The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management on Dec. 30 released a favorable environmental review for the Gemini solar project, a proposed 690-megawatt facility that would span 7,100 acres of BLM-administered land, located about 33 miles northeast of Las Vegas. The $1 billion project, which includes 380 megawatts of battery storage, would be the…
Utilities are optimizing green power programs to meet carbon reduction targets and satisfy their customers simultaneously. Green pricing options allow customers to meet a portion of their electricity needs from renewable energy resources. While offering innovative products to increase customer access to green power, these programs provide larger consumers the option to meet their varying sustainability and renewable energy goals.
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved a new solar incentive program to facilitate the transition from the current Solar Renewable Energy Certificate, or SREC, program to a yet-to-be-determined successor incentive program, according to a December 6 press release. The Transition Incentive will serve as a bridge between the legacy SREC and the new…
The 46th quarterly carbon auction of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the nation’s first mandatory cap-and-trade program to cut power sector emissions, resulted in a price of $5.61 per short ton for the 13.1 million tons of carbon allowances sold. The clearing price was almost the same as the June 2019 price, which was the…
Republican Governor Christopher Sununu signed an executive order on Dec. 3, establishing four advisory boards to inform the state’s next steps for offshore wind energy development. The order also calls for a study on the emissions reduction potential of offshore wind in the Gulf of Maine, as well as the state’s existing port and coastal…
The New York State Department of Public Service issued a report that recommends improvements to residential net metering to support continued growth of the state’s solar industry while ensuring fairness for all ratepayers by enhancing the accuracy of price signals and lowering the subsidies that are not directly tied to environmental values, according to a…
The Michigan Public Service Commission accepted portions of Upper Peninsula Power Company’s integrated resource plan, including a 125-megawatt solar power contract as the lowest-cost energy supply option, according to a Dec. 6 news release. The agency recommended removal of the company’s proposal to build a 20-megawatt natural gas-fired unit, and called for a more robust…
The Nevada Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 5 approved NV Energy’s integrated resource plan, which will add 1,190 megawatts of new solar energy projects and 590 megawatts of energy storage. The new capacity will come from three projects located in Clark County, southern Nevada, and are scheduled to be operational by Jan. 1, 2024. The…
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection selected Vineyard Wind LLC’s 804-megawatt Park City Wind Project as the winner in its offshore wind solicitation, according to a Dec. 5 news release. The project represents Connecticut’s largest renewable energy purchase, and will provide the equivalent of 14 percent of the state’s electricity. Vineyard will now…
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 3 granted Xcel Energy Inc.’s proposal to modify the value of solar, or VOS, methodology to arrive at a more stable and reasonable rate. The commission agreed that the avoided distribution cost component is the cause for the volatility in the VOS rate, which is used to calculate…
The Colorado Public Utilities Commission opened a docket to develop rules requiring investor-owned utilities to file distribution system plans, according to a Dec. 3 news release. Distribution planning would help ensure that grid modernization allows for continued safe, reliable and cost-effective utility operations, according to the agency. The move stems from legislation enacted in June…
The Ohio Supreme Court on Nov. 27 dismissed FirstEnergy Solutions Corp.’s complaint against a referendum effort by Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts to repeal legislation enacted in July to subsidize nuclear and coal plants. The court rejected the case for “lack of a justiciable controversy.” The company argued that the rate increase resulting from the law constitutes…