Alternative energy
The Missouri Public Service Commission on March 20 unanimously approved Clean Line Energy Partners LLC’s 780-mile Grain Belt Express transmission system designed to deliver 4,000 megawatts of wind power from Western Kansas to Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and the neighboring states. The move follows a July 2018 ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court, which found that…...
Democratic Governor Ned Lamont announced that Dominion Energy Inc. reached a deal with Connecticut’s two electric utility companies, units of Eversource Energy and Avangrid Inc., to retain the 2,100-megawatt Millstone nuclear facility. The 10-year agreement lowers the incremental ratepayer cost by nearly half compared to the original bid that was accepted last year as part…...
Democratic Governor Ralph Northam signed legislation on March 18 creating a pilot program to disburse loans or rebates for solar installations in households whose income is at or below 80 percent of the state or regional median income. (HB 2741) Residents applying for the program are required to document the installation of energy efficiency services…...
Kentucky lawmakers passed legislation on March 14 that would redefine net metering by requiring state regulators to set the compensation rate for solar customers through a ratemaking process. Retail electric suppliers would be entitled to implement rates to recover the costs incurred to serve customer-generators, including fixed and demand-based charges. (SB 100) The bill would…...
Democratic Senator Chris Brooks introduced legislation on March 18 that would raise Nevada’s renewable portfolio standard to 50 percent by 2030 from the current level of 25 percent by 2025. The bill would also set a goal of achieving all of the state’s electricity from carbon-free resources by 2050. The legislation adds to the number…...
The U.S. added 31.3 gigawatts of generating capacity in 2018, the largest since the 2003 capacity addition of 48.8 gigawatts, according to a March 11 report from the Energy Information Administration. Natural gas accounted for 62 percent of utility-scale additions, while wind and solar photovoltaic represented 21 percent and 16 percent, respectively. Coal accounted for…...
The Retail Energy Supply Association expressed support for a market-determined price for solar renewable energy certificates, or SRECs, in New Jersey’s successor program, as the state transitions to a new distributed solar regime. In its comments filed with the the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities on March 5, the group said that the alternative…...
The Missouri Public Service Commission approved an agreement allowing Ameren Missouri, a subsidiary of Ameren Corporation, to own and operate a 157-megawatt wind generation project to be built in Atchison County, according to a March 6 press release. The proposed Brickyard Hills Wind Facility, to be developed by EDF Renewables North America, is expected to come…...
The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 26 approved terms for a 10-year contract for Three Rivers Solar Power LLC’s project, the winning proposal among seven bids submitted in response to the agency’s solicitation last July. The commission also directed its staff and Emera Inc. subsidiary Emera Maine to finalize a contract with the project…...
Obstacles that have long thwarted the rapid growth of solar that sunny Texas has always promised -- the deregulated market and a dearth of renewable incentives -- are posing less of a hindrance in the face of cheap power purchase contracts. Texas, which leads the nation in wind-powered generation, accounting for more than a quarter of the U.S. total, is rapidly emerging as a solar power house. Falling costs, retirements of fossil-fueled generation, and demand growth have been instrumental in driving solar growth in the region.
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…...
The Georgia Public Service Commission on Feb. 19 announced its approval of $526.4 million in construction expenses incurred by Georgia Power Company in the first half of 2018 for the Vogtle expansion project. The agency said the authorization does not deem the expenditure to be prudent, and is only an acknowledgement that the company has…...