Archive for July, 2008

On July 29, 2008, the New Mexico Public Regulatory Commission issued an order (Case 07-00422-UT) which finalizes the state’s interconnection rules for small distributed generation. The order includes separate rules for generators sized 10 MW or less (see Exhibit 1-A at back of order) and generators sized above 10 MW (see Exhibit 1-B at back ... Read More

On July 23, 2008, the staff of the Ohio Public Utilities Commission issued its second set of proposed rules (see Docket 06-653-EL, Order dated 7/23/08) to implement S.B. 221, Ohio’s new comprehensive energy legislation. Comments on these proposed rules are due by August 12, 2008. Relevant highlights of S.B. 221: systems eligible for net metering ... Read More

On June 13, 2008, the board of the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD), the largest utility in Nebraska, approved the adoption of a modified net metering standard, as recommended by NPPD management. Key points: NPPD will make net metering available to all of its customers with systems of 25 kW or less; aggregate capacity limit ... Read More

On March 4, 2008, the PSC issued an order ratifying its new IC/NM rule (Docket 070674-EI). (See April 2008 Connecting to the Grid for details.) The state’s four investor-owned utilities filed their tariffs to comply with this ruling (see Dockets 080255, 080257, 080260, and 080265) and were awaiting PSC approval. However, on July 21, 2008, ... Read More

On July 25, 2008, the staff of the Florida Public Service Commission held a technical meeting to discuss the development of a renewable portfolio standard, as required by HB 7135, discussed below. This matter is currently undocketed. On July 11, 2008, the PSC held an initial workshop on this issue. The unofficial transcript of this ... Read More

One of the agenda items for the July 29, 2008 regular open meeting of the New Mexico Public Regulatory Commission was the issuance of a final order on the state’s proposed IC/NM rules (particularly for generators of 10 MW or less). If this event happens after our publication date, we will broadcast the details of ... Read More

On July 14, 2008, the California Public Utilities Commission released its Draft Strategic Plan for Energy Efficiency. On-site distributed generation is mentioned in this report as a component of the goal to deliver zero net energy to new homes and businesses by 2020 and 2030, respectively.

On July 16, 2008, PSEG announced that it is now offering residential customers access to its innovative solar loan program. This program, which can accommodate about 900 residential customers for a total of 6 MW of solar generation, is one of the first of its kind in the U.S. This program permits qualified residential customers ... Read More

On July 15, 2008, Exelon Corporation announced a carbon-reduction strategy entitled, “Exelon 2020: A Low-Carbon Roadmap.” which could set a new benchmark for environmental action by a major U.S. utility. This plan sets a goal of reducing, offsetting, or displacing more than 15 million metric tons of GHG emissions per year by 2020. The plan ... Read More

On June 25, 2008, GE Energy announced the formation of a strategic alliance with GAF Materials Corporation, the largest roofing manufacturer in North America. Through this alliance, the companies will market and ultimately develop solar roofing systems for commercial and residential customers. GAF has a network of more than 12,000 contractors, distributors, and roofing installers ... Read More