The U.S. power grid, in the first six months of 2022, added 15 gigawatts (GW) of utility-scale generating capacity, according to an Aug. 3 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind generation had the largest share with 34 percent, gas had the second largest share, and solar and battery storage made up the rest.…
The U.S. Energy Department on Aug. 3 issued a notice of its decision to build a Versatile Test Reactor, VTR, at the Idaho National Laboratory. The initiative would facilitate the modernization of U.S. nuclear energy research and development infrastructure and accelerate technology development for current and next-generation reactors. The sodium-cooled reactor would be the first…...
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved new Intermountain Gas Company rate schedules by an interim Purchased Gas Cost Adjustment, or PGA, according to an Aug. 3 press release. Residential natural gas service rates increased by about 24.1 percent and commercial rates increased by about 27 percent. The rate change will increase Intermountain’s revenues by $67…...
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator board approved a $2.23 billion investment for new transmission lines which are completely or partially in Minnesota, according to an Aug. 2 press release from the Minnesota Commerce Department. The investments are expected to advance and expand the electric grid to ensure reliability during the state’s transition to clean energy…....
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the State Department of Commerce (DOC) on Aug. 1 adopted new rules for electric utilities, marking an important step forward in the state’s transition to a clean energy future. The rule addresses various key aspects of the 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act, or CETA, including the requirement…...
The growth in power generation from small-scale, customer-sited solar installations is altering the hourly pattern of metered electricity demand in New England during spring – March to May, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Since 2016, New England has added 3.8 gigawatts to its grid, with small-scale solar accounting for 60 percent of that…...
Performance-based regulation (PBR) is gaining momentum across U.S. states driven by policy and technology changes to meet decarbonization goals and changing customer expectations.
The Oregon Public Utilities Commission on July 29 approved an ongoing discount program on monthly bills for Cascade Natural Gas Corporation’s residential customers based on their income. The program contains four levels of discounts, varying from 15 percent to 95 percent, evaluated as a percentage of the bill. Qualifying customers must have an income level…...
New York Governor Kathy Hochul on July 28 announced the rollout of a $567 million COVID-19 bill credit program to help low-income electric and gas utility customers settle accrued bills incurred during the recent pandemic. The credit will reflect on customers’ August bills. Over 327,000 low-income customers are expected to directly benefit from the program…....
The U.S. Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office has closed a $102.1 million loan to Syrah Technologies LLC for the development of its Syrah Vidalia Facility. This marks the first loan from the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing, or ATVM, Loan program in over a decade, and the first such loan entirely for a supply chain manufacturing…...
U.S. utility-scale battery capacity grew by 229 percent between 2020 and 2021, reaching 4.6 gigawatts, according to a July 27 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Battery power capacity more than tripled during 2021, with more than 93 percent of the installations co-located with solar power plants. U.S. Utility Battery System Application: To better…...