DOE announces ‘largest-ever investment in America’s grid,’ giving $3.5B across 44 states

The first round of funding under the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships program will boost U.S. renewable capacity by more than 10% within this decade, said DOE officials.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 19, 2023

Utilities, charging companies battle over EV fast chargers, slowing deployment amid massive needs

State and federal policies are driving utilities and EV charger providers to transform U.S. transportation. They have found common ground in some areas but cannot agree on the utility role in fast charging deployment.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 18, 2023

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

Utah is most energy-efficient state, South Carolina is the least: WalletHub

More than 84% of energy efficiency businesses are reporting difficulty in finding employees, according to new data from national business group E2 and nonprofit E4TheFuture.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 17, 2023

DOE launches ‘Earthshot’ to reduce energy costs 20% in affordable housing

The federal effort comes as new data shows electricity price inflation outpacing increases to the overall consumer price index.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 13, 2023

Uneven pace of FERC Order 2222 implementation continues as grid operators face challenges

In 2020, FERC directed RTOs and ISOs to remove barriers that prevent aggregations of distributed energy resources, such as energy storage and rooftop solar, from participating in wholesale power markets.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 12, 2023

2024 US power sector conferences to watch

Start planning for this year’s events, which will cover the clean energy transition, state and federal energy policy and more.

By Larry Pearl • Updated Feb. 16, 2024

Duke to launch innovative ‘tariffed on-bill’ energy efficiency program in 2024

Advocates say the North Carolina program will be one of the first of its kind offered by an investor-owned utility and will expand access to energy efficiency products and services.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 11, 2023

PJM ‘Catch-22’ blocks large-scale residential demand response, hurts grid reliability: CPower

Utilities don’t give curtailment service providers smart meter data they need to aggregate thousands of residential demand response customers, CPower said.

By Ethan Howland • Oct. 3, 2023

Biden administration will define zero emissions for buildings

The definition will draw on energy-efficiency guidelines, 100% clean energy usage and a requirement for buildings to generate zero emissions on-site, White House National Climate Adviser Ali Zaidi said.

By Nish Amarnath • Oct. 2, 2023

DOE finalizes gas furnace efficiency rule, potentially saving consumers $25B over 30 years

The new standards require 95% efficiency for non-weatherized gas furnaces and those used in mobile homes.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 2, 2023

Utilities press for White House meeting to lobby against proposed transformer rules

Opponents say DOE’s proposed efficiency rules would produce only small gains while further delaying procurement times for the critical equipment.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 28, 2023

‘Keep up the pace’: DOE gains on appliance efficiency standards with potential to save $570B

There are almost 40 appliance energy efficiency standards scheduled for completion by late 2024, say conservation advocates.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 25, 2023

Visibility: The foundation for securing OT in the utility sector

Having a thorough awareness of all the resources and devices in a network is the first step in laying a stronger security foundation.

By Navneet Singh, VP of Network Security Marketing at Palo Alto Networks • Sept. 25, 2023

Retrofits can cut office building emissions by up to 70%: Schneider Electric

New research from the company says its digital building and power-management tools can slash up to 42% of operational carbon emissions, while eliminating fossil fuels can cut an additional 28%.

By Nish Amarnath • Sept. 21, 2023

Rising electrification requires a dramatic shift to integrated planning of DER, bulk resources: Xcel VP

Effective distribution system planning and merging analytic insights into comprehensive electricity planning both face barriers, analysts and stakeholders said.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 20, 2023

DOE makes $400M available to assist states, territories in adopting energy-efficient building codes

Adoption of new building energy codes could save consumers up to $178 billion over three decades, the Department of Energy estimates.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 19, 2023

Savings inside the meter: Real-time embedded software could save utilities over $1 billion annually

Access to real-time data leads to major cost savings. The annual conservation benefit derived from Sense-enabled smart meters (before the implementation of any load flexibility programs) could exceed $1.3 billion annually by the end of the decade.

Sept. 18, 2023

Manufacturers, efficiency advocates reach agreement on rules for refrigerators, other appliances

The joint support “clears the path ahead” for new standards, said Appliance Standards Awareness Project Executive Director Andrew deLaski.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 14, 2023

As grids struggle, is it time to revisit our approach to residential demand response?

With a warming climate and an evolving energy system, energy grids are facing new challenges to reliability. A more dynamic and performance-based approach to load flexibility could help.

By Essie Snell • Sept. 11, 2023

How utilities are partnering with GM, BMW, Lyft and others in the auto sector to accelerate EV adoption

Automakers and utilities “are now partners until the end of time, whether they like it or not,” said Joel Levin, executive director of Plug In America.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 6, 2023

Big River Steel to pay $22M for receiving MISO demand response payments without cutting load

Entergy Arkansas agreed to return $8.2 million to its customers via bill credits, according to a FERC-approved agreement.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 28, 2023

Utility efficiency spending falls, leading to 5.4% drop in energy savings: ACEEE

In a bright spot, utility spending on low-income energy efficiency programs has risen over the last three years, though advocates say it is “still too low.”

By Robert Walton • Aug. 25, 2023

2 Tesla virtual power plants cleared to provide energy to Texas electric grid

The pair of aggregated Powerwalls are the first of eight virtual power plants participating in an Electric Reliability Council of Texas pilot project.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 24, 2023

Texas grid weathers steamy week, 2 calls for conservation, as experts urge more efficiency investment

Efficiency advocates say Texas continues to underinvest in demand-side solutions that could help to reduce grid stress and lower monthly power bills.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 21, 2023

Virtual power plants: Resource adequacy without interconnection delays

VPPs can be implemented today, but much more needs to happen to accelerate this transition at scale.

By Ryan Hledik, Kala Viswanathan and Kate Peters • Aug. 17, 2023