Focus
In new challenge for California’s utilities, rating agency warms to community aggregators
■Greentech Media - May 7
The community choice aggregators disrupting California’s electricity market have come a long way in a short time, and the credit rating agencies are taking notice. Peninsula Clean Energy, which procures electricity for around 300,000 accounts in the San Francisco Bay Area, obtained an investment-grade credit rating this week from Moody’s, along with a stable outlook. It’s the second community choice aggregator to secure such a rating, after Marin Clean Energy did so last year. With investment-grade ratings in hand, community choice aggregators may be able to negotiate better credit terms and lower energy prices, making them more competitive suppliers of renewable power.
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News
House backs Paris agreement in first climate bill in a decade
■Reuters - May 2
The U.S. House of Representatives last Thursday passed its first climate-change bill in a decade, voting 231-190 to require that the Trump administration keep the United States as a party to the Paris Climate Agreement. The Climate Action Now Act would require President Donald Trump to develop a plan for the United States to meet the goals it committed to in the Paris agreement to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and block federal funds from being used to advance the formal U.S. withdrawal from the pact. Trump has stood by his 2017 decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 climate accord and has been dismissive of regulations aimed at slashing greenhouse gas emissions.
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U.S. wind and solar PPA prices decreased quarter over quarter
■Energy Manager Today - May 8
Overall PPA prices decreased quarter over quarter across wind and solar for all five major markets in the United States, according to LevelTen Energy’s Q1 2019 PPA Pricing Index. To determine how PPA offer prices change each quarter, Seattle-based LevelTen analyzed more than 1,100 price offers from over 340 renewable energy projects submitted through the company’s marketplace. The numbers are broken down nationally and across five regional independent system operators, as well as into solar and wind categories. The latest numbers reveal a buyer’s market with a rising number of active projects. California Independent Service Operator saw the biggest drop, with a 15 percent decrease in prices from Q4 to Q1.
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Washington signs carbon free power bill into law
■Electric Light & Power - May 8
Washington Governor Jay Inslee, who is seeking a path to the White House on the message of climate change, signed a measure Tuesday that makes his state the fourth in the nation that has established a mandate to provide carbon-free electricity by a targeted date. Washington now joins California, Hawaii, and New Mexico, which have all established either renewable energy mandates or clean energy mandates with the 2045 target. Washington, D.C., passed a bill last year establishing 2032 date for a 100 percent renewable energy mandate, and Puerto Rico this year established a 100 percent renewable energy mandate by 2050, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
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Long Beach considers switch to locally-run electric power service
■Long Beach Business Journal - May 6
With one of the largest urban solar projects on the roof of the downtown library and a transition towards alternative fuels for the city’s port and public transit fleets, Long Beach has made its intentions clear: the city is going green. Now, city leadership is considering the formation of a community choice aggregation program, a change in utility systems associated with more sustainable power sources. To assess whether the program is a viable option for Long Beach, the city has hired Oakland-based consultancy firm MRW Associates to better understand the usage patterns of its 190,000 commercial and residential accounts.
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Renewables accounted for 60% of new energy capacity installed in Q1
■Solar Power World - May 8
Solar, wind, and hydropower accounted for about three-fifths (59.6 percent) of new energy capacity added to the nation’s electricity generation mix during the first quarter of 2019, according to an analysis of data released by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission conducted by the SUN DAY Campaign. According to the data, 59 units of new solar provided 1,155 megawatts, 15 units of wind accounted for 1,011 megawatts, and four units of hydropower added 29 megawatts, for a total of 2,195 megawatts of new energy production. By comparison, 16 units of natural gas (1,482 megawatts) and two units of oil (5 megawatts) contributed 1,487 megawatts.
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Projects
Walmart agrees to power more than 40 stores with solar energy
■Bloomberg - May 8
Walmart Inc. reached a deal to power more than 40 stores in five states, including California, with solar energy as it works toward a goal of getting half its electricity from renewables by 2025. The retail giant signed 46 power-purchase agreements and leases with C2 Energy Capital LLC, the New York-based solar company said in a statement Wednesday. The projects supplying the power will produce more than 65 gigawatt-hours annually, enough to furnish as much as 60 percent of each store’s electricity.
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