Legislative
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Coal
Southern CEO: Data Center Demand, Regulatory Changes Could Keep Coal-Fired Units Online
Utilities recognizing the need to produce more electricity, in part to satisfy demand from data centers, may keep coal-fired units in operation longer than anticipated. A lessening of environmental regulations under the incoming Trump administration also means power generators are rethinking plans to retire their fossil fuel-burning facilities. Chris Womack, CEO of Southern Co., is […]
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Coal
Power Demand from Data Centers Keeping Coal-Fired Plants Online
The power generation sector is looking at numerous ways to provide enough electricity to satisfy demand from data centers. Bloomberg Intelligence recently said its research shows data centers, buildings filled with servers and other computing equipment for data storage and networking that supports operations and artificial intelligence (AI), could be responsible for as much as […]
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Solar
New Legislation Would Expand Access to Community Solar
A New Mexico senator has introduced a bill that would support community solar projects and help expand access to solar energy across the U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D), considered a champion for advancing clean energy through community solar, on October 1 introduced the Community Solar Consumer Choice Act. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL) introduced companion […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Gray Skies for U.S. Power Generation? Uncertainty and Turmoil on the Horizon
The Supreme Court’s landmark decision this past summer in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo marks a significant shift in administrative law by overturning the long-standing principle of Chevron deference, which was established in Chevron U.S.A. Inc. v. Natural Resources Defense Council Inc. in 1984. The Loper ruling from earlier this year is poised to have […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Evolution of Decommissioning Requirements in Renewable Energy
With legislative momentum around clean power generation and net-zero emissions policies rapidly building, the U.S. is seeing rapid increases in installed wind and solar capacity each year. At the same time, older generations of renewables are facing a new challenge: obsolescence. The first utility-scale wind and solar projects in the U.S. were developed in the […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Unlocking America’s Clean Hydrogen Potential: Navigating Policy, Challenges, and Market Opportunities
The U.S. clean hydrogen sector is poised for significant growth, driven in part by its potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in hard-to-abate industries such as transportation and chemical production. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) have catalyzed this momentum, providing production tax credits (PTCs) and billions in funding to […]
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Energy Security
U.S. in a Race with China to Develop Commercial Fusion Power Technology
Fusion energy is a promising form of power generation that aims to harness the same process that powers the sun and stars. Fusion involves combining two light atomic nuclei to form a heavier nucleus, releasing a large amount of energy in the process. This is the opposite of nuclear fission, which splits heavy atoms apart. […]
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Legal & Regulatory
Net Metering Reform: Premature or Long Overdue?
The growth of distributed energy resources (DERs) has significantly increased over the past decade as the U.S. moves to decarbonize the electric grid. Growth has been possible by incentivizing the transition to clean energy; states and federal legislation, such as the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), have used tax credits and other programs to accelerate deployment. […]
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Hydro
DOE Injects $430M to Revitalize, Modernize U.S. Hydropower Fleet
The Department of Energy (DOE) has selected 293 hydroelectric projects across 33 states that will receive up to $430 million in incentive payments for capital improvements directly related to grid resiliency, dam safety, and environmental improvements. The funding, unveiled on Sept. 5, stems from the DOE Grid Deployment Office’s (GDO’s) Maintaining and Enhancing Hydroelectricity Incentives […]
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Gas
Major Project Rejected in Texas’ Flagship Dispatchable Power Loan Program
The Texas Energy Fund (TEF), a flagship loan program designed to boost the state’s dispatchable generation, faced its first setback on Sept. 4 when the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) denied Aegle Power’s loan application for a 1,292-MW combined cycle generating facility in Harlingen—its second-largest shortlisted facility. The PUCT said Aegle Power’s application, filed […]