A Montana utility case pending before federal regulators could set a precedent for how energy storage facilities paired with renewable generation will be treated under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), a 1978 law intended to increase competition in power generation.

Energy Policy USA Montana

Consumers says that from May 2017 to May 2018 it received 398 interconnection requests for 1,800 MW of generation, with projects ranging from .15 MW to 20 MW. The average cost of these projects is $98.40 per megawatt-hour over a 20-year contract, which is “substantially higher” than the company’s contracts for three new wind projects at about $45 per MWh.

Energy Policy Michigan

A new state law signed this month, SB 100, requires all of California’s electricity to come from zero-carbon sources by 2045. Many news reports advertised the law as a mandate for renewable energy, but lawmakers in Sacramento quietly acknowledged that the state may need more than wind turbines, solar panels and hydroelectric dams to meet its climate goals. The new law allows up to 40% of the state’s electricity to come from other zero-carbon sources, including nuclear energy and fossil fuel plants, as long as they capture their carbon emissions.

Energy Policy California

The French-owned renewable energy developer Neoen says there is a risk that wind farms in South Australia could face a class action suit over the state-wide blackout in September, 2016. The risk was cited in Neoen’s documentation for its upcoming initial public offering, where it will seek to raise $A850 million in a share market float.

Energy Policy Australia

Infrastructure minister Monte McNaughton said: "Well-connected energy insiders made fortunes putting up wind farms and solar panels that gouge hydro consumers in order to generate electricity that Ontario doesn’t need. "Today, we are proud to say that the party with taxpayers’ money is over."

Energy Policy Ontario

The Green Energy and Green Economy Act, which the Ford government announced Thursday it would officially cancel, was one of the most monumental government follies of our time. It was a hydra-headed monster of regulations and fiat that bludgeoned Ontario’s rural communities, stripped Ontario’s municipalities of every right to the slightest participation in their own planning, placed a darkling pall over the manufacturing industry, and imposed the highest electricity costs in all North America on some of Ontario’s lowest-income citizens.

Energy Policy Ontario

Xcel is employing creative accounting to make the CEP look affordable, which is why it didn’t pass the smell test with my most business- and energy-savvy colleagues in 2017. Flaws in the company’s analysis became apparent during CEP hearings, thanks to diligent watchdog work by third parties and ratepayer advocates. But the plan won approval despite those dubious underpinnings and the doubts of some PUC members.

Energy Policy Colorado

When you remove tax subsidies for wind and solar, and the planned phase-out of natural gas, and then must rely on battery storage for energy, the system becomes totally uneconomical. This doesn't even include what could be a $1 billion-plus cost for separation and purchase of the electrical system from Xcel.

Energy Policy Colorado

Most states are enjoying flat or declining electricity rates thanks to shale fracking, which has sent natural gas prices plummeting. But not California, where rates have jumped 25% since 2013. Electricity prices in the Golden State are by far the highest in the continental western U.S. and twice as high as in Washington state. The reason: California requires that 50% of power be generated from renewables such as solar and wind by 2030. 

Energy Policy California

“And if California doesn't lead the inevitable transition, others will. California's wind and solar generation are growing faster than our inefficiently managed electric grid can put them to use. We're literally throwing away pollution-free electricity during certain periods, and the problem will only get worse.”

Energy Policy California

Without subsidies and the ongoing presence of backup power based on fossil-fuel generation, the outlook for more renewable energy in Australia is extremely uncertain. Indeed, without the intervention of governments, the salad days for renewable energy will quickly fade, something the sector understands. That’s why the energy policy debate is so important to them — and to all of us.

Taxes & Subsidies Energy Policy Australia

The state Assembly voted 43-32 in favor of the legislation Tuesday. It would eliminate the reliance on fossil fuels to power homes, businesses and factories in the world’s fifth-largest economy, accelerating a shift already under way. The state currently gets about 44 percent of its power from renewables and hydropower.

Energy Policy California

A clean energy initiative submitted enough valid signatures to make it onto the ballot in November, according to the Arizona Secretary of State's office.

Energy Policy Arizona

The DEP can no longer help enforce its own regulations because of its involvement in wind turbine contracts. The Project Regulatory Agreement does not take into consideration public health and safety it has become immoral with despicable inhuman conduct bordering on criminal. We know today the DEP has been aware residents have been living in a toxic environment around the wind turbines.

Energy Policy Massachusetts

Tell me anywhere in the world where a higher penetration of ­renewable energy has been associated with lower electricity prices.

Impact on Economy Energy Policy

MidAmerican still gets 30 percent of its electricity from coal ..."The 100 percent renewable energy vision is a bit of a gimmick," said Josh Mandelbaum, an Environmental Law & Policy Center senior attorney, "It's pretty misleading if MidAmerican is giving customers the impression that's all they have to do."

Energy Policy Iowa

With wind and solar farms sprouting up in more areas -- and their power getting priority to feed into the grid in many places -- the amount of electricity being generated is outstripping demand during certain hours of the day. The result: power prices are slipping to zero or even below more often in more jurisdictions.

Energy Policy Europe Germany USA

For New Jersey, the order by FERC could unravel long-standing legislative initiatives to promote cleaner sources of energy like solar power, as well as the state’s proposed subsidies to keep nuclear power a part of its energy mix by having ratepayers subsidize plants it deems uneconomic.

Energy Policy USA New Jersey

Energy Policy Australia

New Jersey is moving forward with a plan to install enough offshore wind turbines to power 1.5 million homes by 2030. How do gusts 20 miles off the coast turn into the electricity that lights up your home when you flip a switch? 

Offshore Wind Energy Policy New Jersey