The California Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 21 issued a decision adopting strategies and metrics to further the integration of electric vehicles as grid resources. The decision, which adopts recommendations of the commission’s Vehicle Grid Integration Working Group, directs utilities to collaborate on interconnection and rate reforms and pilot programs, such as using EVs for…...
The U.S. Energy Department on Dec. 21 released a roadmap for its Energy Storage Grand Challenge initiative, a 10-year program launched in January to expedite the development of next-generation storage technologies. The roadmap marks the department’s first comprehensive strategy to address energy storage. The program aims to establish and sustain U.S. leadership in energy storage…...
The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), which established the nation's first mandatory emissions-trading program, received a further boost as Virginia finalized regulations to become its eleventh member and Pennsylvania, the third largest coal-producing state, adopted draft regulations to join the program, following New Jersey’s re-entry after a decade.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities received applications from Denmark-based Orsted A/S and Atlantic Shores Offshore Wind LLC, a joint venture of EDF Renewables North America and Shell New Energies US LLC, in response to the state’s second solicitation launched in September, according to a Dec. 11 news release. The solicitation endears the award…...
The growing adoption of clean energy standards, energy efficiency, and customer-sited resources is driving the need for innovative ratemaking principles. Utilities are exploring rate structures that facilitate the integration of variable and distributed generation, and align customer behavior with grid needs. Smart meters are paving the way for time-based and dynamic rate options to balance the grid under the increased penetration of renewable and distributed energy resources, as well as electric vehicles.
DTE Electric Company on Dec. 3 requested the Michigan Public Service Commission to approve the second phase of its Electric Vehicle Charging Forward Program. The company seeks authorization to create a regulatory asset to cover the costs associated with the program activities. The incremental operation and maintenance costs of the program are estimated at about…...
Amid commitments to procure more than 29 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2035, U.S. states are exploring measures for transmission planning, interconnection reforms, supply chain development, and components production.
The pressing trend towards revisiting retail rate net metering for rooftop solar continues, in a bid to ensure proper compensation for solar customers and avoid cost shifting to non-solar customers. Net energy metering, which credits customer generators for grid-exported power, has been a key component of the policy framework to spur investment in customer-sited renewable energy facilities, including solar and energy storage systems.
The twenty-fifth quarterly carbon auction held by California and Quebec sold all of the nearly 56.4 million carbon permits offered for current emissions at a price of $16.93 per allowance, above the floor price of $ 16.68, according to the results released on Nov. 24 by the California Air Resources Board. The auction also sold…...
With the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), the need for flexible storage resources in the electric grid has drawn increased attention to how well the vehicles can integrate into the grid as temporary batteries. While California is making strides in furthering the utilization of EVs as a grid resource, a handful of states are contemplating the technology in connection with electrification of fleets, and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency on Nov. 10 announced plans to allocate $170,000 in grants to facilitate the development of dual-port EV Level 2 Charging Stations in public settings to further bolster the presence of electric vehicles in the state. These grants can be accessed through an application system with extra incentives for proposals that…...
Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo on Nov. 12 announced the availability of $11 million in funds to continue strengthening fast charging infrastructure throughout the state. The program will cover up to 80 percent of the cost to build public charging stations, with funding made available in two rounds. The initiative is funded by New York’s $127.7…...
