Data center demand drives 33% jump in VPP deployments: Wood Mackenzie

But virtual power plant capacity rose more slowly than deployments last year, highlighting barriers to broader adoption, WoodMac said.

Utilities are backtracking on climate commitments: Sierra Club

The report named six utility companies reversing course on emissions reductions: Entergy, Duke Energy, Evergy, Cleco, American Electric Power and Arizona Public Service.

Updated Sept. 23, 2025

Clean energy jobs grew in 2024 but face policy threats: E2

Clean energy jobs outpaced growth in the rest of the energy sector as well as overall employment growth.

AI’s electricity demand is a challenge utilities can’t ignore, but subsidies aren’t the solution

Utilities need portfolios that balance renewables and natural gas with long-duration storage, writes Stefan Pastine, CEO of semiconductor materials company Thintronics.

DOE seeks comment on large-scale generation, transmission development

The “Speed to Power” initiative could boost grid reliability and affordability, but only if all energy resources are included, said John Moore, director of the Sustainable FERC Project.

Updated Sept. 22, 2025

FERC orders New England transmission owners to give more info on upgrade projects

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission also advanced reliability standards and rules on Southwest Power Pool refunds at its open meeting on Thursday.

Mars signs solar PPAs with Enel to speed energy transition across supply chain

The confectionery company is teaming up with Enel North America on a trio of renewable purchase agreements estimated to annually generate 1.8 TWh from three Texas solar projects.

Residential electricity rates up 6.6% over last year as gas prices rise

All sectors saw an increase in price, as measured in revenues per kWh. But the rise was not evenly distributed, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

New FERC Chairman Rosner outlines priorities: ‘We need to build, build, build.’

At the agency's open meeting, Commissioner Lindsay See highlighted the tension between issuing orders swiftly and ensuring those decisions are “worth their weight” in court.

Connecticut and Rhode Island file for injunction to restart Revolution Wind

The states argue in their motion that Revolution Wind is “real, fully permitted, and nearly complete.”

The future of virtual power plants is technology agnostic

Interoperability is crucial for deploying certain consumer technologies efficiently at scale, writes Molly Podolefsky, a managing director at Clarum Advisors.

Southwest Power Pool approves accelerated large load interconnection policy

The process aims to help the operator address a near-doubling of peak load expected in the next 10 years.

Regulators approve demand charge, net metering changes for NV Energy

Consumer advocates say the changes will worsen energy affordability issues in Nevada and make NV Energy’s solar net metering program less effective for customers.

Bipartisan House group releases permitting reform ‘framework’

This and other permitting reform efforts — supported by groups like the Edison Electric Institute — come amid rising electric demand and increasing electricity bills.

Fed trims main rate by quarter-point, forecasts two more cuts this year

Policymakers reduced borrowing costs for the first time in 2025 as concerns about a decline in hiring prompted them to put on hold efforts to curb inflation to their 2% target.

Slow EV infrastructure expansion out of step with rising demand: report

More than half of Americans said lack of access to EV charging was the biggest barrier to widespread EV adoption, according to a new study.

Keeping America’s lights on: a pragmatic path forward

Policymakers have a vital role in ensuring that a lack of energy does not become America’s Achilles’ heel.

Eversource faces financial risk over Trump administration’s offshore wind stop-work order: Fitch

At the same time, New Hampshire's governor signals that an Eversource Energy utility may face more regulatory challenges.

California zeroes out funding for world’s ‘largest virtual power plant’

Advocates say gutting grid reliability programs threatens to undermine the state’s progress.

Energy-related US CO2 emissions down 20% since 2005: EIA

The Energy Information Administration expects the trend to reverse with a 1% increase in U.S. emissions this year due to electricity generation growth and increased fossil fuel consumption.

AI can aid building energy retrofit decisions but faces limitations: study

Large language models can deliver results in technical optimization tasks but struggle with payback optimization, researchers at Michigan State University say.

Blackstone to pay $1B for 620-MW Pennsylvania natural gas plant

The purchase price of about $1,600 per kilowatt appears higher than other recent gas plant acquisitions, though many factors, including the plant’s technology, age and location, likely inform the terms of the deal. 

Arizona AG opposes APS’ 14% rate hike, says she may seek lower rates

If approved by state utility regulators, the rate increase would be the fourth in a decade for Arizona Public Service.

CenterPoint Energy courts Minnesota communities for networked geothermal pilot

The utility is hoping to prove to local governments that such decarbonization efforts can meet residents’ energy needs in a cold-weather climate.

FERC ends effort to update its policy for reviewing gas pipeline, LNG proposals

The Department of Energy directive asking FERC to drop the rulemaking indicates that DOE may take a bigger role in the commission’s policymaking, according to Akin Gump lawyers.