The New Mexico state legislature approved a bill on Feb. 14 that would restore income tax credits to cover the costs of installing solar panels for homeowners, businesses, and farmers. The credit would decline gradually from 10 percent for systems installed before 2021 to 6 percent through 2032. The previous tax credit program ended in 2016. The legislation awaits approval from Republican Governor Susana Martinez. (SB 79)

The Michigan Public Service Commission is reopening a proceeding to clarify the rates that Consumers Energy Co., a subsidiary of CMS Energy Corp., should pay eligible small generators under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, according to the commission’s Feb. 22 press release. The commission suspended implementation of the so-called avoided cost terms set late last year after the utility sought to freeze its purchase obligations because it doesn’t project a shortfall of supplies for the next decade.

Idaho Power Company, a subsidiary of IDACORP Inc., asked a U.S. appeals court to review its request to put in place a federal plan for protecting fish needed to relicense the Hells Canyon Dam in lieu of state plans, which the utility said are uncertain and conflicting. FERC found the request for federal preemption was premature because state and federal actions remain pending. The Hells Canyon Project, a 1,167-megawatt hydropower project located in Idaho and Oregon on the Snake River, has been operating under annual licenses since 2005.

The New York Public Service Commission will accept renewable projects with up to five megawatts of generating capacity in its Value of Distributed Energy Resources compensation program, up from the previous limit of two megawatts, according to the agency’s Feb. 22 order. The move reflects what the agency says are the benefits of harnessing the economies of scale of larger projects to stimulate new developments while also lowering costs to consumers. The Value of Distributed Energy Resources compensation method was created to transition beyond net metering to value customer-sited generation in a more granular manner. New York’s Clean Energy Standard will require 50 percent of the state’s electricity to come from renewable energy sources like wind and solar by 2030.

The Ohio Power Siting Board on Feb. 15 approved a 125-megawatt solar farm proposed by Blue Planet Renewable Energy LLC, and a 150-megawatt facility proposed by Hardin Solar Energy LLC, a subsidiary of Invenergy Solar Development North America LLC. The projects would be the largest solar power generators in the state.

The Iowa Utilities Board is investigating a protest by HZ Iowa LLC in December that Interstate Power and Light Company, a subsidiary of Alliant Energy Corporation, violated federal rules by failing to purchase power from its wind farm at the so-called avoided cost rate agreed to in a power purchase agreement. The utility argued it was no longer subject to those rates after HZ failed to produce energy by the commercial operation date. Utilities have taken issue with the avoided cost that must be paid to small independent power producers considering the significant decline in renewable energy costs in recent years.

The New York Public Service Commission announced Feb. 22 that it approved a plan to “significantly increase” the ability of energy storage systems to export power to Consolidated Edison Inc.’s distribution network. The plan is part of an effort to more effectively harness and use renewable energy. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently launched an initiative to deploy 1,500 megawatts of energy storage by 2025.

The California Public Utilities Commission is proposing multiple programs to spur the installation of renewables on low income houses, including up-front financial incentives towards the installation of solar panels and a “green tariff,” which provides a 20 percent rate discount on current tariffs to provide clean energy options without the need for ownership of the residence. The programs are part of 2013 legislation that requires incentives for renewable adoption among residential customers in low income communities.

The Connecticut Public Utility Regulatory Agency should establish rules to prevent manipulative gas pipeline scheduling, which creates a “false appearance of scarcity” and drives up fuel and electricity prices, according to a Feb. 20 filing by the Sierra Club. The natural gas pipeline operations of Eversource Energy and United Illuminating Company are under review amid allegations that distribution companies may have gamed the gas markets to inflate prices. United Illuminating is a subsidiary of Avangrid Inc., which is owned by Iberdrola SA.

Public Citizen Inc. asked the California Independent System Operator Corp. to investigate a flaw in market rules that allow a power producer to unfairly lower the penalties owed for failing to meet performance requirements under the grid’s resource adequacy program. The Washington D.C.-based consumer advocacy group is seeking a hearing to determine whether ratepayers were overcharged and are entitled to refunds, according to the group’s Feb. 20 filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. The grid operator has proposed to amend the method for calculating charges called “non-availability charges” and payments called “incentive payments” to power plants providing generating capacity.

The Montana Public Service Commission is reviewing the impacts to Avista Corporation’s in-state generating plants that may arise from its transfer to Hydro One Limited, a Canadian transmission and distribution service provider. Avista has a share in a coal-fired plant and holds the license to hydroelectric generating assets based in Montana. The commission set a March 7 deadline for testimony on additional issues.

The South Kentucky Rural Electric Cooperative Corp. submitted an application with the Public Service Commission of Kentucky seeking approval to purchase about 60 megawatts of supplies from Morgan Stanley Capital Group Inc. for 20 years beginning June 2019. The cooperative also seeks to become a member of PJM Interconnection LLC, which it says is needed in order to take delivery of the power, according to a Feb. 19 order.

Idaho Power Company, a subsidiary of IDACORP Inc., will lean on energy efficiency and supplies of low-cost power accessible through its linkage in the spring with the western Energy Imbalance Market to make up for capacity lost with the retirement of coal plants, according to a press release from the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. The utility projects demand to grow by 0.9 percent annually over the 20-year planning period and the addition of over 200,000 customers through 2036. The utility will also explore options for solar power and storage. Utilities are required to file a resource plan with the Idaho Public Utilities Commission every two years.

Florida Power & Light Company, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Inc., requests approval from the Florida Public Service Commission to collect funds to repair damage to the grid caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Last March the commission approved an interim charge that applied to customer bills for a twelve-month period concluding on Feb. 28.

Illinois state Senator James Clayborne, a Democrat, introduced legislation on Feb. 16 that would authorize the Illinois Power Agency to run a competitive process to procure generating capacity to ensure reliability in the southern portion of the state served by Midcontinent Independent System Operator Inc. called Zone 4. The bill aims to address swings in prices, which have fluctuated from $150 per megawatt-day in 2015 to $1.50 per megawatt-day in 2017. (SB 3292)

The Maine Public Utilities Commission will hold a conference March 1 to consider permitting for Avangrid Networks Inc.’s 1,200-megawatt New England Clean Energy Connect transmission line, a project designed to import supplies of Canadian hydro power into the Northeast grid. Massachusetts regulators signaled that New England Clean Energy Connect is next in line for winning a state energy contract to supply renewable energy after New Hampshire regulators denied a permit for the leading contender, the Northern Pass power line. Massachusetts set a March 27 deadline for Northern Pass to obtain regulatory approvals. Avangrid is owned by Iberdrola SA.

A 40-member coalition of industry and environmental groups petitioned the New York Public Service Commission to set an April 1 deadline for state utilities to submit projects, programs, and investment plans to accelerate the deployment of charging stations and support electric vehicles. Governor Andrew Cuomo recently expanded the state’s Charge NY goal to deploy 10,000 charging stations by 2021 from the previous goal of 3,000 stations by 2018. The state is part of a 2013 multi-state action plan that committed to a collective goal of 3.3 million zero-emission vehicles by 2025.

Public Citizen Inc., a Washington DC-based consumer advocate, filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission alleging that PJM Interconnection LLC, the nation’s largest grid operator, failed to disclose millions of dollars spent on electoral campaigns and lobbying expenditures, according to the group’s Feb. 20 filing with the commission. The group identified at least $456,500 in undisclosed funding from 2007 to 2017 for electoral politics, and asks that the commission require PJM to itemize and disclose such spending and document expenses funded through filed rates.

U.S. House and Senate Democrats asked the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission for a special briefing of Energy Transfer Partners LP’s Rover natural gas line, a project that has drawn heightened scrutiny from regulators and has had construction suspended after incurring over a dozen environmental violations. The 713-mile, $4.2 billion link is designed to ship 3.25 billion cubic feet per day of natural gas from the Marcellus and Utica Shale reserves to markets in the Midwest, Northeast, East Coast, Great Lakes and Gulf Coast. Rover is expected to be in full service by the end of the first quarter of 2018, according to a project website.

The U.S. Energy Department announced the selection of seven projects to receive $44 million to advance next-generation carbon capture technology, including solvent- or membrane-based technology as well as post-combustion capture technology used for existing coal-fired generators. The department also announced the selection of nine projects to receive $6.5 million to develop transformational coal technologies. The projects support the Trump administration’s efforts to revive the ailing coal industry.

The nation’s production of coal last year advanced 5.8 percent to 773 million short tons, posting the largest increase since 2001, according to a Feb. 16 report from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This came as exports of the fuel gained by about 60 percent on the back of higher global demand, particularly from markets in Asia and Europe. Meanwhile, consumption of the fuel in the U.S. for power generation, where 90 percent of coal is used, is on a downward spiral and is projected to slip to a record low of 30 percent last year.

The West Virginia Public Service Commission issued an order on Feb. 20 granting Energy Solutions Consortium’s subsidiary, ESC Brooke County Power LLC, a siting certificate for the construction and operation of an 830-megawatt natural gas-fired generating facility. Construction is expected to be complete in late 2020, with the plant in service by Jan. 2021. West Virginia, which relies on coal plants for 85 percent of its generation, has no new combined-cycle gas-fired units financed or in construction, according to the agency.