The ISO New England Inc. requires wind and intermittent hydropower generators with a capacity supply obligation to offer their power into the grid operator’s day-ahead energy market, starting June 1. The requirement stems from an initiative launched in 2016 to enable these resources to take part in real-time markets and begin taking electronic dispatch instructions.…
Democratic Governor Ned Lamont signed legislation on June 7, authorizing the state to purchase up to 2 gigawatts of offshore wind energy, equivalent to 30 percent of the state load. The bill requires the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to select proposals through one or more solicitations and direct the state’s electric distribution companies to…
The Missouri Public Service Commission authorized Invenergy Investment Company LLC to acquire ownership of Clean Line Energy Partners LLC’s 780-mile Grain Belt Express transmission project, according to a June 5 press release. The $2.3 billion multi-state transmission line is designed to deliver 4 gigawatts of wind power from Western Kansas to Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and…
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission on June 5 set the alternative compliance payment for the non-solar portion of the state’s renewable portfolio standard at about $53 per megawatt-hour for 2019. Ohio has a target to procure 12.5 percent of electricity from renewables by 2027, with a solar carve-out of 0.5 percent. Electric distribution utilities or…
Nuclear power is making its way into clean energy policies as more states embark on ambitious emissions reduction plans. The need to build up carbon-free energy resources in the fight against global warming is driving a number of policymakers to put nuclear power on equal footing with renewable resources.
The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission approved a 20-year agreement under which National Grid plc will purchase 400 megawatts of electricity from the Revolution Wind Farm that is being developed by Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind and Eversource Energy, according to a May 28 press release. National Grid will pay $98.425 per megawatt-hour as part of…
Republican Governor Larry Hogan announced on May 22 that he is allowing the Clean Energy Jobs bill, which raises the renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030, to take effect without his signature, expressing concerns that the measure could send jobs and environmental benefits to other states. Hogan chose to allow the measure to…
Xcel Energy Inc. plans to retire its last two coal power plants in Minnesota by 2030, a decade earlier than scheduled, while extending operations of its Monticello nuclear plant until at least 2040, according to a May 20 announcement. The closures are part of the company’s integrated resource plan, which will be filed with the…
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission granted a permit for Deuel Harvest Wind Energy LLC’s proposal to build a 310-megawatt wind energy farm in Duel County, according to a May 15 news release. The proposed project includes up to 112 wind turbines and a 345-kilovolt transmission line with an associated 345-kV interconnection substation located in…
The U.S. is expected to add 12.7 gigawatts of wind capacity this year, the largest since the 2012 high of 13.3 gigawatts, according to a May 15 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The growth is largely driven by the scheduled phase-out of the federal production tax credit, which provides a credit for each…
The Texas renewable energy credit, or REC, program currently has a registered capacity of nearly 28.7 gigawatts, including 2.2 gigawatts derived from non-wind technologies, according to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas Inc.’s annual report released on May 15. Offset generation accounts have a registered capacity of nearly 290 megawatts. The total amount of energy…
U.S. power plants are projected to generate 2 percent less power during the summer months of 2019 compared to last year due to changes in the mix of energy sources, according to a May 9 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Coal is forecast to supply 25 percent of generation this summer, down from…