On January 11, 2022, the California Energy Commission (CEC) issued an update to its Summer 2022 Stack Analysis. Previously, on September 8, 2021, the CEC issued a revised Summer 2022 Stack Analysis that showed potential energy shortfalls ranging from 200
Renewable + Law
The Climate Policy, Renewable Energy, & Sustainability Blog
Oregon Department of Energy Seeks Stakeholder Input on Floating Offshore Wind Development
By Ken Pearson
The Oregon Department of Energy (ODOE) is kicking off the stakeholder engagement part of its Floating Offshore Wind Study on January 20 at 9 a.m. As directed by HB 3375, ODOE is preparing a report on the challenges and…
California ISO Issues Straw Proposal in Interconnection Process Enhancements Stakeholder Proceeding
By Seth Hilton
On December 6, 2021, the California ISO issued an issue paper and straw proposal (“Straw Proposal”) for its Interconnection Process Enhancements stakeholder proceeding. The California ISO initiated this stakeholder proceeding on September 30, 2021 with the issuance of a preliminary…
Reactive Power Compensation for Renewable Generators – On the Chopping Block?
On November 18, 2021, FERC issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking comments on reactive power capability compensation and market design. (Link to NOI here). Reactive power is a critical component of the bulk electric system. Almost all…
Public Utilities Commission of Texas Adopts New Winter Weatherization Rules in Response to Winter Storm Uri
By Melan Patel
On October 21, 2021, the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT) approved a rule that creates requirements for power companies to better prepare for winter weather. The rule stems from the Texas Legislature’s passage of Senate Bill 3 (S.B. 3)…
California Public Utilities Commission Takes Action to Prevent Outages During Summer 2022 and 2023
By Seth Hilton
On October 29, 2021, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) issued three proposed decisions intended to address potential electric capacity shortfalls in 2022 and 2023. The proposed decisions, if approved, would implement a variety of demand-side and supply-side policies designed…
Biden Administration Revokes Trump Administration MBTA Rule and Initiates Rulemaking for MBTA Incidental Take Permitting Program
Earlier this month, the Fish and Wildlife Service (“Service”) published a final rule revoking the Trump Administration’s rule on incidental take under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (“MBTA”), as well as an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (“ANPR”) aimed at…
FERC Approves Changes to CAISO Interconnection Procedures; Next Queue Cluster Application Window Not Scheduled to Open Until 2023
By Seth Hilton
On September 24, 2021, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued an order (176 FERC ¶ 61,207) approving tariff revisions to amend the California ISO’s (CAISO) interconnection procedures for its current queue cluster (Cluster 14). The CAISO had requested changes to its…
California ISO Survives the Summer with No Blackouts; Battery Energy Storage Beginning to Play Larger Role
By Seth Hilton
The California ISO held its final Summer 2021 Readiness Update call on September 24. As reported on the call, the California ISO managed to get through summer 2021 without any load-shedding events, in contrast to last summer, when load-shedding events…
FERC Grants Limited Waiver to the CAISO to Immediately Interconnect Gas Turbines
By Seth Hilton
In the wake of Governor Newsom’s July 30, 2021 Emergency Proclamation intended to mitigate the strain on the California energy grid, the California Department of Water Resources (CDWR) and the California Energy Commission have been reaching out to generation owners…