QUICK NEWS, February 27: The High Cost Of The Cold On The Mid-Atlantic Grid; Southeast’s Utilities Starting To See The Sun

Newest Voters Want Action On Climate Change Poll: Millennials Embrace Action to Combat Climate Change

Steve Michaels, February 26, 2018 (NewsMax)

“Millennials overwhelmingly believe human-caused climate change is real and that steps must be taken to slow it…[ A new poll shows] 77 percent of millennials think the U.S. should take steps to slow or stop climate change…80 percent say they are more concerned with pollution than gun violence (70 percent) and immigration (58 percent)…70 percent think climate change will affect them in their lifetimes…62 percent believe human activity is responsible for climate change…51 percent of Republicans are concerned about climate change…[and] 57 percent of millennials believe the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction on the climate change issue…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

The High Cost Of The Cold On The Mid-Atlantic Grid PJM Report on Cold Weather Performance Shows Grid Performed Well, Need for Pricing Reform

Feb. 26, 2018, (PJM Interconnection)

“…The grid connecting 65 million people in Mid-Atlantic and Midwestern states served well during this winter’s cold snap…Though not as severe as the 2014 Polar Vortex, the cold snap demonstrated [the PJM Interconnection’s system remains] reliable, according to PJM Cold Snap Performance…On Jan. 5, 2018, demand reached 137,522 megawatts, which is the sixth highest overall winter peak demand…[but even] during peak demand, PJM had excess reserves and capacity…[However, the report adds, the 11-fold increase in uplift charges] during the cold snap shows the need to reform pricing for energy and reserves…Uplift is paid to generators when locational marginal prices do not cover the costs of units needed to serve load. Over the last several years, uplift charges have been relatively low in PJM, averaging approximately $389,000 per day. By contrast, during the peak days of the cold snap, uplift charges averaged approximately $4.3 million per day…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet

Southeast’s Utilities Starting To See The Sun Solar in the Southeast: New Report Highlights Solar Data and Trends Throughout the Southeast

February 27, 2018 (Southern Alliance for Clean Energy)

“…[Using the metric “watts per customer,” which looks at the amount of installed solar relative to the total number of customers served, a new report provides] detailed information at the regional, state, and utility level…[about solar in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. It shows Duke Energy Progress, Duke Energy Carolinas, and Georgia Power as] the region’s current solar leaders…[It recognizes] seven utilities with the highest forecasted solar growth by 2021…[and] identifies three major utility systems - Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Santee Cooper, and Seminole Electric Cooperative – as laggards…for low levels of solar development over the next four years…Leading states like North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia have enacted strong policies…[U]tilities in other Southeastern states – particularly Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi – continue to operate in a public policy vacuum…” click here for more

click to enlarge

Tweet