Utilities turn to AI to manage rising power demand — from AI

Applications include maintenance prioritization and demand forecasting, but AI outputs that are uneven, or those that can’t be audited, constrain broader deployment. “Most utilities could not reconstruct what an AI system read, what it did and why,” one expert told Utility Dive.

By Marlene Wilden • Oct. 22, 2026

Google supersizes PJM virtual power plant to more than 1 GW

Such contracts signal a turning point for distributed resources in energy markets, industry sources say. Demand response revenue in PJM jumped 240% from 2024 to 2025, reaching $523.6 million; emergency demand response accounted for 88% of that.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 22, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

AI in the Power Sector

Artificial intelligence is uniquely positioned to impact the electricity industry from both ends: as the technology driving large load demand growth and as a tool with the potential to make the power system more efficient. 

By Utility Dive staff

Summer-peaking states could save big with heat pumps, report says

From 1980 to 2000, electricity demand rose while prices dropped. Heat pumps could help do that again, according to a report from RMI that estimates full deployment could reduce U.S. residential electric rates by 13% in summer-peaking states.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 20, 2026

What Google’s virtual power plant in PJM says about the race for electricity

Voltus CEO Dana Guernsey compared new “bring your own new capacity” contracts to the power purchase agreements that “revolutionized” utility-scale solar and wind development.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 19, 2026

Schneider Electric sees record-high Q3 revenue on global data center boom

North America continues to be the largest source of revenue for the company’s energy management segment, but China and East Asia saw a higher organic growth rate this quarter and year to date.

By Diana DiGangi • Oct. 19, 2026

Scaling residential VPPs could cut electric bill increases by half: Brattle

Utilities should look to OEM-led enrollment strategies to expand residential virtual power plants utilizing thermostats, batteries and EV chargers, according to The Brattle Group.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 14, 2026

Smart thermostat aggregator rebrands, launches ‘whole-home’ virtual power plant

Renew Home is now Everyday Electric. CEO Ben Brown told Utility Dive its flagship Everyday VPP can reduce the need for new centralized generation and mitigate costs for all ratepayers.

By Brian Martucci • Oct. 7, 2026

Top electric power sector and utility conferences in 2027

Utility Dive’s curated list of notable events where energy professionals will gather to exchange ideas, demonstrate novel approaches and network for a new era of grid modernization.

By Meris Lutz • Oct. 6, 2026

Maximizing efficiency: How commissioning and retro-commissioning facilities can strengthen grid resiliency

Utilities turn to onsite power as demand outpaces grid capacity.

Oct. 5, 2026

Hidden capacity: The overlooked opportunity in North America’s race for power

The fastest megawatt may already be on the grid. Here’s how utilities can unlock it.

By Jonathan Stewart, Vice President, Utility Market Development, North America, Hitachi Energy • Oct. 5, 2026

How consumers are paying utility bills: 5 trends to watch

Customer payment behavior is shifting. Utilities that aren't paying attention will pay the price. Five trends reshaping the bill pay landscape in 2026 and beyond.

Oct. 5, 2026

Facilities are using 48E investment tax credits to make energy projects pencil out

Most commonly, building operators are using the tax credit to install battery storage systems that can leverage lower-cost electricity rates, says an executive with tax-credit consulting firm Alliant.

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 30, 2026

The data center boom continues apace, but projects face mounting obstacles

Shortages of skilled labor and equipment, as well as local opposition, are threatening even high-profile projects backed by big tech companies. Developers are responding by embracing flexibility and alternative technologies once considered too unwieldy.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 29, 2026

Most NYC buildings met emissions standard in first compliance year

Many improved their performance through building upgrades and energy-efficiency measures like lighting upgrades, envelope work, installing heat pumps or implementing energy management systems, a city official said.

By Joe Burns • Sept. 29, 2026

From data centers to AI factories: What utilities need to know about the next wave of load growth

 The AI boom is here. Can utilities plan fast enough to power it?

Sept. 28, 2026

Efforts to curb data center speculation gain ground across the US

Large-load tariffs and other measures to weed out speculative projects are taking shape. Public backlash to data centers, shifting state-level policies and the utility profit model are complicating those efforts, stakeholders say.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 23, 2026

North Carolina regulators deny Duke Energy gas turbine request over ‘staggering’ cost, uncertain need

The order called out Duke’s commitment to the White House Ratepayer Protection Pledge, saying the utility had not established the specific extent to which the proposed facility is intended to serve data centers.

By Diana DiGangi • Sept. 22, 2026

Trump is stalling EV adoption. Here’s how states can step up.

While President Trump attacks electric vehicles, a few states are charting a path to expand electric transportation and reduce residents’ costs, writes the Sierra Club's Katherine García.

By Katherine García • Sept. 17, 2026

Climavision offers expanded weather forecasting to data centers

The company says it can help large loads better respond to changing weather conditions as data centers are asked to play a more active role in grid management.

By Charles Paullin • Sept. 16, 2026

Utility costs could put pressure on cities’ finances, S&P experts warn

Rates are high compared to household income in many places, and over time, this could reduce flexibility for public finance entities, say S&P Global analysts. This isn’t currently leading to significant bond rating actions, but it’s a “simmering risk.”

By Vicky Uhland • Sept. 16, 2026

Utilities, schools see growing value in electric buses for virtual power plants

By participating in programs that ease grid congestion, school districts can recoup thousands of dollars from the price of electric school buses.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 16, 2026

‘Second-life’ battery project is B2U’s second in ERCOT, with more on the way

A strategic supply agreement with Waymo and rising EV adoption rates will expand the company’s access to older batteries still fit for use in stationary storage, CEO Freeman Hall told Utility Dive.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 15, 2026

PJM faces 2030 reliability crisis if data center load growth continues: report

In a worst-case scenario, the modeled loss of load expectation is “over 100 times worse than PJM’s planning criterion,” indicating an expectation of “more than 13 days with loss of load events per year,” said the study commissioned by the Pennsylvania PUC.

By Diana DiGangi • Updated Sept. 16, 2026

Turning utility customer affordability into action

The growing role of customer affordability in utility strategy, investment and long-term planning.

Sept. 14, 2026

Pennsylvania PUC to consider ratemaking, ROE and curtailment as data center load grows

The decisions come “amid growing concern about the balance between rapidly increasing electricity demand and the resources available to serve that demand” in PJM territory, the Pennsylvania PUC said.

By Diana DiGangi • Sept. 11, 2026