The Ohio Public Utilities Commission will hold a hearing to discuss Pleasant Prairie Solar Energy LLC’s application to build an up to 250-megawatt solar project. The Invenergy LLC subsidiary proposes to install large arrays of photovoltaic modules spanning an area of about 2,400 acres in Franklin County with a direct connection to the American Electric Power substation. The facility is expected to begin operating in the fourth quarter of 2023. 20-1679-EL-BGN

The Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority will hold a workshop to inform electric distribution companies on electric vehicle supply equipment procurement processes and standards. In July, the agency established a nine-year incentive program that provides a combination of incentives for charging infrastructure and accompanying rate design offerings to develop a sustainable, zero-emission vehicle market.The agency opened the investigation in October 2019 to enable Connecticut’s commitment to a 2013 multi-state memorandum of understanding, which established a collective goal of deploying 3.3 million ZEVs among participating states by 2025. The proceeding is part of a series of reopened proceedings to investigate topics considered integral for the agency’s framework for an Equitable Modern Grid. The framework seeks to foster solutions that address the challenges and opportunities facing the electric sector. READ MORE

The New York Public Service Commission is due to receive comments on a proposal by the state’s investor-owned electric utilities related to “Allocated Cost of Service” methods proposed in a whitepaper regarding the development of standby and buyback service rates. The whitepaper, issued in November 2020, identifies a proposed method for the utilities to apply in developing these rates, and recommends that standalone energy storage systems be exempted from contract demand charges for injections under the buyback service. At a July 22 technical conference, utilities presented their alternate proposal to the standby rate methodology advanced in the whitepaper. The commission extended the comment period by two weeks from the original Aug. 6 deadline in light of the complexity of the alternative proposal. 15-E-0751, 15-02703

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission is due to receive comments on Minnesota’s Power’s eight multi-year agreements with industrial customers that would provide 100 to 200 megawatts of demand response each year from 2022 to 2028. The company proposes to use revenues from three capacity sales to other utilities to finance the reduced rates in those agreements, in an effort to provide large industrial customers with this opportunity without increasing costs for non-participating customers. Demand response programs allow consumers to play a role in the operation of the electric grid by reducing or shifting their electricity usage during peak periods in response to time-based rates or other forms of financial incentives. READ MORE

The Arizona Corporation Commission will hold a comment session to receive public input on its amended energy rules, which would require regulated utilities to achieve 100 percent carbon-free energy by 2070. In May, the commission voted 3-2 on the rules package, marking the culmination of a three-year effort including workshops, input from regulated utilities, clean energy advocates, ratepayers, and other stakeholders. The amended energy rules will be subject to a formal rulemaking process, allowing additional opportunities for comment before the commission considers it for a final vote. Among the key changes, the amended rule would extend the deadline for carbon-free emissions from 2050 to 2070. Another comment session will be held on Aug. 19.

The California Air Resources Board and Québec’s Ministry of the Environment and the Fight against Climate Change will hold their joint quarterly carbon auction, which will offer allowances for current and future years. The current auction will offer years 2020 and 2021 vintage allowances totaling at 71,261,536, and the advance auction will offer year 2024 future vintage allowances totaling 8,306,250. The previous quarterly auction held in May sold all of the nearly 71.7 million current allowances at a price of $18.80 per allowance and over 8.3 million future allowances at $19.04 each. California’s program, which places an economy-wide cap on major emitting sources, is a central part of the state’s plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030.