Regulation & Policy: Page 2
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FERC boosts small solar, reversing PURPA ruling that had upended 40 years of precedent
Regulators voted to allow qualifying facility status to a solar-plus-storage array that met the law's qualifying facility cap of 80 MW in net-capacity, but that has a gross capacity of 160 MW.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 19, 2021 -
Bipartisan House lawmakers to reintroduce grid security bill after Texas outages, SolarWinds attack
The Grid Security Research and Development Act was passed last year by the House but was later withdrawn due to procedural issues.
By Robert Walton • March 19, 2021 -
Trendline
Utility Business Model Reform
Utilities and regulators around the country are exploring new business models, from updated rate structures to performance-based regulation, in order to meet evolving policy and business priorities.
By Utility Dive staff -
Deep Dive
Amid rising rooftop solar battles, emerging net metering alternatives could shake up the sector
As distributed resource penetrations rise, a shift of costs to non-solar owners due to retail rate net energy metering is driving innovations in policy and rate design that can replace it.
By Herman K. Trabish • March 18, 2021 -
Indiana strikes down NGO challenge to Duke coal operations, said to cost ratepayers millions
State regulators last year opened up a subdocket in order to examine more closely Duke's coal operations and whether plants were operating unnecessarily during periods when running coal facilities exceeded market costs.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 18, 2021 -
Texas PUC Chair resigns, following pressure from governor, refusal to reprice $16B ERCOT overcharge
Arthur D'Andrea's resignation also comes after he promises investors, in a leaked recording, he'll use the "the weight of the commission" to stop a reversal of billions of dollars in overcharges related to the winter storms last month.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 17, 2021 -
Renewables industry questions whether Duke, Southern SEEM proposal would limit competition
In comments filed with federal regulators, stakeholders said utilities' proposal to create a Southeast Energy Exchange Market has the potential to bring more renewables onto the grid, if implemented correctly.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 17, 2021 -
SEC official: Companies avoiding ESG disclosures 'risk higher costs of capital'
Disclosing some ESG-related issues may eventually prove as important for companies as reporting asbestos-related risks, a top SEC official said.
By Jim Tyson • March 17, 2021 -
Yujin Kim/Utility Dive/Utility Dive
Q&ATaking Charge: Commissioner Clements on FERC's 'make or break' role amid the energy transition
In a comprehensive interview with Utility Dive, Allison Clements laid out her thoughts on FERC's role following the mass outages in Texas, the need for transmission reform and more.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 16, 2021 -
APS comes out against legislation barring Arizona regulators from mandating decarbonization
The utility says ambiguities about the Arizona Corporation Commission's authority to regulate carbon emissions should be argued in the courts, not decided through legislation.
By Emma Penrod • March 15, 2021 -
CPS Energy sues ERCOT, citing one of the 'largest illegal wealth transfers' in Texas history
The largest municipal gas and electric provider in the U.S. is suing the Texas grid operator for $18 million, alleging gross negligence related to the widespread outages and successive price spikes, among other things.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 15, 2021 -
California summer reliability rules driving utility fossil fuel plans, groups say in challenging CPUC
The state's Public Utilities Commission issued the decision last month in an attempt to ensure grid reliability during the summer months.
By Kavya Balaraman • March 15, 2021 -
Congress should prioritize gas supply risks, NERC says, as senators mull federal role in Texas grid
"Having a great winterized plant with no fuel in front of it isn't very valuable. And that's where our authorities right now stop," the head of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation told a Senate committee.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 12, 2021 -
Texas Senate passes bill requiring ERCOT to reprice multi-billion dollar market 'error'
Texas' head utility regulator cited new evidence from the independent market monitor that prices had not hit $16 billion, but the entity clarified that charge was still accurate.
By Catherine Morehouse • UPDATED: March 16, 2021 at 10:50 a.m. -
Herman K. Trabish
Dominion, Berkshire Hathaway push better transmission siting as Biden turns focus to infrastructure
Infrastructure is next on the president's agenda, and there's ample political will to increase spending on it, according to Christina Hayes, vice president of federal regulatory affairs at Berkshire Hathaway Energy.
By Emma Penrod • March 12, 2021 -
GAO urges FERC, DOE to develop national resilience strategy as senators focus on obstacles
Senators raised similar concerns across the aisle during an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing yesterday regarding NEPA permitting delays, saying they have slowed down natural gas, wind and transmission projects.
By Emma Penrod • March 11, 2021 -
Courtesy of Dominion Energy
Senate Democrats plan to reintroduce energy tax reform bill, focus on long-term incentives
The Clean Energy for America Act will be the "cornerstone of the efforts on energy tax this Congress," according to a senior policy adviser to Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee.
By Robert Walton • March 11, 2021 -
Adeline Kon/Utility Dive
New tax credits are best option to spur clean hydrogen, Resources for the Future analysis finds
The potential for hydrogen to become cost competitive exists, panelists concluded during a Tuesday webinar, but the U.S. must increase investment to ensure opportunities don't move overseas.
By Emma Penrod • March 10, 2021 -
Retrieved from Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
DOE will spend billions on electric vehicle R&D in jobs fight with China, Granholm says
The U.S. Department of Energy's loan program is "open for business," said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. China has largely cornered the global battery market and she said the United States must catch up.
By Robert Walton • March 10, 2021 -
Kendall Davis, Dive Design
Offshore wind permitting bottleneck expected to ease as Interior completes review of first US large project
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has completed analysis on the proposed Vineyard Wind 1 project off the coast of Massachusetts.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 09, 2021 -
Texas PUC loses 2nd commissioner as Lt. Gov. presses ERCOT to correct $16B overcharge
Gov. Greg Abbott, R, also directed the state legislature to address billing errors, declaring it an emergency item.
By Catherine Morehouse • UPDATED: March 10, 2021 at 10:17 a.m. -
California looks to demand-side fixes as 'a layer of insurance' to prevent rolling blackouts
Regulators are contemplating a new emergency load reduction program, tweaking rate plans to encourage customers to save energy, and modifying current demand response programs to increase participation.
By Kavya Balaraman • March 08, 2021 -
Texas regulators decline to act after market monitor reports $16B of 'inappropriate' ERCOT charges
The two commissioners voted against directing the grid operator to retroactively reprice its real-time prices that were artificially inflated during the generation shortages and subsequent forced outages.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 08, 2021 -
Buttigieg says infrastructure faces a 'once-in-a-lifetime moment' as power grids, roads get C- grade
Speaking at the unveiling of the American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card last week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said now is the time to fix America’s crumbling infrastructure.
By Joe Bousquin • March 08, 2021 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by jhorrocks via Getty Images
Deep Dive'A total mindshift': Utilities replace gas peakers, 'old school' demand response with flexible DERs
Utility-customer cooperation can balance renewables' variability with flexibility without using "blunt" demand response or natural gas.
By Herman K. Trabish • March 08, 2021 -
Glick commits to avoid repeat of 'disturbing' lack of action in Texas after 2011 outages
“It is pretty clear” what the message was in the 2011 report, the chairman said, “and it's just disturbing that it didn't turn into action."
By Catherine Morehouse • March 05, 2021
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