A Second Boom in Wind Power Is Coming to the U.S. as Tax Credit Phase-Out Looms

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – A Second Boom in Wind Power Is Coming to the U.S. as Tax Credit Phase-Out Looms

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Renewables, Wind, Wind Power

U.S. wind power has more than tripled over the last decade, surpassing hydropower to become the nation's single-largest source of renewable capacity, and that's due in no small part to federal tax incentives. The industry is now poised to enjoy one last hurrah from the tax program as the expiration of the credits this year is setting in motion a rush to build about 11 gigawatts of new projects, accounting for the largest expansion of the sector since 2012.

Coal, Nuclear-Heavy States Are Rushing to Renewables as Retirements Pile Up

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Coal, Nuclear-Heavy States Are Rushing to Renewables as Retirements Pile Up

coal, Coal Power, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Fossil Fuels, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Solar, Wind

Regions across the U.S. that have long served as strongholds for conventional, non-renewable generating capacity — from Georgia and Michigan to Tennessee — are now starting to accelerate the phase out of the legacy assets in favor of sourcing power from wind and solar, showing just how far-reaching the shift to renewables is spreading.

How America's Sunny Isles Are Spearheading Grid Innovation in Pursuit of Resilience

How America’s Sunny Isles Are Spearheading Grid Innovation in Pursuit of Resilience

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Insights, EnerKnol Research Reports, Grid Modernization, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Smart Grid

Hawaii and Puerto Rico are at the forefront of a trend just starting to sweep the nation as regulators look to overhaul a grid now growing more reliant on intermittent supplies. The experience of these islands could shed light on the need to consider the implications of future grid investments for both reliability and regional…...

Net Metering Faces Ups and Downs as States Prepare for a Future Replete With Solar

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Net Metering Faces Ups and Downs as States Prepare for a Future Replete With Solar

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Renewables, Solar, Solar Power

A decade into the nation's vast solar expansion, pitched battles continue to play out from the Northeast to the Midwest over how to set payouts for surplus supplies from the rooftop solar systems, throwing the future growth of the technology into question. Still, other states in the Northwest to the mid-Atlantic are studying how to chart a path forward.

New Mexico Joins ‘Green Wave,’ Approving 100-Percent Clean Energy Goal

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – New Mexico Joins ‘Green Wave,’ Approving 100-Percent Clean Energy Goal

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Fossil-fuel rich New Mexico may be among the more unlikely states to join the 100-percent-clean-energy club, but it did just that in March, in the strongest sign yet of the momentum building for pro-renewable policies across the U.S. New Mexico's Democrat-led House charted a course for the state to obtain all of its power from carbon-free resources by 2045, with intermediate goals of 50 percent by 2030 and 80 percent by 2040, following passage of the Energy Transition Act.

States Make Strides in Setting Pay Outs for Battery Storage, Opening Door to Growth

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – States Make Strides in Setting Pay Outs for Battery Storage, Opening Door to Growth

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U.S. states are plowing ahead in setting market compensation rules for battery technology, laying the foundation for future growth of the fast-maturing technology in retail and wholesale markets. While progressive states California, New York and Massachusetts are charging ahead in how to value the resource, others are still grappling with how to regulate a system that fails to fit squarely in any one box and that raises a range of jurisdictional and ownership questions.

U.S. States Intensify Scrutiny of Advanced Meter Program Costs, Putting Deployments at Risk

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – U.S. States Intensify Scrutiny of Advanced Meter Program Costs, Putting Deployments at Risk

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The spread of advanced meters across the U.S. has come a long way, with over half of the nation's 152 million electricity consumers now hooked up to the devices. But further deployment of the technology, seen critical for a more responsive and reliable grid, is at risk amid heightened scrutiny from regulators, who are increasingly bowing to concerns over the costs to consumers.

The Nation's Wind Power Capital Is Getting Flooded With Solar

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – The Nation’s Wind Power Capital Is Getting Flooded With Solar

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Obstacles that have long thwarted the rapid growth of solar that sunny Texas has always promised -- the deregulated market and a dearth of renewable incentives -- are posing less of a hindrance in the face of cheap power purchase contracts. Texas, which leads the nation in wind-powered generation, accounting for more than a quarter of the U.S. total, is rapidly emerging as a solar power house. Falling costs, retirements of fossil-fueled generation, and demand growth have been instrumental in driving solar growth in the region.

New England Grid's Reliability Risks to Crop Up Year-Round With Shift to Gas, Renewables

New England Grid’s Reliability Risks to Crop Up Year-Round With Shift to Gas, Renewables

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Insights, EnerKnol Research Reports, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Wholesale Markets, Wholesale Power

New England’s grid is undergoing a rapid change as nuclear, oil, and coal-fired power plants that operate with stored fuel are retiring in larger numbers, and are being replaced by natural-gas-fired plants and renewable generation. Natural gas accounted for 49 percent of the region’s power generation last year, up from just 15 percent in 2000…....

State Regulators Exercise Greater Scrutiny on Utility Planning Efforts

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – State Regulators Exercise Greater Scrutiny on Utility Planning Efforts

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Policy changes are occurring faster than ever before, confounding efforts by utilities to plan for the future, causing a paralysis in decision making. The task of identifying all possible scenarios over a longer horizon is becoming more demanding as state renewable energy standards are changing more frequently. Utilities are grappling with the influx of distributed energy resources and new renewable generation under various state programs, coupled with the need to maintain fossil generation to manage the intermittency of these sources.

Con Ed's Gas Supply Crunch Highlights Perils of Infrastructure Blockade

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Con Ed’s Gas Supply Crunch Highlights Perils of Infrastructure Blockade

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New York regulators have authorized a unit of Consolidated Edison Inc. to immediately implement a portfolio of demand-side solutions, in a bid to ease natural gas demand in the utility’s supply-constrained areas. The regulators said that the need to address surging gas consumption has taken special urgency following the utility’s announcement in January that it will stop enrolling new gas customers in the Westchester County region from March 15, in order to maintain reliability for existing customers and offer service to critical facilities.

States Put Carbon Emissions Pricing Back on the Table in Bid for Harder Push on Climate

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – States Put Carbon Emissions Pricing Back on the Table in Bid for Harder Push on Climate

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Measures for carbon emission pricing and studies have so far this year surfaced in at least nine states, spanning from politically moderate Montana to progressive New York. Hawaii has a proposal to investigate how to implement a carbon tax while limiting its impact on lower income residents. In Oregon, legislation has been introduced for a cap-and-trade system to implement economy-wide carbon pricing. California is considering a bill that seeks a mechanism for assessing a carbon tax on retail products. Connecticut is considering a proposal for a regional collaborative on assessing such a fee.