Rooftop solar notches win in Mississippi – Mississippi utility regulators have approved a new incentive program for renewable energy despite objections from Republican Gov. Tate Reeves and large utility companies. Some lower-income customers who pay most of the cost of installing a system such as rooftop solar panels could receive a $3,000 rebate from their power company. Incentives are also available to 85 of the state’s 142 public school districts. The Public Service Commission voted Tuesday in favor of the new rule, which will take effect Jan. 1. Democrat Brandon Presley, of the northern district, and Republican Brent Bailey, of the central district, voted in favor of the program. Republican Dane Maxwell, of the southern district, opposed it.‍

New Jersey proposes energy storage incentives to reach 2GW deployment target - The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has proposed a number of policies to incentivize the deployment of standalone energy storage, to help hit a 2GW target. The US state has statutory mandates for deployment, of 600MW by the end of 2021 and 2,000MW by 2030, though only 497MW has been deployed and 420MW of that is a pumped hydro facility (as far as the Board is aware). The Board is proposing to create separate energy storage programs creating incentives for front-of-meter (FTM) and behind-the-meter (BTM) energy storage projects connected to New Jersey’s electric distribution companies (EDC). The incentives will only apply to projects going online after the programme is implemented. FTM and BTM are being grouped into two market segments; Grid Supply and Distributed/Customer Level, respectively. At least 30% of the incentive will be in the form of a fixed annual incentive, paid in US$/kWh of energy storage capacity continent on up-time performance metrics, the Board said. It will be established through a declining block structure to establish a market-based incentive while also providing the industry clear insights into the incentive value for energy storage resources. There will be different pricing structures for each market segment. The remainder of the incentive programme will be a pay-for-performance mechanism.

‍North Carolina Moves to Electrify Trucks and Buses, Gaining Economic and Environmental Advantages - On Tuesday, October 25, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed an executive order to grow the state’s clean energy economy by supporting the market-driven transition to zero-emission trucks and buses. Executive Order 271 directs the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to begin the Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) rulemaking process that would ensure zero-emission trucks and buses are available for purchase in the state. The ACT rule is designed to reduce the costs of zero-emission medium- and heavy-duty vehicles (MHDVs) and further develop the market for these vehicles. Initiating ACT rulemaking is a big deal because electrifying medium- and heavy-duty vehicles will deliver significant economic, public health, and climate benefits to North Carolina and its citizens. For the past two years, advocates, including SACE, have teamed up with businesses to push for ACT adoption. Governor Cooper’s Executive Order 271 accelerates truck and bus electrification and comes on the heels of the existing commitment to getting 1.25 million light-duty electric vehicles (EVs) registered on the state’s roads by 2030; both commitments have massive economic implications for the state.