The South Carolina Public Service Commission will hold a public hearing for customers of Dominion Energy South Carolina Inc. to gather input on the proposed Solar Choice metering tariff required by the 2019 South Carolina Energy Freedom Act. The new rooftop solar rate is designed to reduce costs imposed on non-solar customers, while allowing rooftop solar customers to self-supply power without penalty, according to Dominion. Solar customers would be compensated for excess energy delivered to the grid at new time-based solar generation rates developed in accordance with commission-approved avoided costs. Currently, these customers are credited at the applicable retail electric rates. 2020-229-E

The Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission will hold a technical session to consider the Retail Energy Supply Association’s petition to direct electric distribution companies to implement a program for purchase of receivables. Under the association’s proposal, the utilities would purchase the receivables of non-regulated power producers or suppliers at a discounted rate whether or not they have collected the owed amount from customers. Since utilities bill customers for both distribution and supply, non-regulated providers do not terminate service for non-payment. As suppliers do not have the opportunity to pursue collection, the risk of non-payment may create obstacles for suppliers to enter the market, according to the association. A purchase of receivables program would enable a broader segment of customers to access retail competition and select from a wider range of energy options. READ MORE

The New York Public Service Commission will discuss staff proposals on modernizing the natural gas system planning process and moratorium management. The first proposal would require the state’s 11 local distribution companies to file integrated resource plans on a three-year cycle to supplement annual winter readiness reviews. The second one would require utilities to try to offset gas demand through energy efficiency and demand response. In light of moratoria invoked by utilities claiming supply constraints, the commission opened the gas planning docket in March 2020, noting that conventional gas planning and operational practices have not kept pace with recent developments and demands on energy systems. The commission underscored that planning must be consistent with the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, which requires the state to achieve carbon-free power by 2040. READ MORE

PJM Interconnection LLC which manages the electric grid across 13 states and the District of Columbia, will conduct its fourth workshop regarding enhancements to its capacity market. In January, the grid operator announced four workshops to gather stakeholder input, in order to determine a path forward for advancing market design improvements. PJM will provide feedback on the previous two sessions and facilitate discussion of the next steps. The second session examined ways to frame any market design changes and the principles that possible enhancements should be built upon, while the third session discussed specific market design proposals from stakeholders. The grid operator’s long-delayed capacity auction, for the 2022-2023 delivery year, is set to take place in May under market reforms directed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

The Missouri Public Service Commission will examine investor-owned natural gas utilities’ information related to the potential consequences and options to mitigate the impact of the mid-February winter storm event that resulted in rolling blackouts and natural gas price spikes. Topics of discussion include possible solutions to rules and tariff language that may obstruct financial relief for customers and utilities, impact of the extreme prices on purchased gas and cost adjustments, magnitude of the price increases, and extension of the cost recovery period. The workshop is part of the commission’s investigation into utilities’ preparedness and response to the storm. The investigation will also consider analyses performed by the regional grid operators, market monitors, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, North American Electric Reliability Corporation, and other relevant bodies. AO-2021-0264

The California Public Utilities Commission will hold a remote access workshop to receive input on proposals intended to enable customers struggling to pay their energy bills during the pandemic to become current on their bills. Unpaid residential bills across the four large investor-owned utilities exceeded $1.2 billion through the end of January 2021, according to data presented at a joint subcommittee meeting of the Low-Income Oversight Board on March 3. The commission opened a proceeding in February to address the growing energy arrearages related to the COVID-19 period. In a resolution adopted last month, the commission extended the moratorium for utility disconnections for non-payment through June 30, 2021.

The California Public Utilities Commission will hold a public meeting to discuss risk analysis results that estimate the potential fire impacts during the 2019 Public Safety Power Shutoff, or PSPS, events if utility electric lines remained energized during the events. The meeting is part of the commission’s ongoing oversight of utility PSPS events, which involves proactive de-energization of power lines during dangerous conditions that could cause wildfires from equipment failures. The commission engaged Technosylva, a company that specializes in software for wildfire protection planning, to estimate the potential damages if power lines were not de-energized and there was an ignition. Last June, the commission adopted additional PSPS guidelines to mitigate wildfire risk, ensure that utilities support customer-friendly communications before and during such events, and minimize the impact on customers.