The New York Public Service Commission on Dec. 13 set an energy storage target of 3,000 megawatts by 2030 pursuant to legislation enacted last year, with an interim goal of 1,500 megawatt by 2025. The new storage target is the most ambitious nationwide compared to California’s goal of 1,300 megawatts by 2020 and New Jersey’s recently adopted target of…
The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management auctioned three leases off Massachusetts’ coast earmarked for the development of offshore wind farms, reaping a record-breaking $405-million, according to a Dec. 14 press release. The bureau sold commercial wind energy leases comprising nearly 390,000 acres, which are expected to support about 4.1 gigawatts of power. Out of 11 bidders,…
The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority, in a Dec. 12 decision, found that the state’s local distribution companies took a prudent approach to managing their gas supply portfolio during the 2013 to 2016 winter seasons and properly met their “supplier-of-last-resort” or SOLR obligations. The agency analyzed data for the peak demand days from the three…
The Bureau of Land Management’s quarterly oil and gas lease sale in Utah generated net proceeds of $3.04 million drawing bids for 96 of 105 parcels offered, according to a Dec. 12 press release. The sale excluded 116 parcels following a court ruling in September by the U.S. District Court for the District of Idaho…
The U.S. Energy Department will partner with the University of Kentucky to explore breakthrough energy storage technologies in the second phase of the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, the agency’s innovation hub dedicated to battery science. Established in 2012, the mission of the hub is to create next-generation technologies that can transform the transportation…
The Virginia Corporation Commission on Dec. 7 directed Dominion Energy Inc. to refile its 2018 integrated resource plan finding that the company failed to establish that the proposal is reasonable and in the public interest. The commission found that the plan includes resources that were not subject to modeling on a least-cost basis. The company…
The U.S. House of Representatives on Dec. 10 passed legislation that would authorize offshore wind energy development in the exclusive economic zone adjacent to all five U.S. territories extending 200 nautical miles seaward, while state waters extending 3 nautical miles would continue to remain under territorial jurisdiction. The bill would provide each territory with state-equivalent…
PJM Interconnection LLC filed revisions with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for market rules that would provide greater flexibility for energy storage resources participating in the wholesale market to manage system operations when charging, discharging or providing continuous electrical service across their full dispatchable range. PJM said the proposal includes modifications, where necessary, to the capacity, energy…
The New York Independent System Operator Inc. on Dec. 7 released a plan outlining a design to internalize the social cost of carbon dioxide emissions in the wholesale electricity markets. The plan would use a carbon price in dollars per ton of emissions, proposing a net cost of $40.74 per ton in 2020. The proposal would require suppliers to include the charges in their energy offers, allowing the price to…
PJM Interconnection expects to have 185,611 megawatts of resources available to meet the forecasted peak demand of 135,506 megawatts, according to a Dec. 5 press release. The grid operator said its system is ready to meet needs despite a “less-certain winter weather forecast,” noting that climate models indicate a warmer season but similar studies point…
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources announced that the state’s electric vehicle rebate program, which has issued or reserved more than $23 million in rebates for over 11,000 cars since its launch in 2014, will be extended through June 30, 2019, according to a Dec. 6 press release. Starting next year, the program will support…
The Michigan Public Service Commission approved a settlement raising the annual depreciation expenses of DTE Electric Co. by about $90 million – lower than the utility’s $156 million request – for coal, wind, and solar power generation plants. The agreement does not apply to the utility’s coal plants that are scheduled to retire in the…
