The U.S. Energy Department on June 28 issued the 2022 U.S. Energy and Employment Report. A key finding of the report was in the face of economic uncertainty, the energy sector undertook optimistic job growth, increasing 4 percent from 2020 to 2021, outperforming general U.S. employment, which climbed 2.8 percent in the corresponding period. In…...
The Michigan Public Service Commission on June 23 approved a settlement agreement that allows Consumers Energy Co. to exit coal-fired generation by 2025 and add 8 gigawatts of solar energy to the grid. The settlement pertains to the company’s integrated resource plan, or IRP, which identifies the optimal mix of resources to serve customers over…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on June 16 announced a proposed rule to address backlogs in the interconnection queue that, if finalized, could accelerate grid interconnection processes. The increased demand for energy compels the commission to expedite and streamline the process of connecting electric generation facilities to the grid. More than 1.4 terawatts of generation…...
The U.S. Energy Department on June 13 introduced new energy-efficiency standards for residential gas furnaces that would drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions and reduce consumers’ energy costs every year. The new initiative would demand that all non-weatherized gas furnaces, as well as furnaces installed in mobile households, have a yearly fuel efficiency of 95 percent…....
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a slew of measures to strengthen the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program, which sets increasing annual volumetric mandates for renewable fuel use in the transportation sector.
The U.S. Energy Department’s Loan Program Office issued a request for information on June 1 to update and improve its Title XVII Innovative Technologies Loan Guarantee Program intended to support early commercial use of advanced technologies. The agency seeks feedback from various stakeholders including developers, investors, government agencies, academia, and impacted communities. The input will…...
Amid federal and state policies aimed at catalyzing solar power to facilitate power sector decarbonization, an investigation into circumvention of tariffs on solar panels imported from Southeast Asia has created market uncertainty, threatening U.S. solar buildout.
The U.S. Energy Department on May 18 announced savings of $15.3 billion through its energy efficiency and greenhouse gas reduction initiative. The Better Buildings program, a public-private partnership brings together 900 companies, utilities, housing authorities, state and local governments, and other organizations throughout the country committed to pursuing ambitious goals in energy, water, waste, and…...
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, a Democrat, unveiled a roadmap for transitioning the state to 100 percent carbon-free electricity by the middle of the century, including a potential clean energy standard. The Clean Energy Plan, which is in response to a 2019 executive order, highlights four major pathways to a carbon-free future: accelerating clean energy technology…...
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, a Republican, vetoed legislation on April 27 that would have phased down compensation for customer generators under the state’s net metering program and allowed utilities to impose new charges on those customers to recover their alleged underpayment of grid maintenance costs. DeSantis said that the new charges, designed to recover lost…...
