In most states with regulated, monopoly utilities, utilities are compensation based on two factors: energy sales and a return on capital spent, such as when they build a new power plant. Although energy efficiency standards have been layered on top of this model, the fundamental incentive for the utility remains “build things, get rewards for shareholders.”
Love the state or hate it, California is a green electric mobility bastion of projects, programs, and innovations. And the California Public Utilities Commission just approved no less than 15 utility pilot programs to accelerate the widespread electrification of mobility.
Minnesota’s largest investor-owned utility, Xcel Energy, last month reported sparse participation in a program designed to deliver value to customers who charge their electric vehicles when it’s most convenient for the grid. But despite its benefits for the grid and cost savings for customers, the initiative appears stuck in neutral.
Better technology and falling costs for years have buoyed the clean energy economy, steadily putting rooftop solar, energy efficiency, and other distributed energy resources within reach of more U.S. households and businesses. Still, many utilities remain averse to accommodating these amenities despite significant — and rising — demand in the marketplace.
The residential adder discussion is part of a larger debate over what state regulators can do to ensure community solar is universally accessible. Particularly as these projects catch on with developers in Minnesota and nationwide, sensible policies must ensure equitable distribution of their benefits — from reduced utility bills for subscribers to economic development in the communities they serve.
A federal policy enacted nearly 40 years ago has breathed life into an ongoing argument at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission over utility opposition to a wind-solar hybrid project proposed in the rural city of Red Lake Falls.
Community solar development is growing nationwide as utilities, recognizing market demand, think bigger than pilot-scale projects.
Originally published on Sustainnovate. I was lucky to spend a lot of time with Clint Wilder, senior editor at CleanEdge, while in Abu Dhabi for the World Future Energy Summit, Zayed Future Energy Prize Awards Ceremony, and other Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week events. One morning, Clint set aside approximately 45 … [continued]
Recently, utility efforts to defeat solar have been exposed in several Western states. SolarCity has allied itself with Renew American Prosperity (RAS), an advocacy group funding Checks and Balances, a group dedicated to holding utility regulators accountable. Other solar companies have allied with The Alliance for Solar Choice (TASC), a … [continued]
The California legislature recently took a step forward in the fight against climate change by voting to boost the state’s renewable energy portfolio standard to 50% by 2030. But before our legislators start congratulating each other for their leadership in advance of the Paris climate negotiations, it’s important to note … [continued]
