POWERnews

An executive order signed by New York’s Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Monday establishes a commission to investigate the response, preparation, and management of New York’s power utility companies during recent major storms that have hit the state of the past two years, including Hurricanes Sandy and Irene, and Tropical Storm Lee. The mandate seeks to reform overlapping responsibilities of the state’s regulatory bodies, state agencies and authorities, and quasi-governmental bodies, which the governor’s office alleges have “contributed to a dysfunctional utility system.”

Despite a last-minute lawsuit filed by California’s Chamber of Commerce, the state on Wednesday held its first auction of carbon emissions permits, kicking off the nation’s first state-implemented cap-and-trade program that limits the amount of greenhouse gases (GHGs) emitted by power plants, oil refineries, and other entities.

General Motors and Zurich-based ABB on Tuesday unveiled what they called “the next stage in battery reuse”: repackaging five used Chevrolet Volt batteries into a modular unit that has a power generation capacity of 25 kW for two hours. The companies said the unit could extend the life of electric vehicle (EV) batteries while being used as community energy storage.

A new report from the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) offers a state-by-state look at key developments that have shaped the renewable energy landscape, including information and planned capacity, markets, economic developments, resource potential, and policy.

Between 153 and 353 coal generation units in 31 states—a total capacity of between 16.4 GW and 59 GW—are less economical to operate than natural gas plants and may be "ripe for retirement," a study from the Union of Concerned Scientists (USC) suggests.

Berkeley, Calif., startup LightSail Energy, which aims to produce “the world’s cleanest and most economical energy storage systems,” has secured $37.3 million in a Series D round that included three big-name investors: Bill Gates, Vinod Khosla, and Peter Thiel.

Switzerland-based ABB today announced that it has developed the world’s first circuit breaker for high voltage direct current (HVDC), solving what it says has been “a 100-year-old electrical engineering puzzle and paving the way for a more efficient and reliable electricity supply system.” The breakthrough holds promise not just for renewables development but also for all types of generation that nations and regions wish to transmit over long distances, including under large bodies of water.

Tuesday saw the re-election of President Barack Obama, Democrats boosting their numbers in the U.S. Senate, and Republicans retaining their majority in the House. Voters in several states also cast ballots to decide a variety of environmental and energy issues at state and local levels. The results included rejection of a proposed raising of Michigan’s renewable energy standard (RES) to 25% by 2020 and passage of closing a tax loophole for out-of-state corporations in California to fund clean energy and energy efficiency projects.

An explosion at a 600-MW coal/biomass power plant in the eastern Netherlands city of Nijmegen early on Thursday morning sent steam clouds into the sky, scattered ceramic wool in the vicinity, and prompted police to advise nearby residents to keep their windows and doors shut. No casualties were reported, and all workers are accounted for, said GDF Suez, whose subsidiary Electrabel owns the plant.

South Korea’s government on Monday shut down two nuclear reactors at the Yeonggwang nuclear complex owned by the state-owned Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP), which it said were equipped with thousands of parts allegedly linked to forged quality and safety warranties.