The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio accepted the results of AEP Ohio’s wholesale power auction which resulted in six winning bidders and an average clearing price of $46.63 per megawatt hour (MWh), according to a March 6 press release. The auction, held on March 5, 2019, will be combined with previous results to set the…
The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 26 approved terms for a 10-year contract for Three Rivers Solar Power LLC’s project, the winning proposal among seven bids submitted in response to the agency’s solicitation last July. The commission also directed its staff and Emera Inc. subsidiary Emera Maine to finalize a contract with the project…...
Democratic Governor Tim Walz announced a proposal that would require the state’s utilities to source all of their electricity from carbon-free resources by 2050, allowing them to set their own pace to meet the goal, according to a March 4 press release from the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Under the plan, titled “One Minnesota Path…
Obstacles that have long thwarted the rapid growth of solar that sunny Texas has always promised -- the deregulated market and a dearth of renewable incentives -- are posing less of a hindrance in the face of cheap power purchase contracts. Texas, which leads the nation in wind-powered generation, accounting for more than a quarter of the U.S. total, is rapidly emerging as a solar power house. Falling costs, retirements of fossil-fueled generation, and demand growth have been instrumental in driving solar growth in the region.
The Public Service Company of Oklahoma reached a proposed settlement seeking a revenue increase of $46 million, down from the originally requested $88 million, according to a Feb. 27 press release by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. The settlement would raise monthly residential electric bills by about $2.38 compared to an increase of $7 that would…...
Tesla Inc. on Feb. 28 requested rehearing of the New York Public Service Commission’s order approving an incentive program for electric vehicle charging stations, finding that the agency’s definition of “publicly accessible” stations disqualifies Tesla’s charging technology without any rational basis. The commission, in its Feb. 7 order adopting an annual declining per-plug incentive program,…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 25 ended its investigation into allegations that Footprint Power LLC made false and misleading power supply commitments in the summer of 2013 for its natural gas-fired Salem Harbor Power Plant in Salem, Massachusetts. The move follows the Office of Enforcement’s recommendation that the commission vacate its order to…...
The Kansas Corporation Commission on Feb. 25 directed Kansas Gas Service, a division of ONE Gas Inc., to refund about $17.9 million to its customers, rejecting the company’s request to retain the savings accrued from the federal tax cut law to offset its cost of service. Residential customers will receive a one-time bill credit to…
States with legally binding renewable energy mandates represented 63 percent of electricity retail sales in the nation, according to a Feb. 27 article from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, highlighting the potential impact that more ambitious green energy goals can have on the U.S. energy mix. State renewable portfolio standards, which require utilities and suppliers…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Feb. 25 accepted ISO New England Inc.’s market rules to enable advanced storage technologies to be dispatched and priced in the real-time energy market in a manner that more fully recognizes their ability to transition rapidly between charging and discharging. The revisions allow batteries and emerging storage technologies to…...
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is scheduled to discuss revisions proposed by electric distribution companies to net metering and Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, programs, according to a Feb. 25 order of notice. Unitil Corp, National Grid plc, and Eversource Energy have submitted revised model tariffs for net metering and the SMART program, clarifying the eligibility of facilities…
New England’s grid is undergoing a rapid change as nuclear, oil, and coal-fired power plants that operate with stored fuel are retiring in larger numbers, and are being replaced by natural-gas-fired plants and renewable generation. Natural gas accounted for 49 percent of the region’s power generation last year, up from just 15 percent in 2000…....
