Category Archives: Connecticut Power and Energy Society (CPES)

Webinar: Clean Energy Financing

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Coming off the heels of CPES’ The Future of Energy series where policymakers, generators, and end-users alike highlighted the importance of decarbonization, CPES kicked off 2021 on January 21 with a panel on clean energy financing.  Moderated by Bert Hunter, panelists included a developer, investor, and lawyer to guide participants through the new developments in project finance and the opportunities for future growth in this space.  

Panelists: 

  • Eric Cohen – Group Head, Renewable Energy Finance, Fifth Third Bank
  • Mackey Dykes – Vice President, Financing Programs, Connecticut Green Bank
  • Alex Figueroa – Co-Founder and CFO, Verogy
  • Ellen Feeney – Clean Energy Attorney
  • (Moderator) Bert Hunter – Chief Investment Officer, Connecticut Green Bank

Registration Fees:  CPES Members ($40) / Platinum Members (Free) / Non-Members ($60) / Government/Students (Free)

Connecticut state employees are invited to attend at no cost provided the webinar is relevant to your state duties and your supervisor approves your attendance. Please contact Kathryn Dube at kdube@ctpower.org with any questions.

WEBINAR: Impacts of COVID-19 on the Energy Industry

 
The recording of this webinar is available to CPES members. Please contact Kathryn Dube for the link at kdube@ctpower.org
 
 
 
Join Connecticut Power and Energy Society (CPES) and the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Energy Section on Tuesday, July 14 from 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on various aspects of the energy industry. This roundtable discussion will examine how disruptions from the pandemic have affected renewable energy developers, regulated utilities, and competitive third-party providers.
 
 
Moderated by Sophia Browning, Associate at Day Pitney LLP
 
 
Featured Speakers:
 
  • Elizabeth Murphy,  Supervisor, C&I, Conservation & Load Management at Avangrid
  • Steven Pieslak, Director, Procurement at Ameresco
  • David Ricketts, Director, Retail Policy at Vistra Energy Corp.
  • Brian Benito, Jr, Permitting Manager at Kitty Hawk Offshore Wind, Avangrid Renewables
This opportunity to hear from this exceptional panel comes three months after the initial stay-at-home orders went into effect. States have now begun their phased reopenings. What have the impacts been on these industry sectors over the past months? What does the future look like? Have supply chain disruptions caused delays in renewable energy development? Have social distancing limitations impacted the ability to sell competitive retail products to consumers? How have utilities continued to provide energy efficiency services to customers? 
 
These questions, and more, will be explored during this timely webinar.
 
 
Registration is free for our Platinum members.
CLE CREDITS:
CT: 1 CLE Credits* | NY: 0.0 CLE Credits**
 
Registration is being administered by the CT Power and Energy Society and credit will not be automatically posted to your CLE Tracker. Credit is self-reportable.

A Conversation with the Public Utility Commission Chairs from Connecticut and Massachusetts – Perspectives on Energy Storage, Electric Vehicles and the Interconnection of Distributed Resources

WEBINAR RECORDING available to Members.  Please reach out to kdube@ctpower.org

WEBINAR: Join Connecticut Power and Energy Society (CPES) and the Connecticut Bar Association (CBA) Energy Section on Thursday, June 18 from 11:00 AM – 12:30 PM as they jointly host a discussion with the top Connecticut and Massachusetts state energy regulators. 

The chairs of the Connecticut PURA and Massachusetts DPU will explore each state’s approach to grid modernization. 

Featured speakers:

  • Marissa Gillett, Chairman of the Connecticut Public Utilities Regulatory Authority
  • Matthew Nelson, Chairman of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities

This unique opportunity to hear from these two leading states will focus on the contribution of energy storage, electric vehicles, interconnection of distributed resources and innovation in meeting decarbonization targets. 

  • What are some of the challenges regulators face in implementing these programs? 
  • Who are the stakeholders? 
  • What are lessons learned so far and what is the path forward to a widespread deployment of these technologies? 

These questions and more will be explored during this must-see webinar. 

Note that the speakers will be unable to discuss specifics of ongoing dockets due to ex parte restrictions.

CPES Policy Committee Update: March 17, 2020

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by the CPES New Energy Professionals Team. If you are interested in learning more about the New Energy Professionals Committee or if you have ideas for future policy updates, we welcome your input and feedback. Please send comments to Kathryn Dube, CPES Executive Director, via email: kdube@ctpower.org.

In this Update:

  • PURA Directs Utilities to Cease Residential Shut-Offs During COVID-19 Outbreak
  • PURA’s 2020 Report to the General Assembly Regarding the CT Electric Efficiency Partners Program
  • Connecticut Cities, Solar Installers Locked in Legal Fight Over Property Taxes
  • Solar and Wind Power are Pushing Down Electricity Prices in New England, but Carbon Fuels Still Dominate          
  • 2020 Legislative Session Update
  • Sens. Manchin, Murkowski introduce American Energy Innovation Act
  • ISO-NE Releases the 2020 Regional Electricity Outlook: The Road to a Clean Energy Future
  • ISO’s Final Draft 2020 10-yr Forecasts for Heating Electrification and EVs
  • New England Sees Back-to-Back Afternoon Demand Lows 

CONNECTICUT

PURA Directs Utilities to Cease Residential Shut-Offs During COVID-19 Outbreak
Connecticut’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) announced that it issued a ruling directing all regulated electric, natural gas, and water companies in the state to cease residential service terminations for non-payment as a protective measure during the current public health emergency. Docket 20-03-15 

PURA Publishes the 2020 Report to the General Assembly Regarding the CT Electric Efficiency Partners Program

Connecticut Cities, Solar Installers Locked in Legal Fight Over Property Taxes
At least 15 municipalities in Connecticut are locked in court battles with solar companies who say they are wrongfully taxing residential solar installations. Since 2017, nearly 200 lawsuits involving hundreds of properties around the state have been filed in the state Superior Court. At the root of the challenges is a state statute granting a property tax exemption to renewable energy sources that generate electricity for “private residential use.” A

Solar and Wind Power are Pushing Down Electricity Prices in New England, but Carbon Fuels Still Dominate
Renewable energy is beginning to have an impact where it counts, in the cost of electricity, as generators pledge to sell power to the New England grid at prices that keep falling and will be down more than 70% over four years by 2023. As a result, consumers will likely pay less, but the dollar impact on electricity bills is not known because utilities will factor the costs differently in rates.

2020 Legislative Session
The state Capitol is currently closed due to COVID-19.  There is no information on how the extended closing will impact the legislative session or the legislative process. Legislative leaders plan to revisit the decision as they receive additional information. Information will be shared as it becomes available. COVID-19 updates are available here.

Energy and Technology Committee
March 5th Public Hearing: The agenda included the Governor’s bill, SB 10, which codifies the Governor’s Executive Order No. 3 to require a statewide zero carbon electric sector by 2040. The Committee has made electricity storage a priority this session. HB 5351 encourages 1,000 MW of storage by December 31, 2030 and shares similar language regarding storage with the Governor’s bill, SB 10. HB 5350, which concerns natural gas infrastructure connectivity, gained a lot of traction during Thursday’s public hearing. This bill, which has been referred to as “the gas bill,” repeals the gas pipeline tax to prevent natural gas expansion in addition to requiring PURA to establish a hurdle-rate utilizing a 25-year payback period to compare revenue requirements of connecting new customers to gas distribution systems. 

February 27th Public Hearing: This hearing was largely focused on the technology side regarding Public, Educational, or Government (PEG) Programming fees, and Net Neutrality. A Distributed Energy Resource bill, which helps the procurement process of natural gas from anaerobic digestion facilities, was discussed. View PURA’s testimony here and DEEP’s testimony here.  An energy efficiency bill also made an appearance again this year. This bill updates energy and water efficiency standards for common household and commercial appliances.

INDUSTRY

Sens. Manchin, Murkowski introduce American Energy Innovation Act
U.S. Sens. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) released on Feb. 27, the text of the American Energy Innovation Act (AEIA), a compilation of more than 50 energy-related measures individually reported by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (ENR) last year. MORE

ISO-NE Releases the 2020 Regional Electricity Outlook: The Road to a Clean Energy Future
ISO-NE’s annual report looks at the trends affecting New England’s power system and the innovative solutions the ISO is pursuing to ensure reliable electricity for homes and businesses as the region moves along its decarbonization journey. See the press release and the report for more information.

ISO’s Final Draft 2020 10-yr Forecasts for Heating Electrification and EVs
ISO published its first Final Draft 2020 Heating Electrification Forecast and Final Draft 2020 Transportation Electrification Forecast to capture growth in air source heat pumps and light-duty electric vehicles and to quantify resulting increases in grid electricity demand. The ISO forecasts that by 2029 roughly 750,000 air source heat pumps will be installed in New England with a near 600 megawatt (MW) increase in load during the winter months. Light-duty electric vehicles (including cars and light-duty trucks) are estimated to number over 515,000 region-wide, adding up to 400 MW of load a month by the end of 2029. Learn more at ISO’s Newswire.

New England Sees Back-to-Back Afternoon Demand Lows 
February 22 and 23 solar generation lead to a mid-day drop in grid demand followed by a steep evening increase- see the charts and read more at ISO’s website.

CPES Policy Committee Update: February 26, 2020

This update features policy, regulatory, legislative, and regional developments in Connecticut and New England. The policy updates are compiled by the CPES New Energy Professionals Team. If you are interested in learning more about the New Energy Professionals Committee or if you have ideas for future policy updates, we welcome your input and feedback. Please send comments to Kathryn Dube, CPES Executive Director, via email: kdube@ctpower.org.

In this Update:

  • DEEP Integrated Resources Plan Technical Meetings Scheduled
  • Energy & Technology Committee will hold a Public Hearing on 2/27            
  • Upcoming Regulatory Meetings
  • FERC deals blow to New York renewable, storage projects, adding hurdles to NYISO capacity market
  • Final ISO-NE FCA #14 Results Filed with FERC
  • ISO-NE Updates Online FCM Participation Guide
  • HBJ article: Energy-capacity auction results in record low New England price

CONNECTICUT

DEEP Integrated Resources Plan
DEEP is developing a new Integrated Resources Plan (IRP) for the State of Connecticut and will hold a second technical meeting on February 28 at 9 a.m. in Hearing Room 1 at its offices in in New Britain. The purpose of the meeting is to continue the discussion from the January 22, 2020 technical meeting, and to assess the strengths and weaknesses of alternative market designs highlighted during the stakeholder process. DEEP is soliciting stakeholder participation in the form of presentations on various alternative market design proposals.

DEEP is also hosting a separate IRP technical meeting to explore a renewable portfolio standard for thermal energy. This technical meeting will be held March 16, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Hearing Room 1 at its offices in in New Britain to explore issues related to the biodiesel market; biodiesel blending infrastructure; certification mechanisms for biodiesel blending; accounting for greenhouse gas emissions associated with biodiesel use; and alternative mechanisms for the promotion of biodiesel as a thermal fuel.

2020 Legislative Session
The Energy & Technology Committee will hold a public hearing on Thursday, February 27 at 11:00 am in Room 2B of the Legislative Office Bldg  Agenda

Upcoming Regulatory Meetings
For more information on regulatory matters, see the current PURA and Siting Council agendas. This information is updated regularly.

INDUSTRY

FERC deals blow to New York renewable, storage projects, adding hurdles to NYISO capacity market
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved four separate orders to narrow exemptions of buyer-side mitigation (BSM) market rules in the New York Independent System Operator’s (NYISO) capacity zones during Thursday’s public meeting, which critics say will stifle the competitiveness of clean energy resources.

Final ISO-NE FCA #14 Results Filed with FERC
ISO New England filed the final Forward Capacity Auction (FCA) #14 results  with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).  The finalized results confirm that New England’s annual capacity auction concluded with sufficient resources to meet electricity demand in 2023–2024, and at the lowest price in auction history.

ISO-NE Updates Online FCM Participation Guide
ISO’s Forward Capacity Market (FCM) Participation Guide has been updated to reflect the latest procedures, reference materials, hyperlinks, and terminology.

Hartford Business Journal “Energy-capacity auction results in record low New England price”