Deep Dive
Industry insights from our journalists
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As California leads way with TOU rates, some call for simpler solutions
The state continues its nearly 20-year effort to get to residential time varying rates, but hurdles remain.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 20, 2018 -
Utilities embrace growing applications of demand response: SEPA snapshot
Demand response programs are growing beyond their primary use to keep the lights on as the market adjusts to more distributed energy and greater automation capabilities.
Robert Walton • Sept. 19, 2018 -
California customer choice at a crossroads: Regulators to weigh 3 key issues next week
The California Public Utilities Commission will consider two proposals Sept. 27 on how to calculate the price customers moving from IOUs to community choice aggregators must pay.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 18, 2018 -
California PUC unveils proposed fix to storage incentive program, quantifying GHG reductions
The wrong metric led to an increase instead of a reduction in GHG emissions from energy storage, and regulators proposed employing a new signal for the commercial and residential storage markets.
Peter Maloney • Sept. 18, 2018 -
As rooftop solar expands, states grapple with successors to net metering
Replacements to the controversial solar incentive have cropped up in Hawaii, California and elsewhere, but policymakers have struggled to devise a replicable model across the U.S.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 13, 2018 -
California has a 100% clean energy goal, but not the laws to get it there, critics say
Legislators went big on renewable energy and utility wildfire protections, but went home before kickstarting clean energy procurement or expanding the CAISO market.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 11, 2018 -
Battery material shortage pushes developers to shift li-ion chemistries
Demand for nickel manganese cobalt batteries is outstripping supply, so some storage developers are turning to the more "rugged" lithium iron phosphate chemistry.
Peter Maloney • Sept. 11, 2018 -
Developers see value in California offshore wind development
Following market growth and big contract price drops along the East Coast, offshore wind developers are taking on floating foundations and the Navy on the West Coast.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 10, 2018 -
Ex-GOP FERC chair on coal bailout: 'This too shall pass'
"I just hate that everybody's wasting time worrying about this [stuff]," former Chairman Pat Wood III said of the Trump administration's plan to bail out coal and nuclear generators.
Gavin Bade • Sept. 07, 2018 -
Co-op solar boom raises questions about coal in utility power mixes
A new report by the Rocky Mountain Institute indicates that Tri-State G&T could save its customers $600 million through 2030 by including more renewables in its energy mix, despite its current coal investments.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 06, 2018 -
Electricity generation drives need for natural gas demand response
A handful of utilities use natural gas demand response to balance their deliveries. Reports suggest greater potential, with one firm saying gas DR could "entirely avoid some price spikes and help improve reliability."
Robert Walton • Sept. 05, 2018 -
California's BTM energy storage moves forward, but is it good for the climate?
Legislators extended the state's self-generation incentive program, but regulators want to improve its GHG reductions.
Peter Maloney • Sept. 04, 2018 -
Two roads diverging: Pennsylvania lawmakers rethink their renewables mandate
A new plan for solar is pushing Pennsylvania lawmakers to rethink the state's energy sector and utilities are fighting for their share.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 30, 2018 -
Exclusive: Ohio PUC details utility reform roadmap in PowerForward initiative
The plan, a product of a year-long business model investigation, aims to create a level playing field for innovation on the utility distribution system.
Iulia Gheorghiu • Aug. 29, 2018 -
Face the heat: Should EV incentives be restructured for battery degradation?
A new study advocates scaling electric vehicle incentives based on how quickly batteries wear out, but critics say it misses the bigger picture.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 28, 2018 -
Pollinator habitats: The bees' knees of rural solar development
Pollinator-friendly solar is a blossoming trend that saves maintenance costs and makes utility-scale solar more appealing to agricultural communities.
Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 27, 2018 -
Are regulators starting to rethink fixed charges?
Fixed rate reductions in Q2 of this year may indicate regulators are more conscious of low and moderate income customers as well as investments in energy efficiency and distributed energy resources.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 23, 2018 -
EPA's new ACE rule is a coal lifeline 'disguised as a GHG regulation,' critics say
Changes to the EPA's New Source Review process could allow coal plants to stay open longer — if operators choose them over cleaner technologies.
Gavin Bade • Aug. 22, 2018 -
BTM storage is booming in Ontario
A flurry of energy storage projects highlights opportunities for large industrial customers to reduce a costly rate structure established in 2005.
Peter Maloney • Aug. 20, 2018 -
Modernizing renewables mandates is no longer about the megawatts
While renewables mandates have been successful and cost effective, studies show evolving power systems should focus on decreasing peak demand and cutting emissions.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 16, 2018 -
Glick 'at a loss' over FERC role in Trump coal and nuclear bailout
The Democrat commissioner said he has no knowledge of FERC's efforts to assist the Trump administration in supporting money-losing coal and nuclear plants, which the agency's chief of staff revealed last week.
Gavin Bade • Aug. 16, 2018 -
PG&E's landmark energy storage projects snagged by pushback
The CPUC extended the approval process for the four projects after critics filed comments claiming the utility did not meet regulatory criteria.
Peter Maloney • Aug. 14, 2018 -
Exit fee: Deciding the fate of California's utilities and customer choice movement
The future of California's biggest utilities may depend on how much customers have to pay to leave them.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 14, 2018 -
An offer utilities can't refuse: The low cost of utility-scale solar
A new report finds even policy uncertainties have not stopped the growing partnership between utilities and solar.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 09, 2018 -
New energy efficiency financing approach vies for grand prize in New York competition
Empower Equity is proposing to install energy efficient equipment for businesses as a subscription, with contracts running between five and 10 years.
Robert Walton • Aug. 08, 2018