The California Independent System Operator Board of Governors and the Western Energy Markets (WEM) Governing Body on Nov. 8 took action to implement the first step of the West-Wide Governance Pathways Initiative. This initiative was developed last year to maximize the benefits of wholesale electricity markets through a new governing organization. The West-Wide Governance Pathways…...
Washington voters on Nov. 5 rejected Initiative 2117, a ballot measure that sought to repeal the 2021 Climate Commitment Act, which established the cap-and-invest program, a key component of the state’s efforts to achieve emission limits set in law and progress toward net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Nearly 62 percent of voters cast ballots against…...
The U.S. Department of Interior’s first offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in one lease area receiving a high bid of $5.6 million, according to an Aug. 29 press release. RWE, a company based in Germany, won the rights to a 102,480-acre Lake Charles, Louisiana that has the capacity to produce around…
The Michigan Public Service Commission directed its staff to establish a Distribution System Data Access workgroup as part of the MI Power Grid effort, a multi- year initiative launched in 2019 to maximize the benefits of the transition to clean, distributed energy resources for consumers. In light of the increasing proliferation of distributed generation resources…...
The U.S. offshore wind industry is poised for continued progress as evident from the recent record-setting New York Bight wind auction, the first to be held under the Biden administration.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on March 8 that the U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil and gas and energy, “targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy.” This is latest action taken by the Biden administration in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began nearly two weeks ago. Biden noted that the effort…...
Avista Utilities and Tacoma Power on March 2 began their participation in the Western Energy Imbalance Market (WEIM) operated by the California Independent System Operator Corp. The two utilities serve a combined 600,00 electric customers in the Pacific Northwest. The enrollment expands the utilities’ ability to incorporate additional renewable energy while continuing to meet the…...
U.S. offshore wind is gaining traction with new milestones spurred by state commitments of almost 40 gigawatts (GW) by 2040 and a federal goal of 30 GW by 2030. Recent developments include state-level project selections that could add more than 3.2 GW of new capacity, New Jersey’s proposal for a novel offshore wind transmission solution, and New York’s move to advance transmission technologies for offshore wind integration.
The National Energy Technology Laboratory on Jan. 24 announced that its Strategic Systems Analysis & Engineering, or SSAE, researchers are working towards using fossil energy resources to produce hydrogen by adopting advanced hydrogen production and carbon capture technologies. The new initiative by the Energy Department national lab is expected to expand the use of fossil-fuel…
The New York Independent System Operator submitted market rule changes for consideration by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) proposing to revise buyer-side mitigation, or BSM, rules, in a bid to advance the objectives of the state’s landmark climate law, according to a Jan. 10 press release. The changes would exempt clean energy resources from…...
Interest in offshore wind energy has reached new levels driven by supportive federal action, ambitious state procurement targets, and evolving technology. Recent developments include federal approval of the second commercial-scale project, and plans to hold up to seven new lease sales by 2025 in the East Coast, as well as the West and Gulf Coasts. Despite the progress, the industry faces opposition with recent lawsuits challenging the approval of the nation’s first major offshore project, the 800-megawatt (MW) Vineyard Wind I venture, over its potential impact to the fishing industry and endangered species.
U.S. President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law on Nov.15, unlocking $62 billion for U.S. Energy Department initiatives, including revitalizing domestic manufacturing, expanding access to energy efficiency and clean energy, modernizing the power grid, and advancing next-generation technologies. Among the major provisions, the legislation allocates $6 billion for a Civilian…...