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…
A bipartisan group of state legislators re-introduced a pair of bills aimed at getting Pennsylvania to 100 percent renewable energy by 2050. Christopher Rabb, a Democrat, introduced HB 1425, while Tom Killion, a Republican, is sponsoring the Senate version, SB 630. The proposals will set benchmarks for phasing out nonrenewable energy by requiring 50 percent…
California’s large investor-owned utilities procured about 38 percent of their total generation from renewable resources, which accounted for nearly 42 percent of their total generation costs in 2018, according to a May 8 report from the California Public Utilities Commission. Wind and solar dominated utility power contracts, with the average prices for contracts dropping to…
Tucson Electric Power Company entered into an agreement to join the Western Energy Imbalance Market from April 2022, according to a May 8 news release from the California Independent System Operator Corporation. Tucson estimates the participation to result in about $13 million in annual energy cost savings for its customers by expanding real-time access to…
The California Public Utilities Commission approved a preferred system portfolio that calls for 12 gigawatts of new renewables and storage by 2030, including 1.7 gigawatts of geothermal, according to a May 1 decision. The agency said that geothermal is valuable for balancing the intermittency of wind and solar resources. The plan will require “concrete procurement…
Nevada, Washington, Maryland and Puerto Rico are the latest states and territory to strengthen targets for clean energy, showing how momentum is building across the U.S. for policy makers to break away from fossil fuels over the next couple of decades. These new standards brings to five the number of states and territories that are in the advanced stages of hiking renewable goals so far this year.
The Washington legislature on April 22 approved a measure requiring the state’s electricity supply to be carbon-neutral by 2030 and 100 percent carbon-free by 2045. The bill now moves to Democratic Governor Jay Inslee’s desk to be signed into law. Inslee said he looked forward to signing the bill, calling it the nation’s most forward looking…
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo on April 23 announced a solicitation for large-scale renewable energy projects in a series of annual procurements under New York’s Clean Energy Standard, which requires half the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy by 2030. The competition is expected to spur over $1 billion in private investment and support around…
U.S. wind power has more than tripled over the last decade, surpassing hydropower to become the nation's single-largest source of renewable capacity, and that's due in no small part to federal tax incentives. The industry is now poised to enjoy one last hurrah from the tax program as the expiration of the credits this year is setting in motion a rush to build about 11 gigawatts of new projects, accounting for the largest expansion of the sector since 2012.
Nevada State lawmakers unanimously approved legislation on April 19 to boost the state’s renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030, and set a goal for achieving 100 percent of the state’s electricity from carbon-free resources by 2050. The existing target calls for the state to get 25 percent of supplies from renewables by 2025.…
