new england
-
Legal & Regulatory
Measure Twice, Cut Once—A Roadmap for Enabling VPPs Through Policy and Program Design
Virtual power plants (VPPs), as aggregations of dispatchable distributed energy resources (DERs), can deliver grid services ranging from resource adequacy to reliability at scale—all while making energy more affordable. Yet, despite their merits, the U.S. utility industry is yet to leverage the full potential of these readily available, affordable, customer-sited resources to add flexibility to the grid. Of course, the decision to incorporate […]
-
Press Releases
Highland Electric Fleets and PowerOptions Partner to Provide Charging-as-a-Service to Schools, Municipalities, and Nonprofits in New England
BEVERLY, Mass. (June 13, 2023) — PowerOptions, the largest energy consortium in New England, has selected Highland Electric Fleets, the leading provider of school bus fleet electrification-as-a-service in North America, to serve PowerOptions’ 495 member organizations as a charging-as-a-service provider. Under the program agreement, Highland will provide PowerOptions members with a new procurement alternative to make accessing […]
-
Solar
Vermont and ISO-New England Provide an Interesting Renewable Energy Transition Case Study
Vermont doesn’t get a lot of attention outside of Bernie Sanders, but the state’s power system is worth taking a look at as it has undergone a notable shift toward renewable energy. About 80% of
-
News
NERC Warns Energy Shortfalls Almost Inevitable This Summer
The North American Electric Reliability Corp. (NERC) is warning that large swathes of the North American bulk power system (BPS) could face “elevated risks” of energy shortfalls this summer, especially if temperatures surge beyond normal peaks. But in California, risks are even more pronounced, owing to its reliance on imports to offset falling solar PV […]
-
Fuel
ITC Probing Economic Impact of Renewable Goals, Imports to New England
Responding to a request from a Democrat-led U.S. House committee, the federal International Trade Commission (ITC) is investigating how New England’s increasing renewable targets are economically affecting the region, and what role renewable imports play in meeting those commitments. The ITC, an independent, nonpartisan and quasi-judicial federal agency that also provides fact-finding as it relates […]
Tagged in: -
Legal & Regulatory
Eversource Will Sell 14 New Hampshire Power Plants, Completing Deregulation
Fourteen power plants in New Hampshire, including nine hydroelectric facilities, will soon have new owners as Eversource Energy divests its holdings in the state to satisfy an agreement with state regulators. Eversource outlined the sale of the hydro assets, along with three fossil fuel-fired plants and two combustion peaker units, in an October 12 filing […]
Tagged in: -
T&D
D.C. Circuit Again Upholds FERC Order No. 1000
A three-judge panel for the D.C. Circuit on April 18 unanimously upheld Order No. 1000, denying multiple challenges by New England power firms and state regulators to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC’s) controversial mandate that requires utilities to remove certain “right of first refusal” provisions from existing tariffs and agreements. The decision in Emera […]
Tagged in: -
Legal & Regulatory
New England’s Controversial Pipeline Proposal Suffers Severe Setbacks
Just a few months ago, New England’s biggest and most controversial pipeline proposal, Algonquin Gas Transmission’s Access Northeast project (see “Securing Pipeline Infrastructure for Gas-Fired Generation in New England” in the July 2016 issue), was poised for regulatory scrutiny. Access Northeast distinguished itself by its partnership with electric distribution companies (EDCs), namely National Grid and […]
Tagged in: -
Legal & Regulatory
New England’s Drive to Boost Gas Supplies Hits Roadblock
For several years, states in the northeastern U.S. have been in the midst of a major shift away from coal and nuclear power toward natural gas. As aging coal plants shut down on environmental concerns, and several of the region’s nuclear plants have been prematurely retired or faced with challenging economics, developers of natural gas–fired […]
Tagged in: -
Legal & Regulatory
Western Region Power Grid: Coming Soon?
Panelists debating the pros and cons of a regionalized western power grid seemed to agree that the development of such a system is inevitable, but they disagreed on how fast the evolution should occur. The panel discussion took place during the California Independent System Operator (ISO) Stakeholder Symposium held on September 7 in Sacramento. At […]