The North Carolina Utilities Commission will gather input on discrete energy-storage related topics. The agency opened a docket last September, following 2017 legislation to examine how battery technologies can provide value to consumers and the feasibility of storage deployment. The proceeding will examine the ability of energy storage to serve multiple applications that are currently not provided, the economic potential or impact, and existing policies and recommended changes for a coordinated policy. E-100 Sub 164

The New York Public Service Commission will discuss questions regarding compliance with the agency’s order adopting changes to the retail energy market to strengthen customer protections and enhance price and operational transparency. The reforms, announced last month, enhance the eligibility criteria of energy service companies, or ESCOs, and impose limitations on the types and prices of products offered to customers. The changes are intended to empower customers by improving transparency of product and pricing information through on-bill comparison of ESCO-to-utility commodity price comparison and itemization of ESCO charges. 15-M-0127

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities will discuss the implementation of IEEE 1547 standards for the interconnection and interoperability between utility power systems and distributed energy resources. The agency is reviewing its current interconnection standards and procedures, including grid connection of battery storage systems and methods to manage high volume queues for interconnection, in an effort to support continued growth of the distributed generation marketplace. 19-55

The Oregon Public Utilities Commission will begin accepting program applications from community solar project managers for pre-certification by the agency, in order to enroll customers and begin project development. Earlier this month, the agency approved guidelines to implement the initiative, following 2016 legislation, which directed the establishment of a community solar program for customers of Idaho Power, Pacific Power, and Portland General Electric, the three electric utilities regulated by the commission. Customers may lease or buy a part of a project and receive a credit on their monthly utility bill for the electricity generated from their portion. The program includes a 10 percent capacity carve-out dedicated to low income customers. READ MORE

The New Mexico Public Regulation Commission will receive testimony on a rate hike requested by Southwestern Public Service Company, a subsidiary of Xcel Energy Inc. Last July, the company filed an application seeking a rate increase of about $51 million, or 18.7 percent, as well as approval to close its 1-gigawatt Tolk coal-fired generating station by 2032. The company recently reached an agreement with environmental advocates and the utility division staff to adjust its revenue hike to $31 million and conduct a study evaluating an earlier retirement scenario considering the plant’s dependence on a depleting source of groundwater. 19-00170-UT

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission will conduct a workshop to discuss proposals for the second phase of its performance-based regulation or PBR. The first phase identified goals and outcomes to guide PBR development, as well as regulatory changes and measures to attain them. The second phase is focused on the design and implementation of updated regulatory mechanisms to achieve the priority outcomes. Hawaii is mandated by legislation passed in 2018 to implement PBR by 2020, establishing a financial link between utility revenues and performance in achieving customer-focused performance metrics. 2018-0088