Hawaiian Electric Companies Propose Comprehensive Energy Plans

Hawaiian Electric Companies have proposed comprehensive electric energy plans with a goal to achieve more than 65 percent renewable energy by 2030.   On August 26, 2014, the Hawaiian Electric Companies – Hawaiian Electric, Maui Electric, and Hawaii Electric Light Company – proposed electric energy plans in response to the Hawaii Public Utilities Commission’s (PUC)…...

$2.2B U.S.-Canada Transmission Project Clears DOE Review

DOE has issued its final Environmental Impact Statement for a 336-mile electric transmission system between the United States and Canada, clearing the way for final Presidential Permit issuance. On August 11, 2014, Transmission Developers Inc. announced that the Department of Energy (DOE) has issued the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for its proposed Champlain Hudson Power…...

[Report] Lease Sales and Loan Guarantees Increase Potential for Offshore Wind Energy

The United States is set to begin construction this year on its first offshore wind farm – the Cape Wind Project, led by Cape Wind Associates, LLC – located off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.   The 130-turbine, 468 MW Cape Wind Project would more than quadruple Massachusetts’ current wind power capacity (Figure 1),…...

IRS Clarifies Eligibility Criteria for Renewable Energy Tax Credits

IRS Notice 2014-46 provides additional eligibility clarification for renewable energy tax credits and lowers the Safe Harbor requirement from 5 percent to 3 percent. On August 8, 2014, the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) released guidance (Notice 2014-26) providing additional clarification regarding eligibility requirements for the renewable electricity production tax credit (PTC)…...