U.S. Agriculture Department Announces 30 Percent Biofuel Target for 2050

California Awards $25 Million Grant to Aid Clean Transportation Options in Low Income Communities

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) bestowed three grants worth $25 million to deliver pioneering clean transportation solutions for underprivileged and low-income areas in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, according to a Feb.9 press release. The awardees of these grants are the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Oakland…...

Pennsylvania exported 78 million megawatt hours (MWh) of generated electricity

Pennsylvania Becomes Top Electricity Exporting State in 2020: EIA

Pennsylvania exported 78 million megawatt hours (MWh) of generated electricity to neighbouring states in 2020. This is the highest among any other state, despite other states such as Texas and Florida, producing more electricity, according to a Feb. 7 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. During 2020 more than 230 million MWh of electricity…...

development of clean hydrogen

U.S. Energy Department Offers $28 Million in Funding for Clean Hydrogen Development

The U.S. Energy Department on Feb. 7 announced that it is making $28 million available to fund the development of clean hydrogen. The agency’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) said that the funding is for research and development and front-end engineering design (FEED) projects that will utilize clean hydrogen for transportation, electricity…...

renewable portfolio standard

Alaska Governor Proposes Legislation Requiring 80 Percent Renewable Energy by 2040

Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy on Feb. 4 introduced legislation to create a renewable portfolio standard that would require utilities to use qualifying resources for 80 percent of their sales by the end of 2040. If enacted, Alaska would join 30 states and two territories, which have standards or goals to procure a certain percentage of…...

NY Green Bank Commitments Exceed $900 Million, Driving $2.4 Billion in Clean Energy Investments

Puget Sound Energy’s Three-Year Rate Plan Proposes Investments to Meet Washington’s Clean Energy Goals

Puget Sound Energy has filed a three year rate plan with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission requesting revenue increases that revolve around delivering secure and efficient energy, improving climate resiliency and accelerating efforts towards meeting striving clean energy goals. Under the plan, proposed for the 2023-2025 period, a residential customer would see an average…...

U.S. Energy Department Announces $170 Million to Support Solar, Geothermal Technologies

Biden Administration Extends Solar Tariffs With Modifications

U.S. President Joe Biden announced a four-year extension of tariffs on imported solar cells and modules first enacted in 2018 under the Trump administration, according to a proclamation issued on Feb. 4. Biden’s move includes an exemption for bifacial solar panels and doubles the tariff rate quota to 5 gigawatts per year. The proclamation follows…...

U.S. EPA Reverses Finding That Formed Basis for Obama-Era Power Plant Mercury Rules

U.S. Energy Department to Invest $20 Million in Geothermal Drilling Technology Projects

The U.S. Energy Department on Feb. 4 announced up to $20 million in funding to lower the cost of geothermal energy development through faster drilling technologies that will speed up project development. The agency aims to lower the cost of geothermal drilling by significant amounts, which can account for more than half of a project’s…...

Michigan Regulator Approves Energy Efficiency Programs for Low-Income Utility Customers

Massachusetts Regulator Approves Utilities’ $4 Billion Energy Efficiency Plan

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities on Feb. 2 approved a three-year energy efficiency plan filed by the state’s electric and gas utilities for the period of 2022-2024. The energy savings targets set forth in the plan are designed to better align the Mass Save programs with the state’s climate goals. The program has a…...

Southwest Power Pool Proposes Rules to Implement Western Power Market

U.S. Energy Department Advances New Initiative to Modernize Puerto Rico’s Power Grid

The U.S. Energy Department on Feb. 2 signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), in conjunction with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico to promote new actions that will speed up efforts to strengthen  the electrical resilience of the island. The proposed initiatives further President Biden’s…...

Transmission requirements

California Grid Operator Releases 20-Year Transmission Plan to Meet Clean Energy Goals

The California Independent System Operator Corp. on Feb. 1 released a 20-year transmission outlook that discusses long-term infrastructure requirements to reach the state’s target of generating 100 percent electricity from carbon-neutral sources by 2045. The draft plan is based on the assumption that about 120 gigawatts will have to be added to the grid by…...

renewables

Georgia Power Plans to Phase Out Coal-Fired Generation, Double Renewables by 2035

Georgia Power on Jan. 31 filed its 2022 Integrated Resource Plan with the Georgia Public Service Commission, proposing to close all of its coal assets by 2035. The company intends to retire a total of 12 generation assets producing more than 3,500 megawatts by 2028. To assist this asset transformation, the utility is planning to…...

funding for microgrids

Maryland Launches Funding Programs to Support Microgrids, Resiliency Hubs

The Maryland Energy Administration on Feb. 1 announced new funding for microgrids, robust power systems, resilient hubs, and other distributed energy resource networks to provide reasonable, consistent, and feasible energy to domestic and commercial consumers that are vulnerable to power outages. In 2021, the agency funded the Resilient Maryland and Resiliency Hub programs to create…...