Building & Transportation Electrification


  • A person plugs an electric F-150 Lighting for charging in a garage.
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    Courtesy of Ford Motor Co.
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    Sunrun, BGE launch first US electric vehicle-to-home virtual power plant

    The initiative kicks off with just three customers but is “a significant proof of concept ... and the goal is to expand these programs all around the country,” said Sunrun CEO Mary Powell.

    By July 25, 2024
  • A row of electric vehicle chargers is seen from one end with a dark red vehicle parked and plugged in to the nearest charger.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Cities plan renewable energy, electrification projects as EPA unveils $4.3B in climate grants

    The grants “put local governments in the driver’s seat to develop climate solutions that work for their communities,” a federal official said. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • July 24, 2024
  • Citscape with solar panels installed outside. Explore the Trendline
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    Liudmila Chernetska via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Building Electrification

    Decarbonization goals are spurring building electrication efforts across the U.S. While the use of heat pumps and other technologies is expanding, some policies are facing legal challenges.

    By Utility Dive staff
  • A home Wallbox electric vehicle charger
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    Courtesy of Wallbox
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    EnergyHub to integrate Wallbox L2 chargers into grid flexibility programs

    About 80% of EV charging occurs at home, according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, making residential customers a key to utilities looking to manage growing demand.

    By July 24, 2024
  • Solar panels and wind turbines in the desert producing renewable energy.
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    narvikk via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    Innovative solutions emerge to reduce 2.5-TW US clean energy interconnection backlog

    California’s project scoring criteria, the Texas connect and manage option and SPP’s work to link system planning with the interconnection process across its multistate region could speed the clean energy expansion.

    By July 22, 2024
  • The interior and dashboard of the Tesla Model 3 with the white seat color option.
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    Courtesy of Tesla Inc.
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    Owners report more problems with EVs than with gas vehicles: JD Power

    New technology in cars is driving an increase in owner complaints, a June study found.

    By Kalena Thomhave • July 17, 2024
  • The Stellantis sign outside the company’s North American office in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
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    Courtesy of Stellantis
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    DOE allocates $1.7B to convert auto factories to EV production and supply

    Eleven shuttered or at-risk facilities in eight states will be converted to support electric vehicle manufacturing.

    By Haley Cawthon • July 12, 2024
  • A worker inspects a 2023 Acura Integra as comes off of the assembly line at Honda's Marysville Auto Plant.
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    Courtesy of American Honda Motor Co., Inc
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    Lack of affordable electric vehicles will limit widespread US adoption until at least 2028: BofA

    Analysts at Bank of America and Bloomberg say U.S. EV penetration rates are slowing and are unlikely to reach 30% by 2030.

    By June 26, 2024
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    Permission granted by Kraken Technologies Ltd
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    Sponsored by Kraken

    To efficiently electrify everything, utilities will need a better customer IT stack

    While utilities need to invest in new technologies, they should consider reinvigoration of an underappreciated tool that they already have: the customer IT stack.

    By Emma Rodvien — Senior Manager of US Regulatory Affairs and Market Development, Kraken • June 24, 2024
  • Schoolchildren kids pupils group of mixed-race classmates boarding school bus before going to lessons
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    stock.adobe.com/InsideCreativeHouse

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    Sponsored by Franklin Energy

    Get on the bus: How utilities can support electric school buses

    Among all vehicle electrification use cases, school buses are the very definition of a winning scenario, which is why they’re gaining so much attention.

    June 24, 2024
  • The lineup of Tesla vehicles parked at a Supercharger with tress in the background in a media photo.
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    Courtesy of Tesla Inc.
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    EV adoption falls to its lowest point since 2021: JD Power

    Meanwhile, electric vehicles are more available than they’ve ever been.

    By Kalena Thomhave • June 13, 2024
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    BanksPhotos via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Budderfly’s CEO on accelerating clean technology adoption in commercial buildings

    Al Subbloie discusses the slow adoption of ground-source heat pumps and highlights the benefits of outsourcing energy management and using software to boost efficiency and cut carbon emissions.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 12, 2024
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    Getty Images
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    Residential DERs could compensate for rise in peak energy demand by 2035: Deloitte

    Most utilities, however, will need to increase coordination with residential customers to maximize the potential of distributed energy resources, according to Deloitte.

    By Emma Penrod • June 12, 2024
  • Aerial shot of buildings in a downtown. A tree-covered hill sits in the background.
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    Davel5957 via Getty Images
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    Proposed tax on gas-powered large buildings will go to voters in Berkeley, California

    A 2023 court decision that struck down Berkeley’s first-in-the-nation ban on gas hookups in new construction is part of what led to the ballot measure, an organizer said. 

    By Ysabelle Kempe • June 11, 2024
  • AI Artificial Intelligence and conversational chatbots businesses digital technology interact with applications, including customer service, sales and marketing and big data virtual screen.
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    hirun via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    As NVIDIA, IBM and others apply AI to boost utilities, regulatory and data privacy obstacles abound

    The “move fast and break things” business model of the technology sector is meeting the regulated spending and reliability imperatives of the utility sector.

    By June 11, 2024
  • U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm holds a news conference at the Department of Energy headquarters to announce a breakthrough in fusion research on December 13, 2022 in Washington, DC.
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    Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images
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    DOE releases zero-emissions building definition, part 1

    The definition will bring clarity to support decarbonization efforts and enable clean energy technologies that can make U.S. buildings more comfortable, said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm.

    By Nish Amarnath • June 7, 2024
  • Charging port on the Volvo C40 recharge SUV.
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    Courtesy of Volvo Cars
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    $1.3B earmarked for EV charging network expansion in US

    The Biden-Harris administration aims to accelerate public and private investment in clean transportation with the largest single grant funding opportunity for U.S. EV charging to date.

    By Haley Cawthon • June 3, 2024
  • A yellow electric school bus is plugged in at a charging station.
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Why EPA’s support of school bus electrification is the clear choice to improve America’s future

    Focusing on top-line sticker prices obscures the total cost of ownership of electric school buses, as well as their end-of-life value.

    By Albert Gore • June 3, 2024
  • A rooftop solar installation against the backdrop of the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building in midtown Manhattan.
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    FernandoAH via Getty Images
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    New York is 1st state to launch IRA-funded home energy rebate program

    Seventeen states have applied to the U.S. Department of Energy for $8.8 billion available for home energy rebate programs. “We're very, very close” to announcing additional awards, a senior DOE official said.

    By May 31, 2024
  • Fermata Energy has partnered with the City of Boulder on a vehicle-to-grid charging project
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    Permission granted by Fermata Energy
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    Fermata, Xcel Energy launch ‘transformative’ V2X bidirectional charging pilot in Colorado

    The EV charging pilot will provide insights into “resiliency and technology deployment strategies in areas at highest risk of prolonged outages due to natural disaster or emergency events,” Xcel said.

    By May 29, 2024
  • Lithium-rich brine dries in an evaporation pond next to mounds of salt bi-product at a lithium mine in the Atacama Desert on August 24, 2022 in Salar de Atacama, Chile.
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    John Moore via Getty Images
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    Battery, critical mineral producers face inventory glut amid slowing EV demand

    The oversupply, however, is likely to be short-lived, with experts urging diversified sourcing and increased investments to avoid future shortfalls.

    By Kate Magill • May 23, 2024
  • President Joe Biden
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    Alex Wong via Getty Images
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    Biden hikes tariffs on China-made EVs, batteries, solar cells

    The tariffs align with U.S. efforts to get ahead of China in clean energy and advanced technology manufacturing while also increasing supply chain control.

    By Kate Magill • May 14, 2024
  • A sonnen battery in one of the apartments at the Soleil Lofts complex in Herriman, Utah
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    Permission granted by sonnen, Inc.
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    Virtual power plants, DERs and home electrification get boost from trio of new Maryland laws

    The laws could help Maryland meet its goals to generate 14.5% of electricity from solar by 2028, achieve a 60% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 and install 3 GW of energy storage by 2033.

    By Brian Martucci • May 13, 2024
  • A yellow electric school bus is plugged in at a charging station.
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    Stock Photo via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Why the EPA shouldn’t favor school bus electrification

    The environmental benefits of vehicle electrification are not as obvious as once thought, and the grid is simply not ready to service the load.

    By Tucker Perkins • May 10, 2024
  • EV-grid integration group launches utility collaboration forum with ConEd, PG&E, Ford, GM, others

    Electric vehicles made up 7.3% of new vehicle purchases in the first quarter, and utilities say they are preparing to integrate millions of them into the power grid.

    By May 8, 2024
  • The BMW Vision Neue Klasse X electric Sport Activity Vehicle.
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    Courtesy of BMW Group AG
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    BMW’s future EVs will support bidirectional charging

    BMW joins General Motors, Ford and Volkswagen in the development of vehicle-to-home charging technology to help homeowners reduce energy costs and reduce CO2 emissions from power generation.

    By Eric Walz • May 8, 2024