The Maryland Public Service Commission will hold a hearing regarding Waypost Solar Project LLC’s application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to build an approximately 92-megawatt solar project in Caroline County. The project, proposed by Enel Green Power, is to begin commercial operations in November 2023. The project covers a total area of more than 1,300 acres and is expected to contribute to the state’s goal of sourcing 50 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2030. 9675

The New York Public Service Commission will hold a hearing to receive public comments regarding the proposed changes in the electric and gas delivery rates and practices of New York State Electric & Gas Corporation (NYSEG) and Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RG&E), subsidiaries of Avangrid Inc. Earlier in May 2022, both companies filed changes to their electric and gas tariff schedules, proposing to increase their annual electric and gas delivery revenues effective May 1, 2023. NYSEG proposes to increase its electric and natural gas delivery revenues by approximately $274 million and $43.4 million, respectively. Meanwhile, RG&E seeks revenue increases of about $93.8 million for electric delivery and $37.7 million for natural gas. 22-E-0317

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities will hold a virtual stakeholder meeting to discuss a proposal for an energy storage incentive program. The board staff proposes to create two programs for front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter incentives patterned after a solar-plus-storage incentive proposed as part of its Competitive Solar Incentive, or CSI, program. However, the proposal is focused on stand-alone storage devices physically connected to an electric utility unlike CSI, which incentivizes battery systems paired with solar. The meeting will discuss the state of energy storage in New Jersey, how other states are handling energy storage in their programs, and the potential of energy storage as an enabler of grid modernization. New Jersey has a statutory mandate to achieve 2 gigawatts of installed energy storage by 2030.

The California Air Resources Board and Québec’s Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change are due to receive applications for their 33rd joint quarterly carbon auction, to be held on Nov. 16. The current auction will offer 2021 and 2022 vintage allowances totaling about 58.02 million, and the advance auction will offer 2025 future allowances totaling about 7.94 million. The previous auction held in August sold all of the nearly 57 million carbon permits offered for current emissions at a price of $27 per allowance. The advance auction sold more than 7.9 million allowances offered for $30 each. California’s cap-and trade program places an economy-wide cap on major emitting sources.

The California Energy Commission will host a design workshop with the Clean Transportation Program Advisory Committee to discuss the first project under the 2022-2023 Investment Plan for the program. The commission has an annual budget of approximately $100 million for the program and provides financial and technical support for a number of projects. These include projects that reduce transportation sector emissions, support the deployment of electric vehicle charging and hydrogen refueling infrastructure, and address clean air, employment, and mobility needs of low-income or disadvantaged communities. 22-ALT-01

The Utah Public Service Commission will hold a hearing on Phase I of Dominion Energy Inc.’s application requesting an increase in distribution rates. Phase I will address all issues necessary to determine Dominion’s cost of capital and revenue requirement. Earlier in the year, the company applied for an order authorizing a total revenue obligation of $503.9 million with a rate-effective date of Jan. 1, 2023, and a revenue deficiency of $70.5 million to be collected through the proposed rate changes.

The California Public Utilities Commission is expected to discuss a new rulemaking to consider a procedural framework for pursuing the vision and carrying out the actions articulated in the customer programs track of its DER Action Plan. This track focuses on improving coordination, planning and developing consistent metrics across DER proceedings related to customer programs to maximize their contributions to greenhouse gas reductions and other state energy goals. The proceeding would be a successor to a rulemaking initiated in 2014 to provide a consistent policy direction for the planning and evaluation of integrated distributed energy resources.

The California Energy Commission will hold a meeting of the Disadvantaged Communities Advisory Group. Established under the 2015 Clean Energy and Pollution Reduction Act, the group reviews clean energy programs and policies to ensure that they benefit disadvantaged communities, including tribal and rural communities. Commission staff will provide an update on the Clean Transportation Program Investment Plan and implementation of SB 100, enacted in 2018, setting a 2045 goal to obtain all retail electricity from zero-carbon sources. The meeting is expected to include a discussion on the group’s 2022 priority areas including transportation electrification, building decarbonization, gas transition, and distributed energy resources. 16-OIR-06

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will consider Northern States Power Company’s application for adjustments of retail rates and charges applicable to electric services. The Xcel Energy subsidiary is proposing a rate plan with a net increase of $122.1 million, or 4.01 percent, for 2023 with a return on equity of 10.2 percent. The request would result in an increase of $4.65 for residential customers consuming an average 514 kilowatt-hour on a monthly basis.