Opinion
The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders
If you are interested in having your voice heard on Utility Dive's Opinion page, please read our editorial guidelines and fill out the submission form here.
-
Is your electric bill too high? Thank LNG exports.
Allowing more gas to be sold overseas gives a windfall to corporate executives who profit from exports as well as from the higher prices they cause here at home by creating scarcity in the market.
Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honoré (Ret.) • May 19, 2025 -
"Diablo Canyon Family Open House" by Tracey Adams is licensed under CC BY 2.0
America’s AI future hinges on nuclear energy
Artificial intelligence makes nuclear safer, more efficient and affordable, while nuclear provides the energy AI needs to thrive.
Trey Lauderdale and Craig Piercy • May 16, 2025 -
Resetting net zero: What next?
Governments, businesses and investors should seek to maintain long-term investment in competitive technologies while taking a proactive approach to sectors most vulnerable to the current slowdown.
Adrian Del Maestro • May 15, 2025 -
Thousands of energy experts are leaving federal government. Here’s where they should go.
State PUCs desperately need skilled energy professionals to advance economic development, energy affordability and national security goals.
Charles Hua, Abe Silverman and Ted Thomas • May 14, 2025 -
The AI energy emergency that wasn’t
The Army Corps of Engineers’ use of an emergency regulation to fast-track permitting for almost 700 projects may backfire because of legal delays and reversals.
Dan Farber • May 13, 2025 -
America’s moment to secure its critical mineral future
As Congress works through reconciliation, we have a historic opportunity to reassert American industrial strength, safeguard national security and power a cleaner, technologically competitive future.
Heather Reams • May 12, 2025 -
Why surging demand and grid transformation will define the utility sector in 2025
The utilities that succeed will be the ones that can manage today’s operational stress while preparing for tomorrow’s energy ecosystem.
Kyle Jones • May 9, 2025 -
Navigating 4 key trends and challenges shaping the power industry
2025 will be pivotal in how utilities handle workforce shortages, the energy transition and a range of grid reliability and resilience issues.
Matt Carrara • May 7, 2025 -
The time has come for competitive transmission in Texas
Opening the transmission sector to competition means leveraging the power of the market to deliver the most reliable grid at the lowest reasonable cost.
Matt Welch • May 6, 2025 -
At-risk IRA tax credits drive industrial-scale infrastructure in red and blue states
The Inflation Reduction Act is a bipartisan success story, but if these tax credits disappear, so will plans for future factories, jobs and the chance to reclaim our industrial leadership.
Joby Bernstein and Claire Petersen • May 5, 2025 -
Puerto Rico’s rooftop solar boom is strengthening grid resilience — why is a federal board trying to stop it?
With thousands of new smart-enabled solar homes joining the grid each month, Puerto Rico is building a distributed, responsive network that can help manage grid fluctuations in real time.
PJ Wilson • May 1, 2025 -
Why customer engagement is the key to VPP success
What if one of the most powerful tools for strengthening the grid is already in customers’ garages, basements, driveways and businesses?
Hannah Bascom • April 30, 2025 -
Transmission at a crossroads: Policy must reflect today’s infrastructure needs
State and federal “rights-of-first-refusal” would re-establish certainty by relying on local transmission owners to promptly move ahead with needed power line projects.
Devin McMackin • April 29, 2025 -
Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
Trump’s battery tariffs threaten utility-scale storage and US grid reliability
The tariffs will not only affect procurement costs but could force utilities to turn back to natural gas capacity in the short term — undermining emissions goals and customer affordability strategies.
Brandon N. Owens • April 28, 2025 -
Carbon capture technology is ready. Permitting needs to catch up.
Ending the carbon dioxide injection well permit application backlog would unleash investment in America, creating tens of thousands of new jobs and strengthening America’s global competitiveness.
Anna Littlefield • April 24, 2025 -
How AI data centers can support grid reliability in Texas and across the US
An Enhanced Reliability Interconnection framework would prioritize connections to the grid for large loads that improve reliability through flexibility and behind-the-meter generation.
Gideon Powell and Josh T. Smith • April 22, 2025 -
From crisis to opportunity: Rebuilding cities with safer energy
By investing in alternative battery technologies now, cities can prepare for looming energy challenges, work toward decarbonization goals and safely enhance urban resilience.
Mukesh Chatter • April 21, 2025 -
Small data centers, big impact: How demand response can fuel the energy transition
Smaller data centers and other commercial and industrial sources can play a key role in stabilizing the grid by participating in demand response programs and implementing battery storage solutions.
Rachel Permut • April 18, 2025 -
The US is facing unprecedented load growth. Here’s how we ensure resource adequacy.
Adding sufficient resources fast enough to reliably meet the growth will require an array of demand- and supply-side resources as well as stronger transmission interconnection planning.
Samuel Newell • April 17, 2025 -
Retrieved from US Army Corps of Engineers.
Why microgrids are the key to grid resilience
Amid evolving domestic and geopolitical landscapes, microgrids offer a reliable, cost-effective energy solution — advancing the nation toward energy independence and security for years to come.
Nicole Bulgarino • April 15, 2025 -
Utilities are shedding crocodile tears over community solar ‘cost-shift’
Regulators and utilities should compensate community solar fairly for the money-saving value those facilities and their subscribers bring to the grid system.
Karl Rábago • April 14, 2025 -
The power industry must oppose Trump’s coal bailout ... again
The executive order threatens to conflict with existing methods for accrediting generators, assessing resource adequacy, securing sufficient generation and setting wholesale prices. It’s also illegal.
Ari Peskoe • April 11, 2025 -
The AI infrastructure race hits a political reality check
The AI-driven data center boom has created demand for land, electricity and water, a dynamic that has spawned growing opposition from communities, utility grid operators and regulators.
Joe Brettell and Jeff Berkowitz • April 10, 2025 -
Hydrogen hubs are a bipartisan effort that supports US energy dominance
These projects are a cost-effective way to leverage existing energy resources, and they support efforts to increase U.S. energy production and enhance our energy independence.
Mark Menezes and Frank Wolak • April 8, 2025 -
How FERC is working to boost power supplies while managing the price tag
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has focused on reforms to transmission planning and grid interconnection rules while approving market expansions.
Amy Akers • April 4, 2025