U.S. operational large-scale battery storage increased to 869 megawatts of installed power capacity by the end of 2018, from just 59 megawatts in 2010, according to an Aug. 10 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency published a report regarding utility-scale battery-storage capacity usage from 2010 to 2018. The document provides a glance…...
The Florida Public Service Commission on Aug. 10 approved agreements on the storm protection plans filed by four of the state’s investor-owned utilities. A 2019 law directed utilities to file 10-year plans to reduce restoration costs and outage times associated with extreme weather events and enhance reliability. The agreements resolve issues in the plans filed…...
The offshore wind industry continues to progress in the U.S. with East Coast states proceeding with new solicitations to procure capacity to meet their ambitious goals. New York and New Jersey are seeking to add nearly five gigawatts alongside offshore port infrastructure. Massachusetts is considering a bundled solicitation for generation and transmission in its next round of procurement. The industry’s growth has prompted federal regulators to examine whether existing frameworks in regional transmission organizations can accommodate offshore wind integration.
The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources on Aug. 4 announced the launch of the Clean Peak Energy Standard, an incentive program designed to encourage the use of clean energy resources during times of peak electricity demand. The first-in-the-nation program requires retail electricity suppliers to increase their kilowatt-hour sales from clean energy during seasonal peak demand…...
The U.S. Energy Department on August 6 announced $33 million for 10 projects under the Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement, or REPAIR, program to develop natural gas pipeline retrofitting technology. The initiative will rehabilitate cast iron and bare steel transmission pipes with new, durable pipes within the existing ones. The REPAIR program, launched…...
The Kansas Corporation Commission on Aug 5 decided to launch a review of Evergy’s new five-year strategic plan, in order to evaluate its impacts on electric ratepayer’s interests. The Sustainability Transformation Plan was approved by the company’s Board of Directors with a focus on shareholder value creation and grid modernization. The plan, which is designed…...
The University of Maine on Aug. 5 announced a partnership with New England Aqua Ventus LLC, a joint venture of Diamond Offshore Wind and RWE Renewables to develop the nation’s first floating offshore wind demonstration project off the coast of Maine. The companies will invest $100 million to build the turbine and demonstrate the technology…...
A bipartisan group of 32 legislators from Ohio asked the state’s Power Siting Board to reconsider the restrictions imposed on Icebreaker Wind Inc.‘s 20.7- megawatt offshore wind project in Lake Erie, according to a July 29 press release. The construction certificate, issued in May, includes a condition that the turbines remain feathered during nighttime hours…...
Republican Governor Christopher Sununu on July 24 vetoed legislation that would have revised the state’s renewable portfolio standard, raising the solar requirement to nearly 19 percent by 2040. Current policy requires 25.2 percent of New Hampshire’s electricity to be sourced from renewable energy by 2025, with a solar carve-out of 0.7 percent by 2020. In…...
Mississippi Public Services Commission Chairman Dane Maxwell on August 4 drafted orders to approve two 78.5-megawatt solar facilities in Hancock and Clarke Counties. The projects would cost $80 million each and are expected to have a useful life of more than 35 years. Both the projects – Moonshot Solar in Hancock County and Cane Creek…...
The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission on Aug 4 approved new rules for advanced meter infrastructure, following a two-year rulemaking process. The regulations require investor-owned utilities employing residential smart meters to focus on customer data privacy and service continuity. Customers are allowed to opt-out of smart meters. Smart meters are critical to grid modernization as…...
Public Service Enterprise Group is exploring alternatives to 6,750 megawatts of fossil generation in New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and Maryland, and its 467-megawatt Solar Source portfolio across 14 states, according to a July 31 press release. The New Jersey utility intends to retain its existing nuclear fleet, in order to help the state achieve…...