Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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High electricity rates impede crucial but costly technology investments to manage rising DER levels: utilities
Utilities want distribution system technologies for more DER visibility and control. But advocates want a new national stakeholder dialogue about the timing of spending for DER integration.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 29, 2022 -
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The power grid faced heat waves, record demand and tight conditions in 2022. What happens next?
All over the country, a changing climate and extreme weather events – whether due to high temperatures, low temperatures or storms and hurricanes – are posing a threat to grid reliability.
Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 22, 2022 -
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Republicans will soon control the House. Is a repeal of the Inflation Reduction Act likely?
The change of power in the House could spur a new wave of political attacks against the landmark law, legal and political experts say, but it’s not clear whether they’ll result in policy change.
Emma Penrod • Nov. 18, 2022 -
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US can reach 100% clean power by 2035, DOE finds, but tough reliability and land use questions lie ahead
New aggressive planning is needed to identify the long-duration storage technologies and find the land to grow enough resources to reach the Biden administration’s net zero emissions goals, a DOE national lab reports.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 15, 2022 -
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Porn and Putin-focused hacks of charging stations drive new cybersecurity steps for an EV boom
A broad utility-to-charger attack surface will require smarter protection strategies and tools for cyber threats as transportation electrification and vehicle-to-grid integration expand, analysts said.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 8, 2022 -
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As FERC’s transmission proposal sparks clashes, potential solutions emerge from MISO, elsewhere
Federal transmission planning reforms must decide who builds and where, who benefits and pays, who balances state and national interests, and who enforces the rules, stakeholders said.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 7, 2022 -
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How the US plans to transform its lithium supply chain
With just 3.6% of global reserves, U.S. access to the critical mineral is vital to the country’s sustainable energy plans.
Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Nov. 1, 2022 -
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ESG backlash unlikely to derail SEC climate risk rule
SEC Chair Gary Gensler faces growing resistance to the agency’s proposal that companies provide detailed disclosures on carbon emissions.
Jim Tyson • Oct. 28, 2022 -
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Bringing equity to electricity service through home, power sector and regulatory innovation
Individual homes can be upgraded, community solar can help to lower bills and regulators can broaden the public engagement process to be more inclusive, consumer advocates say.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 27, 2022 -
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The energy system is ‘inherently racist,’ advocates say. How are utilities responding to calls for greater equity?
Utility commitments to customer equity, energy affordability and equitable access to clean energy resources are becoming more common, but energy justice advocates say companies need to do more.
Robert Walton • Oct. 26, 2022 -
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Electric utility CEO pay gap widens as groups push to link executive compensation and decarbonization
An increasing CEO-to-employee pay ratio is being driven in part by a decline in median employee pay, which could indicate a higher paid, more experienced workforce is retiring.
Iulia Gheorghiu and Julia Himmel • Oct. 18, 2022 -
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97% of smart meters fail to provide promised customer benefits. Can $3B in new funding change that?
Interoperability standards can deliver “non-discriminatory access” to real-time data from new smart meters to fulfill promises of customer savings and other system benefits, energy managers say.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 5, 2022 -
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Real-time pricing, new rates and enabling technologies target demand flexibility to ease California outages
Price signals linked to power market needs through smart technologies could make distributed energy resources that are aggregated and automated by third parties an answer to California reliability threats, industry observers said.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 13, 2022 -
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Accelerating renewable energy buildout faces big hurdles, even with Inflation Reduction Act: developers
“It's really important that everyone understand how contingent that capacity expansion is going to be on state-level decision making,” said Tyler Norris, Cypress Creek Renewables vice president of development.
Ethan Howland • Sept. 6, 2022 -
Why the energy transition broke the U.S. interconnection system
Who or what is to blame for growing interconnection delays around the U.S.? Experts say the same processes that created the U.S. power system may now be preventing its transition to clean generation.
Emma Penrod • Aug. 22, 2022 -
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DOE to attack CO2 emissions with billions in funding from inflation reduction, infrastructure laws
The Energy Department wants big R&D spending to have CO2 reduction tools ready by 2030, but clean energy advocates see it delivering wealth and prolonged life to fossil fuels and slowing renewables deployment.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 22, 2022 -
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NextEra’s ‘game-changing’ Real Zero emissions goal spurs questions about hydrogen, demand-side management
NextEra, the world’s biggest IOU by market cap, wants a “real” reduction of all carbon emissions by FPL, its regulated subsidiary, with solar, batteries and green hydrogen, but it will go without much help from the demand side.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 3, 2022 -
Adeline Kon/Utility Dive
Biden executive order on power system cybersecurity leaves critical operations vulnerable, experts say
From mysterious electronics in Chinese transformers to sensors without password protections, analysts see growing vulnerabilities in U.S. power system operations.
Herman K. Trabish • July 25, 2022 -
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High energy prices, Ukraine war and rising demand response potential spur energy efficiency efforts
New energy efficiency as demand response opportunities can meet customer and system needs as well as set the EU and the world free from both Russian energy and stopgap coal burning, International Energy Agency leaders said.
Herman K. Trabish • July 11, 2022 -
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Hawaii poised to close the door on coal despite delays to clean energy projects
The state is turning to a mix of demand response efforts, distributed energy resources and utility-scale renewable energy projects to keep the lights on after its last coal plant retires in September.
Kavya Balaraman • July 6, 2022 -
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Upheaval in utility regulation emerging nationally as Hawaii proves a performance-based approach
Hawaii’s hard work on a PBR framework that protects utilities, consumers and the environment is paying off, but other states’ shortcuts could undermine success, advocates worry.
Herman K. Trabish • July 5, 2022 -
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Rethinking California distribution system operations and grid services markets for a high-DER future
California wants a cost-effective, reliable and equitable power system with well-compensated distributed resources to balance the bulk power system and meet local needs.
Herman K. Trabish • June 7, 2022 -
Robert Walton/Utility Dive
Inside Ithaca’s plan to electrify 6,000 buildings and grow a regional green workforce using private equity funds
The city has mustered $105 million in private funds to support low-cost loans for businesses and residents to install heat pumps.
Robert Walton • June 2, 2022 -
Brian Tucker/Utility Dive
'Dramatic shift' in utility regulations, better pilot designs needed to propel energy transition, DOE report finds
Electric industry players call for innovations in the way regulators handle pilots of new utility and private sector technologies and system operations in a new Department of Energy paper.
Herman K. Trabish • May 31, 2022 -
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California's 'affordability crisis' attracts innovative ratemaking and regulatory proposals
Double-digit year-on-year spikes in electricity rates are leading California regulators and stakeholders to search for ways to protect climate goals and rate affordability.
Herman K. Trabish • May 19, 2022
