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MI Power Grid Proceeding
MI Power Grid is a focused, multi-year stakeholder initiative at the Michigan PUC to maximize the benefits of the transition to clean, distributed energy resources for Michigan residents and businesse...
New York’s ZEC program
Under its Clean Energy Standard, New York established a ZEC program for struggling nuclear plants based on the difference between the social cost of carbon and existing electricity prices. New York’s ...
Giving Landowners the Power: A Democratic Approach for Assembling Transmission Corridors
Gerstle’s 2014 article, Giving Landowners the Power: A Democratic Approach for Assembling Transmission Corridors, provides several innovative land-assembly alternatives to the traditional eminent doma...
California IRP Proceedings on Climate Targets, Energy Mix
In February 2022, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) adopted a 35 million metric ton (MMT) 2032 electric sector greenhouse gas planning target, which is more stringent than the previous...
Illinois Transportation Electrification Proceeding
In furtherance of a 2018 Transportation Electrification proceeding, the Illinois Commerce Commission opened a 2020 Notice of Inquiry to explore electricity rate design options related to the adoption ...
Tucson Electric Power’s DER investments
Tucson Electric Power signed an agreement with NextEra Energy to build a 100 MW solar array and a 30 MWh battery system, expected to provide solar power at less than $0.03/kWh by the end of 2019.
California Time of Use PUC decision
California. After a series of pilots, California’s PUC adopted a decision (2018) guiding the state’s three major investor-owned utilities to roll-out time of use rates across the state. The move is ex...
X-Cel Energy’s Time-of-Use Pilot
Minnesota’s PUC approved a time-of-use pilot program proposed by X-Cel Energy expected to drive greater use of renewables and reduce peak demand. The two-year, 17,500-customer plan is intended to use ...
California Natural Gas Transition Proceeding
In January 2020, the California Public Utilities Commission launched a new rulemaking to regulate the state’s transition away from natural gas, addressing issues related to stranded assets and unfair ...
Texas’ Competitive Renewable Energy Zones
The Texas Public Utility Commission is responsible for designating “competitive renewable energy zones” and “develop[ing] a plan to construct transmission capacity necessary to deliver to electric cus...
California NEM 2.0 Proceeding
In this proceeding (R1407002), various utilities filed plans to reduce net metering (NEM) below retail electricity rate remuneration for distributed power sent to the grid. In an order on January 28, ...
Hawaii’s Time of Use Rates Requirements
In October 2022, Hawaii became the first state to generally approve time of use rates for utilities across its territory. The rate structure will encourage people to shift consumption away from the mo...
Burlington Commercial On-Bill Financing Program
The Burlington Electric Department’s Commercial On-Bill Financing Program offers an on-bill financing program for business customers. All projects that qualify for rebates and incentives under Burling...
Report, Emerging Opportunities in Planning for U.S. Gas System Decarbonization
RMI and National Grid offer this May 2024 report surveying the use of non-pipeline alternatives (NPAs) and integrated energy planning (IEP), of special significance for states planning the phaseout of...
New York’s intervenor funding mechanism
New York’s intervenor funding mechanism is not uncommon in that not all intervenors are eligible for intervenor funds. Only “municipal and local parties” are eligible, where eligible “local parties” i...
Report, Independent System Operators (ISOs) & Carbon Pricing: An Explainer
This 2020 report from Climate Xchange surveys the policy options for carbon pricing at the Independent System Operator (ISO) level. ISOs coordinate real-time electricity flow, ensure fair competition,...
PJM’s demand response markets
PJM, a Regional Transmission Organization serving several Midwestern states, solicits demand response managed by curtailment service providers, which is integrated into the wholesale markets and used ...
Connecticut’s Acceptable Components of Utility Fixed Charges
In 2015, Connecticut passed a law defining acceptable components of a utility fixed charge as the fixed costs, operations and maintenance expenses that are directly related to metering, billing, servi...
RAP Report, Start with Smart
The Regulatory Assistance Project’s 2020 report, Start with Smart: Promising practices for integrating electric vehicles into the grid, outlines policies that can promote the use of EVs on the grid, a...
Colorado Energy Office Low-Income Community Solar Demonstration Project
Colorado’s Low-Income Community Solar Demonstration Project saw the Colorado Energy Office (CEO) administer a $1.2 million grant to implement the development of eight demonstration models throughout C...
California Time-of-Use Rates Order
A 2015 Commission Order established time-of-use rates across California by 2019. California’s time-of-use rates apply to all commercial, industrial and agricultural customers by default, while residen...
NY REV Proceeding
The Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding in New York is a comprehensive effort to change how utilities perform system planning, what financial incentives they face, how they make use of distributed ...
New York’s Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Make-Ready Program (2020)
In July 2020, the NY Public Service Commission approved a $700 million program funded by electric bills to help build more than 55,000 chargers by paying a portion of the transmission upgrades and sit...
SEIA report, Getting More Granular
The Solar Energy Industries Association has prepared a white paper, Getting More Granular, analyzing how time and location-specific values may change the economics for distributed energy projects.
Arizona Carbon-Free 2050 Utility Target
Throughout 2020, the Arizona Corporation Commission developed plans for an update to the state’s Renewable Energy Standard that would require utilities to fully decarbonize their electricity supply by...
NRDC report, On-Bill Financing
NRDC’s 2013 report, On-Bill Financing: Overview and Key Considerations for Program Design, describes key benefits and challenges to consider when exploring an on-bill program.
Kentucky How$martKY On-Bill Financing Program
The Mountain Association for Community Economic Development’s How$martKY On-Bill Financing Energy Efficiency Program organizes four rural utility cooperatives in Eastern Kentucky to provide energy ret...
Report, Guidance for Utilities Commissions on Time of Use Rates
A team of consumer and clean energy advocates authored a 2017 paper, Guidance for Utilities Commissions on Time of Use Rates, making recommendations on developing policy goals, program design, impleme...
Sacramento Time of Use Pilot
Sacramento Municipal Utility District’s Time of Use Pilot (2012) was a multi-year pilot testing three time variant plans. Notably, the study found net benefits doubled when including a critical peak p...
California’s Wildfire and Natural Disaster Resiliency Rebuild Program
In November 2021, California’s Public Utility Commission adopted a statewide Wildfire and Natural Disaster Resiliency Rebuild Program, known as the “WNDRR Program,” to provide incentives to help homeo...
RAP reports on Utility Reform and Integrated Planning
The Regulatory Assistance Project has prepared a report, Leading Utility Regulatory Reform, highlighting key elements of a successful reform process (including scoping, creative process elements, stak...
California’s Solar Roof Mandate
In 2018, California gave final approval to updated building codes that require all new homes to come with solar attached. Multifamily units below three stories must also adhere to the mandate. The Cal...
PG&E Joint Proposal on Shutting Down Diablo Canyon
A 2016 PG&E joint proposal to retire the Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant provides one model of a just transition. The agreement outlines: a severance program for 1500 employees; a retention program ...
Report, Best Practices in Utility Integrated Resource Planning
The Regulatory Assistance Project prepared a 2013 report, Best Practices in Utility Integrated Resource Planning, which describes IRP requirements in three states, Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon, which...
Report, Critical Elements of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Economics
A 2017 NREL report, Critical Elements of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) Economics, surveys critical elements of V2G economics, including the elements and costs of a V2G system, V2G revenue-generating services ...
New Jersey Natural Gas SAVEGREEN On-Bill Financing Program
New Jersey Natural Gas’ SAVEGREEN On-Bill Financing Program offers 0% APR on-bill repayment for eligible small to mid-sized commercial, industrial, and local governmental buildings in its service area...
Ohio’s PowerForward Collaborative
Ohio’s PowerForward Collaborative is an overarching grid modernization group led by PUCO staff. The Collaborative functions as an interactive forum to monitor and facilitate the evolution of a marketp...
IREC’s BATRIES Toolkit
In March 2022, the Interstate Renewable Energy Council (IREC) published its BATRIES Toolkit, which provides solutions to eight regulatory and technical barriers to the interconnection of energy storag...
Kauai Island Utility Cooperative investments in DER
Hawaii’s Kauai Island Utility Cooperative signed contracts for 13 MW of solar and a 52 MWh battery with Solar City in 2015. In 2017, the Cooperative announced plans to purchase a 28 MW solar array and...
NY REV Proceeding
Under New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding, the Commission ordered New York utilities to develop methodologies for assessing distribution system needs and the potential value of DER solut...
NY Utility Climate Risk Disclosure Proceeding
On October 15, 2020, the NYS Public Service Commission opened this proceeding to consider requiring investor-owned utilities to annually disclose what risks climate change poses to their companies, in...
XCel Energy Time of Use pilot
Minnesota’s PUC approved a time-of-use pilot program proposed by X-Cel Energy expected to drive greater use of renewables and reduce peak demand. The two-year, 17,500-customer plan proposed by XCel En...
Seattle’s City Light Off-Peak Hours
Seattle’s City Light program offers EV owners lower charging rates during off-peak hours vs peak hours, at a ratio of 4.3 cents/kWh vs. 6.5 cents/kWh, in addition to a much lower demand charge.
Ouachita Electric Cooperative HELP PAYS program
The Ouachita Electric Cooperative HELP PAYS program approved investments of $1.6 million by the end of 2016. The program caps the cost recovery charge added to customers’ utility bills at 80% of the e...
DC Order on System Level Energy Data
In June 2020, the District of Columbia Public Service Commission issued an order directing utilities to make system-level energy data available on their websites and improving data access for resident...
Illinois Value of DER Proceeding
In April 2020, the Illinois Commerce Commission voted unanimously to initiate an investigation into an annual process and formula for calculating rebate values for customers with solar, wind or other ...
Tucson Electric Power’s Time-of-Use Rate
Tucson Electric Power in Arizona received received approval for a new optional time-of-use rate which became the default rate for new customers starting in January 2019.
Fifty States Reports
The Fifty States Reports produced by the NC Clean Energy Technology Center track, among other things, utility rate cases across the country to give a national snapshot of ratemaking trends.
California Distribution Resources Plan process
Acting under Public Utilities Code section 769, the California PUC required its three major investor-owned utilities to file distribution resources plans by July 1, 2015, identifying optimal locations...
Massachusetts Smart Meter Authorization
The Dept. of Public Utilities issued a 2018 Order authorizing utilities to make $220 million in investments in grid modernization technologies over three years to upgrade their distribution systems to...
Distributed Power Plant Model Law and Model Tariff
“Virtual power plants” (VPPs) are an alternative to traditional grid upgrades, in which a utility aggregates various distributed energy resources (including rooftop solar, backup batteries, electric v...
Oregon’s Charging Program for Utility PacifiCorp
In 2018, the Orgeon PUC adopted a stipulation for PacifiCorp to conduct three pilot programs through 2019 and to develop a cost-effectiveness framework and pilot study on the potential system impacts ...
MISO’s Long-Range Transmission Portfolio
In July 2022, the Midwest Independent System Operator’s board approved a $10.3 billion transmission plan that could support about 53 GW of wind, solar, hybrid and stand-alone battery projects found in...
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy report, Getting Right-of-Way Right
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy’s 2013 paper, Getting Right-of-Way Right: Landowner Compensation for Electric Power Transmission Rights of Way, reviewed alternate compensation methods for landown...
ACEEE Report: Utility Transportation Electrification Planning – Emerging Practices to Support EV Deployment
In September 2022, ACEEE published a report on state transportation planning, highlighting practices to support increased EV deployment. As some states require utilities to submit comprehensive plans ...
California Subsidy Phaseout for Gas Line Extensions
In September 2022, the California Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted to entirely eliminate ratepayer subsidies for the extension of new gas lines amid a statewide push to decarbonize the bu...
New York Order on Incorporating Climate Impacts Into System Planning
In a 2014 Order, the New York Public Service Commission indicated that “[t]he State’s utilities should familiarize themselves with scientists’ projections for local climate change impacts on each serv...
CAISO’s Transmission Planning Analysis
CAISO, the California independent system operator, based its draft 2018-19 transmission planning analysis around Renewables Portfolio Standard compliance. In addition to the state’s 50% by 2030 policy...
Massachusetts Net Metering Revisions
In February 2024, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities issued an order revising the state’s Net Metering Program regulations to allow for municipal and state-owned facilities to take advan...
CAISO ancillary services markets revisions
In 2016, the California Independent System Operator filed proposed revisions to its Open Access Transmission Tariff with FERC to facilitate participation of aggregations of distribution-connected or d...
Minnesota research studies on residential energy use behavior change pilots
Franklin Energy conducted a literature review and interviews across eight utilities, five consultants, and three research organizations to probe the efficacy of customer behavior programs. The program...
Proposed California EV Charger Deployment Rules
Facing a potential gap in the number of installed electric vehicle chargers needed to meet the state’s clean transportation goals, the California Public Utilities Commission released proposed rules to...
Hawaii Performance-Based Regulation and Integrated Grid Planning proceedings
On April 18, 2018, the Public Utilities Commission of Hawaii (PUC) opened a Performance-Based Regulation proceeding to investigate the economic and policy issues associated with performance-based regu...
PJM carbon pricing study
PJM, an independent system operator in the mid-Atlantic states, has proposed to study the effects of a carbon price on wholesale markets in tandem with the carbon pricing discussion being advanced by ...
New York’s Proactive Grid Planning Proceeding
In August, 2024, the New York State Public Service Commission commenced a proceeding to evaluate new energy loads from transportation and building electrification to proactively identify and develop f...
NRDC Report, Removing Disincentives to Utility Energy Efficiency Efforts
NRDC has published a fact sheet on electric utility revenue decoupling and the potential value it provides to prioritizing energy efficiency investments.
NYISO Market Rules for Energy Storage
In September 2020, the New York Independent System Operator announced the final step in a years-long process to open the NYISO’s wholesale energy markets to Energy Storage Resources (ESRs). This devel...
Eversource MA Geothermal District Heating Proposals
Eversource MA has proposed three different pilot projects to Massachusetts regulators in order to prove that networked geothermal systems — connecting a variety of residential and commercial establish...
National Grid RI’s Advanced Metering Developments
In November 2017, National Grid filed a plan to implement an opt-out time varying rates program by 2022. In August 2018, the Commission requested further development of the advanced metering functiona...
Mississippi’s Upfront Distributed Solar Incentive
The Mississippi Public Service Commission has approved a new net metering rule creating a $3,500 incentive for residents who install rooftop solar, per a July 2022 order. According to the new rule, at...
Massachusetts’ Grid Mod Investment Order
The Dept. of Public Utilities issued a 2018 Order authorizing utilities to make $220 million in investments in grid modernization technologies over three years to upgrade their distribution systems to...
California Vehicle-Grid Integration Final report (2020)
A 2019 Ruling of the California Public Utility Commission tasked a Working Group with addressing the following questions: (a) What Vehicle-Grid Integration (VGI) use cases can provide value now, and h...
NESCOE Statement on Wholesale Market Reform
NESCOE, a not-for-profit entity that represents the collective perspective of the six New England Governors in regional electricity matters, issued an October 2020 memorandum calling for reform of the...
Tucson Time of Use rate
Tucson Electric Power in Arizona received received approvalfor a new optional time-of-use rate which became the default rate for new customers starting in January 2019.
SMUD Building Electrification Incentives
The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), an electric-only utility, is implementing a portfolio of programs aimed at zeroing out its carbon footprint by eliminating natural gas from buildings ...
Hawaii’s Major Project Interim Recovery Mechanism
In a 2013 Order, the Hawaii Public Service Commission created the Major Project Interim Recovery Mechanism, which incentivizes utilities to invest in infrastructure that enables renewable generation b...
Oregon Phasing Out Natural Gas Extension Subsidies
Starting in November, 2024, Oregon’s largest gas utility, NW Natural, will be required to phase out the subsidy for helping new customers connect to the utility, according to a Public Utility Commissi...
Report, Vehicle-Grid Integration (VGI) Roadmap: Enabling vehicle-based grid services
The California ISO released a 2014 report, Vehicle-Grid Integration (VGI) Roadmap: Enabling vehicle-based grid services, which outlined a high-level statewide plan to ensure charging is coordinated wi...
California’s Biomethane Procurement Program
In February, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved biomethane procurement targets for utilities in a bid to meet the broader goal of reducing methane and other short-lived climate...
Mississippi IRP Process
In 2019, the Mississippi Public Service Commission adopted a formal integrated resource planning process that requires utilities to consider distributed energy resources and demand-side management (in...
Southern California Edison Charge Ready Transport Program
Southern California Edison (SCE) Charge Ready Transportwill advance the electrification of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, including buses and tractor trailers, by offering to install infrastructure ...
PJM Carbon Study
PJM, an independent system operator in the mid-Atlantic states, has proposed to study the effects of a carbon price on wholesale markets in tandem with the carbon pricing discussion being advanced by ...
Nebraska Public Power District’s Fossil Phaseout Resolution
In December 2021, Nebraska became the 20th state to commit to 100% clean electricity by 2050, via a 9-2 vote by the Nebraska Public Power District (NPPD) Board of Directors. The NPDD Board joins the O...
SMUD’s Avoided Carbon Metric for Efficiency
Sacramento Municipal Utility District, the publicly owned utility in California’s capital city, has changed its energy-efficiency metric from avoided electricity consumption to avoided carbon dioxide ...
California Interconnection Rules Update
In mid-March, the California Public Utilities Commission approved new interconnection rules that take into account how, with the right structures in place, solar and solar-plus-battery systems can ben...
Hawaii Proceeding To Investigate Distributed Energy Resource Policies
On September 24, 2019, Hawaii’s PUC opened proceeding 2019-0323 to investigate the technical, economic, and policy issues associated with DER as they pertain specifically to Hawaiian Electric Company ...
Connecticut’s Framework for an Equitable Modern Grid
In 2019, Connecticut’s Public Utility Regulatory Authority approved the framework for a plan to modernize the electric grid. PURA outlined its vision for the next several years, including a framework ...
Connecticut’s Innovative Energy Solutions Program
In March 2022, Connecticut regulators approved a new Innovative Energy Solutions (IES) program to accelerate the state’s grid modernization efforts by facilitating partnerships among private companies...
Rhode Island Power Sector Transformation Proceeding
In 2017, Rhode Island’s governor requested the PUC embark on a Power Sector Transformation proceeding. The PUC responded with a Phase One report later that year. The report identified existing incenti...
Southern California Edison’s Non-Residential On-Bill Financing Program
Southern California Edison’s Non-Residential On-Bill Financing Program offers qualified business customers 0% financing from $5,000 to $100,000 for qualifying projects. All government and institutiona...
Report, Beyond Carrots for Utilities: A National Review of Performance Incentives for Energy Efficiency
ACEEE has written a national review of performance incentives for energy efficiency, highlighting financial rewards or earnings opportunities to program administrators, utilities, and shareholders in ...
Los Angeles Dept. of Water and Power Coal Divestment
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reduced its coal consumption by 25% in 2016 with the divestiture from the Navajo Generating Station, part of a plan to divest from all coal sources by 202...
FPL SolarTogether
In March 2020, Florida Power & Light Company got approval from the Florida Public Service Commission to launch FPL SolarTogether, the largest community solar program in the country at the time of laun...
CPUC Closure of Mohave Coal Facility
The closure of the Mohave coal facility provides an example of a just transition secured solely under PUC authority. CPUC considered the impacts of closing a Mohave coal facility on the nearby Hopi an...
Electric Highway Coalition
The Electric Highway Coalition made a March 2021 announcement that it plans to build one seamless network of chargers from West Texas to the Gulf of Mexico and all the way up the Eastern seaboard. The...
SoCal Edison’s Charge Ready 2 Program
In August 2020, the California PUC approved a $437 million effort to build thousands of electric vehicle chargers, the nation’s largest utility program to expand charging infrastructure. The money wil...
NY Smart Home Rate Demonstration Projects
As part of the Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding, the NY PSC has approved several utilities to conduct Smart Home Rate demonstration projects. The projects will combine smart home capabilities wi...
MISO’s 2032 Projections
MISO, the independent system operator for the Midwest US and Manitoba, studied various energy scenarios in its 2032 projections, including an Accelerated Fleet Change scenario that presumed regional c...
California Order Streamlining Transmission Permitting
In January 2025, the California Public Utilities Commission adopted a decision to make it easier and faster to approve and build electric transmission projects and related grid upgrades in California....
National Grid’s Voluntary Time of Use Rate for EVs
National Grid offers its NY customers a voluntary time-of-use rate for charging electric vehicles during the off-peak hours of 11pm to 7am. Most EVs can be programmed to charge during these hours usin...
New Jersey Clean Energy Program
The New Jersey Clean Energy Programs are operated by contractors hired by the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. One program is a residential new-construction program. The program has three tiers: ...
New York’s EV and EV Supply Equipment Proceeding
On April 24, 2018, the New York’s PSC opened this proceeding to consider the role of electric utilities in providing infrastructure and rate designs to accommodate the needs and electricity demands of...
PJM carbon pricing study
PJM, an independent system operator in the mid-Atlantic states, has proposed to study the effects of a carbon price on wholesale markets in tandem with the carbon pricing discussion being advanced by ...
Report, Pricing Do’s and Donts
The Regulatory Assistance Project’s publication, Pricing Do’s and Don’ts, documents the impact of rate design on efficiency investments and supports the conclusion that even he costs of power plants, ...
California Fuel Substitution Test
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) established the Fuel Substitution Test in August 2019 (Decision 19-08-009). The test clarifies how to demonstrate that an existing building measure do...
New York Natural Gas Transition Proceeding
In March 2020, the New York Public Service Commission launched a natural gas planning proceeding to harmonize the state’s natural gas policies with the ambitious climate goals of the CLCPA. The commis...
SoCalGas Non-Residential On-Bill Financing Program
SoCalGas’ Non-Residential On-Bill Financing Program offers qualified business customers as well as multi-family residential owners 0% financing from $5,000 to $100,000 per meter for qualifying natural...
Consumer’s Energy Offset Proposal for Natural Gas Customers
On October 19, 2021, Consumers Energy petitioned the Michigan Public Service Commission for approval of a voluntary carbon offset program. The Program will be marketed as a voluntary program to natura...
ACEEE report, Integrated Energy Efficiency and Demand Response Programs
According to a 2019 ACEEE report analyzing 44 electric utility filings across the country, very few utilities optimally deploy energy efficiency or demand response programs. The report examines barrie...
RMI’s Performance Incentive Mechanism Database
Performance Incentives Mechanisms (PIMs) are an evolving tool in the utility regulator’s toolkit, whereby regulators may link utility earnings to achieving certain system or social goals, such as incr...
New York’s Community Distributed Generation program
New York’s Community Distributed Generation program (2015) allows multiple customers to engage with a common, non-utility-owned DG system up to 5 MW, using solar, wind, or certain other renewables def...
E3 report on Residential Efficiency Behavior Programs
Energy and Environmental Economics 2011 report, Overview of Residential Energy Feedback and Behavior‐based Energy Efficiency, provides an overview of residential customer information and behavior ener...
Report, Recovery of Utility Fixed Costs
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has published a report surveying a panel of experts on traditional models of how utility fixed costs are recovered and the perverse incentives that system sends f...
Arizona Public Service Company’s Demand-Side Management Plan
The Arizona Public Service Company’s 2018 demand side management plan includes a managed charging program that would add up to 100 APS-owned and operated charging stations for workplaces, fleet vehicl...
California PUC’s Intervenor Compensation Program
The California PUC’s Intervenor Compensation Program allows qualified parties in proceedings before the Commission to request compensation for their participation (allowable fees and costs), including...
Hawaii PUC’s decision 33258
The Hawaii PUC’s decision 33258 (2015) required utilities to collaborate with inverter manufacturers to develop a reasonable self-certification process for advanced inverters even before national stan...
ACEEE Report, On-Bill Financing for Energy Efficiency Improvements
ACEEE’s report, On-Bill Financing for Energy Efficiency Improvements, offers program profiles from across the country, and makes program and policy recommendations.
California Grid Data Reliability Order
In October, 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission issued a decision addressing the accuracy and timeliness of public grid data from utilities. The grid data portion of the ruling addresses ...
Report, Recovery of Utility Fixed Costs
Berkeley Lab published a 2016 report, Recovery of Utility Fixed Costs, which surveyed the tensions between fixed and variable rates, as well as a variety of alternative rate structures, from the persp...
2025 California Demand Response Potential Study
A Lawrence Berkeley National Labs report analyzing California’s Demand Response programs concluded that well-designed time-of-use rates could also optimize the use of DER for grid services and limit i...
Rhode Island’s Gas Transition Docket
The Rhode Island PUC has opened a docket to investigate the future of the gas distribution business, a response to the passage last year of the Act on Climate. The purpose of the docket is to examine ...
Center for Rural Affairs reports
In a 2014 report, Landowner Compensation in Transmission Siting for Renewable Energy Facilities, the Center for Rural Affairs considered ways to avoid the need to use eminent domain, including special...
Colorado’s Order to Use Carbon Cost in Energy Resource Plans
In 2017, the Colorado Public Utility Commission (PUC) orderedXcel to use the social cost of carbon Energy Resource Plan (ERP) that would guide utility investments through 2024.
North Carolina Order Preserving TOU for Net Metering
In March 2023, the North Carolina PUC approved a section of a stakeholder agreement that replaces Net Energy Metering (NEM) credits with a time of use rate by 2027. Previously, credits were worth betw...
Report, Getting More Granular
The Solar Energy Industries Association has prepared a white paper, Getting More Granular, analyzing how time and location-specific values may change the economics for distributed energy projects.
AWEA database on Integrated Resource Planning efforts
The American Wind Energy Association maintains a members-only database of Integrated Resource Planning efforts across the country in order to track what utilities and jurisdictions may be looking to a...
Proposed Rhode Island Opt-Out Time Varying Rates Program
In November 2017, National Grid filed a plan to implement an opt-out time varying rates program by 2022. In August 2018, the Rhode Island Commission requested further development of the advanced meter...
California’s Integration Capacity Analysis working group
In the Integrated Capacity Analysis proceeding, the California Public Utilities Commission ordered investor-owned utilities to work with DER providers to develop a methodology to identify where DERs c...
PG&E, GM Pilot Using EVs to Power Homes
In March, 2022, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and General Motors (GM) announced a pilot aimed at using electric vehicles as on-demand home power sources in the utility’s Northern California service ar...
Plug-In Austin initiative
Austin Energy’s Plug-In Austin initiative offers rebates for the purchase of home charging stations, electric bikes, as well as charging infrastructure at businesses and multi-family housing developme...
Nix the Fix Fact Sheet
Indiana’s Citizen’s Action Coalition has launched a campaign against higher fixed charges in utility rates, producing a fact sheet documenting the adverse effects on equity, efficiency, and competitiv...
MISO Multi-Value Project lines
The Midcontinent Independent System Operator had undertaken efforts to coordinate states to build a series of Multi-Value Project (MVP) lines (explained in a 2017 programmatic triennial review) design...
Report, Opportunities for Integrating Electric and Gas Planning
To successfully electrify traditionally gas-powered sectors, Public Utility Commissions should consider integrating the planning process of public gas and electric utilities, according to a January 20...
Central Hudson 2017 Rate Settlement
In a 2018 settlement of Central Hudson’s 2017 rate case, the utility’s fixed charge will drop from $24/month in 2019 to $19.50/month in 2021. “Numerous commenters, including various town, city and cou...
Florida Light & Power EV Charging Rate Pilot
On June 19, 2020, Florida Light & Power Company (FPL) initiated a proceeding to petition the Florida Public Service Commission (PSC) for approval of a five-year electric vehicle (EV) charging pilot fo...
BNL report, The Cost of Transmission for Wind Energy
Berkley National Laboratories’ report, The Cost of Transmission for Wind Energy, examines 40 transmission planning studies and draws some conclusions about the costs of expanding the transmission grid...
Mass Save Heat Pump Incentives
Mass Save, a collaborative effort led by the state’s investor-owned utilities and the Cape Light Compact, provides incentives for heat pumps in Massachusetts. It operates a comprehensive set of statew...
California IDER Proceeding
The Integrated Distributed Energy Resources proceeding included a competitive solicitation incentive pilot and a utility regulatory incentive mechanism pilot which will facilitate the deployment of cu...
Connecticut’s Energy Storage Solutions Program
In January, the Connecticut Public Utility Regulatory Authority launched an energy storage subsidization program, for which both residential and commercial customers may be eligible. The Energy Storag...
Report: The Short-Run and Long-Run Effects of Behavioral Interventions
The 2014 American Economic Review paper, The Short-Run and Long-Run Effects of Behavioral Interventions, surveyed the Opower program, in which social comparison-based home energy reports were repeated...
Southern California Edison Refrigerator Recycling Program
Southern California Edison once ran a program that offered customers a rebate on a new efficient refrigerator if they gave up their old one. NRDC published a comment on the program’s efficacy in 2012,...
Florida Utilities’ vehicle charging infrastructure program
In a 2017 Order, Florida’s PSC approved an $8 million light-duty vehicle charging infrastructure program.
Energy Policy Act §216(i)
In the Energy Policy Act of 2005, §216(i) (codified at 16 U.S.C.A. § 824p), Congress granted consent for three or more contiguous States to enter into an interstate compact, subject to approval by Con...
Report, California Aims to Incentivize Utilities to Adopt Third-Party Energy Resources
The Lexington Institute’s 2017 report, California Aims to Incentivize Utilities to Adopt Third-Party Energy Resources, surveys California’s pilot program to incentivize utilities to incorporate cost-e...
Findings of a 2016-2017 analysis of investor-owned utility proposals to increase mandatory fixed fees on residents
NRDC, NCLC, and Vote Solar researched the results of rate cases across the US in 2016 and 2017, finding a trend of utilities aggressively proposing fixed charge increases, which Public Service Commiss...
Arizona Public Service Company’s Solar Communities Program
In 2017, the Arizona Corporation Commission approved Arizona Public Service Company’s (APS) Solar Communities Program, a $45 million program that funds utility-owned PV system installations on low- to...
ConEd Electric School Bus V2G Demonstration Project
As part of the Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding in New York, Con Edison received approval to launch a demonstration project using electric school bus batteries as grid assets. Con Edison, in par...
DC’s Proposed Light Touch Microgrid Regulation
Utility regulators in Washington, D.C., are considering a “lightened regulation” or “light touch” approach to microgrid rules, in an effort to facilitate deployment of more renewable energy and storag...
Eversource Zero Energy Home Incentive
In Connecticut, the utility company Eversource offers a residential new-construction program with several tiers based on Home Energy Rating System (HERS) score. The program pays the highest incentives...
PSEG Coal Divestment
The Public Service Electric and Gas Company has announced that it will retire or sell all remaining interests in coal-fired power plants, and has no plans to build or acquire new fossil-fueled generat...
Colorado Energy Plan
Under the Colorado Energy Plan, approved in 2018, Xcel Energy will shut down two of the three units at the Comanche coal plant near Pueblo Colorado, and replace that power with a mix of new renewable ...
Oregon PUC’s intervenor funding
Oregon’s PUC has authorized several rounds of intervenor funding, administered through utilities, for organizations representing broad customer interests in commission proceedings. Recent Senate repor...
ISO-NE demand response
ISO-NE, a Regional Transmission Organization serving the New England states, outlined their plans to achieve full implementation of demand response in a 2017 FERC filing, Revisions to Implement Full I...
MISO/PJM Joint Modeling Case Study: Clean Power Analysis
MISO and PJM, two independent system operators, produced a 2017 study on compliance with the Obama Administration’s Clean Power Plan, which concluded, among other things, that interstate trading lower...
Arizona Residential Battery Storage Program
In Sept. 2020, the Arizona Corporation Commission approved the state’s first residential battery storage program — an incentive pilot proposed in August by the Arizona Public Service Company. The Ariz...
Con Edison’s Commercial Battery Storage Project
In New York, Con Edison’s Commercial Battery Storage Project seeks a new ownership model whereby the utility sites batteries at customer sites which it is free to draw on during peak periods, but whic...
Report, Opportunities for Valuing Climate Impacts in U.S. State Electricity Policy
The Institute for Policy Integrity’s 2019 report, Opportunities for Valuing Climate Impacts in U.S. State Electricity Policy, sheds light on where state regulators have been legislatively granted the ...
Tennessee’s Energy Right Program
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), in partnership with local power companies, actively promotes electrification and fuel switching through its EnergyRight programs. Certain local power companies ha...
San Diego Gas and Electric’s Off-Peak Chargers
In a 2016 Decision, the California PUC approved San Diego Gas and Electric to install 350 EV chargers across the city at a variant rate to encourage owners to charge their vehicles during off-peak hou...
Austin Energy’s Value of Solar tariff
Austin Energy’s Value of Solar tariff was first-in-the-nation, and developed a methodology based on a value stack including avoided energy value, avoided plant O&M value, avoided generation capacity v...
Con Edison’s Shared Solar Pilot
In 2017, New York’s Public Service Commission approved Consolidated Edison’s Shared Solar Pilot, allowing the utility to procure and install 3 MW of community solar generation on Con Edison’s property...
RAP Report, Time-Varying Rates in New England: Opportunities for Reform
Although some New England utilities offer modernized rates for special applications, like electric vehicles and battery storage, there is substantial room for improvement in time-varying residential p...
PJM’s Grid of the Future Report
In May 2022, the PJM Interconnection released a roadmap for handling the various changes affecting its system, including the retirement of fossil-fueled generation, growth in renewable energy and stor...
Massachusetts Geo-Grid Pilots
In Massachusetts, three natural gas utilities are pursuing geo-grid pilot projects. Throughout 2022, utilities Eversource, National Grid and Columbia Gas plan to break ground on separate pilot project...
New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding
The Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding in New York is a comprehensive effort to change how utilities perform system planning, what financial incentives they face, how they make use of distributed ...
Vermont’s Group Net Metering program
Vermont’s Group Net Metering program (2009) allows multiple customers to engage with a common, non-utility owned DG system up to 500 kW, using solar, wind, or certain other renewables defined by law. ...
Massachusetts DER Planning Proceeding
October 22, 2020, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) initiated this proceeding to investigate utility distributed energy resource planning and the assignment and recovery of costs ...
Oregon’s Charging Program for Utility AEP
In a 2018 Order, Ohio’s PUC approved a $10 million light-duty vehicle charging infrastructure program for the utility AEP.
California Integrated Distributed Energy Resources proceeding
California’s Integrated Distributed Energy Resources proceeding included a competitive solicitation incentive pilot and a utility regulatory incentive mechanism pilot which will facilitate the deploym...
ACEEE report: Behavior Change Programs
ACEEE’s 2016 report, Behavior Change Programs: Status and Impact, surveyed different types of behavior change programs, including community-based challenges with public dashboards that display the com...
Report, 2025 California Demand Response Potential Study
A Lawrence Berkeley National Labs report analyzing California’s Demand Response programs concluded that well-designed time-of-use rates could also optimize the use of DER for grid services and limit i...
Xcel Energy Pollinator-Friendly Requirements
In 2018, Xcel Energy in Minnesota became the first utility in the U.S. to require developers that submit bids to build new solar facilities under competitive solicitations to disclose the proposed sol...
ACEEE Field Guide to Utility-Run Behavior Programs
The ACEEE Field Guide to Utility-Run Behavior Programs offers a comparative analysis of utility-run behavior programs, laying the groundwork for further program development by developing a classificat...
Report, Procedural Equity at Public Utility Commissions: Developing a Baseline Assessment of Barriers and Opportunities
This January 2024 report from the Institute for Policy Integrity focuses on the efforts of state Public Utility Commissions to enhance procedural justice, that is, to ensure that disadvantaged communi...
Report, Scaling Clean: Assessing Market Options for Clean Energy and Capacity in PJM
PJM, the regional transmission organization (RTO) covering 13 states and the District of Columbia, is considering significant changes to its market rules. This 2022 report from RMI, reviews two clean ...
Exelon’s Clean Fleet Targets
In June 2020, Exelon, which serves approximately 10 million customers through six different utility companies across Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia...
Report, Unlocking the Queue with Grid-Enhancing Technologies
A February 2021 study found that twice as much renewable generation could be added in Kansas and Oklahoma with modest investments in technology that boosts efficiency on the power grid. The Watt Coali...
Report, Principles and Recommendations for Utility Participation in Solar Programs for Low-Income Customers
In considering the roles utilities can and should play in making solar available for low-income households and underserved communities, this 2020 report from Grid Alternatives, The Environmental Law a...
RAP report, Electric Cost Allocation for a New Era
RAP’s 2020 manual focuses on cost allocation practices for electric utilities in the United States and their implications, acknowledging that charting a new path on cost allocation is an important par...
Illinois’ 15/15 rule
The Illinois Commerce Commission issued a 2014 Order allowing anonymized customer data sharing where the aggregated information abides by the 15/15 rule, meaning the information from at least 15 custo...
Duke EV Subscription and Active Management Pilots
As states continue considering new rate designs to incorporate EVs and EV infrastructure at new scales, Duke Energy in North Carolina recently proposed new pilot programs to test a subscription and ac...
Black Hills Energy Fixed Charge Requests
In 2018, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission rejected the Black Hills Energy request for a fixed charge increase from $16.50/month to $20.13/month and recommended lowering it to $8.77/month.
RAP Rate Design Resources
The Regulatory Assistance Project develops knowledge and best practices pertaining to rate design, including specific resources on time of use rates.
Hawaiian Electric’s Customer Self-Supply Program
Hawaiian Electric’s Customer Self-Supply Program provides expedited review and approval for rooftop solar systems, coupled with advanced inverters and storage, that do not export power onto the grid.
NYISO carbon pricing proposal
The New York Independent System Operator has released a Carbon Pricing Straw Proposal, which would reflect the cost of carbon emissions in wholesale energy market offers via a “carbon charge.” The Pro...
RAP resources on Time of Use rates
The Regulatory Assistance Project develops knowledge and best practices pertaining to rate design, including specific resources on time of use rates.
Hawaii Performance-Based Regulation Proceeding
In 2018, Hawaii engaged in a Performance-Based Regulation proceeding, seeking alternative regulatory mechanisms intended to focus utilities on performance and desired outcomes, such as increased renew...
Duke Energy’s “Resource Acceleration” Green Tariff Option
In July, 2024, North Carolina regulators approved a controversial green tariff proposal from Duke Energy. Green tariffs, which allow customers to opt into a utility program that purports to offer them...
New York Clean Heat and Building Efficiency Funding
In January 2020, the New York State Public Service Commission has approved a set of energy efficiency and electric heat pump targets to reduce energy consumption in New York. The Order established a t...
New York’s Distributed System Implementation Plans
In New York’s Reforming the Energy Vision proceeding, the Public Service Commission required utilities to file Distributed System Implementation Plans (2015) that identified how the utility would asse...
National Grid’s Fruit Belt Community Solar Pilot in Buffalo, NY
National Grid’s Fruit Belt Neighborhood Solar Demonstration Project consisted of installing 74 rooftop solar PV systems totaling 500 kW of generation capacity within a single low- and moderate-income ...
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