Alternative energy
According to the SEIA report, the U.S. installed 1,354 MW of solar PV in Q3 2014, a 41 percent increase over Q3 2013. On December 9, 2014, GTM Research and the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) released a report analyzing U.S. solar market performance across three segments – utility-scale, residential, and non-residential – during Q3…...
Federal tax incentives, strong state renewable portfolio standards, and associated renewable energy certificate programs facilitate regional installation growth. New England states must continuously analyze and update their RPS policies to ensure renewable energy growth, as developers currently rely on the standards and associated REC markets for project demand and financing. With federal and state policies…...
Governor Cuomo has launched Community Solar NY – a new component of the $1B NY-Sun initiative – aimed to boost solar deployment across communities. On December 5, 2014, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo launched Community Solar NY to support affordable community projects under the NY-Sun initiative. The $1B NY-Sun initiative – administered by the…...
California and Québec have released the results of the first joint carbon auction under their integrated cap-and-trade emissions trading platform. On December 3, 2014, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, and the Fight against Climate Change (MDDELCC) released the results of their first joint carbon allowance auction held…...
California and Quebec have released the results of the first joint carbon auction under their integrated cap-and-trade emissions trading platform. On December 3, 2014, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Environment, and the Fight against Climate Change (MDDELCC) released the results of their first joint carbon allowance auction held…...
The House has passed a one-year extension of several tax provisions including the renewable energy production tax credit and several biofuel industry incentives. On December 3, 2014, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 (H.R. 5771), a one-year tax extender package for several tax relief provisions that expired at…...
State utilities – such as New York’s Con Edison – are beginning to consider non-traditional infrastructure and resource investments to meet peak load. Distributed energy resources investments and increased customer engagement will help create a more diverse, resilient energy grid. Over the next year – and beyond – State PUCs and utilities will work closely…...
The DOI will offer approximately 742,000 acres offshore Massachusetts for commercial wind energy development in a competitive lease sale scheduled for January 29, 2015. On November 26, 2014, the Department of Interior’s (DOI) Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) published a notice to offer approximately 742,000 acres of the Massachusetts Wind Energy Area (WEA) for…...
The DOE’s draft Wind Vision analyzes a future wind scenario that represents wind energy penetration levels — as a share of total U.S. electricity demand — of 10 percent by 2020, 20 percent by 2030, and 35 percent by 2050. The Department of Energy (DOE) has released a draft Wind Vision analysis expanding its 2008…...
Non-hydro utility-scale energy storage solutions are landing record-setting contracts in multiple regions, marking a transition beyond small-scale ancillary services. Fast-reacting and flexible energy storage resources can efficiently provide ancillary services to free-up traditional generation assets for wholesale market participation. The U.S. Bicameral Task Force on Climate Change recently cited that by 2022, the worldwide demand…...
The EPA has announced that it will not finalize 2014 RFS requirements before the end of 2014 due to delays in evaluating comments elicited by its 2014 RFS proposal released in November 2013. On November 21, 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a notice of delay in issuing the 2014 renewable fuel requirements under…...
The FERC has directed RTOs/ISOs to identify fuel assurance issues relevant to their respective markets and file a report on the status of their efforts to address the issues. On November 20, 2014, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order directing regional transmission organizations and independent system operators (RTOs/ISOs) to file reports on…...