New Website Aggregates North American Energy Information

Posted on December 5, 2017 by Jeff Bayne

The North American Cooperation on Energy Information (NACEI) has launched a new website that brings together energy-related data, maps, and analysis from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.  NACEI was developed out of a 2014 memorandum of understanding on energy information cooperation signed by the Energy Secretaries and Minister from the three countries.  The new website builds off of the 2015 Trilateral Energy Outlook Project published in December 2015.

NACEI explains that the energy markets of the three countries are becoming increasingly interdependent.  The new website depicts both historic and expected energy flows within North America and shows exports and imports for crude oil, electricity, and natural gas since 2010.  It also provides an interactive map of North American infrastructure, as well as static maps of particular types of resources and facilities, such as renewable electric power plants, natural gas underground storage, liquefied natural gas import and export terminals, and border crossings of electric transmission lines and natural gas pipelines.

NACEI states that the next step is to understand the interrelationships among the three countries as an integrated North American energy system.  To further this understanding, the three countries are working with Stanford University’s Energy Modeling Forum on a multi-year study of the integrated North American energy system.

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Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Coal See Record Drop in 2015

Posted on November 30, 2017 by Amber Martin

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with coal consumption dropped dramatically during 2015. EIA’s numbers indicate that coal emissions fell by 231 million metric tons in 2015, with nearly every state experiencing a decline.  EIA attributes much of this decrease to changes in the electric power sector—roughly 90% of coal is consumed in the electric power sector—particularly reduced generation from existing coal-fired generating units in response to competition from cheap natural gas.  At the same time, however, energy-sector related CO2 emissions from natural gas rose in 2015, surpassing those of coal for the first time ever.  According to EIA, rising energy-related CO2 emissions may be more indicative of emissions patterns in the future:  EIA expects energy-related CO2 emissions will increase in 2018 for all fossil fuels—petroleum, natural gas, and coal—collectively by 111 million metric tons.

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Watch Now: EPA Public Hearing on Clean Power Plan Repeal

Posted on November 28, 2017 by Katherine O'Konski

EPA is holding a public hearing on the proposed repeal of the Clean Power Plan today, November 28, and tomorrow, November 29, at the West Virginia Capitol Building in Charlestown.  Speakers at today’s and tomorrow’s hearing will represent both national and local organizations, and will include West Virginia Congressman Evan Jenkins, West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, industry representatives, environmental and social justice organizations, as well as individual citizens.

Links to the hearing livestream are available from EPA’s website (far right) and the West Virginia Legislature website (center).  The hearing will commence at 9 AM EST both days.  A transcript will also be published in the Clean Power Plan Repeal docket after the hearing concludes.

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Rhode Island Issues Report on New Regulatory Framework to Modernize the Grid

Posted on November 21, 2017 by Jeff Bayne

Rhode Island was already among the top ten most active states in terms of grid modernization efforts in the third quarter of 2017, and it is now poised to tackle the issue more broadly.  Earlier this month, Rhode Island state agencies issued a grid modernization report entitled Power Sector Transformation: Phase One Report to Governor Gina M. Raimondo.  The report is the result of an inter-agency team made up of staff from the state’s Division of Public Utilities and Carriers, Office of Energy Resources, and Public Utilities Commission.  These agencies were directed by Rhode Island’s governor to develop a more dynamic regulatory framework to enable the state and its major investor-owned utility, National Grid, to advance a cleaner, more affordable, and reliable energy system for the twenty-first century.

The report identifies four overarching recommendations for regulatory reform.  First, the agencies recommend shifting the utility business model to one that relies more upon performance-based compensation and less upon rewarding investments.  This would include, among other things, creating a multi-year rate plan and budget with a revenue cap to encourage cost savings and developing new value-streams associated with a modernized grid (such as the communications network that supports advanced meters).

Second, the agencies recommend the deployment of advanced meters.  The advanced meter roll-out plan must include a proposal to provide third-party access to the advanced meter platform, including plans for how to address privacy and cybersecurity concerns.  To reduce the cost of deploying advanced meters, the utility should share the necessary communication infrastructure through partnerships.

Third, the agencies recommend that the utility begin filing the Infrastructure, Safety, and Reliability Plan and System Reliability Procurement Plan as two linked planning documents each year.  These synchronized plans should include details about distribution system planning forecasts and a stakeholder engagement plan.  The report also suggests that state regulators and policymakers should develop a strategy to compensate the value of distributed energy resources based, in part, on their locations on the distribution system.

Finally, the agencies recommend that the utility advance electrification into new economic sectors that are beneficial to system efficiency and greenhouse gas emission reductions.  This should include electricity rates designed to encourage electric vehicle users to charge their vehicles during non-peak demand times and make their batteries available to the grid.  The utility should also pursue electric heating proposals consistent with the Rhode Island Public Utility Commission’s white paper on beneficial electrification.

The report recognizes that implementation of these changes will take time and occur through a variety of regulatory vehicles.  However, it notes several opportunities in the coming year for Rhode Island to begin pursuing these reforms, such as National Grid’s distribution rate case filing expected next month, as well as the next Infrastructure, Safety, and Reliability Plan, System Reliability Procurement Plan, and Energy Efficiency Plans.

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California Public Utilities Commission Report Predicts 50% Renewable Power by 2020

Posted on November 16, 2017 by Katherine O'Konski

On Monday, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) released its 2017 Renewables Portfolio Standards (RPS) Report, an annual progress report on the state’s RPS Program.  California’s RPS target is one of the most ambitious in the country, requiring the state’s investor owned utilities, publicly owned utilities, and other electricity retail sellers to procure 50% of their total electric retail sales from eligible renewable energy resources by 2030.  As interim targets, the RPS Program required California’s electricity retail sellers to serve 25% of their load with RPS-eligible resources by December 31, 2016, and will require them to serve 33% of their load with RPS-eligible resources by 2020.

The 2017 Annual Report concludes that California’s three investor-owned utilities are well positioned to meet the RPS Program’s requirements.  All three exceeded the 25% renewable target for 2016, and are projecting that they will reach the 50% renewable target by 2020—an entire decade early.

In addition, the report concludes:

  • California’s electrical corporations met the 25% RPS requirement for 2016 and, in many cases, substantially exceeded this requirement.
  • The large investor-owned utilities have executed renewable electricity contracts necessary to exceed 2020’s 33% RPS requirement.
  • The investor-owned utilities’ aggregated forecast project that they will meet the 2030 RPS requirement of 50% by 2020.
  • Community Choice Aggregators* and small and multi-jurisdictional utilities** report compliance with current RPS requirements, and forecast that they will meet or exceed 2020’s 33% RPS requirement.
  • The RPS Program has helped achieve large reductions in cost for renewable electricity: between 2008 and 2016, the price of utility scale solar contracts reported to CPUC have gone down 77%, and between 2007 and 2015 reported prices of wind contracts have gone down 47%.

 

* CPUC defines Community Choice Aggregators as local government agencies that purchase and develop power on behalf of residents, businesses, and municipal facilities within a local jurisdiction.

** CPUC defines small and multi-jurisdictional utilities as those having a customer base of 30,000 or fewer that serve customers across multiple states.

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