Since distributed-level solar generation just started to proliferate across the U.S. a decade ago, as many as 21 states are now reexamining or revamping policies for compensating the power source, upsetting the status quo and deepening a divide among states for and against the incentives.
New York has adopted sweeping measures to propel the state’s clean energy agenda, including adopting the nation’s most ambitious climate targets, awarding the largest offshore wind contract, and refining compensation rules to boost distributed solar.
Ameren, FirstEnergy, and Pepco are advancing sweeping plans to modernize the power grid. The programs, exceeding $7.5 billions in investments, mark the latest efforts by utilities to overhaul an aging, antiquated transmission and distribution system to make it more resilient, accommodate the growing penetration of renewable and distributed energy, and enhance customer-interaction.
Competition among U.S. states eager to take the lead in the nation's still nascent offshore wind sector is fueling growth and bringing the industry to new highs. Turning these goals into reality will be no small feat, as the targets are several hundred times the current installed capacity. Still, this hasn’t dissuaded states from doubling down on offshore wind commitments.
The transportation sector’s overwhelming reliance on higher-emitting fossil fuels combined with a federal retreat on climate change policy and fuel economy standards has made the widespread deployment of electric vehicles (EVs) one of the top priorities for states looking to achieve increasingly stringent emission cuts. Electric utilities, playing a central role in the shift away from gasoline-powered cars, are now rolling out of hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure investments and a grab bag of consumer incentives.
As legislatures adjourn, U.S. states take stock of their progress on expanding clean energy and climate policies. Measures to tackle greenhouse gas emissions have long been a political lightning rod, but mechanisms like carbon pricing are coming up more regularly in legislative sessions and evolving to play a key role in the shift to a low-carbon economy.
Battery storage has long held the promise of eventually replacing the costliest, most-polluting fossil-fuel fired generators that are used to meet surging electricity demand on the grid. That day may now be upon us as costs of batteries plummet and as state regulators from Massachusetts to Arizona weigh new incentives for the technology.
State renewable portfolio standards are a key driver behind the torrid expansion of wind and solar generation across the U.S., responsible for about half of the nation's deployment of the clean energy sources over the last couple of decades.
State renewable portfolio standards are a key driver behind the torrid expansion in wind and solar, responsible for about half of the nation’s deployment of the clean energy sources over the last couple of decades. More than three dozen states plus the nation’s capital have compliance standards or voluntary targets and stronger ones are being…...
State legislatures from Maryland to Colorado are finding bigger is better when it comes to community solar gardens, and have passed bills to expand the size of eligible projects or to even eliminate the cap on the number of residents that can subscribe to the facilities.
Battery storage is no longer just paving the way for greater integration of renewables onto the grid. The technology is now ushering in larger utility-scale solar and wind projects with diverse configurations. Utility proposals to develop massive storage projects in tandem with renewables are becoming more common as intermittent wind and solar continue to produce a growing share of power generation. Aggressive state and utility decarbonization goals are also driving the need for cost-effective batteries.
An unprecedented number of states are upending how retail power rates are set as utility revenues get squeezed by the surge in distributed generation, like rooftop solar panels, and as providers face bold environmental mandates to address climate change. Nineteen states and the District of Columbia are exploring or have adopted performance-based rate programs through…...