News

Advanced Energy United expresses disappointment in Nevada’s latest IRP amendment to move forward with natural gas plant, a missed opportunity for clean energy 

LAS VEGAS, NV —National business association Advanced Energy United (United) expressed disappointment todaywith the Nevada Public Utilities Commission (PUCN) decision to approve NV Energy’s Fifth Amendment to its 2021 integrated resource plan (IRP). The decision allows NV Energy to backtrack on plans to retire existing coal and gas plants in Northern Nevada. Instead of replacing them with clean energy as they proposed in 2021, NV Energy candoubledown on these plants for decades longer at a direct cost to ratepayers of at least $100 million, and hundreds of millions more per year in imported fuel costs. 

In an interview, Utility Dive talks with Advanced Energy United Director Brian Turner on how the Nevada PUC is set to approve NV Energy's 5th Amendment to its 2021 Integrated Resource Plan. 

 

Utility Dive reports on the Colorado Public Utilities Commissioner’s vision for Xcel Energy to roll out a 50MW Virtual Power Plant this fall to improve grid reliability. The article quotes Brian Turner on what a viable VPP program would look like and the time it would take to implement. 

Xcel Energy would roll out a 50-MW virtual power plant, or VPP, utilizing a new “prosumer tariff” by the end of this year under a vision laid out by a Colorado Public Utilities Commission regulator. While the utility has some concerns about the timeline, it said in a Jan. 25 filing that aspects of the VPP could be included in an upcoming request for proposals in the first quarter. 

Canary Media reports on the California lawmakers’ efforts to overturn the California Public Utilities Commission’s plan to propose income-graduated fixed fees with Assembly Bill 1999. The article quotes Edson Perez and Brian Turner on how ratepayers will be affected by this and the consequences of this fixed charge.

 

Of all the ways California regulators are proposing to rein in fast-rising electric utility rates, few are as controversial as the plan to charge customers for electricity service based on how much money they make.

 

Advanced Energy United reacts to ERP decision, highlights the benefits of clean energy and the opportunity for continued transformation of the electric grid

New market approval a significant development for the West, says Advanced Energy United

WASHINGTON, DC – The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) approved the creation of a new extended day-ahead market (EDAM) by the California Independent System Operator (CAISO), a significant development for the region. As CAISO notes in its news release, FERC’s action represents a major advance toward greater coordination of Western electricity markets. 

The Nevada Current reports on NV Energy's request for a fifth amendment to its Integrated Resource Plan, quoting United's Brian Turner on the importance of competitive procurement and commission oversight.

 

NV Energy is failing to get the best deals for its customers, resulting in higher than necessary rates, according to experts who say compared with other electric utilities in the west, the company is lagging in leveraging the lowest-cost, and most environmentally friendly options.

In September, an NV Energy executive told Clark County commissioners that fulfilling a legislative mandate to ensure half of its energy is from renewable sources by 2030 “is going to be a challenge.”  

PV Magazine reports on a recent analysis of the electric resource plan for Xcel Energy’s Colorado subsidiary, the Public Service Company of Colorado. The analysis, commissioned by Advanced Energy United and authored by Strategen Consulting Group, found a clean energy resource portfolio would be a more cost-effective way to power Colorado homes and businesses compared to building a new natural gas “peaker” plant. The article quotes United's Brian Turner, who speaks to the cost impact Xcel's proposed plant would have on ratepayers.

 

Storage and renewables projects already offered in response to an RFP from the Public Service Company of Colorado (PSCo) would be more economic and provide greater capacity than a 400 MW gas peaker unit proposed by the utility, found the consulting firm Strategen in an analysis of the utility’s proposed resource plan.