The Pennsylvania Senate on Sept. 9 voted in favor of a bill that would require legislative approval before the state can impose a carbon tax or join a multi-state carbon-trading program. The House of Representatives approved the legislation in July. The move comes ahead of a Sept. 15 meeting of the state’s Environmental Quality Board…
Proposals to accelerate the phase-out of coal-fired generation appear more prominently in long-term resource plans of U.S. electric utilities, reflecting the growing shift to renewable energy. The transition from coal continues to be driven by state clean energy mandates, emissions reduction goals, low natural gas prices, and increased availability of low-cost renewables and storage resources.
Duke Energy Carolinas LLC and Duke Energy Progress LLC on Sept. 1 unveiled their 15-year integrated resource plans for the Carolinas, presenting a range of scenarios with accelerated coal retirement options and substantial increases in solar, wind, and energy storage technologies. The proposal details six generation portfolios that would keep Duke Energy Corp. on a…...
From 2011 to 2019, the U.S. repurposed 121 coal-fired plants to burn other fuels, of which 103 switched to natural gas, according to an Aug. 5 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The agency attributed the trend to stricter emission standards, low gas prices, and more efficient natural gas turbine technology. Of the 316.8-gigawatts…...
Public Service Enterprise Group is exploring alternatives to 6,750 megawatts of fossil generation in New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and Maryland, and its 467-megawatt Solar Source portfolio across 14 states, according to a July 31 press release. The New Jersey utility intends to retain its existing nuclear fleet, in order to help the state achieve…...
The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission on July 29 approved a portfolio of renewable energy projects, including 650 megawatts of solar and 300 megawatts of battery storage, to replace the retiring capacity of the coal-fired San Juan Generating Station. Investment in the resources could total about $1 billion. The commission found that the plan is…...
U.S. utility-scale power generation facilities used 38 quadrillion British thermal units, or quads, of energy to provide 14 quads of electricity in 2019, according to a July 21 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Much of the difference is attributed to losses during the conversion process. In presenting this statistic, the industry at large…...
Renewables’ share of Colorado’s electricity generation grew from 10 percent to 25 percent between 2010 and 2019, according to a July 23 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Wind generation more than tripled since 2010, providing nearly 20 percent of the state’s electricity generation in 2019. Renewable electricity generation increased by more than double…...
The U.S. Energy Department announced funding for cost-shared projects focused on developing the critical components required under its Coal FIRST initiative, according to a July 17 news release. The department selected seven projects to share the $37 million federal funding and released a new funding opportunity announcement for $81 million. The initiative aims to develop…...
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved a plan allowing Xcel Energy Inc. to idle two of its coal-fired power plants for six months of the year, potentially saving customers up to $3.48 million by 2023, according to a July 15 press release. Under the plan, the Allen S. King Generating Station and Unit 2 of…...
The U.S. Energy Department on June 26 announced a plan to invest $122 million in building coal products innovation centers through a competitive process in multiple coal producing basins. The move aims to sustain the domestic supply chain of carbon ore, rare earths and critical minerals, and produce value-added and innovative coal products to the…...
The U.S. Energy Information Administration expects coal production to fall by 25 percent to 530 million short tons this year from 2019 levels in its Short Term Outlook released on June 9. The projections are subject to uncertainty as mitigation and reopening efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic continue to evolve, the agency said. Production in…...