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

Explore the Trendline➔

Data Centers and the US Grid

A look at how data centers are affecting the U.S. grid today and how new technologies and rate structures could affect that trajectory in the years to come.

By Utility Dive staff

Google bankrolls PG&E virtual power plant

The SHARE program is a proof of concept for privately-funded distributed energy capacity and could eventually expand to include commercial, industrial and utility-scale resources, Pacific Gas & Electric said.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 10, 2026

Front-of-meter solar, storage could serve 32% of California’s 2032 peak load: study

An analysis commissioned by the Coalition for Community Solar Access found untapped opportunity for 3,100 distribution-connected projects in the state’s three investor-owned utility territories.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 9, 2026

ERCOT load continues to reach record highs

Over six weeks since late July, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ weekly average peak loads all exceeded a record set in 2023, the Energy Information Administration said.

By Diana DiGangi • Sept. 8, 2026

A VPP is a garden. Let’s make them flourish nationwide.

Utilities keep buying VPPs like power plants. The megawatts are identical. The asset is not.

By Nick Woolley • Sept. 8, 2026

Supporters hopeful as DOE, EPA finalize Energy Star transition plan

The U.S. Department of Energy’s success with its Better Buildings Initiative shows that the agency knows how to make a public-private partnership like Energy Star work, an efficiency stakeholder said.

By Robert Freedman • Sept. 4, 2026

National Grid’s different gas-electric forecasts are responsible planning

National Grid New York is advancing integrated gas-electric planning through coordinated efforts and non-pipeline alternatives, writes the utility’s general counsel, Philip DeCicco.

By Philip DeCicco • Sept. 3, 2026

Santee Cooper partners with Google in shift toward AI-driven forecasting

The state-owned utility plans to use artificial intelligence tools for more precise weather, load and financial planning, CFO Tami Wilson told journalists.

By Diana DiGangi • Updated Sept. 9, 2026

PG&E sees rising interest in ‘customer-driven’ flexible interconnection pilot

The Flex Connect program allows larger distribution-connected loads to energize in months instead of waiting “several years” for firm interconnection, the Northern California utility says.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 2, 2026

Stakeholders square off over proposed DOE appliance program changes

Manufacturers say the changes would create a more predictable process to set appliance standards but should not “apply retroactively to standards already finalized.” Efficiency advocates say potential energy savings will be lost.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 31, 2026

Nevada ‘misses an opportunity’ in performance-based DER tariffs: advocate

The new demand response frameworks bring the state in line with other pay-for-performance virtual power plants while keeping NV Energy in the driver’s seat.

By Brian Martucci • Updated Aug. 28, 2026

PacifiCorp to suspend California energy efficiency programs under proposed settlement

The programs have “historically not provided cost-effectiveness benefits to ratepayers and, indeed, show a decline in performance in recent years,” said the California Public Utilities Commission’s Public Advocates Office.

By Diana DiGangi • Aug. 25, 2026

What makes a customer portal work for employees? These 4 essentials.

Utility portals are framed as customer experience tools, but they also improve how frontline work is done.

Aug. 24, 2026

ERCOT aims to complete Texas governor’s data center audit by December

The pause on new data center interconnections could impact the Electric Reliability Council of Texas’ upcoming long-term load forecast and reliability assessment, officials said Thursday.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 21, 2026

VPP value proposition expands to affordability, reliability and resilience

Robust compensation and metering, along with strong customer protections, are needed to drive participation in utility virtual power plant programs, according to experts.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 19, 2026

Home buyers want more information on energy usage. Utilities can help.

By positioning themselves as trusted experts for both buyers and real estate agents, utilities can speed the adoption of efficient grid technologies, say residential energy experts.

By Nathan Shannon and Scott Rosenberg • Aug. 19, 2026

Northwest council proposes 11 GW of new generation, 5 GW storage by 2032

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council estimates the portfolio for its Ninth Power Plan would have a fixed cost of $2.3 billion in 2032.

By Marlene Wilden • Aug. 18, 2026

Hyundai unifies vehicle V2X capabilities with AllDayEnergy entity

The global service signals a consistent energy management experience across Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EVs, and better use of bidirectional charging functionality. 

By Bengt Halvorson • Aug. 18, 2026

Beyond the home meter: How utilities can eliminate the EV ‘renter’s penalty’

Tying affordability measures to the customer rather than a home meter can ensure that predictable charging costs are available regardless of housing type, write experts at GRID Alternatives.

By Zach Franklin and Linda Khamoushian • Aug. 18, 2026

Quantum computing is coming fast. Are utilities ready?

“The load profile is different from anything utilities have planned for before,” said Aparna Prabhakar, chief strategy and sustainability officer, energy management, for Schneider Electric.

By Herman K. Trabish • Updated Aug. 28, 2026

Texas hits new peak demand record, but supply constraints will limit growth

Ascend Analytics says more than 80% of new large loads seeking interconnection will not have matching generation online by 2030, even as data centers and industrial demand continue to surge.

By Marlene Wilden • Aug. 12, 2026

Evergy has 3 GW of large loads signed and a 5-GW generation pipeline

The company is in “advanced discussions” with large-load customers representing another 1 to 2 GW, CEO David Campbell said during a second-quarter earnings call.

By Diana DiGangi • Aug. 11, 2026

California DER wholesale market participation could grow 2+ GW from CAISO ‘accounting change’: advocate

Behind-the-meter batteries and other aggregated DERs could get another lift from a related rulemaking at the California Public Utilities Commission, but a final ruling is unlikely before next year, a regulatory expert told Utility Dive.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 5, 2026

Battery-eligible New Jersey VPP program begins to take shape

Utility-owned storage could help mitigate grid congestion, a utility manager said at a July stakeholder meeting. Another said customer-centric program design is crucial to reducing attrition.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 4, 2026