Massachusetts electric and gas utilities on Oct. 31 filed a joint energy efficiency plan with the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities proposing an investment of $2.77 billion over three years from 2019 to 2021. The proposal seeks to invest over $200 million more in the new plan compared to the prior three-year period and achieve…
The Department of Energy announced its inaugural Grid Optimization (GO) Competition consisting of a series of challenges to develop software that will improve the reliability, resilience and security of the nation’s power grid. In an Oct. 31 press release, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry recognized that the grid has become more diverse, with the…
The Western Energy Imbalance market generated about $100 million in savings in the third quarter of this year, with total benefits reaching $502 million since its launch in November 2014, according to an Oct. 29 press release from the California Independent System Operator Corporation. The third quarter benefits were the highest for any quarter due…
The Florida Public Service Commission on Oct. 29 authorized Tampa Electric Company to recover costs for five solar projects totaling 260 megawatts under the second phase of the company’s solar plan. The projects raise the revenue requirement by $46 million resulting in a $2.46 increase in monthly residential bills, effective January 2019. The agency said…
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities announced that all Solar Renewable Energy Certificate or SREC applications submitted after Oct. 29 will have a lifespan of 10 years, clarifying legislation enacted in May. The language of the legislation says that the 10-year term applies only to certain proposals seeking to connect to the distribution system.…
ISO New England Inc. filed revisions with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a new market design that would help emerging storage technologies to “more fully participate” in the wholesale power markets, according to an Oct. 29 news release. The rule would recognize the ability of batteries to transition continuously and rapidly from charging to…
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a six-month contract beginning Nov. 1 with Rutgers University to conduct an analysis of energy storage, according to the agency’s Oct. 29 press release. The state enacted legislation in May that sets a target to reach 600 megawatts of storage by 2021 and 2,000 megawatts by 2030.…
The U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut ruled on Oct. 25 that Connecticut’s transfer of ratepayer funds collected for energy conservation programs to the general fund is not illegal. The court said that state law has not promised ratepayers that their money would not be transferred to the general fund for other purposes,…
Governor Kate Brown, a Democrat, issued an executive order on Oct. 24 directing state agencies to safeguard Oregon’s coastal economy by preventing the construction of infrastructure associated with oil and gas drilling. The measure comes in response to the Trump administration’s proposal to encourage offshore drilling in federal waters off the Oregon coast. Brown sought…
The Missouri Public Service Commission on Oct. 24 approved a settlement authorizing Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, to construct and operate its proposed High Prairie Wind Farm in Schuyler and Adair counties. Under the settlement, TG High Prairie LLC, a special purpose entity tasked with building the facility, would merge into Ameren Missouri…
Dominion Energy Inc. on Oct. 24 announced a request for proposals for up to 500 megawatts of wind and solar in Virginia under a plan to add 3 gigawatts of renewables in the state by 2022. The company said it will issue annual RFPs to meet the goal. The solicitation is open to onshore projects…
The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio on Oct. 24 established the PowerForward Collaborative, a utility workgroup charged with monitoring marketplace developments to fulfil the objectives of its grid modernization roadmap. The PowerForward roadmap charts a path forward for the state’s grid modernization endeavor, creating a regulatory paradigm to foster innovation that allows for an enhanced…
