DOE awards $80M for first large-scale supercritical CO2 pilot plant

The 10 MW power plant will be located in San Antonio and test the use of heated, pressurized CO2 as the working fluid in a plant turbine. 

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 19, 2016

DOE task force pushes new gas well designs after Aliso Canyon leak

The White House convened the task force to make safety recommendations for underground gas storage facilities.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 19, 2016

Explore the Trendline➔

Electricity Supply and Demand

After nearly two decades of flat demand, U.S. electricity consumption reached an all-time high in 2024 and is expected to continue rising. This trendline brings together the best of Utility Dive’s coverage of emerging trends in supply and demand and the decisions being made today that will impact the power system for years to come. 

By Utility Dive staff

Mexico grid operator considers joining western EIM

Mexico's El Centro Nacional de Control de Energia and California ISO will embark on a benefits assessment for market implementation. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 19, 2016

Will FERC toughen standards for energy M&A? What's behind the agency's market power review

FERC wants to account for incentives to exert market power, not just companies' ability to do so.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 18, 2016

West Virginia court orders EPA to track coal job losses from pollution regulations

It's not clear whether the ruling will change policy, but a U.S. District Court says the agency must consider how its regulations affect jobs in the coal and power generation industries. 

By Gavin Bade • Oct. 18, 2016

EIA: Hurricane Matthew interrupted power to millions, but grid largely stood firm

The storm also briefly took some nuclear plants offline, spiking outage rates.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 18, 2016

Familiar cast files against EPA's new source pollution standards at DC Circuit Court

Twenty-three states led by West Virginia filed against the EPA's pollution standards for new power plants, mirroring arguments used against the Clean Power Plan last month.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 18, 2016

California military bases start sipping Arizona solar in largest government renewables deal

The purchase is part of a larger plan under which the Navy and Marines will source 50% of their energy needs from renewables by 2020.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 18, 2016

SolarReserve proposes 2 GW concentrated solar plant with storage in Nevada

The CSP project would be the second in the U.S. with molten salt energy storage and would sell power into the California market. 

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 17, 2016

Colder winter could spike electricity, natural gas prices for winter heating bills

The nearly half of U.S. homes that use natural gas for heating could see those bills increase up to 22% this winter.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 17, 2016

Washington energy agency overestimated carbon tax impacts on power prices

The Washington Department of Commerce now estimates a proposed carbon tax would increase power prices 5.3%, instead of a previous forecast of 20%.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 17, 2016

Analysis: Coal retirements could boost natural gas prices

A cold winter is also expected to push up natural gas demand at the beginning of 2017.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 17, 2016

Video: US Civil Rights chair Castro says utilities, EPA need to 'step up' coal ash safety

The head of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights sat down to talk about his 2016 enforcement report, focused on environmental justice and coal ash.

By Shalina Chatlani • Oct. 14, 2016

Xcel to replace 1.4 GW of coal with renewables, gas as Minnesota regulators approve IRP

Environmentalists praised most of the plan, but said new gas generation could be avoided with enhanced demand response and efficiency. 

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 14, 2016

Oregon utility considers biomass conversion for coal plant

In December, the utility will test the plant's capabilities in what is thought to be the largest biomass burn ever.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 14, 2016

California lawmaker petitions FERC supporting Klamath River dam decommissionings

Pacificorp has filed an application with FERC to decommission four hydropower dams in the Northwest, the largest such removal thus far.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 13, 2016

EIA: Carbon emissions from US power sector lowest in 25 years

Coal-to-gas shifting and mild weather across the nation meant U.S. emissions dropped to the lowest level seen since 1991. 

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 13, 2016

Updated: Ohio regulators scale back FirstEnergy subsidy proposal

The decision comes after FERC blocked an earlier plan to cover costs at FirstEnergy's aging coal and nuclear plants. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 13, 2016

Consumer group asks FERC to block sale of Entergy's Fitzpatrick nuke plant to Exelon

National consumer group Public Citizen says the companies omitted references to New York's $8 billion nuclear subsidy in their filing.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 13, 2016

North Carolina environmental group sues state, regulators over Duke gas plant

NC WARN is challenging a pair of laws it says are unconstitutional, claiming Duke Energy used them to avoid a full review of a proposed gas plant near Asheville. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 13, 2016

Siemens project to test heated rocks for large-scale, low-cost thermal energy storage

A new demonstration project in Germany will employ a 5 MW, 36 MWh storage facility attached to a steam turbine, with larger projects slated for 2019.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 12, 2016

Report: Mississippi Power's Kemper plant set for full operation in November

But regulators will hold prudency hearings after the plant comes online to determine how much of the ballooning cost will be shouldered by ratepayers. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 12, 2016

Duke to shed Latin America power assets in $2.4B deal

I Squared and China Three Gorges Corp. are the two buyers for Duke's hydro and gas plant assets. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 12, 2016

10 charts that explain America's divide on energy and climate policy

Ideology trumps science when it comes to energy and climate, and that's bad news for utility leaders. 

By Gavin Bade • Oct. 11, 2016

Spanish researchers explore molten silicon for more efficient solar energy storage

Molten silicon could be prove to be a cheaper and more abundant storage medium than the molten salt used in most CSP plants.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 11, 2016