utilities Commission voted to authorize the procurement of 3.3 gigawatts of new, non-emitting electricity resources by 2023 to forestall potential resource adequacy shortages starting in 2021, according to a Nov. 7 news release. The order also seeks to keep some natural-gas-fired power plants open past their current 2020 closure dates by recommending…
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc. expects more than 82,000 megawatts of resource capacity to be available to meet the system-wide projected peak demand of 62,257 megawatts for the upcoming winter season from December through February 2020, according to a Nov. 7 announcement. The final resource adequacy assessment for winter season 2019-20 includes 136…
The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Nov. 5 voted to authorize a contract for the 12-megawatt Maine Aqua Ventus project, the first deep-water offshore wind facility in the U.S. to feature a floating platform. A measure enacted in June directed regulators to approve a long-term power purchase agreement between the University of Maine-led initiative and…