Southwest Power Pool Proposes Rules to Implement Western Power Market

PJM Board Approves Changes to Minimum Offer Price Rule in Capacity Markets

PJM Interconnection LLC’s Board of Managers has approved a proposal aimed to reform the minimum offer price rule, or MOPR, in the regional capacity market that PJM operates across 13 states and the District of Columbia. Out of nine proposals presented by the grid operator and its stakeholders, the board selected PJM’s proposal finding that…...

New Jersey Board Joins Prominent U.S. Offshore Wind Research Organization

New Jersey Selects Orsted, Shell-EDF Partnership to Develop 2.7 Gigawatts of Offshore Wind Projects

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has awarded two offshore wind projects totaling nearly 2.7 gigawatts to Denmark-based Orsted A/S’ Ocean Wind II and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC, a joint venture of EDF Renewables North America and Shell New Energies US LLC. The selection, which represents the largest combined offshore wind award in…...

President Biden Supports Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan Including $73 Billion in Power Grid Investment

President Biden Supports Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan Including $73 Billion in Power Grid Investment

U.S President Joe Biden on June 26 announced an agreement with a bipartisan group of senators on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure framework including $73 billion for power infrastructure. Among the key initiatives, the plan would create a new Grid Development Authority at the Department of Energy, deploy long distance, high voltage transmission, integrate the highest…...

Arkansas Decides to Retain Retail Rate Net Metering Through 2022

Florida Commission Reports 52 Percent Increase in Consumer-Owned Renewables Installations

Customer-owned renewable generation installations across Florida increased by about 52 percent from 2019 to 2020, reaching 90,552 interconnections, according to electric utility reports filed with the Florida Public Service Commission. Electric generation capacity from customer-sited systems rose by 62 percent over the same period to reach 837,160 kilowatts, showing that solar continues to be the…...

Virginia's 100 Percent Clean Energy Bill Fails

California Commission Orders Unprecedented 11.5-Gigawatt Procurement to Meet Clean Energy Goals

The California Public Utilities Commission on June 24 directed utilities to procure 11,500 megawatts of new generation from clean energy sources. This is the largest clean energy procurement ordered to date and is a step towards California’s goal of transitioning to 100 percent clean electricity by 2045. The resources, required to come online between 2023…...

California Regulator Approves Utility Wildfire Plans, Proactive Power Shutoffs

California Commission Updates Guidelines for Execution of Utility Power Shutoffs

The California Public Utilities Commission on June 24 set new guidelines and rules adding to existing directives to improve preparation and access to resources during utilities’ Public Power Shutoff, or PSPS, events ahead of the wildfire season. The commission requires electric investor-owned utilities to take a results-based approach to PSPS events, which involves proactive de-energization…...

New York Extends NY-Sun Incentive Program With Nearly $600 Million Funding

California Regulator Launches Proceeding to Facilitate Integration of Growing Distributed Resources

The California Public Utilities Commission on June 24 opened a proceeding to modernize the state’s electric grid, in order to accommodate the growing number of distributed energy resources, including electric vehicle charging. The proceeding will maximize ratepayer value through a range of actions including clarifying grid roles and responsibilities, charging infrastructure forecasting, and community involvement.…

New York Advances $485 Million Transmission Project to Enhance Grid Reliability, Support Renewables

FERC to Reconsider State Opt-Out Provision for Demand Response in Wholesale Markets

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has announced that it will reexamine whether demand response participation in wholesale energy markets as a component of distributed energy resource, or DER, aggregations should be subject to state opt-out rules. The move sets aside the agency’s determination in Order No. 2222-A, issued in March, that the opt-out provision does…...

Utility Power Shutoffs

FERC, NARUC Announce Joint Task Force to Address Electric Transmission Issues

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) have formed a joint-federal state task force to explore transmission-related issues. The first-of-its-kind task force will identify barriers inhibiting planning and development of transmission infrastructure, which is key to facilitating the transition towards clean energy resources, and potential solutions to…...

California Eases Solar Mandate, Approving Community Program Under New Building Code

Florida Regulator Approves Tampa Electric’s Four-Year Microgrid Pilot

The Florida Public Service Commission on June 15 approved Tampa Electric Company’s four-year microgrid pilot program, which involves the installation of new direct current electric microgrid technology and generating equipment, called Block Energy System. The new system would have the ability to operate independently and also connect to the utility grid as backup. The purpose…...

RGGI Auction Clears at Record High Prices, Generates Over $183 Million

RGGI Auction Clears at Record High Prices, Generates Over $183 Million

The 52nd quarterly carbon auction of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, the nation’s first market-based emissions regulation program, sold all of the nearly 23 million CO2 allowances offered. Permits were sold at a clearing price of $7.97, the highest price to date and a 4.87 percent increase from the previous auction held in…...

U.S. Energy Department Explores Use of Storage Technologies to Enhance Performance of Fossil-Fueled Power Plants

Connecticut Law Establishes Energy Storage Target of 1 Gigawatt by 2030

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, a Democrat, signed legislation on June 16, establishing a goal of deploying 1,000 megawatts of energy storage by Dec. 31, 2030. Connecticut is the eighth state to establish a storage deployment target, which will increase reliability and aid in the state’s pursuit of a zero carbon electric sector by 2040, a…...