Hydropower is moving to the forefront of clean energy and climate policy debates as a growing number of U.S. states are setting targets to achieve zero-carbon power. About half a dozen state-level laws were enacted last year to establish 100 percent clean energy transition, showing how the nation’s decade-long renewable push is ramping up. Hydroelectricity…
Utilities across North America are investing billions of dollars to decarbonize their power fleets to comply with unprecedented greenhouse gas emission cuts and bold renewable energy targets. The pivot to cleaner and greener power sources is reflected in the integrated resource plans and RFPs that utilities file with state commissions. Keep on top of the…...
A growing number of states are exploring grid modernization to keep pace with fast-evolving technological advances and growing distributed generation. The smart grid concept ties together multiple initiatives ranging from solar-battery microgrids to vehicle-to-grid power flow management, and grid hardening to support reliability and resiliency. It may also include advanced meters, which are a pivotal…...
Utilities are stepping up efforts to boost retail power and gas rates to offset tepid growth in electric demand and weak prices in the wholesale markets. Utilities are also overhauling how charges are set by launching non-traditional rate programs, including revenue decoupling and performance-based rates. Keep on top of the latest utility rate programs by…...
The prolific growth in distributed energy resources is forcing states to re-examine their policies. State efforts range from modernizing interconnection standards and enhancing distribution system planning, to rewriting solar net metering rules. Keep on top of the latest changes in solar energy policy by accessing EnerKnol’s Quarterly Tracking Table. The Table provides a comprehensive, up-to-date…...
New Jersey is making strides to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy. Among recent actions, the state released a comprehensive plan for economy-wide decarbonization, enacted a law to boost electric vehicle use targeting 2 million EVs on the road by 2035, and doubled the offshore wind power goal to 7.5 gigawatts by 2035.
U.S. electricity generation from renewable sources such as wind and solar are projected to surpass nuclear and coal by 2021 and to surpass natural gas in 2045, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration’s Annual Energy Outlook 2020. The share of U.S. electricity generation from renewable sources is projected to double, accounting for 38 percent…
Estimated U.S. natural gas use for power generation averaged about 28.4 billion cubic per day from November 2019 to January 2020, about 12 percent higher compared to the same period in 2018-2019, according to a Jan. 30 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Power burn reached 34 Bcf/d on Jan. 20, the second-highest natural…
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on Jan. 24 vacated three orders issued by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2017 granting extensions of small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard, or RFS, program. The court ruled that the agency cannot allow extensions of exemptions that had lapsed, noting that none of…
The New Mexico Supreme Court on Jan. 29 ruled that the Public Regulation Commission must apply the Energy Transition Act, or ETA, to the closure and replacement of the San Juan coal-fired plant, granting a petition by New Mexico Governor Lujan Grisham, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez, and the legislators who sponsored the act. The…
Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company on Jan. 23 asked the Kentucky Public Service Commission to approve a 20-year contract with Rhudes Creek Solar LLC, to purchase the output of a 100-megawatt solar generation facility to be built in Hardin County, Kentucky. The project is expected to come online by the end…
The California Public Utilities Commission proposed additional guidelines that investor-owned utilities would be required to follow prior to the 2020 wildfire season prepare for and minimize the impacts of public safety power shutoff events to avoid the risk of power lines starting wildfires, according to a Jan. 30 news release. The agency also issued a…
