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…...
New York installed 744 megawatts of solar generating capacity through 2018, with an additional 883 megawatts in the pipeline under the NY Sun program, a $1 billion initiative that aims to add 3 gigawatts by 2023, according to a Feb. 14 report from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. Expanding to include…...
Consumers Energy Company, in a Feb. 12 filing with the Michigan Public Service Commission, said that its avoided cost, which must be paid to small independent power producers under the federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act, should be rescinded as it was based on out-of-date information. The company asked the agency to approve new rates…...
South Carolina Electric & Gas Company proposed two resource plans based on the least cost options from 19 scenarios that were modeled for its 2019 integrated resource plan filed with the South Carolina Public Service Commission on Feb. 8. The plans, which detail resource needs from 2019 through 2033, reflect a shortage in base capacity…...
Delmarva Power & Light Company on Feb. 13 asked the Delaware Public Service Commission to approve its 2019 program for the procurement of solar renewable energy credits, or SRECs, to comply with the state’s renewable energy portfolio standard, which requires the percentage of retail energy supplied by renewable resources to increase over time to 25…...
The compliance obligations under Ohio’s renewable portfolio standard have been shifting from electric distribution companies to competitive retail suppliers as consumers are exercising their choice of electric service providers, according to a Feb. 11 draft annual report by the Ohio Public Utilities Commission staff. Competitive suppliers were responsible for about 77 percent of Ohio’s overall…...
The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued an order on Feb. 1 clarifying ownership of capacity and energy rights of facilities under net metering and Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, programs participating in the ISO New England Inc.’s forward capacity market. The order allows owners of storage-paired facilities to retain their energy or capacity…...
Massachusetts House Democratic lawmakers Marjorie Decker and Sean Garballey introduced legislation on Jan. 28 that would transition Massachusetts to 100 percent renewable electricity. The bill would set a target for the state to source all of its electricity from renewable energy by 2035 and calls for an economy-wide transition to renewables, including heating and transportation,…...
U.S. energy exports in 2020 are projected to surpass imports for the first time since 1953, thanks to the continued growth in petroleum and natural gas exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Agency’s Annual Energy Outlook released on Jan. 24. The trend is expected continue for the next three decades driven by large increases in the…...
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities approved rules for a community solar pilot, allowing residents to participate in a solar project that is not located on their property, according to a Jan. 17 news release. The agency said that expanding solar access is key to achieve Democratic Governor Phil Murphy’s stated goal of 100…...
Alternative compliance payments assessed under Connecticut renewable portfolio standards program fell to $2.329 million in 2016, a decline of more than half from 2014, according to a RPS compliance report issued Jan. 23 by the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority. Assessed alternative compliance payments fell down from $3.90 million in 2015 and $7.86 million in 2014…....
Vermont House lawmaker Charles Shaw, a Republican, introduced legislation on Jan. 22 that would require in-state solar facilities to sell their renewable energy credits to distribution utilities that will apply the credits toward meeting the state’s renewable energy standard, in a bid to balance the local impacts of siting solar installations. Alternatively, the facility would have…...