The Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection is scheduled to receive comments on a draft plan released last month identifying policies, programs, and strategies that the state should implement to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and expand charging infrastructure. The roadmap, which aims to develop a self-sustaining EV market, builds on the state’s prior work with vehicle rebates and charging station grants. READ MORE

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will discuss how the state should plan its transmission system to accommodate a growing share of offshore wind in its electricity mix. The state currently has a goal of 3.5-gigawatt of offshore wind generation by 2030, which is estimated to generate $1.17 billion in economic benefits. In June, the state approved a project under the largest single-state solicitation for offshore wind, less than a year since Democratic Governor Phil Murphy signed an executive order intended to jump-start the stalled industry.

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority will discuss solutions to boost the adoption of electric storage in the state. The regulator wants to explore programs and rate designs that provide multiple benefits to the grid, including resilience, support for distributed energy resources, ancillary services and peak shaving. PURA will also determine the appropriate cost ­benefit methodology to calculate net benefits to ratepayers. 17-12-03RE03

The New York Public Service Commission is scheduled to receive reply comments on a proposal by the American Wind Energy Association and the Alliance for Clean Energy to implement an Indexed Renewable Energy Credit, a composite index based on the grid operator’s prices. According to the petitioners, it would serve as a hedge against market volatility, lower the financing costs for renewable generators and thereby lead to lower procurement costs, while also providing lower cost and less volatile prices for ratepayers. 15-E-0302

The Michigan Public Service Commission will gather public input on a proposal to amend rules governing the technical standards for utility gas service under the commission’s jurisdiction, including cybersecurity measures. The proposed rules reflect new technologies in the area of metering, equipment inspections and tests, as well as removing references to obsolete equipment. The regulator also proposes to add a rule addressing cybersecurity and uniform reporting practices for utilities, one of the major recommendations made in the regulator’s own Statewide Energy Assessment released in September. READ MORE

The Kentucky Public Service Commission will discuss the implementation of a bill enacted in March 2019 that redefined net metering. The legislation directed state regulators to set the compensation rate for solar customers through a ratemaking process. The law allows retail electric suppliers to implement rates to recover the costs incurred to serve customer-generators, including fixed and demand-based charges. 2019-00256

The Hawaii Public Utilities Commission will discuss the progress made by the working groups in drafting tariff language for microgrid services and rules regarding interconnection and islanding or reconnection of the systems. The two working groups – Market Facilitation and Interconnection Standards – are scheduled to file reports summarizing their efforts and recommendations by Feb. 14, 2020, including identified areas of consensus and disagreements of parties involved. The commission will conduct a technical conference on Feb. 27, 2020 to discuss the reports. The HECO Companies’ draft microgrid services tariff is due by March 30, 2020. 2018-0163

The International Energy Agency will release its closely watched report on U.S. and foreign oil markets, covering supply, demand and prices. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently proposed to reverse regulations put into place in 2016 to limit the emissions of methane, a potent global warming pollutant, during oil and natural gas drilling operations. The move follows a sweeping executive order that President Trump issued in 2017 to undo the prior administration’s climate regulations.