Generation: Page 2

Deep Dive

Road to 100: How the shale boom broke Georgetown, Texas' renewables spell

In 2017, the city of about 50,000 became the largest in the U.S. able to claim it ran on 100% renewable energy. But after customer bills spiked last year, its utility department is facing an overhaul.

By Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 25, 2019

PJM, NYISO and ISO-NE pay $1.4B annually for excess capacity: Report

Resource adequacy in the Northeast region is determined by grid operators, not states, and it's leading to higher reserve margins, according to Grid Strategies.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 22, 2019

EPA estimates proposal to relax power plant wastewater standards will save utilities $312M a year

Groups like Earthjustice fear the agency's proposed standards will put at risk hundreds of millions of dollars in annual public health benefits stemming from a 2015 update to the limits that never went into effect.

By Larry Pearl • Nov. 22, 2019

New York's last coal plant expected online through winter, says NYISO, despite shutdown plans

The last coal plant in New York has filed paperwork to shut down in early 2020, but the state's grid operator must still determine whether the 685 MW Somerset facility is needed. 

By Robert Walton • Nov. 22, 2019

Can carbon capture save the San Juan coal plant?

A proceeding before New Mexico regulators begs the question of when and how the 940 MW plant will retire, and the decision may leave mandates under the state's landmark clean energy law behind.

By Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 21, 2019

Deep Dive

Road to 100: How one man's mission to power his hometown by wind created a Northwest Missouri boon

The town of 1,200 was the first in the country to be able to power all of its electricity from wind resources. Now, the county is booming in wind production.

By Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 21, 2019

Sanders, Warren join fellow senators in urging New England to speed clean energy transition

Lawmakers from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Vermont want to see the New England grid operator incorporate market reforms that will accelerate the region's transition away from fossil fuels.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 20, 2019

House clean energy tax bill sees broad industry support, but Senate path uncertain

The draft legislative package, introduced Nov. 19, adds energy storage and offshore wind, while extending solar and electric vehicle tax credits.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 20, 2019

Deep Dive

New money: Green banks and green bonds are bringing billions to utilities for the energy transition

The financial mechanisms are bringing investors to renewables and distributed energy as utilities, co-ops and munis move away from uneconomic legacy assets.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 19, 2019

100+ hydro plants have greater warming impacts than fossil fuels: EDF study

Hydropower supporters countered the report, saying the facilities in question are not a major source of emissions and the "real story" is the industry’s role in decarbonizing the electric system to meet clean energy targets.

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 19, 2019

Generators call on PJM to expedite delayed capacity auction, once new rules are set

FERC still needs to approve capacity market reforms, leaving the grid operator in limbo with regard to its annual auction.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 18, 2019

Senate approves energy secretary nominee who pledged support for baseload power

Dan Brouillette, former deputy secretary of energy, told senators he had no involvement with the Ukraine scandal that led to former Sec. Rick Perry's resignation.

By Kavya Balaraman • UPDATED: Dec. 3, 2019 at 9:10 a.m.

NRC explores streamlined environmental reviews to accelerate advanced reactor approvals

Several Republican senators have called upon the NRC to develop the expedited process, saying it would deliver on changes to nuclear regulation recently approved by Congress and signed by President Trump.

By Matthew Bandyk • Nov. 15, 2019

Opinion

To get to net zero, cities need to think wider than buildings

Solutions to climate change may lie in some old-fashioned values, like building strong communities, relying on neighbors and believing that design matters. 

By Tom Sieniewicz • Nov. 15, 2019

Judge OKs $8.6M Vistra coal plant closure settlement seen by NGOs as model for helping impacted communities

The agreement to close the E.D. Edwards plant in Illinois calls for a community-led process to transition the surrounding areas rather than the abrupt closure that many coal plants are going through, one NGO noted.

By Larry Pearl • Nov. 14, 2019

Last GW of 2.25 GW coal-fired Navajo Generating Station expected to shut down any day now

After two years of searching for a new power purchaser, the mammoth plant will close this week, its majority utility owner confirmed.

By Catherine Morehouse • UPDATED: Nov. 19, 2019 at 10:33 a.m.

Deep Dive

How does AI improve grid performance? No one fully understands and that's limiting its use

Machine learning's greatest impact will be helping algorithms understand "how the voltage here affects the voltage there," which will enable "optimizing grid operations like dispatching battery storage," one industry executive said.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 14, 2019

What will your city's climate feel like in 2080?

At current emissions rates, New York summers are projected to feel nearly 10 degrees warmer. Learn how 10 city climates are projected to feel in 60 years.

By Cailin Crowe • Nov. 13, 2019

California proposes extending 4.8 GW gas capacity as bridge to 3.3 GW of new clean energy by 2023

The state's newly authorized procurement aims to have renewables-plus-storage and standalone storage compete well against other resources, along with energy efficiency and demand response resources.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 11, 2019

Opinion

The last gasp of natural gas

Policymakers, regulators and investors would be wise to see the writing on the wall: The gas bubble is about to burst, and they won’t want to be caught with billions of dollars in sunk infrastructure costs when it does, the authors write.

By Bruce Nilles and Mark Dyson • Nov. 08, 2019

Renewables growth, market changes tanked Invenergy's Rhode Island gas plant, regulators say

The Rhode Island Energy Facility Siting Board denied an 850-1,000 MW new gas plant over the summer, but a formal order released Tuesday gives detailed insight into the reasoning.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 07, 2019

Dominion Virginia plan for 1.5 GW new peaking capacity will lead to more gas plants, NGOs fear

The utility released a request for proposals yesterday, saying it needs the new capacity beginning in 2022 to replace generation retirements and provide system balancing needs for its growing renewables fleet.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 07, 2019

Congressional Policy Tracker: Everything you need to know from carbon capture to wind energy

Renewable energy developers are lobbying for tax credit extensions while Republican leaders seek bipartisan research-focused solutions to support advanced nuclear, carbon capture and energy storage.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • UPDATED: Dec. 2, 2019 at 8:30 a.m.

Sen. Manchin 'fighting' for White House nomination of Democratic FERC candidate

The independent energy regulatory agency has two vacancies but President Donald Trump only nominated FERC general counsel James Danly for the open Republican seat.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 06, 2019

Trump administration continues efforts to ease utility regulatory burdens with dual coal ash proposals

Environmental advocates say the new rules would allow coal-fired power plants to continue polluting and coal ash waste to remain in place longer.

By Robert Walton • Nov. 05, 2019