Renewables

Getting Past Net Metering

A forward-looking solution to rate reform, for when solar costs hit bottom.

Why keep rate design shackled to the ways of the past, especially at the dawn of a solar revolution?

Solar Shines As Regulatory Battles Abound

A tough legal and financial terrain is confronting producers, utilities and regulators.

State commissions are challenged to find the sweet spot whereby utilities can afford to maintain their systems and homeowners are motivated to go green.

From Grid to Cloud

A network of networks – in search of an orchestrator.

The Energy Cloud will change the way we generate, store, and consume energy by changing from a one-way power flow to a dynamic network of networks supporting two-way energy and information flows.

Getting Smart about the Integrated Grid

In New York it’s where we’re staking our energy future.

Disruptive technologies such as microgrids and battery storage devices are commendable but they are supporting actors and must still work with the centralized grid.

Digest (June 2015)

Duke Energy completed the sale of its non-regulated Midwest Commercial Generation Business to Dynegy for $2.8 billion; Sempra U.S. Gas & Power acquired the Black Oak Getty wind project in Minnesota from Geronimo Energy; Toshiba received an order to supply two sets of 175-MW steam turbine and generators in Chihuahua, Mexico; Alstom Grid was awarded a $23 million contract to supply the first 500 kV substation a substation near Bogota, Colombia; SunEdison agreed to construct and install three solar power plants in southern Utah with a total capacity of 262 MW; Mississippi Power plans to build utility-scale solar farms with a combined capacity represent the largest solar installation in the state; Phoenix Energy's joint venture, North Fork Community Power's project was awarded a $4.9 million grant to construct one of the first forest-sourced biomass gasification plants; Westinghouse Electric will increase the capacity of the cooling system at the Central Interim Storage Facility for Spent Nuclear Fuel (Clab) located in Sweden.

Digest (April 2015)

PG&E asked state regulators for permission to build ~ 25,000 EV chargers across its service area in Northern and Central California - if approved, it would mark the largest deployment of EV charging stations in the country; Lockheed Martin and Dominion Resources have co-developed a new smart grid technology called VirtuGrid to enable remote detection of power outages for faster mapping and response; Panda Power Funds and Sunbury Generation LP will develop, finance, construct and operate a 1,000-MW gas-fired, combined-cycle power project in Pennsylvania; Siemens secured an order of 157 wind turbines in South Africa from Mainstream Renewable Power; PSE&G recently put two new landfill solar farms in service as part of its Solar 4 All program; Exelon Generation will add 195-MW of electric generation capacity at the Medway (Mass.) facility; ABB won a $35 million order for gas-insulated switchgear and shunt reactors from Belgian electricity transmission system operator Elia; Iberdrola USA agreed to acquire UIL Holdings and create a newly listed publicly traded company; Chesapeake Utilities agreed to merge Gatherco into Aspire Energy of Ohio, a wholly-owned subsidiary; and others...

Digest (February 2015)

Europe’s largest battery-storage project was officially opened in England; CODA Energy announced operation of the largest behind the meter lithium-ion energy storage system in the Los Angeles basin; FERC approved construction of Constitution Pipeline’s natural gas pipeline to New York and New England markets; FERC approved a facilities construction agreement for Minnesota Power’s Great Northern Transmission Line; General Electric received an order from the Tennessee Valley Authority for two high-efficiency 7HA.02 gas-fired turbine generators; A Renewable Energy Southern Company subsidiary plans to develop a 131- MW PV solar project in Georgia; GE Global Research and others partnered on a research project to improve reliability and resiliency of electricity delivery in northern New York; Duke Energy Renewables acquired the Halifax Solar Power Project from Geenex and ET Solar Energy;  Dominion Resources agreed to purchase Carolina Gas Transmission from SCANA Corp.; and others...

Early Clean Power Planning

A hedging strategy for sec. 111(d).

While the public comment period on EPA’s Clean Power Plan proposed rule has closed, there are still opportunities to engage in the federal policymaking process before the summer 2015 release of the final rule.

Digest (January 2015)

FERC approved the proposed merger of Exelon and Pepco Holdings; SunEdison and TerraForm Power agreed to acquire First Wind for $2.4 billion; NorthWestern Energy closed on its $900 million purchase of facilities from PPL Montana; Siemens Energy Management partnered with Microsoft and FuelCell Energy to develop the nation's first zero-carbon, waste-to-energy data center; ABB commissioned a power solution that will control power flow and enhance grid stability in Michigan; AES Southland was awarded a 20-year PPA by Southern California Edison to provide 100 MW of interconnected battery-based energy storage; Renewable Energy Systems Americas developed what will be the largest, fully commercial energy storage projects in North America; Westinghouse Electric, China's State Nuclear Power Technology Corp., and Electricity Generation Co. agreed to develop and construct a four-unit nuclear power plant site in the Republic of Turkey. And others ...