The Ohio Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 14 proposed revisions to gas pipeline safety rules as part of its regular five-year review. The proposed rule would adopt the 2019 federal safety standards and include a requirement for pipeline operators to develop a plan for abandoning inactive service lines in the state. The revisions will establish…
New York installed 884 megawatts of solar generating capacity through June 30, with an additional 970 megawatts in the pipeline under the NY Sun program, a $1 billion initiative to expand solar capacity through the strategic use of public funds to build a self-sustaining market, according to an Aug. 14 report from the New York…
The New York Public Service Commission staff on Aug. 13 recommended changes to the value stack compensation rule to clarify the eligibility criteria for certain high-capacity-factor resources, such as fuel cells, to prevent excessive cost shift to non-participating ratepayers. Utilities expressed concerns that the issue has become particularly relevant given the growing number of prospective…
The U.S. imported an average of 644,000 kilowatts per month of solar panels during the first four months of this year, up from less than 300,000 kilowatts in the months following the imposition of tariffs on imported solar in February 2018, according to an Aug. 13 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Continued decline…
Ameren, FirstEnergy, and Pepco are advancing sweeping plans to modernize the power grid. The programs, exceeding $7.5 billions in investments, mark the latest efforts by utilities to overhaul an aging, antiquated transmission and distribution system to make it more resilient, accommodate the growing penetration of renewable and distributed energy, and enhance customer-interaction.
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed legislation on Aug. 9 to convene a task force that was officially formed in 2013 to analyze and evaluate policies and economic options to facilitate offshore wind energy development. The law directs the state’s Department of Natural Resources to identify areas of Illinois’ public trust lands of…
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Aug. 12 granted Xcel Energy Inc.’s request to expand the utility’s Renewable*Connect pilot program, a green pricing option, into a permanent initiative. Xcel sought the expansion because the program, established in 2017, has been fully subscribed and there is additional customer demand. The unfulfilled demand for its two renewable…
Vineyard Wind LLC expressed disappointment at the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s decision to further delay the approval of the environmental review for its 800-megawatt offshore wind project, according to an Aug. 9 press release. The developer urged the agency to expedite the review, highlighting the project’s potential to kickstart the offshore wind industry…
Democratic Governor Kate Brown signed legislation on Aug. 9 that creates a program to provide rebates of up to $5,000 or 40 percent of the cost of installing a residential solar generating facility. The measure boosts the prospects of the state’s solar industry, which declined after state incentives through the Renewable Energy Tax Credit sunset…
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission found Puget Sound Energy and Avista, two of the state’s investor-owned electric utilities, are in compliance with state renewable energy requirements and supply at least 9 percent of its electric load through renewable sources for 2019, according to an August 8 press release. PSE exceeded its commission-approved target of…
The Public Utility Commission of Texas has voted to approve forms that will be used for electric broker registration, the first step in implementing Senate Bill 1497, which sets new rules for brokerage services in the state. New rules for broker registration empower the commission to hold brokers accountable with its customer protection provisions, disclosure requirements…
The Maryland Public Service Commission on Aug. 9 issued a decision to convene a working group tasked with developing a procedure for implementing a multi-year rate plan, an alternative rate-setting process that would extend utilities’ approved rates for up to three years. Multi-year plans can combine the stability of traditional ratemaking while allowing adjustments that…
