Clean Energy Finance Forum

The parent company of renewable generator Avangrid has offered to buy PNM Resources, broadening its footprint from Texas to New Mexico. (Note: One of CBEY's team members has provided consulting services to Avangrid.)

Seven states – Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, South Carolina, and Vermont – have enacted legislation to promote pollinator-friendly solar development. A new white paper by the Clean Energy States Alliance provides an overview of these state efforts and offers suggestions for what other states can do to promote solar while also creating or preserving healthy habitats for pollinators.

A study by Texas Advanced Energy Business Alliance identified two ways distributed energy resources can reduce costs: act as non-wires alternatives to avoid investment in tranmission and distribution ($2.45 billion over ten years), and decrease peak energy costs in the wholesale market which is worth $3.01 billion.

A major rain and wind storm struck the state at the close of October, knocking out power to some 115,000 customers. Among those affected, 1,100 homes managed to keep the lights on thanks to pilot programs specifically designed to promote resilient backup power with energy storage.

Last week as Texas’ ERCOT grid reached its price cap of $9,000 per megawatt-hour and the price map on ERCOT’s website became a solid and deep red, many energy market wonks highlighted that this is a feature, not a failure, of the market.

The industry may be getting some traction to fight municipal restrictions after the Texas Senate passed a bill that would prevent cities from placing restrictions on solar panels.

A Vermont policy meant to steer solar projects away from undeveloped and agricultural land appears to be working two years after it was implemented.

The Green New Deal that some Democrats are now championing is unlike anything this country has ever done before. But scientists have been studying policies like these for decades. And their research can tell us a bit about what might happen if we pass this sweeping new vision for climate action and economic equality.