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California Leaders Credit Cellphone Alert for Sudden Conservation
Standing in the shade of a tall hedge outside the Beverly Hilton hotel and sweating in the relentless heat, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California said on Wednesday that emergency cellphone alerts the evening before that had urged Californians to conserve energy were instrumental in pulling the state’s heat-strained power grid back from the brink. [ read more … ]
Wind Energy
Who will pay for Dominion’s $9.8 billion offshore wind farm?
In a regulatory conflict over who should bear the costs of a proposed offshore wind farm in Virginia, the Youngkin Administration and environmental groups have found themselves on the same side, calling for action to limit Dominion’s profits from the project. In an August ruling that will be finalized later this month, the Virginia State Corporation Commission (SCC) ordered limited consumer protections on the project, while rejecting the more aggressive controls requested by the Youngkin administration and environmental groups like Clean Virginia. [ read more … ]
Battery Storage
California’s Battery Problems Heighten Threat of Power Outages
The batteries that help fortify California’s electric grid are kicking in at times when they’re not really needed, draining the power source before more critical junctures and heightening the chances of blackouts as a blistering heat wave punishes the state. Batteries help to store extra electricity, generated by solar or hydropower. That surplus is supposed to act as a cushion for times when those intermittent renewable sources are running low. But the grid uses a pricing mechanism to trigger the batteries, rather than basing it on pure demand levels. That can lead to mismatches. [ read more … ]
FERC
D.C. Circuit weighs dispute that could limit PURPA’s reach
A federal appeals court on Wednesday appeared divided on whether a utility should be required to purchase power from a Montana solar project under a law designed to boost the amount of renewable energy on the electric grid. Judges of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit questioned whether Broadview Solar LLC’s solar array and battery storage project produced too much power to be considered a “qualifying facility” under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act. The law states that utilities will be required to purchase renewable energy only from small facilities that have a maximum production capacity of 80 megawatts. [ read more … ]
Transmission
‘We will get it done’: Senate Dems vow permitting success
Senate Democrats are on a collision course with their House counterparts over permitting reform, as Senate leaders said Wednesday they still plan to advance the permitting bill by attaching it to a stopgap government funding measure. That announcement sets up a political fight with House progressives and Republicans wary of giving Democrats another legislative win — though Senate Republicans seem to be softening their stance. [ read more … ]
Carbon Capture
Can N.M. build world’s largest coal CCS project?
Farmington is working with startup Enchant Energy Corp. to keep the San Juan station online by retrofitting it with what they say is groundbreaking carbon capture technology. If built, the $1.6 billion project would be one of the largest carbon capture projects worldwide and among only a handful of CCS projects in the United States in the power generation sector. But first, Farmington and its electric utility, which own 5 percent of the plant, will have to acquire the remaining 95 percent and transfer it to Enchant. That requires all the plant’s other owners to give up their share and sign an agreement — a step that has been mired in closed-door negotiations for months. [ read more … ]
Markets
U.S. gasoline prices to keep falling as refiners keep making other products
Wholesale gasoline prices are expected to keep falling in coming months as U.S. refiners overproduce fuel to try to rebuild low stocks of diesel and heating oil, according to analysts and traders. U.S. inventories of distillate products, which also include jet fuel, are at the lowest levels in more than a decade. Margins to make those products have remained high due to heavy demand from Europe and elsewhere, and a dearth of refining capacity to meet that demand. [ read more … ]
EVs
Republicans seek to block state gasoline car phaseouts
House Republicans introduced legislation Tuesday against states wanting to phase out gasoline-powered cars. California Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa’s “Revoking Engine and Vehicle (REV) Requirements Act” would scrap California’s ability to exceed national vehicle emissions standards under the Clean Air Act. The bill would effectively roll back rules going back decades and replicated by numerous other states. The bill follows the California Air Resources Board passing its Advanced Clean Cars II regulation late last month, formalizing the state’s effort to address climate change by phasing out cars not using electricity or zero-emissions technology. [ read more … ]
This New England utility will soon pay EV owners to help to back up the grid
The New Hampshire Electric Co-op is testing a “transactive” energy rate that pays owners of electric vehicles and battery storage systems for discharging power back onto the grid during periods of high demand. The largest electric distribution co-op in New England is experimenting with real-time energy rates meant to help members wring more value out of their electric vehicles and battery storage devices. [ read more … ]
Note: News clips provided do not necessarily reflect the views of coalition or its member governors.