Efficiency & Demand Response
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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 -
Online map showcases construction-related careers in booming green sector
The tool was designed to help workers research jobs and advancement paths in the green building field.
By Jenn Goodman • April 08, 2021 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Getty Images
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 -
Opinion
US building codes need a major retrofit to meet climate goals and spare consumers
The International Code Council, which recently rolled back local governments' say in energy efficiency regulations for buildings, needs to adapt to the times or step aside, writes Energy Innovation's Sara Baldwin.
By Sara Baldwin • April 07, 2021 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by jhorrocks via Getty Images
OpinionFERC's opt-out rule has created a stalemate for distributed energy resources and demand response programs
FERC should eliminate the opt-out rule because it is a market barrier that has served no useful purpose in more than a decade, the author writes.
By Kenneth Schisler • April 06, 2021 -
Permission granted by Mack
EV charging setup would cost Schneider, NFI more than 10 times annual fuel savings: study
The Environmental Defense Fund called charging infrastructure "the greatest challenge of electrifying heavy-duty trucks."
By S.L. Fuller • April 06, 2021 -
Chris Teale/Utility Dive
Lime introduces its first e-moped fleet in Washington, DC
The company deployed an initial 100 vehicles in the city last week, with Lime CEO Wayne Ting citing the company's commitment to safety as the service's biggest differentiator.
By Chris Teale • April 06, 2021 -
DOE
DOE begins 'repairing damage' done by Trump to energy efficiency program, say advocates
The U.S. Department of Energy has proposed changes to its appliance efficiency rules, which it says are designed to ease the process of setting energy saving standards.
By Robert Walton • April 05, 2021 -
Yujin Kim/Utility Dive
State of the Electric Utility 2021
The 8th annual State of the Electric Utility Survey Report provides a pulse on industry trends from nearly 500 utility professionals, many at the VP level and above, along with insight from a broad range of industry experts.
By Nami Sumida • April 01, 2021 -
Deep Dive
State of the Electric Utility 2021: Gas doubts rise, DER focus wanes, and 5 other key takeaways
Despite the impacts of COVID-19, the energy transition is stronger than ever, the results of Utility Dive's 8th annual industry survey show.
By Larry Pearl • April 01, 2021 -
Elizabeth Regan, Industry Dive
OpinionHold on to your seats. FERC just hit the fast forward button on the clean energy transition.
The commission removed a major speed bump on the road to a clean energy future when it amended its landmark Order 2222 on March 18, the authors write.
By Allison Bates Wannop and Jon Wellinghoff • March 30, 2021 -
Hawaii groups push for demand-side measures, streamlined interconnection to manage coal plant closure
Regulators in the state are concerned that delays to a series of renewables projects could force Hawaiian Electric to rely on fossil fuel generation after an Oahu coal plant retires in 2022.
By Kavya Balaraman • March 29, 2021 -
Tacoma Power's first foray into demand response could support green fuels production
Tacoma Power wants to attract green hydrogen producers to its territory with a discounted electricity rate. In exchange, the utility may curtail its service up to 1,300 hours annually.
By Robert Walton • March 29, 2021 -
Cadbytimm. (2017). "Admiring SF" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
California authorizes summer reliability fixes despite concerns over backup diesel generation
“We’ve developed a number of programs and proposals, some we hope to never have to use,” CPUC President Marybel Batjer said Thursday.
By Kavya Balaraman • March 26, 2021 -
Permission granted by Fermata Energy
New coalition calls on Biden admin to prioritize electrified transportation
CHARGE, a group of 37 organizations, is urging EV charging infrastructure be especially deployed in communities traditionally underserved by transportation or that have struggled with pollution burdens.
By Chris Teale • March 25, 2021 -
The image by hendricks is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Cities face new roadblock in quest to decarbonize buildings
The International Code Council removed the rights of local governments to vote on energy-efficient building codes, a move with major implications for cities as they seek to dramatically reduce emissions.
By Cailin Crowe • March 24, 2021 -
CPUC reliability proposal skimps on demand response while doubling down on gas, parties say
The proposal is a "crippling response" to demand response and distributed energy resources, one stakeholder told regulators on Friday.
By Kavya Balaraman • March 22, 2021 -
Elizabeth Regan, Industry Dive
FERC prevents states from blocking demand response in DER aggregations under Order 2222
Commissioner Mark Christie, who formerly served as a Virginia utility regulator, decried the move as a violation of states' rights, and argued that it could unnecessarily raise ratepayer costs.
By Catherine Morehouse • March 19, 2021 -
Courtesy of Hino
Hino's partnership with Cummins puts it on the fast track to EV production
Moving a timeline forward is a break from the norm, as delays hamper electric truck production at Tesla and Nikola.
By S.L. Fuller • March 18, 2021 -
Courtesy of Lion Electric
Lion Electric: EVs save transport firms 80% on energy, 60% on repair costs compared to diesel
The OEM is building a battery manufacturing plant to bring down costs and electrify 14,000 medium- and heavy-duty vehicles per year.
By S.L. Fuller • March 17, 2021 -
States, California IOUs urge changes to Trump energy efficiency policies, but not everyone agrees
The U.S. Department of Energy requested comments on its rulemaking priorities, and received a range of responses. Appliance manufacturers are supportive of changes the Trump Administration made to some efficiency rules.
By Robert Walton • March 15, 2021 -
Iulia Gheorghiu / Utility Dive
OpinionHow to unlock the potential of virtual power plants? Virtualize the grid.
We know from other sectors that tools exist to operate highly complex, distributed systems in an efficient and reliable manner. It's time we applied those lessons to the grid, the authors write.
By Astrid Atkinson, Varun Sivaram, and Richard L. Kauffman • March 11, 2021 -
Global climate models may vastly overstate energy savings from efficiency measures, analysis finds
Economy-wide rebound effects "may erode more than half of the expected energy savings from improved energy efficiency," the analysis concludes.
By Robert Walton • March 09, 2021 -
California looks to demand-side fixes as 'a layer of insurance' to prevent rolling blackouts
Regulators are contemplating a new emergency load reduction program, tweaking rate plans to encourage customers to save energy, and modifying current demand response programs to increase participation.
By Kavya Balaraman • March 08, 2021 -
Photo illustration by Brian Tucker/Utility Dive; photograph by jhorrocks via Getty Images
Deep Dive
'A total mindshift': Utilities replace gas peakers, 'old school' demand response with flexible DERs
Utility-customer cooperation can balance renewables' variability with flexibility without using "blunt" demand response or natural gas.
By Herman K. Trabish • March 08, 2021 -
Courtesy of FedEx
FedEx to convert parcel fleet to EVs by 2040, eyeing a carbon neutral future
The announcement is part of a broader $2 billion investment focused on clean energy, carbon removal and electrification.
By A.B. Brown • March 05, 2021
