Wind Power Subsidies
Today, tomorrow, forever?
NREL contradicts AWEA, finds wind power not competitive, and favors extending the production tax credit (PTC), but that won’t aid economic growth.
Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act
First Wind Finalizes Agreement with Rocky Mountain Power for Largest Solar Development in Utah
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-06-24 13:16First Wind finalized four 20-year PPAs with Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp and part of Berkshire Hathaway Energy. As part of the PPAs, Rocky Mountain Power will buy the output of the planned 320-MW Four Brothers solar development, which includes four, separate fully permitted 80-MW project sites. Rocky Mountain Power’s purchase is made in connection with its obligation under the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA, and follows seven similar PURPA agreements for First Wind’s 20-MW Seven S
First Wind to Sell Power from Utah Solar Projects to Rocky Mountain Power
Submitted by aburr on Tue, 2014-06-10 13:08First Wind finalized seven 20-year PPAs with Rocky Mountain Power, a division of PacifiCorp. As part of the purchase agreements, Rocky Mountain Power will buy the output of the planned 20-MW Seven Sisters projects under its obligation from the federal Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, or PURPA. The Seven Sisters portfolio includes seven separate solar photovoltaic projects, four of which are to be sited in Beaver County and three to be located in Iron County, Utah.
Life in the Transco Age
The competitive transmission genie is out of the bottle.
FERC Orders 890 and 1000 have opened the doors to independent transcos, heralding an era of innovation to solve reliability and capacity problems.
Power Breakfast
Fortnightly’s Executive Roundtable considers industry options and risks.
Fortnightly recently convened a group of senior operations executives from a variety of companies to discuss current trends in the U.S. power industry. Their comments reflect a mixed outlook on the industry’s transitionary changes.
Bottling the Genie
Why deregulation is easy and reregulation is hard.
Even with convincing evidence that deregulation has failed to deliver promised benefits, efforts to restore public oversight face tough resistance. The reasons involve policy inertia—and blind faith in free markets.
Peaceful Coexistence
Independent microgrids are coming. Will franchised utilities fight them or foster them?
Despite offering a range of benefits, microgrids are proving to be controversial—especially when non-utility owned microgrids seek to serve multiple customers. The biggest battles are taking place in the realm of public policy. But utilities that pursue collaboration rather than confrontation are finding interesting opportunities for profitable investment.
Regulated Tax Equity Finance
Distribution utilities could become an important source of renewable funding.
Distribution utilities are well positioned to provide tax equity for renewable projects, but some state laws prevent it. Tapping the potential will require progressive leadership by utility executives and regulators.
Trusting Capacity Markets
Does the lack of long-term pricing undermine the financing of new power plants?
The PJM Interconnect’s Reliability Pricing Model generally has succeeded in attracting and retaining low-cost generation and demand resources to maintain resource adequacy. But sluggish demand and low prices have weakened the market for long-term capacity contracts. Suppliers aren’t willing to lock in current low prices, and buyers don’t want to pay more for future certainty. Is the market dysfunctional, as some state lawmakers suggest, or does the lack of long-term contracts indicate a rational balance of supply and demand?
Going, Going ...
Clean energy jobs will be gone soon, if America fails to commit.
America needs an energy policy today that will bring together our best and brightest, harness the limitless capabilities of our research institutions, and invest whatever it takes to ensure America’s leadership in clean energy technologies. The result will be to create billion-dollar industries and millions of new jobs.