Efficiency & Demand Response
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Hawaii OKs emergency demand response to avoid energy shortfalls following AES coal plant closure
Th order will be "a good jolt to the market for the next couple of years, to meet this emergency need," one solar advocate said.
By Kavya Balaraman • June 10, 2021 -
Nuclear capacity increases by 4.5 GW in long-delayed 'MOPRed' PJM auction, coal loses 8 GW
Total costs dropped $4.4 billion and prices dropped to $50/MW-day during PJM’s years-delayed capacity auction, due to lower load forecasts, which translate to lower reliability requirements, according to the grid operator.
By Catherine Morehouse • June 03, 2021 -
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TrendlineEnergy Efficiency and Demand Side Management
Utilities are using a variety of new resources and connected devices to balance the grid and meet demand, drawing on everything from smart thermostats to large-scale batteries.
By Utility Dive staff -
Courtesy of Volvo Trucks
Port of Long Beach incentivizes trucking industry to adopt cleaner fuels as electric, hydrogen tech scale up
The California port said Monday it was exempting natural gas-powered trucks from an impending emissions fee.
By S.L. Fuller • May 27, 2021 -
California is changing the way it values energy efficiency to look beyond resource savings
New rules include a “total system benefit” metric to consider the lifecycle impacts of a utility's efficiency portfolio and to encourage programs targeting high-value conservation.
By Robert Walton • May 26, 2021 -
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Rapid 'energy efficiency as a service' growth belies financing, other difficulties, analysts say
Efficiency projects are difficult to finance and complicated to implement, creating opportunities for energy service companies to thrive, panelists said at a DOE summit May 19.
By Robert Walton • May 20, 2021 -
Drew Angerer/Getty Images via Getty Images
Biden decarbonization focus shifts to buildings, with goal to triple efficiency, see up to $200B in savings
The White House announced workforce development funding, new performance standards and expanded partnerships in the private sector in an effort to address carbon emissions from the nation's building stock.
By Robert Walton • May 19, 2021 -
Mario Tama via Getty Images
CAISO 'cautiously optimistic' about summer 2021, but still sees causes for concern
"[T]here are remaining risks to reliability, such as an extreme prolonged heat wave affecting wide swaths of the West, or serious wildfires," CAISO President and CEO Elliot Mainzer said in a statement.
By Kavya Balaraman • May 13, 2021 -
Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York. (2020). "New MTA Articulated Electric Bus Comes to M60" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Charlotte, North Carolina, models public-private approach for electrifying bus fleet
The city council recently approved a partnership to pilot 18 battery electric bus vehicles, while much of the U.S. has been slow to electrify transit.
By Jason Plautz • May 12, 2021 -
Courtesy of Nikola
Nikola scales production, fueling stations as it books deal for 100 EVs
For one battery-electric truck customer, the sale hinges on government subsidies, which the OEM's CFO said it is helping the fleet secure.
By S.L. Fuller • May 11, 2021 -
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Xcel Energy issues broad performance metrics report, setting markers for future progress
The Minnesota-based utility graded itself on everything from customer relations to load shifting, after years of discussions with state regulators and stakeholder groups.
By Scott Voorhis • May 10, 2021 -
DOE turns its focus toward equity with commitment to lowering solar deployment barriers
The U.S. Department of Energy's loan program historically has not focused on equity issues, instead choosing to work with the biggest companies and billion-dollar loans, program director Jigar Shah says.
By Robert Walton • May 05, 2021 -
LEED-certified federal buildings aren't using less energy, Carnegie Mellon study finds
While the study focuses on federal buildings, "there [also] is no credible evidence on the effectiveness of green certification programs in reducing energy consumption in commercial buildings," the study authors said.
By Robert Walton • May 04, 2021 -
Natacha Kiler
Deep DiveAs utilities match CCAs on price, aggregators increase climate action, grow economies of scale to compete
With stranded costs and other charges keeping CCA bills and utility bills comparable, municipal and community aggregations are challenging utilities on renewables and climate targets to grow their customer base.
By Herman K. Trabish • May 04, 2021 -
Permission granted by Fermata Energy
OpinionAs markets mature, will EV fleet managers drive competition between power providers?
Utilities cannot be complacent and just expect to be the preferred electricity provider for fleets based in their territory, the author writes.
By Will Sierzchula • May 03, 2021 -
Retrieved from Twitter.
Deep DiveBiden's $2.3 trillion infrastructure plan meets power system needs but leaves room for political dealing
The Biden infrastructure spend would rapidly transition the U.S. power sector in ways utilities like, but Congress is expected to seek changes.
By Herman K. Trabish • April 28, 2021 -
Graeme Robertson via Getty Images
Just transition needed in transit electrification, labor leaders say
Transit worker representatives said agencies and the federal government should provide training and give workers a voice, otherwise major job losses could follow.
By Chris Teale • April 27, 2021 -
CPUC judge orders SoCalGas to return ratepayer funds but stops short of imposing financial penalty
"It is no different than if the Commission found SoCalGas guilty of robbery but then only required them to give back the stolen money," per the Public Advocates Office, which had asked regulators to fine SoCalGas $255 million.
By Kavya Balaraman • April 27, 2021 -
Annual peak loads are shifting to winter; ACEEE report details how utilities can manage
The rise of space heating, water heaters, solar generation and other new technologies has Duke Energy eyeing 1,400 MW of winter demand-side resources.
By Robert Walton • April 23, 2021 -
Courtesy of Spin
Spin begins electrifying operations, eyeing carbon neutrality
The Ford-owned micromobility company said it will start using electric vans in its two largest markets, having achieved carbon neutrality in 2020 by using carbon offsets and supporting environmental projects.
By Chris Teale • April 22, 2021 -
FERC overstepping its authority in move to lower demand response barriers, NARUC, utilities charge
State regulators launched similar charges against federal regulators regarding FERC's order on energy storage, arguing the commission was illegally encroaching on state authority over the distribution system.
By Catherine Morehouse • April 21, 2021 -
Retrieved from Lyft on June 17, 2020
OpinionAll-electric car and truck sales by 2035 would save $2.7 trillion, but will take smart policy to drive clean
Additional regulation to encourage rapid ground transportation electrification is needed for the U.S. to lead in electric vehicle technology innovation.
By Amanda Myers • April 19, 2021 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
JPMorgan, Citi follow Bank of America with trillion-dollar ESG pledges
JPMorgan's $2.5 trillion commitment could rebalance the scales. The bank has financed about $317 billion in fossil-fuel activity since 2015, an activist group found. In that time, it has put nearly $210 billion toward green initiatives.
By Dan Ennis • April 19, 2021 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by thinkreaction via Getty Images
Deep DiveAs Biden targets 100% clean electricity, strategies emerge to reliably integrate rising renewables
A power system based on portfolios of increasingly cost-effective utility-scale and distributed renewables is emerging and driving new operational and market solutions to make it work reliably.
By Herman K. Trabish • April 19, 2021 -
Courtesy of Kenworth
OpinionCleaner by the mile: Electric trucks can have outsized environmental and health benefits
According to forthcoming research from Texas A&M University, electrification of a small number of medium- and heavy-duty vehicles can lead to significant pollution reductions, the authors write.
By David Farnsworth, Camille Kadoch and Nancy Seidman • April 14, 2021 -
Tesla praises, ConEd opposes different New York EV bills
The state's largest utility opposes a proposal that would require utilities to create commercial tariffs for fast charging in an effort to boost fleet adoption.
By Robert Walton • April 09, 2021
