The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities will discuss NextSun Energy LLC’s request for zoning exemptions in connection with the construction of a dual-use, ground-mounted solar array and energy storage facility in the Town of Dartmouth. The company proposes to build a 2-megawatt alternating current/6.2-megawatt direct current solar array paired with a 24 megawatt-hour battery under the Solar Massachusetts Renewable Target, or SMART, a 1600-megawatt declining block incentive program. The panels would be raised to a height of 10-feet, allowing cranberry growing operations underneath, to comply with the program’s agricultural solar design guidelines. The company said the siting would require a zoning variance. 19-133

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will discuss the design of a successor to the legacy Solar Renewable Energy Certificate, or SREC, program. In December, the board approved a transition incentive to bridge the gap between the legacy and successor programs as the state phases out the SREC program pursuant to a 2018 law, which closes the program when 5.1 percent of electricity sold in the state comes from distributed solar. The incentive consists of factorized, fixed-price, 15-year Transition Renewable Energy Certificates available to projects that are in the SREC pipeline after Oct. 29, 2018, but have not yet reached commercial operation at the time the 5.1 percent milestone is reached. READ MORE

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities is scheduled to receive comments on the Tier One initiatives in connection with the department’s investigation to promote and protect consumer interest in the retail electric competitive market. The agency intends to explore the initiatives in a tiered manner, with the first tier addressing those that can be resolved in the timeliest manner. These include license application review process, marketing-related activities, automatic renewal and reporting, enrollment reports, and display of municipal aggregation products on the Energy Switch website. 19-07

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will hold a meeting to consider Xcel Energy Inc.’s proposed investments to modernize its distribution system. The proposal includes a number of investments referred to as the Advanced Grid Intelligence and Security, or AGIS, initiative, a long-term strategy to transform the electric system. The initiative seeks to address aging meter technology and changing customer demands, enhance data transparency, promote efficiency and reliability, and safely integrate more distributed resources. M-19-666

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is scheduled to receive comments on Walleye Wind LLC’s proposed 111-megawatt wind generation project in Rock County. The developer, a subsidiary of NextEra Energy Resources LLC, has requested exemption from certain application and information requirements that are specific to traditional utilities and not applicable to independent power producers such as Walleye Wind. The output of the facility will be sold to Minnesota Municipal Power Agency through a 30-year power purchase agreement. CN-20-269

The North Dakota Public Service Commission will hold a public hearing regarding a 75-mile natural gas liquids pipeline, proposed by ONEOK Bakken Pipeline LLC, to connect the northern portion of the Bakken NGL Pipeline with a processing plant in eastern Williams County. The $100 million project, with an estimated throughput of 30,000 barrels per day, is expected to reach completion in the fourth quarter of this year. The project is supported by long-term dedicated production, including a minimum volume commitment, to supply natural gas liquids to ONEOK Inc.’s Elk Creek Pipeline.