Green Mountain Power, RMP offer strong virtual power plant blueprint: RMI webinar

VPP policy should promote widespread distributed energy resource adoption while enabling retail and wholesale market participation and preserving customer choice, webinar participants said.

By Brian Martucci • April 11, 2024

Regulators: Don’t panic and rush to gas amid cries we’re out of power

Proposing new gas plants to serve growing demand does not occur in isolation. It is a decision that implicitly rejects alternatives as either infeasible, expensive or unconsidered.

By Mike O’Boyle and Eric Gimon • April 11, 2024

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

As DOE updates how it sets energy efficiency standards, advocates, legislators push it to act faster

The U.S. Department of Energy has made progress reviewing a backlog of appliance efficiency standards, but advocates and lawmakers say the administration must redouble those efforts as the election looms.

By Robert Walton • April 11, 2024

More incentives for moderate-income home retrofits needed to combat climate change: ACEEE

No-interest loans with no money upfront “significantly increased” homeowners’ willingness to invest in comprehensive upgrades, according to a new report on home energy efficiency.

By Robert Walton • April 10, 2024

Building decarbonization goes beyond energy efficiency, US Green Building Council says

Other pathways like electrification, clean power and building grid integration can help owners and operators reduce building emissions, according to the U.S. Green Building Council.

By Nish Amarnath • April 8, 2024

Mitigating risk systemically: How data-driven vegetation management supports regulatory compliance

The word “regulation” may not trigger images of trees and vegetation for utility leaders — but perhaps it should.

April 8, 2024

DOE final distribution transformer rule adds 2 years for compliance

The agency sought a middle ground with its final rule, extending compliance timelines and adjusting efficiency targets to require less amorphous electrical steel.

By Robert Walton • April 4, 2024

National blueprint for building-sector decarbonization released by Biden administration

The plan, which sets specific targets for reducing on-site energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, also recommends state and local building performance standards.

By Ysabelle Kempe • April 4, 2024

Appliance efficiency standards save lives, making DOE’s updates all the more urgent: report

Appliance standards prevented between 1,900 and 4,400 pollution-related deaths in 2017, according to research from CLASP, a nonprofit focused on how energy efficiency can address climate change.

By Robert Walton • April 1, 2024

A new era of price-based demand response emerges, but utilities and regulators need proof of its potential

New load flexibility from price-based demand response programs could be invaluable if reliability and cost-effectiveness is confirmed in real-world operating conditions, stakeholders agree.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 27, 2024

Sonnen CEO aims to repeat company’s Utah virtual power plant success

The company has been helped by Utah regulators and Rocky Mountain Power seeing the value in a distributed, dispatchable portfolio that could potentially scale faster than new fixed generation, Blake Richetta said.

By Brian Martucci • March 26, 2024

ICC’s decision on 2024 energy conservation code draws criticism, debate

The International Code Council, after receiving nine appeals, has voted to move provisions aimed at slashing greenhouse gas emissions from the main code to appendices.

By Nish Amarnath • March 22, 2024

Bidirectional charging could unlock new potential for waste fleet electrification

A recent pilot by Veolia in the UK could lead to a future where electric trucks can feed energy back into the grid rather than just paying for it. But the U.S. market is still in the early stages of incorporating EV technology.

By David Richardson • March 18, 2024

Utilities, others lobby senators to block DOE’s distribution transformer efficiency rule

The U.S. Department of Energy plans to finalize new efficiency rules for distribution transformers in April, but a broad coalition of utilities is supporting legislation to block the effort.

By Robert Walton • Updated March 19, 2024

Lenders can spur building decarbonization with a focus on energy efficiency, renewables: RMI

A new RMI report recommends that lenders conduct, as part of their underwriting process, a cost-benefit analysis of efficiency upgrades and the replacement of fossil fuel technologies with renewable ones.

By Nish Amarnath • March 13, 2024

ASHRAE introduces renewable energy in latest building energy standard

The Department of Energy has affirmed ASHRAE’s updated Standard 90.1, estimating that it will drive energy savings nationwide. States now have two years to certify that they have reviewed and, if needed, updated their codes. 

By Nish Amarnath • March 11, 2024

4 strategies to boost customer engagement with time-varying rates

Empower customers to be active participants in the clean energy transition with proven principles for crafting a successful Time-Varying Rates (TVR) customer experience.

By Alex Lopez, Senior Product Marketing Manager of Uplight and Brad Langley, VP of Marketing of GridX • March 11, 2024

Building energy code revamps can get another $90M from DOE

More energy-efficient homes can remain habitable longer during extreme heat and cold events, which could save lives, a Department of Energy-commissioned study finds.

By Ysabelle Kempe • March 6, 2024

Top 3 US energy efficiency policy opportunities in 2024: ACEEE

The United States achieved a 4% reduction in energy intensity last year, and experts say federal policy changes will be needed to maintain that pace.

By Robert Walton • March 6, 2024

Smarter data, smarter budgets: Utilities benefit economically from proactive vegetation management

Vegetation management remains one of the biggest budget items for utilities, but proactive vegetation management is key to extending operating budgets.

March 4, 2024

Local, tribal clean energy projects can tap into $18M from DOE

Microgrids and downtown revitalization efforts that create energy-efficient buildings are potential projects the Department of Energy suggested could be eligible.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Feb. 29, 2024

EIA reaches agreement with bitcoin miners, will destroy collected data and publish new survey proposal

The U.S. Energy Information Administration told a federal district court on Friday that it has “formally withdrawn and ceased” the emergency collection of data from crypto miners.

By Robert Walton • Updated March 1, 2024

Is software the untapped hero to unlock the potential of the grid and help us reach net zero?

Discover how innovative software promises to revolutionize grid management, turning DERs from burdens into assets and paving the way for a future of autonomous grids.

Feb. 26, 2024

Heat pumps would cut energy bills for majority of US homes: NREL research

Even so, “we need work to bring down the cost of installing heat pumps,” said a senior research engineer at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

By Ysabelle Kempe • Feb. 26, 2024

Con Edison expands SmartCharge EV incentive program to commercial stations in NYC

Ride share and fast charging provider Revel will be the first participant in Consolidated Edison’s new EV charging program. Officials say program incentives should help to lower station operating costs.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 26, 2024