The California Public Utilities Commission on June 24 set new guidelines and rules adding to existing directives to improve preparation and access to resources during utilities’ Public Power Shutoff, or PSPS, events ahead of the wildfire season. The commission requires electric investor-owned utilities to take a results-based approach to PSPS events, which involves proactive de-energization…...
Clean energy mandates and goals adopted by U.S. states and utilities are driving efforts to plan and build out the transmission infrastructure needed to accommodate the exponential growth of wind and solar to facilitate power sector decarbonization.
The California Public Utilities Commission on June 24 opened a proceeding to modernize the state’s electric grid, in order to accommodate the growing number of distributed energy resources, including electric vehicle charging. The proceeding will maximize ratepayer value through a range of actions including clarifying grid roles and responsibilities, charging infrastructure forecasting, and community involvement.…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has announced that it will reexamine whether demand response participation in wholesale energy markets as a component of distributed energy resource, or DER, aggregations should be subject to state opt-out rules. The move sets aside the agency’s determination in Order No. 2222-A, issued in March, that the opt-out provision does…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC) have formed a joint-federal state task force to explore transmission-related issues. The first-of-its-kind task force will identify barriers inhibiting planning and development of transmission infrastructure, which is key to facilitating the transition towards clean energy resources, and potential solutions to…...
Legislation enacted across U.S. states so far in 2021 reflects the evolving discussion around a wide range of policies ranging from accelerating the transition to cleaner energy and strengthening emissions reduction targets, to enhancing grid resilience, and preempting municipal natural gas bans. Delaware enacted legislation to increase the state’s renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for regulated…...
The Florida Public Service Commission on June 15 approved Tampa Electric Company’s four-year microgrid pilot program, which involves the installation of new direct current electric microgrid technology and generating equipment, called Block Energy System. The new system would have the ability to operate independently and also connect to the utility grid as backup. The purpose…...
The 52nd quarterly carbon auction of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, or RGGI, the nation’s first market-based emissions regulation program, sold all of the nearly 23 million CO2 allowances offered. Permits were sold at a clearing price of $7.97, the highest price to date and a 4.87 percent increase from the previous auction held in…...
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, a Democrat, signed legislation on June 16, establishing a goal of deploying 1,000 megawatts of energy storage by Dec. 31, 2030. Connecticut is the eighth state to establish a storage deployment target, which will increase reliability and aid in the state’s pursuit of a zero carbon electric sector by 2040, a…...
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on June 12 authorized a $210 million investment toward Xcel Energy Inc.’s wind repower portfolio. This investment is an effort to support Minnesota’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to reduce carbon emissions by displacing fossil energy sources. The repowering project, Northern Wind, is a build-operate-transfer proposal between the…...
