President Joe Biden’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 includes $51 billion in discretionary funds for the U.S. Energy Department, a 7.5 percent increase from the 2023 level. The proposal reinforces the administration’s commitment to tackle climate, energy, environmental, and nuclear security challenges. With a focus on combating climate change and promoting economic growth, the…
Grid modernization efforts are increasingly focused on resilience and reliability to protect the system against extreme weather and cyberattacks. Lawmakers and regulators are pursuing reforms to ensure that policies keep pace with the rapidly changing resource mix to facilitate the transformation to a future grid capable of integrating the increasing number of intermittent resources and electric vehicles.
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.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (NJBPU) on Feb. 8 announced that the state’s third solicitation for offshore wind development will be issued in January 2023 instead of September 2022. The new timeline complements the coordinated transmission solution facilitated by a joint agreement between NJ BPU and PJM Interconnection LLC. Nevertheless, solicitations 4 and…...
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.
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.
A growing number of states are turning to grid modernization initiatives aimed at creating a more flexible system that can accommodate the proliferation of distributed energy resources (DER) and other solutions that meet changing customer needs and climate goals.
The U.S. offshore wind industry is making strides with significant milestones including approval of the first large-scale project in federal waters, federal efforts to advance permitting processes, and actions towards potential development in the Pacific.
States are exploring ways to utilize the multiple benefits that energy storage provides to the grid, from enabling the increased penetration of renewable resources and reducing dependence on emitting generation, to bolstering reliability.
Grid modernization endeavors are progressing at a fast pace as states explore solutions to advance clean energy and climate goals while effectively meeting customer needs. Modernizing the grid is necessary to support the integration of additional levels of renewables, leverage customer-sited resources to participate in grid operations, and empower consumers with more choices for electric service.
Changing power sector trends driven by mandates and goals to achieve carbon-free electricity have renewed interest in the future role of hydropower. As the target years draw near, large-scale hydropower offers an attractive solution to contribute to the evolving generation mix.