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, the Policy Committee, or if you have ideas for future policy updates, we would welcome your input and feedback. Please send comments to Kathryn Dube, CPES Executive Director, via email: kdube@ctpower.org.
In this Update:
- Energy & Technology Committee Meeting on February 14
- Revolution Wind PPA Filed at Rhode Island PUC
- Retail Energy Supply Association: Analysis Reveals Retail Electric Suppliers Could Have Saved Connecticut Consumers More than $14 Million in the First Month of 2019
- ISO-NE capacity prices fall amid controversy over Vineyard Wind participation
- Residential solar and storage breaks new ground as Sunrun wins ISO-NE capacity contract
- DOE rolls back Obama-era lightbulb standards
- Next Consumer Liaison Group Meeting March 14, Providence
- New England’s Forward Capacity Auction Closes with Adequate Power System Resources for 2022-2023
- The Rise of Microgrids and DERs: Out of Competition Came Innovation
LEGISLATIVE
ENERGY & TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE
The next Energy & Technology Committee meeting is scheduled for Thursday, February 14th at 3:15 pm. The agenda will be announced on February 13th on the CGA website.
The Bil Record Book, which contains proposed House and Senate bills, is available here.
REGIONAL/INDUSTRY
REVOLUTION WIND PPA FILED AT RHODE ISLAND PUC
A proposed PPA was filed with the RIPUC on Thursday for the Revolution Wind Project. Under the contract, National Grid would pay Deepwater, now part of Danish-owned Orsted U.S. Offshore Wind, a flat rate over 20 years of 9.8 cents per kilowatt hour for power from its Revolution Wind Farm, a 400-megawatt project proposed in Rhode Island Sound. The deal is projected to save Rhode Island about $90 million in energy costs over the life of the contract, or about 50 cents per month for the typical electric customer in the state. Read more
RETAIL ENERGY SUPPLY ASSOCIATION: ANALYSIS REVEALS RETAIL ELECTRIC SUPPLIERS COULD HAVE SAVED CONNECTICUT CONSUMERS MORE THAN $14 MILLION IN THE FIRST MONTH OF 2019
Connecticut residential energy customers could have saved more than $14 million dollars in just the first month of 2019 and received greater value for their energy dollars such as renewable energy, fixed price plans, and loyalty rewards by shopping for electricity from competitive retail electric suppliers, according to data released today by the Retail Energy Supply Association (RESA). The analysis upends a report by the Connecticut Office of Consumer Counsel (OCC) that recommends denying Connecticut consumers the right to choose who they buy their electricity from, leaving them captive to utility monopoly supply service. Read more
ISO-NE CAPACITY PRICES FALL AMID CONTROVERSY OVER VINEYARD WIND PARTICIPATION
In ISO-NE’s capacity auction this year, a limited amount of renewable resources were allowed to apply for special “renewable technology resource (RTR)” that would allow them to be exempt from the market’s price floor, the Minimum Offer Price Rule. Vineyard Wind sought RTR status, but was prohibited by a provision in ISO-NE’s tariff that limited RTR status to resources within the physical borders of a New England state. FERC declined to act on Vineyard Wind’s request or emergency motion in advance of FCA13. to file an emergency request for an auction delay. Read more
RESIDENTIAL SOLAR AND STORAGE BREAKS NEW GROUND AS SUNRUN WINS ISO-NE CAPACITY CONTRACT
ISO-NE on Monday became the first capacity market to accept an aggregated residential solar-plus-storage bid, awarding Sunrun for 20 MW of distributed grid capacity to be online in 2022. Read more
DOE ROLLS BACK OBAMA-ERA LIGHTBULB STANDARDS
The U.S. Department of Energy released a plan that would rescind lightbulb standards projected to save double the energy of any other efficiency regulation in history. The notice of proposed rulemaking, which has not yet been published in the Federal Register, would nullify Obama-era rules that would have expanded the types of lighting covered by stricter efficiency levels. Those higher levels were set to take effect in January 2020, according to federal law. Read more
NEXT CONSUMER LIASON GROUP MEETING MARCH 14, PROVIDENCE
The next meeting of the Consumer Liaison Group (CLG) will be held on March 14 at the Omni Providence Hotel. The topic will be, “Transforming the Power Sector: Customer Choice in a Changing Energy Landscape.”
NEW ENGLAND’S FORWARD CAPACITY AUCTION CLOSES WITH ADEQUATE POWER SYSTEM RESOURCES FOR 2022-2023
New England’s annual capacity auction for power system resources concluded Monday with sufficient resources to meet peak demand in 2022-2023, and preliminary results indicate the clearing price was the lowest in six years. Press release.
THE RISE OF MICROGRIDS AND DERS: OUT OF COMPETITION CAME INNOVATION
What was the impetus for the rise of microgrids and distributed energy resources? What role did competition play? A new special report from Microgrid Knowledge and NRG Energy explores the industry’s evolution. Here’s a look inside the history of electric competition.
