The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on March 11 ruled that the bankruptcy code is adequate to decide the future of Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s wholesale power purchase contracts. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission claimed that the agency has concurrent jurisdiction with bankruptcy courts over wholesale contracts that the utility…
Florida Power & Light Company submitted a petition with the Florida Public Service Commission for approval of a new voluntary community solar program, FPL SolarTogether, which allows customers to subscribe to a portion of new solar capacity built through the program and receive a credit for a portion of the system’s savings, according to a March 14…
The U.S. added 31.3 gigawatts of generating capacity in 2018, the largest since the 2003 capacity addition of 48.8 gigawatts, according to a March 11 report from the Energy Information Administration. Natural gas accounted for 62 percent of utility-scale additions, while wind and solar photovoltaic represented 21 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Coal accounted for…
The New York State Public Service Commission capped early termination fees for community distributed generation project members and mandated production guarantees for on-site mass-market solar projects as well as clear disclosure of escalation clauses in contracts between customers and developers, according to a March 14 press release. Termination fees for distributed generation projects will be capped at $200.…
A bill introduced on March 11 by Republican Representatives John Szoka, Dean Arp, Bobby Hanig, and Harry Warren seeks to allow charging to resell kilowatt-hours originally purchased from an electric utility, in a bid to spur more private investment into electric charging infrastructure around the state and more North Carolinians to drive electric. Currently, operators…
The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission doubled down on the civil penalties imposed as part of a settlement agreement with Vista Energy Marketing LP, following an investigation into the company’s marketing and sales practices as a licensed electric generation supplier in Pennsylvania, according to a March 14 press release. The Commission voted 5-0 to approve a…
U.S. natural gas production grew by 10.0 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) in 2018, an 11 percent increase from the previous year, according to the Energy Information Administration’s Monthly Crude Oil, Lease Condensate, and Natural Gas Production Report. The growth was the largest annual increase in production on record, following an already record-breaking 2017. The…
Ameren Corporation published a report on March 11 called Building a Cleaner Energy Future, in which it sets out the company’s strategy for tackling climate risks and moving toward cleaner energy. The company wants to reduce carbon emissions by 35 percent by 2030, 50 percent by 2040 and an 80 percent reduction by 2050 from 2005 levels. Ameren expects…
Xcel Energy Inc. announced its Renewable Connect Program, which allows customers who subscribe to source up to 100 percent of their electricity from renewables like wind and solar, according to a March 11 press release. The program gives customers the flexibility to choose how much of their electricity should come from renewables and for how long, with subscription options…
The California Energy Commission has approved a battery energy storage system to support the operation of the Marsh Landing natural gas plant in the event of a blackout, according to a March 12 order. The batteries will be used to start the gas turbines and to restart the power plant in the event of a blackout, also known as…
The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) has published its Energy Storage Market Acceleration Incentives Implementation Plan on March 11. It describes how the state will allocate $310 million in funding to boost adoption of the technology and help achieve approximately a third of New York’s ambitious goal of 3 gigawatts by 2030. This $310 million market…
The New Mexico House of Representatives passed the Energy Transition Act on Tuesday afternoon, which orders the state to source all of its power from carbon-free supplies by 2045. The bill passed the Democratic-controlled state legislature with 32-9 votes in the Senate and 43-22 in the House. Democratic governor Michelle Lujan-Grisham is expected to sign it into…
