Regulation & Policy: Page 17
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Consumer advocates ask FERC to halt PJM energy efficiency ‘addback’ in capacity market
The ratepayer advocates and four U.S. senators urged FERC to hold a technical conference on how best to ensure the participation of energy efficiency resources in wholesale markets.
By Ethan Howland • June 25, 2024 -
NYSERDA opens latest solicitation for large-scale, land-based renewable energy
The solicitation is open to wind and solar, but also emerging renewable energy resources such as geothermal and hydrogen — so long as the projects can be online before December 2026.
By Emma Penrod • June 24, 2024 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Kevork Djansezian via Getty ImagesTrendlineSustainability
Companies are pursuing increasingly ambitous sustainability goals around clean energy, but integrating rising amounts of renewables, minimizing environmental impacts, and achieving carbon reduction targets can be challenging.
By Utility Dive staff -
Clean energy, environmental groups urge FERC to reject PJM grid interconnection plan
PJM’s proposal to largely retain its existing interconnection process without changes fails to meet key requirements of FERC Order 2023, according to trade groups and others.
By Ethan Howland • June 24, 2024 -
NV Energy seeks new tariff to supply Google with 24/7 power from Fervo geothermal plant
The “Clean Transition Tariff” is intended to spur the deployment of more dispatchable clean energy resources, Google leaders say.
By Emma Penrod • June 21, 2024 -
California agency awards $26.7M for long-duration energy storage projects
The California Energy Commission approved grants for long-duration storage projects to be built by Redflow, RedoxBlox and Noon Energy.
By Ethan Howland • June 18, 2024 -
FERC reconsiders Southeast Energy Exchange Market approval
The agency is seeking comments on whether SEEM, which includes Dominion, Duke and Southern Co., should be deemed a “loose power pool,” open to other participants.
By Ethan Howland • June 18, 2024 -
Utility self-funding rules for interconnection upgrades may unfairly drive up costs: FERC
The commission raised several concerns about ISO-NE, MISO, PJM and SPP rules that allow transmission owners to pay for and profit on network upgrades for interconnection customers.
By Ethan Howland • June 17, 2024 -
CAISO board approves ‘transformational’ grid interconnection reforms
The reforms aim to advance projects that are most likely to succeed, in part by prioritizing projects targeting areas in California with available transmission capacity.
By Ethan Howland • June 14, 2024 -
Lawmakers, speakers spar over benefits of IRA’s manufacturing boom
Legislators and experts disagreed on the long-term merits of subsidies, with IRA critics questioning if the clean energy boom would amount to a “sugar high.”
By Diana DiGangi • June 13, 2024 -
Retrieved from Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee livestream.
Senate confirms FERC nominees, restoring agency to full commissioner complement
“The [agency] works best when it has five members, so I look forward to welcoming them … so we can work collaboratively to ensure reliable, affordable and sustainable energy,” FERC Chairman Phillips said.
By Ethan Howland • June 13, 2024 -
Basin Electric faces $471M in customer rebates for putting nonutility expenses in rates
A FERC administrative law judge also found Basin Electric was imprudent when it failed to consider replacing coal-fired power plants with potentially less expensive generation.
By Ethan Howland • June 13, 2024 -
California goes after Big Oil’s ‘illegal’ profits over alleged greenwashing
ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP and the American Petroleum Institute may be required to surrender profits gained from false advertising, according to an amended complaint filed Monday.
By Zoya Mirza • June 12, 2024 -
House Judiciary Committee: Climate groups and activists ‘colluding’ on decarbonization
The interim report from the yearslong probe also accuses groups in the financial system of forming a “climate cartel” that “has declared war on the American way of life.”
By Lamar Johnson • June 12, 2024 -
$7.85B Mountain Valley Pipeline construction complete
Gas will soon flow on the much-delayed project, which received a green light from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on Tuesday.
By Julie Strupp • June 12, 2024 -
Maryland PSC rejects Exelon utility’s $213.6M multiyear rate plan
Instead, Pepco will be able to increase its rates by $44.6 million for a year while the state agency assesses the benefits of multi-year rate plans.
By Ethan Howland • June 12, 2024 -
Proposed tax on gas-powered large buildings will go to voters in Berkeley, California
A 2023 court decision that struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction is part of what led to the ballot measure, an organizer said.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 11, 2024 -
Congressional Dems urge SEC to stay committed to climate disclosure rule
A group of 38 lawmakers asked the agency to “vigorously defend” its now-stayed final rule in court and enforce previous climate-related guidance in the interim.
By Zoya Mirza • June 11, 2024 -
Opinion
Transmission planning’s next frontier: A rebuttable presumption for modern grid technologies
Regulators should apply the principle of ‘rebuttable presumption’ — accepting a given fact as true until it is disproved — by ensuring that alternative transmission technologies are prioritized in evaluating system needs.
By Jason Marshall • June 11, 2024 -
FERC in Focus
A monthly column that shines a light on the top issues facing the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
By Ethan Howland • June 11, 2024 -
Deep Dive
As NVIDIA, IBM and others apply AI to boost utilities, regulatory and data privacy obstacles abound
The “move fast and break things” business model of the technology sector is meeting the regulated spending and reliability imperatives of the utility sector.
By Herman K. Trabish • June 11, 2024 -
Column
FERC in Focus: Has the agency been ‘captured’ by the sectors it regulates?
FERC Commissioner Mark Christie thinks so. Other FERC experts don't go that far, but they see the commission giving a strong deference to utility companies.
By Ethan Howland • June 11, 2024 -
Retrieved from GE Hitachi.
Nuclear Innovation Alliance offers road map to catalyze advanced nuclear development
Project sponsors and the federal government can do more to share project risk and cover budget overruns for early projects, the group found.
By Brian Martucci • June 10, 2024 -
US summer electric bills expected to rise 8% in 2024 amid drop in low-income aid: report
The average U.S. electric bill this summer is projected to set a 10-year record, finds a June 3 report from the National Energy Assistance Directors Association and Center for Energy Poverty and Climate.
By Ysabelle Kempe • June 10, 2024 -
Grid operators fail to effectively use interregional ties, increasing costs, hurting reliability: NREL
National Renewable Energy Laboratory researchers offer a range of options for improving existing interregional operations, including developing a national interregional transmission planning process.
By Ethan Howland • June 7, 2024 -
Illinois renewables plan encouraging grid-enhancing technologies could be national model, group says
The state's Renewable Energy Access Plan asks utilities and regional transmission operators to “better incorporate” grid-enhancing technologies such as dynamic line ratings in future transmission planning processes.
By Emma Penrod • June 6, 2024