The Electric Reliability Council of Texas unveiled a report on Dec. 4, which forecasts planning reserve margin for summer 2019 to be 8.1 percent, which is 2.9 percent lower than the previous projection issued in May. The Capacity, Demand and Reserve report contains five-year projections for planning reserve margins – the difference between the total…
The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia issued an update to its renewable energy portfolio standard policy revising the generator certification and eligibility requirement, eliminating redundancies, deleting obsolete sections and generally clarifying the commission’s rules, according to a Dec. 5 order. On Nov. 27, the Council of the District of Columbia voted unanimously to advance a…
Pennsylvania’s winter reliability reports, released by the major gas distribution companies and the Energy Association, anticipate “little change” in natural gas usage compared to last year’s heating season. An average natural gas heating customer can expect a $30 increase in costs this winter, according to the Energy Association’s readiness report. The reports describes preparations to…
A bipartisan coalition of U.S. House lawmakers led by Rep. Theodore Deutch, a Democrat representing Florida, introduced a bill on Nov. 27 that would impose a hefty carbon tax on global warming emissions. The proposal comes on the heels of landmark reports that warn of the dire consequences of climate change. The bill, the Energy Innovation…
The U.S. Energy Department selected two pumped-storage hydropower projects to conduct techno-economic studies in a bid to examine their long-term value, according to a Dec. 3 news release. The department said that the continued growth of variable renewable generation is having an impact on the value these projects provide to the grid. Pumped hydro projects…
The California Public Utilities Commission announced funding for six pilot projects over the next 20 years to demonstrate the use of dairy methane waste as a renewable transportation fuel, according to a Dec. 3 press release. The commission established the program to cut short-lived climate pollutants, including methane, which is 28 times more potent than…
Total U.S. coal consumption in 2018 is projected to fall by 4% from the prior year to 691 million short tons, reaching the lowest since 1979, as cheap power prices drive closure of coal-fired plants, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration report. The U.S. power sector saw the retirement of 529 coal-fired generators, with…
The proliferation of customer-sited generation has prompted utilities to push for demand charges – a fee based on a customer’s peak consumption during a billing period – to recover fixed costs and address cross-subsidies. Utilities face the conundrum of losing revenue as customers installing distributed generation, such as rooftop solar, rely less on the utility for power needs while also shifting costs to other customers. Solar advocates argue that these fees impact customers’ ability to control their bill, potentially wiping out the incentive to install solar.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration on Nov. 30 issued authorizations to five companies proposing to conduct geophysical surveys for oil and gas exploration in the Atlantic Ocean. The agency said that the authorization permits the companies to “incidentally, but not intentionally, harass marine mammals” as part of their seismic testing. Several states have expressed…
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection released its final plan to advance in-state solar development, with a goal to achieve a 10 percent increase in solar-powered electricity by 2030 from the current level of less than one percent. The state would have to install about 11 gigawatts of solar capacity to reach the goal, up…
The Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality is soliciting proposals under its ChargeOK Grant Program aimed to build out the state’s light-duty electric vehicle charging stations, according to a Nov. 29 news release. The agency will award grants a competitive basis for the purchase, installation, and operation of publicly accessible charging stations. The grant will reimburse…
The political puzzle pieces are falling into place for nearly a dozen states to strengthen targets for the deployment of renewable generation following the Midterm elections, in what could serve as the latest driver for growth in solar- and wind-powered electricity. Newly elected Democratic governors in six states, ranging from Maine to New Mexico, ran on campaigns to pursue more ambitious renewable energy goals. Their rise to power not only boosts the prospect for more aggressive environmental mandates and targets, but will also mark a progressive shift in energy policy from their respective Republican predecessors, which had blocked renewable-friendly measures.
