PJM Interconnection LLC is joining forces with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory to study the integration of distributed energy resources, such as rooftop solar, into the operator’s grid, according to an April 2 press release. The Argonne laboratory will be supporting PJM’s Distributed Energy Resource Ride-Through Task Force in developing guidelines for so-called “ride through” and…
The Florida Public Service Commission approved cost recovery for two of Duke Energy Florida LLC’s solar projects, totaling about 150 megawatts of capacity, according to an April 2 press release. The two projects, located in the northern part of the state, are the 74.9-megawatt Hamilton Solar farm and the 74.9-megawatt Columbia Solar farm. Hamilton was originally developed by Tradewind…
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission is taking comments on a proposal by Idaho Power for a uniform increase to all base rates of 0.11 percent in order to finance the retirement of the North Valmy generating station, a two-unit coal-fired power plant with a capacity of 522 megawatts. The utility’s proposal calls for additional retirement costs to be…
DTE Electric Company submitted its 2019 integrated resource plan to the Michigan Public Service Commission on March 29, outlining the company’s strategy for the next 20 years. The plan focuses on a transition from coal to renewables, boosting energy efficiency and accelerating carbon emission reductions. The utility’s plan calls for about $2 billion to be invested in renewable…
The Utah Department of Environmental Quality selected 18 government entities to receive funding for electric vehicle charging projects from the state’s $35 million share of the Volkswagen Clean Diesel settlement, according to an April 1 press release. Governor Gary Herbert, a Republican, designated the department to oversee the allocation of settlement funds. The DEQ decided to put 11 percent,…
President Trump issued an executive order on March 26 directing federal agencies to assess and plan against the risks of an electromagnetic pulse, or EMP, implementing the core recommendations of the decommissioned Congressional EMP Commission on an accelerated basis. An electromagnetic pulse is a high-intensity surge of energy that can disrupt or destroy sensitive electronics and electrical infrastructure…
U.S. shale oil production, which became the more common form of oil extraction in 2015, will continue to grow through 2030, ultimately reaching more than 10 million barrels per day compared to 2018’s 6.5 million. Shale oil, also known as tight oil, accounted for 61 percent of total U.S. production in 2018, according to the Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook…
PJM Interconnection LLC on March 29 filed a proposal with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to revise its energy and reserve market rules to properly value the energy reserves that support grid reliability by providing the flexibility needed to accommodate the evolving resource mix. The grid operator said that the growing variability of power demand…...
The Massachusetts electric distribution companies Unitil Corp., National Grid plc, and Eversource Energy, and the state’s Department of Energy Resources proposed a timetable and procedure to solicit and execute long-term contracts for up to 800 megawatts of offshore wind power, according to a March 29 notice from the Department of Public Utilities. The companies are…...
The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission on March 25 authorized the initial, four-year phase of the Hawaiian Electric Companies’ grid modernization strategy set to begin later this year. The companies will invest $86.3 million in advanced meters, a meter data management system, and a telecommunications network. The companies said that the first phase marks a “foundational…
The Maryland legislature on March 28 approved a measure that would extend the state’s community solar pilot through 2024 and remove the limit on the maximum number of subscribers in the program. The legislation would also include annually increasing capacity levels for each program category, modifying the current requirement that allows restrictions to enable regulators…...
The U.S. Energy Department will provide up to $130 million to support research and development of early-stage solar technologies, according to a March 26 news release. The funding will support up to 80 projects focused on photovoltaics, concentrating solar-thermal power, soft costs reduction, innovation in the solar manufacturing sector, and advanced grid integration technologies. The…...