The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has made clear that state clean energy programs—including those related to renewable energy—can contribute to a state’s Clean Power Plan (CPP) compliance. A key challenge for state regulators will be tracking the results of renewable energy programs, which can occur inside and outside of state boundaries. Renewable energy…

Please accept all cookies below to watch this video. Electric vehicles (EVs) are commonly viewed as a crucial mechanism to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, increase energy security, and improve air quality. Widespread adoption of EVs also represents an opportunity for energy utilities and consumers. On April 30, 2015, the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) and…

Please accept all cookies below to watch this video. Energy efficiency programs reduce utility bills, reduce emissions of multiple pollutants, and reduce the overall cost of delivering electricity services. Measuring and considering the full array of benefits provided by energy efficiency is crucial to ensuring that all cost-effective efficiency resources are captured. One such benefit—the…

Please accept all cookies below to watch this video. Time and again statements asserting that high penetrations of clean energy resources like energy efficiency and renewable energy could endanger electric system reliability have proven false. We refer to these assertions collectively as “playing the reliability card” against clean energy. In a webinar held on February…

Please accept all cookies below to watch this video. The webinar series Fundamentals of Rate Design continued on November 14, 2014, as Jim Lazar and Janine Migden-Ostrander provided an in-depth review of: Cost of service studies Cost allocation The transition from cost to rates Time-varying and dynamic rates Net-metering and alternatives This session builds on…

Please accept all cookies below to watch this video. Rate design for electric utility customers is an arcane topic that matters a lot. Rate design represents the price signals consumers use to guide their consumption and investment choices. Just as customers choose groceries, gasoline, or plane tickets in part based on the price for the…

Please accept all cookies below to watch this video. In a webinar on September 30, 2014, David Farnsworth, RAP senior associate, and Robin Quarrier, chief counsel at the Center for Resource Solutions, explained how existing renewable energy certificate (REC) tracking systems can be used as an integral part of state compliance with the EPA’s Clean Power Plan….

Please accept all cookies below to watch this video. Traditional utility regulatory practices create an environment in which utilities earn more profit by selling more electricity. Revenue regulation, or decoupling, breaks the link between utility sales of electricity and revenues, while continuing to send customers economic price signals. These two principles are key to successful…

Please accept all cookies below to watch this video. In a webinar earlier this year, the Regulatory Assistance Project (RAP) called for a fresh look at standby rates for combined heat and power (CHP) systems, illustrating how poorly-designed standby rates can impede the adoption of CHP resources, while well-designed rates can encourage these efficient, clean…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Clean Power Plan proposed rule to regulate carbon dioxide under section 111(d) of the Clean Air Act potentially impacts states’ renewable energy programs and policies, including renewable portfolio standards (RPS). Aiming to cut domestic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 30 percent from 2005 levels, the proposed rule creates opportunities…