The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 5 announced it will convene a technical conference next month to consider the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on various segments on the U.S. energy industry. The agency will analyse the potential longer-term impacts on regulated entities to ensure efficient functioning of energy markets, power transmission, oil…...
The Arkansas Public Service Commission on June 1 issued an order retaining the current net metering rate structure, which credits rooftop solar customers at retail rates for net excess generation, through the end of 2022. The commission decided that systems under 1 megawatt should receive the full 1:1 retail rate credit until Dec. 31, 2022…...
The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment on June 3 granted a permit, allowing Alle-Catt Wind Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Invenergy LLC, to construct a 340-megawatt wind generating facility in Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Wyoming counties. The $454 million facility, spanning about 30,000 acres, is expected to generate up to…...
The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority extended the start date for delivery of renewable energy credits, or RECs, from low and zero emission facilities under the state’s LREC/ZREC program to provide flexibility for projects that may be facing delivery delays due to the COVID 19 pandemic, according to a June 1 press release. The agency…...
The New York Independent System Operator Inc. expects to have 41,319 megawatts of power capacity, including in-state generation, imports, and demand response to meet forecasted peak demand this summer, according to a May 28 press release. The grid operator anticipates a peak demand of 32,296 megawatts, which is 86 megawatts lower than the 2019 baseline…...
A growing number of states across the U.S. are amping up energy storage to complement the drive towards clean energy as batteries can help integrate diverse generation technologies and stabilize the grid. State commitments to procure battery storage capacity now top 11 gigawatts, following targets established by Nevada and Virginia this year.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on May 18 unveiled its Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Ecosystem 2020 Straw Proposal, which will inform recommendations to develop an approach for charging infrastructure build-out, as well as the roles of private and public entities. New Jersey enacted legislation in January that sets a goal of having 2 million…...
The Louisiana Public Service Commission approved a settlement agreement, allowing Southwestern Electric Power Co., a subsidiary of American Electric Power Company Inc., to acquire up to 810 megawatts of wind energy from three projects in Oklahoma, according to a May 27 press release. Following previous regulatory approvals from Oklahoma, Arkansas, and the Federal Energy Regulatory…...
U.S. natural gas consumption is expected to fall by 3.4 billion cubic feet per day led by a decline in industrial consumption, according to a May 26 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency attributed the decrease to the economic slowdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and to milder temperatures in the first…...
The California Public Utilities Commission approved Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s bankruptcy reorganization plan with conditions, including changes to the company’s governance structure, enhanced oversight, and creation of local operating regions, according to a May 28 press release. Under a new oversight framework, PG&E’s operating permit will be subject to an ongoing review as part…...
The number of solar and wind generation sites co-located with battery installations has grown to 53 in 2019, from 19 paired sites in 2016, according to a May 18 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Another 56 such facilities will come online by the end of 2023 according to planned installations reported to the…...
U.S. annual energy consumption from renewables reached 11.5 quadrillion British thermal units in 2019, surpassing coal for the first time since before 1885, according to a May 28 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency pointed to the growth of renewable energy, especially wind and solar energy, for electricity generation amid the continued…...
