News | Energy Bar Association

Trump administration issues strategic framework to direct federal hydrogen research

Nov 16, 2020 09:29 AM

The U.S. has lagged behind its peers in Europe and Asia with respect to hydrogen research and deployment, said Dajani, who is spearheading her firm's hydrogen practice in New York and London. DOE's new report "is definitely something that is welcomed," Dajani said. "It's a step in the right direction, and I think we will see more of these initiatives" when Biden assumes the presidency.

California regulators race to implement demand response, other measures to avert 2021 blackouts

Nov 16, 2020 09:28 AM

The California Independent System Operator (CAISO) initiated rolling blackouts that affected hundreds of thousands of customers this summer after a record-breaking heatwave swept across the Western U.S., leading to a spike in energy demand. The operator simultaneously faced other issues including thermal and natural gas plants becoming less efficient or going offline, declining production of behind-the-meter renewables and large-scale solar and the lack of available imports, the CPUC noted in it

Larger, vertically-integrated utilities better prepared to face cyber threats, says Moody's

Moody's is digging into the growing threat faced by utilities, and says its Wednesday analysis is the "first of a series of cyber themed research reports" it will release as security plays a growing role in assessing company financials.

US ELECTIONS: Biden declared winner of presidential race, faces challenges to energy agenda

Successfully navigating a winding, bumpy and chaotic electoral journey, Democrat Joe Biden has been declared winner of the 2020 race to the White House. But the rough going is far from over. Stakes are high not just for Biden, but for US energy and commodities sectors as a new president would bring a decidedly different approach to shaping energy, climate and trade policy. Among other things, Biden has vowed to make a swift pivot to clean energy.

California Community Choice power provider continues prolific run of dispatchable solar procurements

Another contract has been signed for energy from a large-scale solar-plus-storage plant by one of California’s Community Choice Aggregator (CCA) groups. Clean Power Alliance (CPA) is one of the CCAs that sits within the service area of the main investor-owned utilities (IOUs) in California, but allows its three million customers in Los Angeles and Ventura County to choose the sources where their power comes from.

'The days of FERC being referred to as an obscure agency are over': Chatterjee reflects on chairmanship

Nov 09, 2020 12:00 PM

Neil Chatterjee started his tenure with the Trump administration as a perceived ally of the coal industry. He ended it as a perceived martyr for climate policy. But he wouldn't describe his past three years as "an evolution." The now-former chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission was unexpectedly demoted by the White House last week as President Donald Trump's path to a second term grew increasingly narrow. Chatterjee plans to stay on as commissioner for the remainder of his term

Voltus vies to unleash thousands of MWs of demand response capacity in challenge to MISO restrictions

Nov 04, 2020 04:50 PM

Demand response aggregator Voltus has filed a complaint with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission challenging Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) tariff provisions that allow states to block third party aggregators from participating in wholesale markets. Experts say the practice is common in other whole wholesale energy markets, as technology has advanced since state opt-out provisions were approved.

Hydrogen is having a moment, and power generation is leading the way

Nov 04, 2020 12:00 AM

At the beginning of the last decade, renewable energy remained an industry-polarizing topic. Legacy energy companies held that fossil fuels would maintain their grip on the industry for generations to come, largely relegating emerging technologies such as solar to the realm of startups.

Three energy policy issues caught up in the US election

Nov 03, 2020 12:00 AM

In the four years since the last US election, the energy conversation has moved on. Nations have changed their concerns and expectations around the energy industry without one of the world’s largest power producers and consumers. Half of the top ten polluting nations have now made a net-zero greenhouse gas emission commitment, but the US is not among them. Among the world’s five biggest economies, the US stands alone in having made no pledge.

Carbon capture and storage could reduce California emissions 15%, save $750M a year: report

Oct 29, 2020 10:44 AM

California is at a crossroads in terms of CCS development, the report said. The state has strong climate policy support and natural resources that give it an edge with the technology, and five projects at different stages of planning and development, but it does not currently have any operational CCS projects.