Environmental and clean energy organizations, represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center and Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit to review the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s approval of the Southeast Energy Exchange Market (SEEM). The SEEM proposal was originally submitted by large southeast utilities such as…...
Long-term planning strategies of electric utilities across the U.S. reflect the growing trend towards phasing out coal-fired power generation while embracing renewables. Coal power plants account for 85 percent of electric generating capacity scheduled to retire in the U.S. during 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
The U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy on Feb. 10 announced funds of $5 billion to be made accessible via the new National Electric Vehicles Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program, to develop a national electric vehicle charging network, an imperative step towards expanding access to EV charging infrastructure. The program intends to provide the funding across…...
A coalition of environmental groups on Feb. 7 asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to issue a stop-work order halting all construction activity on the Mountain Valley Pipeline, a 304-mile proposed natural gas pipeline stretching from West Virginia to Virginia. The move follows two recent decisions of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth…...
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 8 approved Xcel Energy Inc.’s 2019 integrated resource plan, which outlines investments between 2020 and 2034. In the approved plan, the utility seeks to acquire or build up to 4,650 megawatts of renewable energy resources by 2032, including solar, wind, and storage. Xcel’s plan is expected to lower…...
The California Air Resources Board (CARB) bestowed three grants worth $25 million to deliver pioneering clean transportation solutions for underprivileged and low-income areas in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Oakland, according to a Feb.9 press release. The awardees of these grants are the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency and Oakland…...
Pennsylvania exported 78 million megawatt hours (MWh) of generated electricity to neighbouring states in 2020. This is the highest among any other state, despite other states such as Texas and Florida, producing more electricity, according to a Feb. 7 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. During 2020 more than 230 million MWh of electricity…...
The U.S. Energy Department on Feb. 7 announced that it is making $28 million available to fund the development of clean hydrogen. The agency’s Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) said that the funding is for research and development and front-end engineering design (FEED) projects that will utilize clean hydrogen for transportation, electricity…...
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy on Feb. 4 introduced legislation to create a renewable portfolio standard that would require utilities to use qualifying resources for 80 percent of their sales by the end of 2040. If enacted, Alaska would join 30 states and two territories, which have standards or goals to procure a certain percentage of…...
Puget Sound Energy has filed a three year rate plan with the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission requesting revenue increases that revolve around delivering secure and efficient energy, improving climate resiliency and accelerating efforts towards meeting striving clean energy goals. Under the plan, proposed for the 2023-2025 period, a residential customer would see an average…...
U.S. President Joe Biden announced a four-year extension of tariffs on imported solar cells and modules first enacted in 2018 under the Trump administration, according to a proclamation issued on Feb. 4. Biden’s move includes an exemption for bifacial solar panels and doubles the tariff rate quota to 5 gigawatts per year. The proclamation follows…...