Renewables: Page 50
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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 -
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 -
Explore the Trendline➔
adamkaz via Getty Images
TrendlineThe Energy Transition to Renewables
New policy and business actions are giving a significant boost to renewable energy in the U.S., but opposition is growing and grid interconnection, permitting, labor and other challenges remain.
By Utility Dive staff -
'We're going from cigarettes to crack': Hawaii regulators grill HECO on fossil fuel transition plan
Regulators worry delays to renewable projects, planned to help replace a coal plant on Oahu, could require the state to turn to oil-fired generation next year.
By Kavya Balaraman • March 17, 2021 -
Getty Images
Solar makes up majority of new resource additions for 2nd year in a row, reaching record 19.2 GW
With residential installations booming and expected to triple by 2030, Wood Mackenzie reported the largest year on record for utility-scale solar installations in the U.S.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 17, 2021 -
Yujin Kim/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 -
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 -
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 -
Permission granted by Honolulu Dept. of Environmental Services
Hawaiian Electric defends renewable, storage project delays as fossil fuel plants near retirement
Project delays are not solely attributable to Hawaiian Electric, and depend also on developers and their consultants, the utility said in a filing.
By Kavya Balaraman • March 10, 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 -
Kendall Davis, Dive Design
Vineyard Wind Project PermittingOffshore 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 9, 2021 -
Fotolia
Opinion7 key trends from renewable energy's 2020 prices and some initial takeaways from Texas 2021
While detailed analysis of the Texas event crisis is still ongoing, the authors note, they examine some of the notable takeaways and trends in renewable energy markets from last year's performance.
By Adam Reeve • March 8, 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 8, 2021 -
Permission granted by First Solar
Sponsored by NextrackerIncreasingly complex solar projects require a mixture of partnership and technical know-how
By focusing on packaging, logistics, shipping and staging the site, companies can develop an innovative solution that provides short and long-term cost benefits for the project.
March 8, 2021 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by thinkreaction via Getty Images
OpinionHow the National Green Bank can help small businesses build back greener
With 30.7 million small businesses located in the U.S., any efforts toward reducing emissions are going to need to include this market, the author writes.
By Paul Schuster • March 4, 2021 -
Catherine Morehouse, Utility Dive
Xcel proposes $1.7B transmission investment in Colorado to unlock nearly 5.5 GW new renewables
The proposal would allow the utility to reduce emissions in its Colorado territory by an estimated 85% below 2005 levels by 2030.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 4, 2021 -
House Democrats introduce bill with pathway to 100% clean energy by 2035
The bill would include major changes to the Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and require economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 3, 2021 -
Deep Dive
Texas must increase ties to the national grid and DER to avoid another power catastrophe, analysts say
Planning for inter-regional transmission and distributed resources could do what ERCOT's competitive, energy-only market didn't – keep the heat and lights on, energy advisors say.
By Herman K. Trabish • March 2, 2021 -
Fotolia
US lags international peers on renewables development, and federal policy is to blame: Moody's
Inconsistent federal policy has held back clean energy growth, but observers are optimistic with President Biden in the White House.
By Robert Walton • March 2, 2021 -
Courtesy of First Solar
After year of slow sales, First Solar looks to rebound in 2021 with focus on innovation, manufacturing
CEO Mark Widmar says he is pleased with company's 2020 performance despite COVID-related delays that triggered a $400 million decline in sales.
By Emma Penrod • March 1, 2021 -
Puget Sound Energy IRP dramatically increases DERs but sets conflict over gas
The debate over PSE's draft integrated resource plan is the latest example of a conflict over the degree to which natural gas will be needed to back up renewable energy.
By Matthew Bandyk • March 1, 2021 -
National Academies call on Congress to address 'persistent under-investment in electric innovation'
NASEM's report recommends that the U.S. double government spending on energy research to keep pace with the need for new grid technologies and other nations.
By Emma Penrod • Feb. 26, 2021 -
Exelon announces plan to spin off generation assets into second company
The split will result in the creation of two "best-in-class" companies free to focus on their own unique strengths, Exelon CEO Chris Crane says.
By Emma Penrod • Feb. 25, 2021 -
Renewable advocates bristle at Biden's move to preserve California desert land use plan
The Bureau of Land Management's decision to scrap proposed Trump-era amendments to the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan is dividing conservationists and the industry.
By Kavya Balaraman • Feb. 23, 2021 -
Southern Company, GTI, DOE launch study of hydrogen-gas blend impacts on gas infrastructure
The two-year project will examine how hydrogen affects existing infrastructure such as pipelines and appliances, but some question whether using hydrogen in existing gas assets is the cheapest solution.
By Emma Penrod • Feb. 22, 2021
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