Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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Rising electrification requires a dramatic shift to integrated planning of DER, bulk resources: Xcel VP
Effective distribution system planning and merging analytic insights into comprehensive electricity planning both face barriers, analysts and stakeholders said.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 20, 2023 -
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How utilities are partnering with GM, BMW, Lyft and others in the auto sector to accelerate EV adoption
Automakers and utilities “are now partners until the end of time, whether they like it or not,” said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America.
Robert Walton • Sept. 6, 2023 -
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The American power system is changing. How can electricity rates keep up?
As the industry prepares for the electrification of different sectors of the economy, experts are looking at new ways to make electricity rates more equitable.
Kavya Balaraman • Aug. 24, 2023 -
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A community solar boom will test Xcel, other utility plans against developer, customer needs: analysts
New state and federal funding and initiatives for community solar can bring equity and system reliability to the emerging energy transition, analysts say.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 10, 2023 -
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Cautious investors and fast cash: Why AEP, Duke and other utilities have sold their renewable assets
Conditions following the COVID-19 pandemic have led a swath of utility companies to put their competitive renewable energy assets up for sale. Analysts are unsure how long the trend will last.
Emma Penrod • July 27, 2023 -
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The meaning of an ‘optimal’ clean energy investment is changing as prices rise, analysts report
Inflation Reduction Act incentives and supply-demand imbalances have developers and off-takers recalculating the value of clean energy.
Herman K. Trabish • July 13, 2023 -
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Four non-transmission solutions for clean energy with new power lines in the permitting ‘Valley of Death’
Smart technologies, storage, overbuilding and distributed resources can move the energy transition ahead until workable reforms bring new transmission online, stakeholders agreed
Herman K. Trabish • June 21, 2023 -
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As states differ on the benefits of Bitcoin, is there a solution to its climate and power-system impacts?
Bitcoin miners’ 24/7 electricity need and financial focus raise red flags for climate activists about increased fossil fuel use, but some miners are starting to see a new solution in clean energy.
Herman K. Trabish • June 8, 2023 -
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California energy players fear isolation, reliability impacts as SPP eyes Western market expansion
Experts in California worry that as the Southwest Power Pool's energy market proposals move forward, California could lose access to renewable energy resources that are critical to the state’s grid.
Kavya Balaraman • May 30, 2023 -
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Hawai’i leads the way on advanced rate design with default time-of-use rates, fixed charge innovations
Hawai’i’s planned granular cost study still must prove to other states that the new TOU rates, fixed charge framework and new way of defining costs will allocate costs accurately, analysts said.
Herman K. Trabish • May 9, 2023 -
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Coming EPA power plant rules will put carbon capture to the test, but better oversight is needed, critics say
New CCUS has the policy, private sector and regulatory support to end claims it underperforms, but only if new EPA rules require verification through strong federal oversight, advocates and opponents agreed.
Herman K. Trabish • May 2, 2023 -
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With looming EV load spikes, PG&E, Duke, other utilities adopt new rate design and cost recovery strategies
New dynamic time-varying rates and demand charge adjustments from California to the Carolinas could align customer usage with utility costs to make EVs a system benefit, rate design experts said
Herman K. Trabish • April 18, 2023 -
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As California grid interconnection requests triple, analysts assess CAISO’s moves to handle the influx
The state’s current interconnection processes were designed around a cadence that won’t work as it moves towards much larger volumes of clean energy generation, experts say.
Kavya Balaraman • March 30, 2023 -
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Biden ‘EV revolution’ delayed as utilities, carmakers await critical IRS guidance on Inflation Reduction Act
A domestic EV industry and a national charging network buildout await federal agency interpretations of complex IRA tax credit and supply chain requirements.
Herman K. Trabish • March 17, 2023 -
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Treasury Department guidance urgently needed to tap IRA’s clean energy ‘gold mine,’ analysts say
Clarifications defining Inflation Reduction Act provisions on labor, domestic content, energy community, and clean hydrogen are urgently needed to put the “boldest action” by Congress to work, they say.
Herman K. Trabish • March 16, 2023 -
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Duke, APS planning reforms show ways to work with stakeholders to meet emerging power system needs
Integrated planning with deeper modeling and greater stakeholder engagement may slow overburdened regulators and utilities now, but will lead to better long-term decision-making, planners and analysts agree.
Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 28, 2023 -
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New power system cybersecurity architectures can be ‘vaults’ against insider attacks, analysts say
Utility operations facing hackers now, and a future of minimally-protected distributed energy resources, will need smarter, more complex defenses, from control rooms to customer-owned devices, analysts said.
Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 17, 2023 -
Adeline Kon/Utility Dive
‘No regrets’ approach to big batteries, green hydrogen and grid reliability urgently needed, analysts say
Advanced batteries and green hydrogen promise long-duration energy storage solutions for “net zero” system reliability, but only regulatory policy and market support can fulfill that promise, industry stakeholders say.
Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 31, 2023 -
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3 big advances coming as distributed energy resources take newer, bigger roles in 2023
Analysts foresee DER growth in 2023 at the wholesale market and retail distribution system levels as communities and local leaders demand more reliability and resilience.
Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 23, 2023 -
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Solar expected to see demand boom from Inflation Reduction Act in 2023 as supply chain remains uncertain
One expert anticipates a “hangover effect” from supply chain struggles will linger throughout the year.
Diana DiGangi • Jan. 19, 2023 -
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Electric vehicles near ‘tipping point’ in 2023, but tax credit questions, utility interconnection challenges lie ahead
Key factors for EV adoption this year include the implementation of federal incentives, development of a national charging network and addressing utility interconnection delays.
Robert Walton • Jan. 18, 2023 -
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‘Proceed with caution’: Key takeaways from California’s first offshore wind energy auction
A recent lease sale on the West Coast drew lower bids than similar East Coast sales, which experts say reflects the uncertainties the offshore wind industry faces in California. But the lower bids could ultimately benefit ratepayers.
Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 19, 2022 -
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Transmission as a reliability and affordability strategy drives CAISO and SPP regional market ambitions
Benefits of real-time markets are clear, demand for day-ahead markets is growing and advocates foresee full RTOs coming that could cross seams between East and West interconnections
Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 12, 2022 -
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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
