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In October 2011, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued Order No. 755, which requires regional transmission organizations (RTOs) and independent system operators (ISOs) to pay for frequency regulation services based on the actual amount of service provided in response to actual or expected frequency deviations or interchange power imbalances.  The order directs RTOs…

Yesterday, the California Independent System Operator Corp. (“CAISO”) issued a straw proposal entitled “Cost Allocation Guiding Principles.” The straw proposal kicks off a new stakeholder process designed to establish a set of guiding principles for cost allocation that can be applied throughout the CAISO’s various markets and services. 

As expected, the stakeholder community has been divided over how to address cost allocation. Recently, the CAISO has reviewed cost allocation issues in several initiatives impacting renewable energy generators in the CAISO balancing authority area, including the Renewable Integration: Market and Product Review Phase 1, the Renewable Integration: Market Vision and Roadmap, and the Flexible Ramping Product. The stakeholder comments in these initiatives and others provided the basis for the CAISO’s current straw proposal. The CAISO plans to apply this new set of guiding principles both new programs (starting with the ongoing Flexible Ramping Product initiative) and, later in 2012, existing programs (CAISO expects to make a broad-spectrum review of existing cost allocations to ensure consistency with the new guiding principles.

Read on for a summary of the guiding principles proposed by the CAISO yesterday, which are similar to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s cost causation principles in Order No. 1000:Continue Reading CAISO Initiates Broad Cost Allocation Stakeholder Process

In a previous blog, we reported on a proposed decision pending consideration by the California Energy Commission (CEC), which would allow solar photovoltaic project developers to opt-in to the CEC’s permitting process.  The CEC has announced that its decision on this matter has been postponed to an as-yet undetermined date.

On January 31, 2012, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) conditionally accepted additional reforms to the California ISO’s Generator Interconnection Procedures (GIP) that significantly change the rules that apply to developers seeking to interconnect power generation facilities in the California ISO’s balancing authority area.

The decision continues the California ISO’s efforts to reform the GIP…

Yesterday, the California Energy Commission (CEC) issued a notice that, as part of the CEC’s February 8, 2012 Business Meeting, the Commission will consider adoption of the Lead Commissioner’s Final 2011 Integrated Energy Policy Report (IEPR). 

The CEC’s notice included the following information:

Background
Senate Bill 1389 requires the CEC to adopt an integrated energy…

A legal update from our colleagues Seth Hilton and Allison Smith:

On December 15, 2011, the California Public Utilities Commission adopted Decision 11-12-052, implementing Portfolio Content Categories for the 33% Renewables Portfolio Standard (RPS) Program in California. The Decision implements portions of Senate Bill (S.B.) x1-2, which created the 33% RPS Program. S.B. x1-2…

Next Wednesday, the California Energy Commission will consider adoption of a Proposed Decision that would “expand” the Commission’s jurisdiction over the permitting of energy facilities in California.  The Proposed Decision arises from a motion by Solar Trust of America asking the Energy Commission to find that photovoltaic electrical generating facilities may voluntarily submit to the…

On November 30, the California Independent System Operator Corporation ("CAISO") announced that it would not push for changes to the Participating Intermittent Resources Program ("PIRP") at the December 15-16 Board of Governors meeting.  The announcement came as welcome news to intermittent renewables advocates as the CAISO and stakholders have spent the past year negotiating issues set…

This week the California Energy Commission’s PIER program released a comprehensive report titled "2020 Strategic Analysis of Energy Storage in California."  The report discusses the state of technology, policy, barriers to deployment and suggested reforms.  A staff workshop related to the report will be held on November 15, 2011 at 10 am at the CEC located at…