Blog preview 2019 11 13

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Gathers Steam as Northeast’s Climate Goals Ramp Up

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Renewables, Wind, Wind Power

In the latest sign of the health and growth of the nation's nascent offshore wind industry, state commitments to procure supplies of the energy source rose to nearly 20 gigawatts this year, quadruple the amount of capacity from just two years ago. The burgeoning industry remains upbeat even as federal permitting delays to the nation’s first large-scale project raised concerns of regulatory roadblocks.

Solar Panels 11 13 2019

Maine Utilities, Solar Developers Seek Rule Changes to Tackle Influx of Grid Connection Requests

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Solar

A coalition of investor-owned utilities and renewable energy developers on Nov. 11 asked the Maine Public Utilities Commission for temporary rule changes to resolve issues arising from the growth in interconnection activity after the state passed a law in June that expands opportunities to invest in solar power and distributed generation.  The legislation led to…

Wind Turbine Solar Panels 10 4 2019

California Approves Purchase of 3.3 Gigawatts of New Resources to Avoid Impending Power Capacity Shortfall

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Natural Gas, REC Feed, Solar, Wind

The California Public Utilities Commission voted to authorize the procurement of 3.3 gigawatts of new, non-emitting electricity resources by 2023 to forestall potential resource adequacy shortages starting in 2021, according to a Nov. 7 news release. The order also seeks to keep some natural-gas-fired power plants open past their current 2020 closure dates by recommending…

Maine Aqua Ventus Offshore Wind Project

Maine Regulators Approve Contract for First Offshore Floating Wind Project

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Wind

The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Nov. 5 voted to authorize a contract for the 12-megawatt Maine Aqua Ventus project, the first deep-water offshore wind facility in the U.S. to feature a floating platform. A measure enacted in June directed regulators to approve a long-term power purchase agreement between the University of Maine-led initiative and…

California Cap and Trade Emissions Target

California on Track to Meet 2020 Emissions Target, Businesses Fully Compliant With Carbon Trading Program

Carbon Market, Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed

The California Air Resources Board on Nov. 4 announced that all entities subject to the cap-trade emissions reduction system met their compliance requirements in 2018, which marks the first year of the program’s final three-year compliance period. Businesses covered by the program account for about 80 percent of the state’s emissions. The agency also reported…

U.S. Exit Paris Climate Accord

Trump Administration Initiates Process to Exit Paris Climate Accord

Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed

The Trump administration has submitted a formal notification to the United Nations to withdraw the U.S from the Paris agreement on climate change, according to a Nov. 4 announcement from the State Department. The move initiates a one-year process to leave the 2015 pact that the U.S. joined during the Obama administration, committing to achieve…

Western EIM 2019 Q3 Benefits

Western Power Market Delivers $800 Million in Benefits Over Five Years

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Solar, Wholesale Power, Wind

The Western Energy Imbalance market generated about $65 million in savings in the third quarter of this year, with total benefits reaching about $801 million since its launch in November 2014, according to a Nov. 1 press release from the California Independent System Operator Corporation. The energy imbalance market is an automated system that secures…

spppricesreport

Southwest Power Pool Seeks Transmission Upgrade as Rapid Expansion of Renewables Bottlenecks System

EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed

The Southwest Power Pool Inc.’s board of directors approved the grid operator’s 2019 Integrated Transmission Plan, requiring members to construct 44 new projects, including 166 miles of transmission lines, according to an October 29 press release. The rapid expansion of renewables has contributed to increasing price disparity between the western and eastern portions of the SPP system, creating higher average…

repotcalifrps

California Report Shows Utilities on Track to Meet Renewable Energy Goals

Climate Change and Emissions, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Solar, Wind

The California Public Utilities Commission issued its annual Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) report showing that the program is on track and is helping to drive down renewable contract prices and increasing in-state procurement, according to a Nov. 1 press release. As of 2019, the state’s large investor-owned utilities have executed renewable electricity contracts necessary to…

Wind Farm 11 3 2019

Virginia Regulator Approves New Rates for Dominion Customers to Purchase Renewable Energy Certificates

EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Renewable Energy Credit Market

The Virginia State Corporation Commission on Oct. 31 approved Virginia Electric and Power Company’s rate option that allows customers to voluntarily buy renewable energy certificates, or RECs, sourced from a broad range of generation facilities to match all or a portion of their usage. The company proposed to offer the new rate, called “Rider REC,”…

EIA Electricity Customer Choice Participation

Retail Choice Power Market Growth Slowed Since 2013 Amid Higher Costs for Residential Customers: EIA

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Retail Power and Gas

The share of U.S. electricity sales by competitive suppliers increased slightly since 2013 following over a decade of steady growth, according to a Nov. 1 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. While customer choice programs use competition to lower power prices and introduce new service products, not all customers pay less for purchasing power through…

Massachusetts’ Second Offshore Wind Contract Projected to Yield $2.4 Billion in Ratepayer Benefits

Shell, EDPR Win Massachusetts’ Second Offshore Wind Solicitation for 800 Megawatts

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Wind

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources on Oct. 30 announced the selection of Mayflower Wind Energy LLC’s 804-megawatt project to negotiate contracts with the state’s electric distribution companies as part of the competitive solicitations required under 2016 legislation, which requires the state to secure 1.6 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2027. Mayflower anticipates long term…