Generation: Page 50
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Xcel proposes $1.7B transmission investment in Colorado to unlock nearly 5.5 GW new renewables
The proposal would allow the utility to reduce emissions in its Colorado territory by an estimated 85% below 2005 levels by 2030.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 4, 2021 -
House Democrats introduce bill with pathway to 100% clean energy by 2035
The bill would include major changes to the Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and require economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 3, 2021 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Joe Raedle via Getty Images
TrendlineTop 5 Stories from Utility Dive
Power demand is rising amid dramatic shifts in federal energy policy, but technology and markets continue to push the grid toward cleaner, more distributed resources.
By Utility Dive staff -
Deep Dive
Texas must increase ties to the national grid and DER to avoid another power catastrophe, analysts say
Planning for inter-regional transmission and distributed resources could do what ERCOT's competitive, energy-only market didn't – keep the heat and lights on, energy advisors say.
By Herman K. Trabish • March 2, 2021 -
ERCOT fires CEO, following resignation of head utility regulator, board members
CEO Bill Magness' termination follows continued fallout from the power outages that plagued the state for days last month during extreme cold weather.
By Catherine Morehouse • Updated March 4, 2021 -
Godwin, Jay. (2016). "Christi Craddick" [Photograph]. Retrieved from LBJ Library.
Texas gas regulator punts outage blame back to electric industry, 'we got us out of the problem'
Texas Railroad Commissioner Christi Craddick insisted her industry was not responsible for the blackouts that hit Texas last month, despite assertions from the electricity industry that supply-side constraints were a major issue.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 1, 2021 -
Puget Sound Energy IRP dramatically increases DERs but sets conflict over gas
The debate over PSE's draft integrated resource plan is the latest example of a conflict over the degree to which natural gas will be needed to back up renewable energy.
By Matthew Bandyk • March 1, 2021 -
'Everyone is asking, why?': Texas lawmakers grill generators, regulators on mass outages
Gas-electric coordination, the Texas wholesale market, communication protocols and regulatory authority all came under fire during the state's first hearing on the blackouts that left millions without power last week.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 26, 2021 -
Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive
OpinionUtilities need to harden the grid as they green it. Consumers aren't ready for the cost
Federal funding for grid modernization and decarbonization is the way to ensure events like the Texas blackouts don’t happen again.
By Stephanie Eyocko • Feb. 26, 2021 -
ERCOT narrowly avoided 'much more devastating' impacts as nearly half of generation went offline: CEO
At the highest point, about 48.6% of the grid operator's power generation — 52,277 MW out of 107,514 MW in installed capacity — was forced offline due to the extreme weather conditions.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 25, 2021 -
Dominion proposes ending its South Carolina coal generation by 2030
The majority of Dominion's scenarios for its next integrated resource plan include large blocks of solar and solar-plus-battery-storage added between 2030 and 2048.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 24, 2021 -
FERC to examine potential market violations in wake of massive Texas power outages
The commission also announced it would open a new proceeding to examine the threat climate change poses to electric reliability, following FERC's decision last week to close its resilience docket.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 23, 2021 -
Texas suspends utility disconnections after 'skyrocketing' power bills
State regulators held an emergency meeting Sunday to address the payment billing spikes that had customers charged up to 70 times more than what they would normally pay for electricity.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 23, 2021 -
(2015). "Burbank media district from Griffith Park" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
OpinionGet a sportscar or become one? One power plant's mid-life crisis
Burbank Water and Power's unique retrofit transformed its gas plant from baseload generator to renewable integration machine, the author writes.
By Lincoln Bleveans • Feb. 23, 2021 -
Texas grid operator makes progress restoring power, will end emergency conditions today
Utilities can now restore service to any load dropped during Texas' massive outage, but some are still struggling with ice damage.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 19, 2021 -
FERC to reopen 1999 policy on gas project approvals, add environmental justice considerations
Though the vote was unanimous, commissioners had differing opinions on the necessity of proceeding, and to what extent policy should change.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021 -
Congress, Texas should 'rethink' ERCOT's 'go it alone approach': FERC Chair Glick
"Texans would be without electricity for longer than three days to keep the federal government out of their business," former Governor of Texas and Secretary of Energy Rick Perry said earlier this week.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021 -
FERC 'finally' ends PJM MOPR proceeding, paving way for grid operator's next capacity auction
"To have anything but a bright line against the participation of subsidized resources is simply an error and a dereliction of the duty to keep our markets properly insulated," said Commissioner James Danly, the sole dissenting vote.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021 -
Elizabeth Regan, Industry Dive/Utility Dive
FERC closes resilience docket opened in response to DOE coal, nuclear bailout proposal
The decision comes amid rolling outages that have plagued Texas, and Commissioner Neil Chatterjee, in his sole dissent, said the docket was precisely the right place to examine these and other reliability issues.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2021 -
S&P: Despite storage growth, US to achieve 'marginal' carbon-free capacity increases through 2035
The generation market share for zero-carbon resources will increase from 39% to 47% in the next 15 years, and will require policy commitments at either the federal or state level, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 18, 2021 -
Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive
Deep Dive
Power experts cite gas constraints as main cause of ERCOT outages, but system planning questions remain
"The fact that this was not wind's fault is not an argument that the wind system as we currently have it would have done better if it were a bigger part of the grid," said a professor of environmental engineering at Georgia Tech.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 18, 2021 -
Danielle Ternes/Utility Dive
FERC, NERC to investigate mass outages across ERCOT, SPP, MISO
Increased demand from extreme cold weather, limited gas supplies and frozen equipment at thermal plants were the primary causes of rolling blackouts triggered largely across Texas, according to officials.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 16, 2021 -
ERCOT board members to resign following mass outages
Soaring demand, gas shortages and frozen wind turbines forced grid operators to enact rolling blackouts last week.
By Robert Walton • Updated Feb. 24, 2021 -
Duke to spend up to $134B on energy transition by 2030, eyes regulatory reforms
CEO Lynn Good also said the company sees offshore wind potential in its North Carolina territory within the next 10 years.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 12, 2021 -
Texas grid operator braces for record electric demand, warns generators to prepare
Electric demand is expected to soar as parts of Texas could experience the lowest temperatures in decades.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 12, 2021 -
Grid operators to request extension on FERC Order 2222 compliance, regulator cites 'short' timeline
"FERC, when issuing Order 2222, left many of the most difficult challenges to be dealt with by the RTOs in their stakeholder process," said Ted Thomas, chair of the Arkansas Public Service Commission.
By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 10, 2021
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