The Western Energy Imbalance market generated about $79 million in savings in the second quarter of this year, with total benefits reaching about $998 million since its launch in 2014, according to a July 29 press release from the California Independent System Operator Corporation. The market constitutes an automated system that secures the lowest-cost energy…
The Michigan Public Service Commission on July 23 issued six orders approving utilities’ renewable energy proposals, including eight power purchase contracts between Consumers Energy Company and the members of the Independent Power Producers Coalition of Michigan. The contracts are expected to reduce costs by nearly $2.6 million over the life of the contracts. Six of…...
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, on July 21 announced solicitations seeking up to 4 gigawatts of renewable capacity, including 2.5 gigawatts of offshore wind and 1.5 gigawatts of land-based large-scale projects. In addition, a solicitation for $400 million in multi-port investment requires offshore wind generators to collaborate with any of the 11 prequalified…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on July 16 rejected a petition by the New England Ratepayers Association seeking federal jurisdiction over energy sales from rooftop solar and other distributed generation facilities on the customer side of the retail meter. The commission found that the association failed to identify a “specific controversy or harm” that should…...
The New York Public Service Commission on July 16 adopted a successor to net metering for residential and small commercial customers, establishing monthly charges that will apply to customers who install solar on or after Jan. 1, 2022. The decision addresses cost shifts identified in a December 2019 whitepaper which recommends changes applicable to mass…
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission approved a plan allowing Xcel Energy Inc. to idle two of its coal-fired power plants for six months of the year, potentially saving customers up to $3.48 million by 2023, according to a July 15 press release. Under the plan, the Allen S. King Generating Station and Unit 2 of…...
The Michigan Public Service Commission on July 9 approved DTE Electric Co.’s amended renewable energy portfolio. The new supply-side renewable resources approved incorporate a 225-megawatt wind farm and two 25-year solar power purchase contracts of about 128 megawatts. The generation capacity, to be added over the next two years, would enable the company to comply…...
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on July 8 voted in favor of a bill that would require legislative approval before the state can impose a carbon tax or join a multi-state carbon-trading program. The Department of Environmental Protection is currently in the process of drafting regulations to allow the state to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas…...
The Texas Public Utilities Commission rejected a plan by Southwestern Electric Power Co., a subsidiary of American Electric Power Company Inc., to add 309 megawatts of wind energy to serve Texas customers, according to a July 2 news release. Despite the denial, the company said it can move ahead with its planned acquisition of 1,485…...
The New York State Board on Electric Generation Siting and the Environment on June 30 approved the 101-megawatt Deer River Wind Farm located in Lewis and Jefferson counties. The project is expected to generate up to $24 million in local property tax revenues over 30 years. Local governments are expected to receive up to $800,000…...
As states continue to reexamine net metering programs in the evolving distributed solar landscape, the industry faces a new challenge: a petition asking federal regulators to exercise jurisdiction over these state-administered programs that compensate behind-the-meter generation for grid-exported energy.
The Nevada Public Utilities Commission on June 24 announced that subscriptions for the third tier of its net metering program reached the 80-megawatt threshold established by a 2017 law, which created a four-tier structure to compensate customers for grid-exported energy. There is no capacity limit for Tier four, which is now open for applications, but…...