The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality on Aug. 16 unveiled a draft Clean Energy Plan outlining policy and action recommendations for the state to transition to carbon-free electricity by 2050, starting with a 60 to 70 percent reduction from 2005 levels by 2030. An executive order issued last year by Democratic Governor Roy Cooper…
New York has adopted sweeping measures to propel the state’s clean energy agenda, including adopting the nation’s most ambitious climate targets, awarding the largest offshore wind contract, and refining compensation rules to boost distributed solar.
The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection issued the state’s first solicitation dedicated to offshore wind power, seeking proposals for up to 2 gigawatts, according to an Aug. 19 press release. The state’s multi-resource solicitations held in 2018 resulted in the selection of 300 megawatts of the Revolution Wind project being developed by Denmark-based…
Democratic Governor Tony Evers on Aug. 16 signed an executive order requiring the state’s electricity consumption to be carbon-free by 2050. The order establishes the Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy, which will work with other state agencies and utilities to achieve the goal. The new office will develop a clean energy plan to help…
The Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement allowing Ameren Missouri to build its proposed Outlaw wind project in Atchison County, according to an Aug. 16 press release. Ameren will acquire the proposed 299-megawatt facility from Enel Kansas LLC upon completion under a build-transfer agreement. Under the agreement, Outlaw Wind Project LLC, a special purpose…
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Aug. 12 rejected the summary of a proposed ballot measure submitted by Ohioans Against Corporate Bailouts to repeal legislation enacted last month to subsidize nuclear and coal plants. The law requires electric customers to pay new monthly surcharges from 2021 through 2027 to raise $150 million per year to…
New York installed 884 megawatts of solar generating capacity through June 30, with an additional 970 megawatts in the pipeline under the NY Sun program, a $1 billion initiative to expand solar capacity through the strategic use of public funds to build a self-sustaining market, according to an Aug. 14 report from the New York…
The Nevada Public Utilities Commission became the fourth western state to join the Western Public Utility Commissions’ Joint Action Framework on Climate Change, a cooperative effort to promote clean energy and reduce carbon emissions, according to an Aug. 13 press release. The other signatories to the coalition, which was established in 2006, are the California, Oregon,…
The New York Public Service Commission staff on Aug. 13 recommended changes to the value stack compensation rule to clarify the eligibility criteria for certain high-capacity-factor resources, such as fuel cells, to prevent excessive cost shift to non-participating ratepayers. Utilities expressed concerns that the issue has become particularly relevant given the growing number of prospective…
The U.S. imported an average of 644,000 kilowatts per month of solar panels during the first four months of this year, up from less than 300,000 kilowatts in the months following the imposition of tariffs on imported solar in February 2018, according to an Aug. 13 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Continued decline…
Ameren, FirstEnergy, and Pepco are advancing sweeping plans to modernize the power grid. The programs, exceeding $7.5 billions in investments, mark the latest efforts by utilities to overhaul an aging, antiquated transmission and distribution system to make it more resilient, accommodate the growing penetration of renewable and distributed energy, and enhance customer-interaction.
Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed legislation on Aug. 9 to convene a task force that was officially formed in 2013 to analyze and evaluate policies and economic options to facilitate offshore wind energy development. The law directs the state’s Department of Natural Resources to identify areas of Illinois’ public trust lands of…
