The Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Energy Storage Coaliation (ESC) will be holding an important energy storage conference at the Portland Convention Center on October 8, 2012. ESC has worked with the Oregon and Washington public utility commissions to bring together a diverse mix of developers, utilities and regulators to share their perspectives on opportunities and barriers
Regulation
White House Executive Order calls for 40 GW of new CHP capacity by 2020
By Stephen C. Hall on
Posted in Regulation, Renewable
Last week the White House issued an Executive Order calling for 40 GW of new CHP capacity by 2020:
The Executive Order on Accelerating Investment in Industrial Energy Efficiency (also known as combined heat and power (CHP) or cogeneration) calls for federal agencies (including the Departments of Energy, Commerce and Agriculture), States, industrial companies…
A Big Day at the FERC Open Meeting
By Jason Johns on
Today was a big day for variable energy resources and energy storage at FERC’s open meeting.
Continue Reading A Big Day at the FERC Open Meeting
FERC Confirms That Its “One-Mile” Rule is a Safe Harbor for Establishing Separate Qualifying Facilities
By William H. Holmes on
Posted in FERC, Regulation
An update from Marcus Wood, Jennifer Martin & Jason Johns:
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s (FERC) regulations provide that, for purposes of calculating a qualifying facility’s net capacity, generating facilities are considered together as a single qualifying facility if they are located within one mile of each other, use the same energy resource, and are owned by the same persons or their affiliates. In recent years, landowners and energy purchasers have disputed whether the location of generating facilities more than one mile apart is a "safe harbor," ensuring that the facilities will be treated as separate qualifying facilities, or is instead a rebuttable presumption that may be challenged. In its Order Denying Rehearing, issued June 8, 2012 in Docket Nos. EL11-51-001, QF10-649-002, and QF10-687-001, FERC reaffirmed that the one-mile separation standard provides a safe harbor for establishing separate qualifying facilities.Continue Reading FERC Confirms That Its “One-Mile” Rule is a Safe Harbor for Establishing Separate Qualifying Facilities
California Judicial Council Announces Expedited CEQA Litigation Court Rules for Qualifying Development Projects
By William H. Holmes on
Posted in Regulation, Solar
From our colleague Wayne Rosenbaum:
As Juliet Cho blogged about in our California Environmental Law blog, California Governor Jerry Brown signed the Jobs and Economic Development through Environmental Leadership Act of 2011 (also known as AB 900) into law last September. The law aims to provide an incentive for applicants to move forward…
EPA Releases Green Diesel Notice of Violation
By Graham Noyes on
Posted in Biofuels, Regulation
Yesterday the EPA released the third major Notice of Violation (“NOV”) against a biofuel producer in the past six months under the Renewable Fuel Standard (“RFS”). The NOV states that EPA has determined that Green Diesel, LLC of Houston, Texas, generated 60,034,033 invalid Renewable Identification Numbers (“RINs’) with a current market value of perhaps $85 million. Coming on the heels of the resolution of the Clean Green Diesel and Absolute Fuels NOVs, this NOV is likely to trigger immediate market reaction.
Continue Reading EPA Releases Green Diesel Notice of Violation
Upcoming Webinar on Order No. 755 (Frequency Regulation) and Energy Storage
By William H. Holmes on
Posted in California, Cleantech, Energy Storage, FERC, Integration, Regulation, Renewable, Smart Energy, Smart Grid, Solar, Wind
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…
Gov. Kitzhaber Names Margi Hoffman as Oregon’s Energy Policy Advisor
Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber announced today that he has named Margi Hoffman to serve as his Energy Policy Advisor. She will join the Governor’s office on April 2.
Ms. Hoffman has served as Senior Vice President and Director of Oregon Operations with Strategies360, a strategic consulting firm, and has also worked closely with Renewable Northwest Project (RNP)…
Upcoming Event: Energy Storage for the Grid: Watchful Waiting or the Perfect Storm?
By William H. Holmes on
Posted in Cleantech, Hydropower, Integration, Regulation, Renewable, Smart Energy, Smart Grid, Solar, Sustainable Development, Wind
I’ll be moderating Energy Storage for the Grid: Watchful Waiting or the Perfect Storm? at the MIT Enterprise Forum Northwest’s May 8, 2012 program at Seattle’s Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) , 2700 24th Ave East. The event, which includes a networking reception, will be held from 5:00 to 8:30 pm.
The evening’s panelists will be:
- Terry Oliver, Chief
…
Update: California Energy Commission Postpones Action on Proposed Decision Allowing PV Projects to Opt-In to CEC Permitting Process
By Allison Smith on
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.