The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities on Sept. 26 approved compensation for new solar owners under the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target or SMART program, a long-term, sustainable solar incentive solution that replaces the Solar Renewable Energy Certificate or SERC II program. The program has a goal of 1,600 megawatts, implying that ten percent of the…
The owners of the Vogtle nuclear plant on Sept. 26 agreed to continue with the project expansion after resolving issues over budget overruns. The deal follows majority owner Southern Company’s announcement in August to raise project costs by $2.3 billion, prompting a vote on the future of the project under provisions of the joint ownership…
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission approved Intermountain Gas Company’s purchased gas adjustment that will lower gas bills by about 10 percent for residential customers and 11.9 percent for commercial customers on Oct. 1, according to a Sept. 26 press release. The annual adjustment reflects changes in the costs incurred by the utility to purchase, store,…
The Ohio Public Utilities Commission approved a settlement allowing Dayton Power & Light Company to raise its distribution revenues by $29.78 million annually, and set a rate of return of 7.27 percent, according to a Sept. 26 press release. The rates reflect savings under the federal tax law which slashed corporate income tax to 21…
The U.S. Interior Department proposed to offer all available unleased areas in the Gulf of Mexico for oil and gas leasing in the auction to be held in March 2019, according to a Sept. 25 press release. The auction marks the fourth offshore sale under the 2017-2022 leasing program. The last auction held in August…
The U.S. Energy Department announced a funding opportunity for projects designed to study the application of big data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning technology and tools to enhance the value of sensor data used to monitor the power grid, according to a Sept. 25 press release. The department said that advanced sensors called “phasor measurement…
The Illinois Commerce Commission announced that Commonwealth Edison Company’s customers will see $318 million in benefits as a result of a settlement concerning the allocation of costs for transmission facilities in the PJM Interconnection LLC’s footprint, according to the agency’s Sept. 25 press release. The settlement, approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, is a…
U.S. energy related carbon emissions in 2017 dropped 0.9 percent from the prior year and 14 percent below 2005 levels, according to a Sept. 25 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Although the gross domestic product grew by 2.3 percent from 2016 to 2017, the agency said that emissions were more than offset by…
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Sept. 25 authorized SunPower Corporation to sell its membership interests in Boulder Solar III LLC to 174 Power Global Corporation and KOMIPO America Inc. The Boulder Solar project is a 125-megawatt solar photovoltaic electric power generating facility under development in Nevada. The project is expected to come online in…
California has enacted legislation that reinforces the state’s clean energy leadership with a goal of procuring 100 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable and zero-carbon resources by 2045. California’s move is historic in that it represents the world’s fifth-largest economy having established a renown in the international climate arena. The Golden State has accelerated the growth of its solar and wind industries but success likely depends on whether storage systems can supplant natural gas that provides about a third of the state’s electricity. Earlier this year, California became the first U.S. state to mandate solar rooftop panels on new homes. To achieve its 2030 goal of five million zero emission vehicles, California recently enacted a law to assess charging infrastructure buildout.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission set a Nov. 27 deadline to issue an environmental assessment for TransCanada Corporation’s proposed Portland Xpress Project, according to the agency’s Sept. 24 notice. The project would boost natural gas supply to New England and Atlantic Canada markets by modifying the existing compressor station in Westbrook, Maine, and adding horsepower…
The U.S. exported 7.3 million barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products in the first half of 2018, the largest recorded for the first six months of a year, according to a Sept. 24 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Crude oil exports, which exceeded hydrocarbon liquids exports, were about 80 percent…
