The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Dec. 5 passed bills that would prohibit the Department of Energy from increasing distribution transformer conservation standards for five years, require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to review and comment on federal agency actions that are likely to have significant negative impacts on the reliability and adequacy of the bulk-power system and reform the FERC licensing process to protect existing hydropower resources and encourage the development of small and next-generation projects.

The Association of Washington Business has recognized Energy Northwest's dedication to providing employment opportunities for veterans with the Veterans & Families Award.

California community choice aggregators Central Coast Community Energy and Silicon Valley Clean Energy have each signed 15-year contracts with Pattern Energy Group to receive energy from SunZia Wind, a new renewable energy project located in New Mexico.

The Connecticut Municipal Electric Energy Cooperative’s Board of Directors recently approved a decarbonization policy that will provide guidance to leadership and staff as the organization seeks to procure an increasingly “greener” wholesale energy portfolio while still maintaining reasonable costs for its six public power utility members, CMEEC said on Dec. 6.

Problems with inverter based resources, such as solar and wind generation and battery storage systems, could result in “systemic performance issues” that could lead to “potential widespread outages if they persist,” the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, said in a November 30 report.

New England should have sufficient resources to meet the peak demand for electricity this winter, ISO New England said on Dec. 4.