Welcome to Grid Brief! Today we’re looking at power generation and power prices in America’s power markets, with news items where relevant.

What’s Keeping the Lights On?

Let’s start with a snapshot of generation nation-wide:

And here’s a map to orient you as we move through the market areas:

ISO-NE

Natural gas, nuclear, and hydro kept New England running as its total generation ebbed and flowed.

Real-time prices saw a brief dip in the negatives, but otherwise remained mildly above day-ahead.

Utilities are giving renewable energy another go in Northern Maine after several big projects have been terminated by the Public Utility Commission. “Maine Public Utilities Committee Chair Phil Bartlett said he hopes the new effort will offer more upfront clarity on what the commission expects in an agreements,” reports Maine Public. 

PJM

Natural gas, nuclear, and coal were the workhorses of America’s largest power market, which saw demand slump over the week.

Even high day-ahead prices couldn’t contain the price spike in Dominion, which punched over $800/MWHr.

Maryland passed three bills to help along the energy transition. “The DRIVE Act, Brighter Tomorrow Act and an update to the emPOWER Act known as Energy Efficiency and Conservation Plans require utilities to support VPPs and bidirectional EV charging, reduce barriers for residential solar installations and rework an existing home efficiency program to prioritize meaningful greenhouse gas reductions,” reports Utility Dive.

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