The Texas Public Utilities Commission on Oct. 21 adopted a rule addressing weather emergency preparedness of power generators and utilities, the first of a two-part process in the development of reliability standards in the wake of the mid-February winter storm event. The rule requires affected companies to implement winter weather readiness recommendations identified in a…...
Energy storage is becoming an increasingly important part of the power mix to accommodate the exponential growth of intermittent renewables required to accomplish ambitious decarbonization targets set by U.S. states and utilities.
The U.S. Energy Department on Oct. 14 released a progress report of its Better Buildings, Better Plants program that aims to decarbonize the industrial sector. To date, over 250 manufacturers and water utilities have embraced efficiency and decarbonization measures, achieving cumulative savings of $9.3 billion in costs and 1.9 quadrillion British thermal units of energy,…...
The growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is driving interest in vehicle-grid integration technologies that enable EVs to inject power from their batteries onto the grid, thereby enhancing reliability benefits across the distribution system.
A growing number of states are turning to grid modernization initiatives aimed at creating a more flexible system that can accommodate the proliferation of distributed energy resources (DER) and other solutions that meet changing customer needs and climate goals.
As the power and transportation sectors shift toward decarbonization, federal and state regulators are examining hydrogen's untapped potential in lowering emissions across industries ranging from energy storage to heavy-duty vehicles.
State renewable portfolio standards (RPS) are a key driver behind the torrid expansion of wind and solar generation across the U.S., responsible for about half of the nation’s deployment of clean energy sources over the last couple of decades, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Over three dozen states, territories and the nation’s capital…
The importance of U.S. state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) continues to grow, with recent changes reflecting the trend of strengthening renewable energy targets. Several states have expanded their RPS programs to broader clean energy standards, which establish milestones to achieve a carbon-free electricity supply.
As the distributed solar landscape evolves, revisions and successors to net metering programs seek to ensure that the compensation rate and other and program elements avoid cost shifting to non-participating customers while supporting a value proposition for new solar customers.
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed legislation on Sept. 15 that puts the state on the path to 100 percent clean energy by 2050. The law sets a goal of 50 percent renewable energy by 2040 and provides financial support for the states’ existing nuclear plants at risk of closure due to market…...
The expansion of renewable portfolio standards (RPS) has prompted several states to reshape their solar incentive programs. The market for solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) is driven by solar carve-outs in RPS programs, which require utilities to procure a certain percentage of their electricity from renewable resources.
Amid the growing interest in clean energy, state and federal policy changes to utility power procurement rules under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) are shaping the portfolios of small renewable power producers. PURPA, which has been a key driver of renewable generation in the U.S., sets requirements for utilities to purchase power from small independent electricity and cogeneration facilities.