The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority is due to receive proposals for projects under a $30 million initiative to address the technical challenges of integrating renewable resources into the electric grid. The funding is available in the third round of the Future Grid Challenge, a part of the Smart Grid Program included in New York’s Clean Energy Fund Grid Modernization Program, which provides $110 million through 2026 to support innovative solutions to modernize the electric grid. The initiative will offer up to $3 million per project for single or team providers, which propose to study, develop, or demonstrate innovative technologies that support modern transmission and distribution. The move supports New York’s ambitious goal of achieving 70 percent renewable electricity by 2030.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority will hold a webinar to discuss an $18.1 million program to develop innovative nature-based solutions to lower emissions by sequestering carbon. The funding, available through the Natural Carbon Solutions Challenge, will enable the scaling of sustainable solutions by helping build capacity, inform policy, support innovation, and refine best practices. The authority is seeking proposals from private firms, research institutions, and other organizations for novel solutions to develop low-emissions products or sequester carbon in durable materials. Areas of interest include reduction of waste methane emissions and supporting the needs of the state’s building stock. The move supports the state’s goals of achieving 85 percent emissions reductions by 2050.

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 multi-year rate plan with a net increase of $396 million for 2022, $150.2 million for 2023, and $131.2 million for 2024, with a return on equity of 10.2 percent. The proposed plan is expected to increase the bill of an average residential electric customer by $18.56 on a monthly basis. GR-21-630

The California Energy Commission will hold a workshop to discuss a plan to improve waterfront facilities that can support a range of floating offshore wind activities to accommodate the state’s offshore wind planning goals for 2030 and 2045. The workshop will include a discussion on construction and staging of foundations, manufacturing of components, final assembly, and long-term operations, and maintenance facilities. The commission recently held a workshop to identify a suitable sea space, taking into account existing data and information on offshore wind resource potential and commercial viability, and existing and necessary transmission and port infrastructure.

The Michigan Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on the appropriate metrics for distributed energy resources and their integration into future distribution plans. The move follows a recent order aimed at improving reliability in the electric distribution system. Among other considerations, the commission adopted recommendations for utilities to file forecasted metrics in future distribution plans and to map planned system investments against these metrics to better understand the anticipated improvements in customer reliability. The order is part of the MI Power Grid initiative, a multi-year stakeholder initiative launched in 2019 to maximize the transition to clean and distributed energy sources for residents and businesses. READ MORE

The North Dakota Public Service Commission will hold public hearing to gather input regarding transportation electrification pursuant to the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The law directed each state to consider measures to promote greater electrification of the transportation sector, including the establishment of rates. In establishing rates, the commission is required to take into account several factors including the ability to promote affordable and equitable electric vehicle charging options and improve customer experience associated with charging. The commission seeks comments on several questions including permitting utility ownership of EV charging stations, whether special tariffs are needed for residential charging, and whether pilot programs should be considered in anticipation of electrification. The agency is also seeking input on the anticipated distribution system impact from residential and fleet charging.

The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission will hold a meeting to debrief with regulated electric utilities regarding the 2022 wildfire season. Utilities will discuss the effectiveness of their fire mitigation and communication plans, lessons learned, and any planned changes. Last November, the commission asked Avista, Puget Sound Energy, and PacifiCorp to report on their plans for the ensuing wildfire season and again in April, asked utilities to present updated plans. Now the commission is asking for a debrief as the season ends.