Massachusetts Regulator Discusses Net Metering, SMART Program Revisions Proposed by Utilities

Massachusetts Regulator Discusses Net Metering, SMART Program Revisions Proposed by Utilities

Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Solar

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is scheduled to discuss revisions proposed by electric distribution companies to net metering and Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, programs, according to a Feb. 25 order of notice. Unitil Corp, National Grid plc, and Eversource Energy have submitted revised model tariffs for net metering and the SMART program, clarifying the eligibility of facilities…

Court Approves $120 Million Aliso Canyon Gas Leak Settlement

Court Approves $120 Million Aliso Canyon Gas Leak Settlement

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

Southern California Gas Company will pay $119.5 million to compensate for the methane emissions from a major gas leak at the Aliso Canyon storage facility in October 2015, according to a Feb. 25 press release from the California Air Resources Board. The settlement, approved by the Los Angeles Superior Court, will fully mitigate the 109,000 metric…

New England Grid's Reliability Risks to Crop Up Year-Round With Shift to Gas, Renewables

New England Grid’s Reliability Risks to Crop Up Year-Round With Shift to Gas, Renewables

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Insights, EnerKnol Research Reports, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Wholesale Markets, Wholesale Power

New England’s grid is undergoing a rapid change as nuclear, oil, and coal-fired power plants that operate with stored fuel are retiring in larger numbers, and are being replaced by natural-gas-fired plants and renewable generation. Natural gas accounted for 49 percent of the region’s power generation last year, up from just 15 percent in 2000…....

New Jersey Regulator Poised to Take Up Solar Credit Reforms

New Jersey Regulator Poised to Take Up Solar Credit Reforms

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Renewables, Solar, Solar Power

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will consider changes to the solar renewable portfolio standard at its Feb. 27 meeting. The board issued a straw proposal last December to phase out the current Solar Renewable Energy Certificate, or SREC, Program following legislation enacted in May 2018, which closes the program when 5.1 percent of…...

Eversource Files Final Procurement Plan for Connecticut Renewable Energy Credits

Eversource Files Final Procurement Plan for Connecticut Renewable Energy Credits

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

The Connecticut Light and Power Company submitted its final procurement plan for the approval of 15-year contracts to purchase class I renewable energy credits from renewable energy projects in the state, totaling $2.83 million per year in contract commitments from low emissions renewable energy projects and $5.6million per year for medium and large zero emission projects. The company’s Year…

Minnesota Regulator Issues Resource Plan Filing Requirements for Regulated Utilities

Minnesota Regulator Issues Resource Plan Filing Requirements for Regulated Utilities

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Integrated Resource Plans, REC Feed

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 20 adopted requirements that each of the state’s regulated utilities must adhere to in filing integrated distribution plans. Utilities must submit their filings biennially starting on Nov. 1, providing a five-year action plan, as well as a ten-year plan for distribution system development. Each utility is required to provide system…

New England’s Evolving Resource Mix Makes Power System Operations More Complex

New England’s Evolving Resource Mix Makes Power System Operations More Complex: ISO-NE Report

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, Power & Utilities, REC Feed, Wholesale Markets, Wholesale Power

New England’s power system is strong, but the changing resource mix, driven by industry trends and state policies, is making operations more complex, according to a Feb. 20 briefing on the state of the region’s grid by Gordon van Welie, president and CEO of ISO New England Inc. Nuclear, oil, and coal-fired power plants that…...

Maine Governor Endorses Avangrid’s $1 Billion Hydropower Transmission Line

Maine Governor Endorses Avangrid’s $1 Billion Hydropower Transmission Line

Electric Transmission, EnerKnol Impact-Misc Categories, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed

Democratic Governor Janet Mills authorized the Office of Energy to sign onto an agreement that requests the state’s utility regulator to approve Central Maine Power Company’s 1,200-megawatt transmission project, which would deliver Canadian hydropower to Massachusetts to help that state achieve its clean energy goals. Mills said that the stipulation enhances the proposed New England…

Oregon Regulator to Revise Implementation of Federal Power Purchase Law

Oregon Regulator to Revise Implementation of Federal Power Purchase Law

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

The Oregon Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 19 opened a proceeding to examine the implementation of the federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA, which requires utilities to purchase power from small independent electricity generators at the “avoided cost” or the cost the utility would spend to procure the electricity itself. The move stems…...

State Regulators Exercise Greater Scrutiny on Utility Planning Efforts

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – State Regulators Exercise Greater Scrutiny on Utility Planning Efforts

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Research Reports, EnerKnol Visual Primer, Integrated Resource Plans, Power & Utilities, PRODUCTS, REC Feed, Smart Grid

Policy changes are occurring faster than ever before, confounding efforts by utilities to plan for the future, causing a paralysis in decision making. The task of identifying all possible scenarios over a longer horizon is becoming more demanding as state renewable energy standards are changing more frequently. Utilities are grappling with the influx of distributed energy resources and new renewable generation under various state programs, coupled with the need to maintain fossil generation to manage the intermittency of these sources.

U.S. Court Upholds New England Capacity Market Exemptions For State-Sponsored Renewables

Alliant Energy Proposes Voluntary Renewable Power Programs for Wisconsin Customers

Energy Storage, EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Renewables, Solar, Solar Power, Wind, Wind Power

Wisconsin Power and Light Company is seeking approval of three new tariff options to expand its voluntary renewable energy options for customers, according to its Feb. 18 application filed with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. The proposal includes a subscription-based community solar program, renewable energy contracts targeted at large commercial and industrial customers, and a…...

Virginia Legislature Passes Bill to Raise Net Metering Cap for Customers of Electric Cooperatives

Virginia Legislature Passes Bill to Raise Net Metering Cap for Customers of Electric Cooperatives

EnerKnol Impacts, EnerKnol Pulse, REC Feed, Renewables, Solar, Solar Power

Virginia lawmakers approved legislation on Feb. 18 that would make changes to the net metering program for customers of electric cooperatives, including increasing the cap from one percent of system peak to three percent for residential, four percent for not-for-profit and non-jurisdictional, and two percent for non-residential customers. The bill would allow electric cooperatives to…...