Deep Dive: Page 12
Industry insights from our journalists
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Catherine Morehouse/Utility Dive
Road to 100: How the shale boom broke Georgetown, Texas' renewables spell
In 2017, the city of about 50,000 became the largest in the U.S. able to claim it ran on 100% renewable energy. But after customer bills spiked last year, its utility department is facing an overhaul.
Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 25, 2019 -
Adeline Kon/Utility Dive
Electric trucks may be the future, but waste and recycling market still charging up
Looking to move away from diesel and meet climate goals, a growing number of service providers are in the process of testing out models from coast to coast.
Mary Catherine O'Connor • Nov. 21, 2019 -
Catherine Morehouse/Utility Dive
Road to 100: How one man's mission to power his hometown by wind created a Northwest Missouri boon
The town of 1,200 was the first in the country to be able to power all of its electricity from wind resources. Now, the county is booming in wind production.
Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 21, 2019 -
New money: Green banks and green bonds are bringing billions to utilities for the energy transition
The financial mechanisms are bringing investors to renewables and distributed energy as utilities, co-ops and munis move away from uneconomic legacy assets.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 19, 2019 -
Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive; photographs by Martin Prescott and tampatra via Getty Images
Satisfying utility customers is getting much harder. AI is helping, despite data challenges
Utilities are leveraging algorithms and machine learning in various ways, ranging from mundane to ambitious, to improve the customer experience.
Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 15, 2019 -
Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive; photographs by elantsevv and tampatra via Getty Images
How does AI improve grid performance? No one fully understands and that's limiting its use
Machine learning's greatest impact will be helping algorithms understand "how the voltage here affects the voltage there," which will enable "optimizing grid operations like dispatching battery storage," one industry executive said.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 14, 2019 -
Photo illustration by Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive; photographs by Courtney Hale and tampatra via Getty Images
From EV integration to wildfire prevention, utilities accelerate AI use to drive efficiencies, profits
Billions of internet-connected devices interact with the power grid right now, and experts say utilities will need smarter solutions.
Robert Walton • Nov. 13, 2019 -
In the 'cat and mouse game' of utility cyberattacks, AI and machine learning show promise, limits
"There is so much low hanging fruit in utility system challenges that can be addressed by advanced data analytic strategies that AI and machine learning are not the place to start," a cybersecurity expert said.
Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 7, 2019 -
US power grid attack points surge with proliferating DERs: A hacker 'will eventually get in'
Critical infrastructure protection standards are essential — but they're also just a starting point, say experts focused on maintaining a reliable electric grid.
Robert Walton • Nov. 4, 2019 -
As Dominion, others target 80-year nuclear plants, cybersecurity concerns complicate digital upgrades
Nuclear reactors need new digital controls as part of a push to avoid retirement, but cybersecurity concerns and high costs complicate the transition from analog.
Matthew Bandyk • Nov. 4, 2019 -
California may be a climate leader, but it could be a century behind on its carbon goals: study
Renewables are driving carbon out of the power sector, but economic expansion has led to much less progress in reducing emissions from the transportation, building and industrial sectors, the nonprofit Next 10 found.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 29, 2019 -
Utilities' failure to plan for DER surge promises missed opportunities, increased costs, analysts say
Utilities can use skyrocketing customer-owned DER to balance rising penetrations of variable renewables on their systems, if they take on the big work of distribution system planning.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 24, 2019 -
EV charging promises a demand response bonanza for utilities, if they can handle it
Aggregated flexible load of high EV penetrations will be lucrative in demand response markets, but for now smaller EV demand gives utilities management practice.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 18, 2019 -
Yujin Kim/Utility Dive
Electric revolution: How are cities overcoming EV range anxiety?
Cities need a wide-ranging strategy if they are to help more residents go electric in a way that is accessible and equitable, analysts say.
Chris Teale • Oct. 17, 2019 -
Yujin Kim/Utility Dive
Electric revolution: As EV demand increases, can utilities and cities keep up?
Utilities are increasingly helping cities prepare for transportation electrification, while confronting increased power generation and delivery needs — often to areas already experiencing high demand.
Robert Walton • Oct. 16, 2019 -
US wind, solar finance alternatives rise as sector rushes against looming tax credit expiration
Resources are being rapidly deployed ahead of the post-2020 phase-out, but political uncertainty makes turmoil unavoidable.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 15, 2019 -
Plugging In: Colleges seek partners to help reach energy goals
As more energy customers set goals for lower emissions, some institutions are tapping the private sector for technical expertise and financial support to advance sustainability.
Hallie Busta • Oct. 14, 2019 -
As CCAs take over utility customers, local renewable generation emerges as the next big growth driver
The demand for customer choice has the potential to quicken the power system's transition toward cheaper, cleaner electricity, and is moving beyond California.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 8, 2019 -
3 state commissions upending the way utilities do business
Oregon, Illinois and Hawaii regulators are disrupting the traditional utility cost-of-service model to bring more distributed energy resources online.
Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 2, 2019 -
California wants a carbon-free economy by 2045: Can floating offshore wind help it get there?
New technology could bring ocean wind when there is no sun to recharge depleted batteries.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 25, 2019 -
Northeastern utilities aim to 'crush and flatten' system peaks as DERs boost grid efficiency
DER providers and utilities have found shared market interests in New England, leading to cooperative BYOD programs that provide a range of benefits for customers and the power system.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 23, 2019 -
As utilities scramble to manage explosive DER growth, is power grid autonomy a solution?
The U.S. electric grid could face hundreds of millions of distributed resource deployments in the near future. But optimizing these data points may exceed human ability.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 11, 2019 -
The unknown costs of a 100% carbon-free future
State approaches to 100% clean energy vary, and while several costs remain unknown, some utility solutions are emerging.
Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 3, 2019 -
Rocky Mountain Power to operate largest US residential battery demand response project
Sonnen and the utility are partnering to build a virtual power plant at the new 600-unit apartment complex, with 12.6 MWh of energy capacity from a 5.2 MW solar array.
Robert Walton • Aug. 27, 2019 -
PG&E may answer the billion dollar grid modernization question
A step-by-step regulatory process in California confronts the technical challenges and "obscene expenses" of distributed resource investments.
Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 26, 2019
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