The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $398.5 million to improve rural electric service in 13 states, according to a Sept. 19 press release. The spending includes about $43.7 million for smart grid technology to enhance the reliability and efficiency of electric power systems. The loan will also finance an 81 MW solar photovoltaic farm…
About 31 percent of U.S. households faced difficulties in paying energy bills or meeting their heating or air conditioning needs in 2015, a year when overall energy-related spending was the lowest in more than a decade, according to a Sept. 19 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The statistics from the agency’s most recent…
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced up to $3 million in grants for installation of fast-charging stations and hydrogen fuel cell equipment for zero emission vehicles through 2019, according to a Sept. 19 press release. Applications for the grant program are due on Jan. 25, July 15, and Dec. 16, 2019. The department will…
The Illinois Commerce Commission held a policy session on the electrification of commercial fleets and buses and the effects of increasing electric vehicles in the transportation sector, according to a Sept. 19 press release. Panelists said that electric vehicles are gaining favor among commercial users due to lower maintenance costs, improved driving range, smaller environmental…
California Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, signed legislation on Sept. 19 that directs the state public utilities commission to authorize full funding for the community mitigation settlement and employee retention programs that Pacific Gas and Electric Company proposed in its initial application seeking approval to retire the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. In January, the…
The Bureau of Land Management on Sept. 18 issued final revisions to an Obama-era rule aimed at reducing the waste of methane, a potent global warming pollutant, from venting, flaring, and leaks during oil and natural gas drilling operations. The final rule largely re-establishes the requirements that were in place before the 2016 rule, which,…
The Trump administration issued a 10 percent import tax which will apply to $200 billion worth of Chinese goods, including inverters used in renewable energy installations as well certain types of batteries. According to the U.S. Trade Representative’s Sept. 18 announcement, the tariffs go into effect on Sept. 24 and are set to jump to…
Avista Corporation’s purchased gas adjustment would lower gas bills by about 0.7 percent, according to a Sept. 18 press release from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. The adjustment accounts for changes in costs incurred by the utility to purchase, store, and transport gas needed to serve its customers. Avista attributed the proposed rate decrease to…
The South Dakota Public Utilities Commission approved a settlement allowing NorthWestern Energy to refund $3 million in savings resulting from the federal tax reform that slashed the federal income tax rate to 21 percent from 35 percent effective Jan. 1., according to a Sept. 18 press release. The company agreed to a rate moratorium to…
The U.S. Energy Department announced funding to renew the agency’s innovation hub dedicated to battery science over five years, according to a Sept. 18 press release. The Joint Center for Energy Storage Research, established in 2012, addressed major scientific challenges in electric storage including efforts to lay the foundation for doubly-charged magnesium batteries instead of…
