The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which represents the largest investment in U.S. infrastructure, includes major provisions important to the energy industry, ranging from building out the first national network of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to modernizing the electric transmission grid and expanding clean energy.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced on March 8 that the U.S. will ban imports of Russian oil and gas and energy, “targeting the main artery of Russia’s economy.” This is latest action taken by the Biden administration in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began nearly two weeks ago. Biden noted that the effort…...
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has roiled global markets, causing oil prices to soar at a time when the world is recovering from the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. The conflict, entangled with the global energy crisis, has been met with heavy economic sanctions from the U.S. and most European countries. Companies across the oil and gas value chain have also announced plans to abandon investments in Russia.
Upgrading and expanding the U.S. electric transmission system is key to enhancing grid reliability and resilience while enabling greater integration of carbon-free resources to meet clean energy goals.
Nuclear power is increasingly viewed as a necessary resource to compensate for the decline in fossil fuel-based electricity in the transition towards a low-carbon future. Recent actions range from the U.S. Energy Department’s launch of a $6 billion program to sustain the existing nuclear fleet to West Virginia’s move to end a ban on nuclear plant construction and efforts to delay the closure of the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant in California.
Utility-scale wind turbines accounted for more than three-quarters of the 4.2 gigawatts of Michigan’s renewable energy capacity in 2021, according to the Michigan Public Service Commission Feb. 15 report on the implementation of the state’s renewable energy standard. The agency also issued a report on energy waste reduction, or EWR, program, which revealed that the…
Long-term planning strategies of electric utilities across the U.S. reflect the growing trend towards phasing out coal-fired power generation while embracing renewables. Coal power plants account for 85 percent of electric generating capacity scheduled to retire in the U.S. during 2022, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA).
Revisions to rules governing competitive retail electricity markets are focused on strengthening customer protections while exploring ways to expand access to these markets. Recent actions include efforts to open retail electric competition in Arizona, Connecticut’s investigation into supplier offers, and Maine’s update to marketing standards for retail electric services.
U.S. offshore wind is gaining traction with new milestones spurred by state commitments of almost 40 gigawatts (GW) by 2040 and a federal goal of 30 GW by 2030. Recent developments include state-level project selections that could add more than 3.2 GW of new capacity, New Jersey’s proposal for a novel offshore wind transmission solution, and New York’s move to advance transmission technologies for offshore wind integration.
The National Energy Technology Laboratory on Jan. 24 announced that its Strategic Systems Analysis & Engineering, or SSAE, researchers are working towards using fossil energy resources to produce hydrogen by adopting advanced hydrogen production and carbon capture technologies. The new initiative by the Energy Department national lab is expected to expand the use of fossil-fuel…
Several states are reshaping their distributed generation policies and programs amid the proliferation of distributed solar and other solutions prompted by changing customer needs and clean energy goals. Recent actions range from California’s proposed net metering successor, which has triggered cost-shift debates in the nation’s largest solar market, to New York’s roadmap to achieve 10 gigawatts (GW) of distributed solar by 2030.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has announced a plan to increase the state’s energy storage deployment target by twofold to reach at least 6 gigawatts by 2030, as part of the 2022 State of the State. This marks the largest state-level target intended to facilitate New York’s transition to a low-carbon future, providing a pathway…...
