The Michigan Public Service Commission authorized rate increases totaling $417.5 million in five electric and natural gas rate cases last year, $245.5 million less than what the utilities requested, according to the agency’s annual report issued on March 2. The increases were driven largely by investments needed to replace aging infrastructure to improve safety and…
The Florida Power & Light Company received approval to launch the nation’s largest community solar program called SolarTogether, according to a March 3 news release. Under the program, the utility will install 1,490 megawatts of solar at 20 new facilities across its service territory by mid-2021. The initiative is projected to yield long-term savings of…
Senators Lisa Murkowski, a Republican representing Alaska, and Joe Manchin, a Democrat representing West Virginia, unveiled a bipartisan legislative package on Feb. 27 that compiles more than 50 energy-related measures reported by the Energy and Natural Resources Committee last year. The comprehensive bill supports innovative energy technologies covering a range of topics including energy efficiency,…
U.S. annual wind electricity generation surpassed hydropower for the first time in 2019 to become the largest source of renewable electricity generation in the U.S., according to a Feb. 26 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Although total installed capacity of wind power exceeded that of hydro in 2016, it wasn’t until last year…
The Maine Public Utilities Commission issued a request for proposals from solar and other renewable energy developers for small-scale projects, pursuant to a 2019 law that established a distributed generation procurement program, according to a Feb. 28 news release. The law directs the agency to conduct multiple solicitations to obtain 250 megawatts of distributed generation…
The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 27 adopted reforms to enhance rules related to customer information disclosure and pricing practices for retail electricity service. The revisions are intended to provide customers with accurate, timely pricing information when they are shopping for electric service from competitive suppliers. The rule changes ban termination fees in the final…
The California Energy Commission on Feb. 20 approved Sacramento Municipal Utility’s proposal for a community solar program under the state’s new building standards, which took effect on Jan. 1. While the 2019 Energy Code requires a solar photovoltaic system on new homes, the commission noted that community solar was built into the code to provide…
The twenty-second quarterly carbon auction held by California and Quebec sold all of the nearly 57.1 million carbon permits offered for current emissions at a price of $17.87 per allowance, above the floor price of $16.68, according to the results released on Feb. 26 by the California Air Resources Board. The current allowance price is…
Utility regulators are expanding resource planning requirements as a growing number of utilities are proposing early closure of coal plants, in addition to investing more in solar, wind and battery storage. Long-term resource plans are evolving to consider a host of emerging issues ranging from equity assessments and avoided costs, to reflecting the cost of carbon, as utilities seek to balance flexibility and reliability.
The Southwest Power Pool Inc., the grid operator for 14 states in the central U.S., filed a tariff with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to implement its Western Energy Imbalance Service Market in 2021, according to a Feb. 21 news release. The market is designed to balance generation and load regionally and in real time.…
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission approved a settlement allowing Public Service Company of Oklahoma to recover costs to add 675 megawatts of wind power the state, according to a Feb. 20 news release. The move will not increase rates for customers, as cost savings resulting from the project will be passed on to them. Public Service will…
The Michigan Public Service Commission on Feb. 20 sent DTE Electric Company back to the drawing board on its long-term resource plan, citing fundamental flaws including lack of competitive bidding for supply-side resource additions. The agency recommended that DTE issue a request for proposals for new generation, and raise the proposed energy efficiency targets. Considering…
