Alternative energy
Southwestern Electric Power Company, a subsidiary of American Electric Power Company Inc., issued a request for proposals for 1.2 gigawatts of wind energy that would come online by Dec. 15, 2021, according to a Jan. 9 filing with the Louisiana Public Service Commission. The move comes six months after the company scrapped a $4.5-billion wind…...
The Electric Power Suppliers Association on Jan. 7 filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review appellate court rulings that upheld zero-emission credit programs designed to support financially struggling nuclear plants in New York and Illinois. The organization argues that the subsidy programs infringe on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s jurisdiction over wholesale…...
Colorado House lawmaker Chris Hansen, a Democrat, introduced legislation on Jan. 4 that would increase the maximum size of community solar gardens to 10 megawatts, up from 2 megawatts permitted by current law. The bill would broaden access to community projects, which offers consumers the opportunity to participate in solar installations through subscriptions, by allowing…...
Republican Governor Christopher Sununu wrote a letter requesting the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management establish an intergovernmental offshore renewable energy task force for the state, according to a Jan. 7 press release. Sununu said that the measure would facilitate coordination between federal, state and local governments on commercial leasing proposals. If the request is…...
The Hawaiian Electric Companies submitted power purchase agreements for seven grid-scale, solar-plus-storage projects to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission, according to a Jan. 3 press release. The projects total 262 megawatts of solar and 1,024 megawatt-hours of energy storage, with contract prices ranging from $0.08 to $0.12 per kilowatt-hour. The utilities said that the contracts…...
The Maine Public Utilities Commission on Dec. 17 granted solar installer Insource Renewables LLC’s request to exclude solar generation produced by medium and large non-residential customers of Central Maine Power Company and Emera Maine from gross metering provisions due to excessive costs that are shifted onto other ratepayers. The commission agreed that the cost of…...
Democratic Governor Ralph Northam on Dec. 27 unveiled a report providing a roadmap for Virginia to develop a supply chain to serve offshore wind projects planned along the East Coast. The report examines Virginia’s strategic role in the emerging industry, highlighting that the state is well-positioned to serve as a supply chain hub thanks to…...
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Dec. 31 authorized NJR Clean Energy Ventures II Corporation to sell its interests in four wind energy projects totaling 117 megawatts to SRIV Partnership LLC. NJR Clean Energy said that the $208.5 million transaction completes the sale of all its operating wind facilities. In June, the company sold a…...
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission authorized Minnesota Power’s 20-year power purchase agreement with Tenaska Inc. for 250 megawatts of wind-generated power, according to a Dec. 20 press release. The energy would be supplied by the proposed Nobles 2 facility in Nobles County along Buffalo Ridge expected to come online in October 2020. The contract, which…...
Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy on Dec. 28 announced the selection of two nuclear plants — Dominion Energy Inc.’s Millstone Power Station in Connecticut and NextEra Energy Inc.’s Seabrook Nuclear Power Station in New Hampshire — along with nine solar projects and one offshore wind project in the state’s solicitation for zero-carbon electricity. The procurements totaling nearly…...
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities adopted a proposed rule establishing offshore wind renewable energy certificates or ORECs detailing a process to fund the state’s offshore wind program and flow back revenue to ratepayers, according to a Dec. 18 press release. The industry has gained momentum under Democratic Governor Phil Murphy who seeks to…...
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities staff issued a straw proposal 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 electricity sold in the state comes from distributed solar, and transition to a new system, according to…...