News

Utility Dive reports on the New York Public Service Commission's (PSC) order to offer additional financial options to build renewable energy projects, quoting AEE's Ryan Katofsky. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

The PSC sees its order to the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) as a means "to decrease capital costs and further spur the development of ... clean energy resources." The move builds on Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Jan. 8 announcement, in his 2020 State of the State address, that NYSERDA would make competitive awards to 21 large-scale wind, solar and storage projects in upstate New York, totaling more than 1 GW of capacity, the PSC noted.

Utility Dive published this 2020 Outlook piece highlighting the projected rise of renewables in the new decade, quoting AEE's JR Tolbert. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

Renewable energy resources have become a bigger part of the grid in recent years, competing with traditional generation sources. With flat load growth, falling costs and the expansion of the energy storage sector, this trend is only expected to rise. While onshore wind is more economic than utility-scale solar in many areas of the U.S., analysts say solar could become increasingly competitive with wind...

Utility Dive highlighted Colorado's efforts to change its utility business model through a proceeding underway on performance-based regulation (PBR), quoting AEE's Coley Girouard. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

Colorado's current utility regulatory model is already leading the state toward clean, reliable energy, and does not need an overhaul, according to the state's largest investor-owned utility (IOU). Xcel Energy's Colorado subsidiary filed comments with state regulators Jan. 10 in response to the state's proceeding examining the potential benefits of performance-based regulation (PBR), in which utilities are rewarded based on their ability to deliver on preset goals and metrics.

POLITICO details arguments of supporters and those, like AEE, strongly opposing the recent FERC PJM capacity market pricing order, quoting AEE's Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire POLITICO piece here. (sub. req.)

FERC’s December order to exclude wind, solar and nuclear power from part of its largest electricity market is drawing support from several largely fossil fuel power producers that argue the decision won’t hobble the growth of renewable energy even as it boosts coal and gas plants.

FERC last month voted to set a price floor that will effectively exclude renewable and nuclear sources that receive state support from the PJM capacity market. Environmentalists lambasted the order as an attack on clean energy and a bailout for fossil fuels, but its supporters say the effects on wind and solar — which were only about 1 percent of the capacity cleared in PJM’s last auction — will be minimal...

Virginia Mercury published AEE Member Sigora Solar's piece supporting the Virginia Clean Economy Act, referencing an AEE report that shows ambitious clean energy goals can be met while delivering positive economic impact. Read excerpts below and the entire Virginia Mercury piece here. 

Last month, a broad coalition of clean energy companies including energy efficiency providers, rooftop solar installers and utility scale renewable energy developers joined with leading environmental groups and Democratic lawmakers to unveil the key pillars that will make up the Virginia Clean Economy Act, a bill that thoughtfully and simply puts Virginia on a path towards 100% carbon free by 2050...

Utility Dive detailed 10 trends that will shape the U.S. power sector in the new year, quoting AEE's Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire UD piece here. 

The U.S. power sector is undergoing a fundamental transformation, and has been for some time. But what are the biggest trends to watch in 2020? In speaking to a cross section of industry observers, the following 10 emerged. The economics of wind, solar and storage will continue to improve in 2020, creating a variety of implications seen in many of the other trends below.

"We're seeing time and again, whether it's in planning processes that are conducted by utilities, whether it's in open solicitations in markets ... that using combinations of wind, solar and storage is more cost effective for customers than really any other options, including relying on existing aging coal assets or even building new natural gas assets," Jeff Dennis, managing director and general counsel at Advanced Energy Economy (AEE), told Utility Dive...

POLITICO covered FERC's proposed pricing rule and PJM's ask for a rehearing on the MOPR, quoting AEE's Jeff Dennis. Read excerpts below and the entire POLITICO piece here (sub. req.)

Officials in the nation's largest power market are planning to ask FERC to reconsider or clarify parts of its decision to block renewable energy sources that receive state subsidies from participating in long-term electricity auctions. FERC last month instituted a strict price floor that will block bids from subsidized wind, solar and nuclear plants in the 13-state PJM capacity market. Owners of coal and gas generation told a meeting of PJM members that the decision, which would boost prices for their power, will provide them with clear price signals to invest in new generation or extend the life of existing plants. PJM CEO Manu Asthana, making his first public appearance at the meeting, said his staff will use today’s meeting to “listen before we decide our next steps.” Rehearing requests are due Jan. 21.

Virginia Mercury covered the recent surge of proposed advanced energy bills filed in the Virginia General Assembly, quoting Virginia AEE's Harry Godfrey. Read excerpts below and the entire Virginia Mercury piece here. 

The week after elections swept Democrats to power in the General Assembly, environment and clean energy activists struggled to get their sea legs in the new ocean of possibilities that suddenly opened up before them. “I think everyone’s a little surprised by the power dynamics and the shift in the political calculus,” said Tim Cywinski, communications coordinator for the Sierra Club’s Virginia chapter, at the time.

Now, on the brink of the session, energy lobbyists’ hazy sense of optimism is assuming more defined lines.

The Miami Herald reported on the rise of electric cars and the uneven availability of charging stations across the nation, quoting AEE's Matt Stanberry. Read excerpts below and the entire Miami Herald piece here. This Stateline News story was also picked up by 25+ newspapers across the nation including the Sacramento Bee, Richmond Times-Dispatch, Raleigh News & Observer, and Pennsylvania Capital-Star.

Electric vehicle owners – nearly 1.2 million of them on United States roads today – share the thrills of being energy-efficient and progressive. But they also have one big worry in common: where to plug in. Depending on the state, access to public charging stations can be adequate – or nearly nonexistent.

Purchases of electric vehicles are growing at an astronomical rate – an 81% increase from 2017 to 2018, according to the Edison Electric Institute, which tracks electricity use – and nothing indicates the trend will slow dramatically any time soon. But if anything could stunt the growth, it's the lack of power charging stations in some states.

Stateline News (Pew Trusts) highlighted the current challenge of the low number of charging stations among states given the rise of electric vehicles, quoting AEE's Matt Stanberry. Read excerpts below and the entire Stateline piece here. 

Electric vehicle owners — nearly 1.2 million of them on U.S. roads today — share the thrills of being energy-efficient and progressive. But they also have one big worry in common: where to plug in. Depending on the state, access to public charging stations can be adequate — or nearly nonexistent. Purchases of electric vehicles are growing at an astronomical rate — an 81% increase from 2017 to 2018, according to the Edison Electric Institute, which tracks electricity use — and nothing indicates the trend will slow dramatically any time soon. But if anything could stunt the growth, it’s the lack of power charging stations in some states.