Oregon Regulator to Revise Implementation of Federal Power Purchase Law

Oregon Regulator to Revise Implementation of Federal Power Purchase Law

The Oregon Public Utilities Commission on Feb. 19 opened a proceeding to examine the implementation of the federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA, which requires utilities to purchase power from small independent electricity generators at the “avoided cost” or the cost the utility would spend to procure the electricity itself. The move stems…...

Midwest Grid Operator Delivered Up To $3.9 Billion in Benefits in 2018: MISO Report

Midwest Grid Operator Delivered Up To $3.9 Billion in Benefits in 2018: MISO Report

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. estimates that benefits in the range of $3.2 billion to $3.9 billion were realized in its region last year, according to the results of its annual value proposition study released on Feb. 19. The study, which identifies several factors that drive positive value, found that footprint diversity, wind integration,…...

U.S. Court Upholds New England Capacity Market Exemptions For State-Sponsored Renewables

Alliant Energy Proposes Voluntary Renewable Power Programs for Wisconsin Customers

Wisconsin Power and Light Company is seeking approval of three new tariff options to expand its voluntary renewable energy options for customers, according to its Feb. 18 application filed with the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. The proposal includes a subscription-based community solar program, renewable energy contracts targeted at large commercial and industrial customers, and a…...

Maine Governor Lifts Ban on New Wind Power Permits

Maine Governor Lifts Ban on New Wind Power Permits

Democratic Governor Janet Mills signed an executive order on Feb. 14 ending a moratorium on wind turbine permits, authorizing state agencies to resume determining whether proposed projects qualify for approval. The move comes at a time when Northeastern states are planning large amounts of wind power to meet clean energy goals. Maine has a target…...

Consumers Energy Asks Michigan Regulator to Set New Avoided Costs Consistent With Long-Term Resource Plan

Consumers Energy Asks Michigan Regulator to Set New Avoided Costs Consistent With Long-Term Resource Plan

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…...

Ohio’s Renewable Energy Compliance Requirements

Competitive Suppliers Accounted for 77 Percent of Ohio’s Renewable Energy Compliance Requirements in 2017: Report

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…...

New Jersey’s Offshore Wind Funding Rules

New Jersey’s Offshore Wind Funding Rules Paved Way for 1.1-Gigawatt Solicitation, Long-Term Investment: Annual Report

Adoption of rules establishing a funding structure for offshore wind renewable energy credits set the stage for New Jersey’s first offshore wind solicitation and established the market certainty needed for long-term investment in the industry, according to a Feb. 8 report by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, detailing the progress made towards the state’s…...

New York's 'Green New Deal' Aims to Quadruple Offshore Wind, Double Solar in Bid for Carbon Neutrality

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – New York’s ‘Green New Deal’ Aims to Quadruple Offshore Wind, Double Solar in Bid for Carbon Neutrality

New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo on Jan. 17 unveiled the most aggressive plan of any state to eliminate global warming emissions and achieve 100 percent carbon-free power in just a couple of decades. Cuomo's legislative package, dubbed the "Green New Deal," is designed to put the state on a path to wipe out its carbon footprint by 2040 by slashing the heat-trapping emissions not just in the power fleet, but across the entire economy including the transportation and agriculture sectors and through building efficiency.

Massachusetts Bill Would Set Goal for 100 Percent Renewables by 2045

Massachusetts Bill Would Set Goal for 100 Percent Renewables by 2045

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. to Become Net Energy Exporter for First Time in Seven Decades

U.S. to Become Net Energy Exporter for First Time in Seven Decades: EIA

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…...

Wind Sparks Race for Leadership Among Eastern U.S. States

EnerKnol’s Visual Primer – Promise of Offshore Wind Sparks Race for Leadership Among Eastern U.S. States

Eastern U.S. states are jockeying to claim the mantle of leadership of the nation's still-budding offshore wind industry, eyeing major infrastructure upgrades and workforce training to meet procurement targets and capture the billions-of-dollars in investments promised by the clean, abundant and largely untapped coastal wind resources.

Quinbrook Begins Construction of 300-Megawatt Wind Facility in Texas

Quinbrook Begins Construction of 300-Megawatt Wind Facility in Texas

Scout Clean Energy LLC, a Colorado-based renewable energy developer, announced the closing of financing and the launch of construction of its 300-megawatt Ranchero wind park in Texas, according to a Jan. 17 press release. The project has a 10-year proxy revenue swap, or PRS, with Allianz Global & Specialty Inc.’s Alternative Risk Transfer unit, in…...