Sharing the Good Stuff from Minnesota

As utility commissions seek to make an impact on various areas of power sector transformation, it’s worth taking a closer look when a particular state breaks a lot of new ground. In a new policy brief, RAP puts the spotlight on some of the “good stuff” happening at the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission: proceedings on updating distributed energy resource interconnection standards, enabling EV charging infrastructure pilots, and considering performance-based regulation. All these proceedings offer lessons for regulators on the lookout for good ideas.

In FERC Guidance, Forward Motion

As the power system is increasingly populated at all levels by advanced resources, wholesale markets must catch up to the 21st century. In an opinion piece for Utility Dive, David Littell and Michael Hogan detail a promising example of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission recognizing this need: FERC’s response to PJM’s Effective Load Carrying Capability (ELCC) proposal for its capacity market. The authors write that FERC was right to reject a transitional price floor for incumbent generators — and find the ELCC concept to be a step forward to better recognizing the reliability contributions of storage and renewables.

To Decarbonize, Pricing Is Just the Icing

To meet the European Union’s goal of reducing emissions by at least 55% net from 1990 levels, policymakers want the buildings sector to take the lead. While a price on carbon can help drive progress toward more efficient energy use in buildings, pricing should be introduced gradually – and as part of a comprehensive approach to ensure an equitable transition. Samuel Thomas, Louise Sunderland and Marion Santini detail such an approach in a new paper.

FURTHER NOTES

Aligning Gas Regulation and Climate Goals

In a workshop for the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, Megan Anderson discussed gas utility planning and regulation strategies that would enable progress on state climate goals.

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Rate Design Practices and Customer Engagement

Dr. Carl Linvill joined a panel on electricity pricing and programs during the Financial Research Institute’s annual Advanced Seminar on rate design, and Richard Sedano closed out the seminar with a discussion of customer collaboration.

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