In his inaugural address earlier this month, Governor Brown, referenced several ambitious goals he would like to see accomplished over the next 15 years, including increasing from one-third to 50 percent the amount of California’s electricity that must be derived from renewable resources. On January 28, 2015, a legislator joined in this ambitious goal setting,
Minnesota Community Solar Gardens Forecast: Partly Sunny with a Chance of Rain
Within days of its open on December 12, 2014, Xcel Energy’s Minnesota Community Solar Garden (CSG) Program had well over 300 MW worth of CSG applications submitted and by this writing nearly 430 MW. The rush of significant application creates a question of “who’s in line first?” That was the question before the Minnesota Public
California Governor Pledges 50% Renewable Energy by 2030
In November 2008, former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Executive Order S-14-08, which set a 33 percent renewable portfolio standard for California by 2020. On Tuesday, Jerry Brown was sworn in for a record fourth term as Governor of California and, during his inaugural speech, Governor Brown touched on California’s ambitious climate change policies,
Initial Take: Xcel Energy’s 2016-2013 Integrated Resource Plan for Minnesota
Today, Xcel Energy filed its 2016 – 2030 Integrated Resource Plan. Xcel Energy’s proposal is fairly significant in scope – it proposes to cut CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030, add new renewable and natural gas generating resources, and lay the stage for reforming the resource planning process conistent with its framework filing and proposals
Xcel Energy Submits Framework Filing in Response to e21 Report
Today, Northern States Power Company, d/b/a Xcel Energy, submitted a filing to initiate a discussion with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission regarding the recently released e21 Phase I Report (see our blog post here). Key components of Xcel Energy’s proposal to begin implementing the e21 Initiative’s vision include:
- Lead the effort to achieve carbon
Minnesota Stakes its Claim as a National Leader on Energy Regulatory Reform with Release of e21 Report
Today marks the release of the highly anticipated report from the Minnesota e21 Initiative (e21 stands for 21st Century Energy System). The Great Plains Institute assembled a diverse range of stakeholders, including utilities, ratepayer advocates, environmental advocates, and independent power producer advocates, to discuss regulatory reform in Minnesota to accomodate anticipated changes to our energy
To Need or Not to Need, that is the Question: MN PUC Answers in the Affirmative
On Monday, the MN PUC addressed whether ‘tis nobler in the pocketbook to suffer the slings and arrows of the MISO market or to invest in new generating units against a sea of uncertainty.
As we noted in prior blogs, the MN PUC initiated the competitive process seeking bids to meet a claimed capacity
Xcel Announces Launch Date for its Community Solar Garden Program
Xcel announced this morning that it plans to open its Community Solar Garden program next Friday, December 12, 2014 at 9:00 AM CST. In its filing, the company attempts to clarify the “first-ready, first-served” application process it plans to follow. The company explains that Garden operators can view a time stamp marking when the application
Energizing Discussion at Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal Offices
I had the honor this morning to feature on a panel of experts convened by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal to discuss the topic of ”The Future of Energy.”
Moderated by John Kearney of the Minnesota Solar Energy Industries Association, the panel included Kenneth Smith, President and CEO of Ever-Green Energy, Ken Bradley,
Minnesota Can Reliably Integrate 40% Renewables According to DOC Transmission Study
Yesterday, the Minnesota Department of Commerce issued its highly anticipated Minnesota Renewable Energy Integration and Transmission Study, which indicated that the “capacity for adding additional wind and solar up to 40% by 2030 can be reliably accommodated by the electric power system” (DOC press release here). The study stated that with relatively modest