EnerKnol is committed to providing real-time transparency of the fragmented and highly technical landscape of energy regulation. With this as our guiding principle we are examining our database of over 35,000,000 regulatory records for insights into last week's Texas outages.
ISO New England Inc.’s fifteenth annual forward capacity auction concluded with preliminary clearing prices ranging from $2.48 to $3.98 per kilowatt-month across different pricing zones, up from last year’s record low, according to the results released on Feb. 11. Clearing prices declined since peaking at $9.55 per kilowatt-month in 2015 and hit an all-time low…...
U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Jan. 27 that calls for a review of siting and permitting process on public lands and waters to increase renewable energy production with a goal of doubling offshore wind energy by 2030. The order also directs the U.S. Interior Department to pause new oil and gas…...
U.S. President Joe Biden issued a series of executive actions on Jan. 20 reflecting his energy agenda that prioritizes clean energy and climate action. Biden took action to recommit the U.S. to the Paris Climate Agreement and issued an executive order revoking a key permit for the Keystone XL oil pipeline and temporarily halting oil…...
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit on Jan. 19 vacated the Environmental Protection Agency’s Affordable Clean Energy, or ACE, rule for regulating power plant emissions, finding that the rule “hinged on a fundamental misconstruction” of the Clean Air Act. The agency finalized the rule in June 2019 replacing more stringent Obama-era restrictions…....
The Washington State Department of Commerce and the Utilities and Transportation Commission on Jan 5 adopted rules for the implementation of the 2019 Clean Energy Transformation Act. The law requires the state’s electricity supply to be carbon-neutral by 2030 and carbon-free by 2045, and directs electric utilities to phase out coal from their generation portfolio…...
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.
In 2019, the weighted average wholesale price of solar PV-generated electricity was $83 per megawatthour, more than double the price of wind, fossil fuels, or nuclear, according to an Oct. 9 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The higher price is partly driven by geography and timing. Wholesale electricity prices rise when demand within…...
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Oct. 1 finalized a rule allowing a major source of hazardous air pollutants to reclassify as an “area source,” a less stringent category under the Clean Air Act, any time it implements measures to limit emissions. The action implements the agency’s 2018 guidance that withdrew the 1995 “Once In,…...
State policy goals are driving comprehensive grid modernization endeavors aimed at transitioning to a flexible and efficient grid that caters to the needs of the evolving electric sector and diverse customer interests. A growing number of state regulators and utilities alike are embarking on innovative ventures, striving towards necessary enhancements to accomplish energy and environmental goals.
The share of U.S. energy production from fossil fuels peaked in 1966 at 93 percent, but production from nuclear power and renewables have also risen. Fossil fuels have accounted for about 80 percent of U.S. energy production in the past decade, according to a Sept. 14 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In 2019,…...
The Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board on Sept. 15 voted in favor of a proposed regulation that would allow the state to participate in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, a cooperative effort among 10 states to cap and reduce emissions from the power sector. Democratic Governor Tom Wolf applauded the move, which stems from…...