Alternative energy

EnerKnol Research PU Visual Primer Small Modular Reactors 2021 03 30 Blog preview

Visual Primer: Decarbonization Timelines Drive Interest in Advanced Nuclear Reactors

Recent progress towards commercializing small modular reactors (SMRs) has sparked interest in the role of advanced nuclear technologies to accomplish decarbonization goals. Twenty states and jurisdictions across the U.S. now have 100 percent clean energy mandates or goals, implying the need for a portfolio of every available carbon-free technology that can be deployed on a timeline compatible with their targets.

U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Update

Policy Primer: U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Update

Amid commitments to procure more than 29 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind capacity by 2035, U.S. states are exploring measures for transmission planning, interconnection reforms, supply chain development, and components production.

Visual Primer: State Utility Regulators Consider Net Metering Changes for Equitable Rate Structure

Visual Primer: State Utility Regulators Consider Net Metering Changes for Equitable Rate Structure

The pressing trend towards revisiting retail rate net metering for rooftop solar continues, in a bid to ensure proper compensation for solar customers and avoid cost shifting to non-solar customers. Net energy metering, which credits customer generators for grid-exported power, has been a key component of the policy framework to spur investment in customer-sited renewable energy facilities, including solar and energy storage systems.

EnerKnol Research AE Visual Primer Vehicle to Grid 2020 11 24 Blog preview

Visual Primer: California, Minnesota, and New York Push Forward With Vehicle-to-Grid Integration

With the growing adoption of electric vehicles (EVs), the need for flexible storage resources in the electric grid has drawn increased attention to how well the vehicles can integrate into the grid as temporary batteries. While California is making strides in furthering the utilization of EVs as a grid resource, a handful of states are contemplating the technology in connection with electrification of fleets, and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

U.S. Wind Industry

Visual Primer: U.S. Wind Industry Defies COVID-19 Impacts and Shows Rapid Growth Driven by Clean Energy Goals

The growing demand for renewable energy to meet state and utility goals is driving the rapid expansion in the U.S. wind power market. The sector emerged as the top provider of new power generation capacity in 2019, adding about 9.1 gigawatts of large-scale projects.

Electric Vehicle Charging Programs

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Electric Vehicle Charging Programs on Rise as States Address Barriers to Transportation Electrification

States and utilities across the U.S. are expanding electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to overcome barriers to transportation electrification. The demand for fast charging in states with zero-emission vehicle goals, such as California, New York, and New Jersey, have heightened the need for reliable access to a wider network of stations.

EnerKnol Research AE Visual Primer Value of DER 2020 08 25 Blog preview

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Distributed Generation Compensation Evolves to Reflect Benefits With Greater Accuracy

Recently, state regulators have stepped up efforts to value distributed energy resources (DERs) more accurately while looking for ways to better reflect the costs they impose on the grid. Among recent actions, New York adopted a mechanism to move the market towards more cost-reflective rates, while California decided to include avoided transmission costs in the valuation, and Connecticut unveiled a study on quantifying the benefits of these resources.

U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Makes Strides as East Coast States Plan 5 Gigawatts of New Capacity

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – U.S. Offshore Wind Industry Makes Strides as East Coast States Plan 5 Gigawatts of New Capacity

The offshore wind industry continues to progress in the U.S. with East Coast states proceeding with new solicitations to procure capacity to meet their ambitious goals. New York and New Jersey are seeking to add nearly five gigawatts alongside offshore port infrastructure. Massachusetts is considering a bundled solicitation for generation and transmission in its next round of procurement. The industry’s growth has prompted federal regulators to examine whether existing frameworks in regional transmission organizations can accommodate offshore wind integration.

EnerKnol's Visual Primer - Ohio Nuclear Bailout Scandal Stirs Up Questions Over Ratepayer Subsidies for Aging Power Plants

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Ohio Nuclear Bailout Scandal Stirs Up Questions Over Ratepayer Subsidies for Aging Power Plants

The debate over ratepayer subsidies for struggling nuclear power plants has resurfaced, following a racketeering investigation related to a controversial Ohio law, which created a $1 billion bailout for FirstEnergy Corp. last year. The economic troubles of the embroiled industry come to the fore even as states such as New Jersey and Illinois evaluate plans to opt out of the regional capacity market in response to reforms that expanded the minimum offer price rule to subsidized resources.

States Pursue Vehicle Emission Standards Despite Federal Rollback

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – States Pursue Vehicle Emission Standards Despite Federal Rollback

Policy support for electric vehicles (EVs) continues to grow across U.S. states as transportation electrification is a primary component of regulators’ strategies to meet clean energy and emissions reduction targets. Recent initiatives range from California’s electric truck mandate to Nevada’s vehicle emission standards to New Jersey’s EV ecosystem proposal.

Distributed Solar Faces New Challenge From Petition Seeking Federal Oversight of Net Metering

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Distributed Solar Faces New Challenge From Petition Seeking Federal Oversight of Net Metering

As states continue to reexamine net metering programs in the evolving distributed solar landscape, the industry faces a new challenge: a petition asking federal regulators to exercise jurisdiction over these state-administered programs that compensate behind-the-meter generation for grid-exported energy.

Timely Federal Review Invigorates Offshore Wind Industry Facing Permitting Challenges

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Timely Federal Review Invigorates Offshore Wind Industry Facing Permitting Challenges

In a move commended by offshore wind advocates, federal regulators released a much-awaited environmental analysis of the $2.8 billion Vineyard Wind project, which would be the first U.S. large-scale offshore wind project, and other facilities planned along the East Coast. The review is a step forward in the project’s permitting process and critical for the future offshore wind industry as it braces for challenges from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and prolonged permitting timelines.