The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority will hold a meeting to consider updates to a statewide electric storage program established in July 2021 and later re-named the Energy Storage Solutions Program. The agency recently issued a draft decision approving updates to the program, in order to better align the program with its objectives. The program is administered by the state’s electric distribution companies – Eversource Energy and United Illuminating Company – and the Connecticut Green Bank. The incentive program is designed to help the distribution companies’ customers install energy storage for their commercial, industrial and institutional properties. READ MORE

The North Carolina Utilities Commission is due to receive reply comments on the “My Energy Bill Plus”, or MEB+, program proposed by Duke Energy Progress LLC and Duke Energy Carolinas LLC to provide an enhanced bill certainty option for residential customers. The program is designed to offer eligible residential customers the option of knowing that their monthly bill will not exceed a given amount for 12 months, allowing enrolled customers to budget their energy expenses without uncertainty that, for example, seasonal weather fluctuations may cause. Unlike Budget Billing, which is currently available to customers, MEB+ does not have a true-up, so that customers know that there would be no unexpected charges in the future, which is especially beneficial to fixed-income customers. E-2 Sub 1326

The Colorado Public Utilities Commission will hold a workshop to discuss third-party implementation of pilot programs relating to virtual power plants, natural gas demand response, and neighborhood electrification in the service areas of Public Service Company of Colorado. A workshop held in October raised a possibility that these programs and objectives could be parts of a larger whole, and that it is possible to design a request for proposals for a market platform, or enabler, which would contract with the company (buyer) and recruit service delivery aggregators and customers, or sellers, to accomplish specific programmatic objectives. The commission will examine responses to the questions and the comments offered at the initial workshop, with a focus on identifying the core objectives and timelines for the pilots, setting the main technical, cost, and time parameters for the RFPs, establishing milestones for the RFPs, and setting operational and reporting milestones for the pilots. 23M-0466EG

The California Energy Commission is due to receive comments on its draft 2023 Integrated Energy Policy Report, or IEPR, a biennial report containing an assessment of major energy trends and issues and energy policy recommendations. The focus of the draft 2023 IEPR identifies barriers and solutions to accelerate the grid connection of clean energy technologies, a new electricity and gas demand forecast with the latest demographic and economic data, and potential growth of hydrogen. The report will also include updates such as implementation of energy efficiency measures and estimation of benefits from the transition to clean transportation systems. READ MORE

The California Air Resources Board and Québec’s Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change will release the results of their 37th joint quarterly carbon auction, which offered allowances for current and future years. The current auction offered 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 vintage allowances totaling about 57.6 million, and the advance auction offered 2026 future allowances totaling about 7.6 million. The previous auction held in August sold all of the nearly 55.8 million current allowances at a price of $35.20 per allowance and 7.6 million future allowances at $34.16 per allowance. California’s cap-and trade program places an economy-wide cap on major emitting sources.