Renewables, storage can meet one-third of US industrial heat demand: report

The UC Berkeley analysis should be welcome news for a manufacturing industry that is heavily reliant on natural gas, with its volatile prices, said Jose Dominguez, one of the report’s authors.

By Meris Lutz • July 23, 2026

GE Vernova gas turbine backlog climbs to 116 GW

GE Vernova is taking reservations for 2031 deliveries now, said CEO Scott Strazik. He spoke of an increasingly diverse customer base, including data centers.

By Brian Martucci • July 23, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Data Centers and the US Grid

A look at how data centers are affecting the U.S. grid today and how new technologies and rate structures could affect that trajectory in the years to come.

By Utility Dive staff

People are critical infrastructure, too. Utilities must do more or lose talent to tech.

With so much riding on America's AI ambitions, utility workforce strategy must have a place alongside generation, transmission and capital planning, writes Stefan Hirniak, president of Specialist Staffing Group US.

By Stefan Hirniak • July 23, 2026

DOE’s new power export rule at odds with ‘energy emergency’ findings: Public Citizen

“Any export of power ... necessarily makes that power unavailable to domestic customers,” potentially contributing to inadequate supplies for a region, Public Citizen said. 

By Ethan Howland • July 23, 2026

FERC eyes ‘grid-enhancing technology’ incentives: Chairman Swett

Data centers, competition in the transmission sector and PJM Interconnection governance reform were other key topics at the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing.

By Ethan Howland • July 23, 2026

Don’t gut the utility model just as we need it most

Cutting utility returns won't lower electric bills and will leave us with a more fragile power grid, writes Scott Aaronson, former secretary of the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council.

By Scott Aaronson • July 22, 2026

Wisconsin gas plant proposals test state review process

Integrated resource planning would give regulators a clearer long-term picture of electricity needs before major energy investments are approved, advocates say.

By Marlene Wilden • July 22, 2026

SRP to propose up to 1.7-GW mixed-resource project to its board in September

The Marigold Energy Center, about 45 miles south of Phoenix, would include 400 MW of battery storage, 600 MW of solar generation, up to 675 MW of gas generation and a new substation.

By Robert Walton • July 21, 2026

CO2 emissions from US power sector rose 4% last year

The rise in emissions was linked to increased electricity generation and coal use, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said. 

By Meris Lutz • Updated 5 hours ago

US data center electricity use could more than double by 2030: report

Policy responses “reflect a tension between furthering state-level economic development interests and balancing local community health and environmental concerns,” the Kansas Health Institute report states.

By Robert Walton • July 21, 2026

Data centers drove $6.3B in PJM capacity auction costs: market monitor

In the PJM’s last four capacity auctions, data center-related capacity charges were nearly half of the $63.6 billion in total charges, Monitoring Analytics says.

By Ethan Howland • July 20, 2026

AI data center growth could force US utilities to rethink generation plans, BofA says

Data center demand will outpace planned utility capacity additions by more than 100 GW through 2030, increasing reliance on on-site gas generation and battery storage, Bank of America analysts project.

By Marlene Wilden • July 17, 2026

PJM capacity auction results compound ‘alarm bells’: FERC Chairman Swett

At its monthly meeting, FERC set data center reliability standard deadlines, ordered CAISO and SPP to report on “seams” issues and advanced a complaint over cost recovery for a New Jersey power line.

By Ethan Howland • July 17, 2026

Renewables remain cheapest, but their LCOE is rising: Lazard

Utility-scale solar’s levelized cost of electricity ranges between $40/MWh and $98/MWh, while combined cycle gas ranges between $51/MWh and $129/MWh, said a report from Lazard.

By Diana DiGangi • July 16, 2026

Google inks deal for massive Arkansas solar and storage project

With a target completion date of 2029, the project is expected to deliver 2.5 GW of generation and 2.9 GWh of battery storage to the regional grid, the tech giant said.

By Lamar Johnson • July 16, 2026

Indiana regulators investigate utility ROEs, ‘trackers’ in affordability review

AES, American Electric Power, CenterPoint Energy, Duke Energy and NiSource could be affected under a “more consumer-oriented utility commission policy,” Paul Patterson, a Glenrock Associates equity analyst, told Utility Dive.

By Ethan Howland • July 16, 2026

PJM capacity prices hit price cap, reserve shortfall grows

“The outcome demonstrates that the current system doesn’t work to bring online new capacity or stimulate demand response, the two things we need the most,” Aurora Energy’s Julia Hoos told Utility Dive, warning of “an intervention doom loop.”

By Ethan Howland • July 15, 2026

Every customer you can’t enroll is a kilowatt you can’t dispatch

Flexibility's grid value is proven. The real constraint now is how many customers you can enroll.

July 13, 2026

PJM status quo ‘untenable’: FERC Commissioner LaCerte

“Looking at things differently is hard, especially in entrenched utilities that have been doing this for a long time,” the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission member said.

By Ethan Howland • July 9, 2026

IRA clean energy gains mostly on track despite OBBBA, says MIT study

74% of all new clean electricity capacity that would have been added under the Inflation Reduction Act will be preserved despite Trump administration policy changes, the report estimates, including 82% of utility-scale solar generation.

By Diana DiGangi • July 8, 2026

New Jersey increases transmission oversight in ‘affordability’ push

New Jersey’s governor signed bills that aim to cut transmission owners’ return on equity, establish data center tariffs and require state approval for “supplementary” transmission projects.

By Ethan Howland • July 8, 2026

US wholesale power prices to decline 8% this summer: EIA

But forecasted extreme heat is likely to eliminate any break for families. “I am not expecting consumers to get much of a price savings this summer,” NEADA Executive Director Mark Wolfe told Utility Dive.

By Robert Walton • July 8, 2026

The PJM market is working — don’t mistake progress for failure

Energy stakeholders should be focused on how to strengthen competitive markets, not abandon them, writes Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association.

By Todd Snitchler • July 7, 2026

Walmart signs nuclear PPA with Constellation to support Illinois operations

The companies said the deal marks Walmart’s first nuclear power purchase agreement and is “among the first of its kind between a large retailer and a nuclear energy facility in the United States.”

By Lamar Johnson • July 7, 2026

APS to convert retired coal units, adding 380 MW of natural gas

“Given Arizona’s increasing demand for around-the-clock energy and the long timelines for adding new generation, the conversion has proven to be a viable option,” APS said.

By Diana DiGangi • July 6, 2026