Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed legislation on Jan. 17 that sets a goal of having 2 million light duty plug-in electric vehicles in the state by 2035 and requires at least 85 percent of new light duty vehicles sold or leased to be electric by 2040. The legislation creates an incentive program to provide at…
The California Public Utilities Commission on Jan. 16 approved $830 million in new funding for the Self-Generation Incentive Program, or SGIP, prioritizing energy storage projects for communities most impacted by utilities’ public safety power shutoff events to avoid the risk of power lines starting wildfires. When added to unspent funds from previous years, the decision…
The New York Public Service Commission on Jan. 16 issued an order authorizing the state’s Energy Research and Development Authority to offer an index renewable energy credit price option in addition to the traditional fixed-price in future solicitations for long-term renewable energy contracts. The new pricing structure, expected to reduce risks for developers and lower…
The New York Public Service Commission on Jan. 16 adopted a three-year rate plan for Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc., allowing the utility to increase electric and gas rates annually through 2022. The agency authorized a first-year electric revenue increase of about $113 million, or 3.1 percent, down from the original request of…
Democratic Governor Gina Raimondo signed an executive order on Jan. 17 setting a goal for the state to source all of its electricity from renewable resources by the end of 2030. The order directs the state’s Office of Energy Resources to conduct an economic and energy market analysis and develop policies and programs to attain…
About 42 gigawatts of new power generating capacity is expected to come online in 2020, with solar and wind accounting for almost 32 gigawatts of the capacity, according to a Jan. 14 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind represents the largest share at 44 percent, followed by solar at 32 percent and natural…
The U.S. Energy Department revised its current rulemaking method for considering new or modified energy efficiency standards for consumer appliances and some industrial equipment, according to a Jan. 15 news release. The rule, which updates a procedure that was developed in 1996, defines a significant energy savings threshold that must be met before the agency…
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a final rule addressing safety issues related to underground natural gas storage facilities, according to a Jan. 13 news release. The rule stems from legislation enacted in 2016 that directed the agency to establish minimum federal safety standards for these facilities, following a…
The New Jersey legislature passed a bill on Jan. 13 which sets a goal of having 2 million light duty plug-in electric vehicles in the state by 2035 and requiring at least 85 percent of new light duty vehicles sold or leased to be electric vehicles by 2040. The legislation also creates an incentive program…
Continued growth in U.S. natural gas production is expected to result in 9 percent lower average prices this year compared to 2019, according to a Jan. 15 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Natural gas production, which set a new record last year, averaging 92.0 billion cubic feet per day is forecast to rise…
The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management authorized Desert Quartzite LLC, a subsidiary of First Solar Inc., to build a 450-megawatt solar photovoltaic project covering about 3,000 acres of public lands in eastern Riverside County, California, according to a Jan. 15 news release. The project will result in a private infrastructure investment of $1…
The South Carolina Public Service Commission on Jan. 3 voted to increase the rates that Dominion Energy Inc. must use to compensate independent solar providers under the Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA. The vote revokes a November 2019 decision that lowered the rates and would have stifled solar development in the state. The…
