Massachusetts ‘vehicle-to-everything’ demonstration hints at EV batteries’ grid potential

Certain light-duty vehicles have the potential to earn around $3,000 per summer, and school buses $12,000, by enrolling in the state’s virtual power plant, a state program manager said.

By Brian Martucci • June 2, 2026

Access to real-time electricity data should be a basic consumer right

The technology exists and the infrastructure is there. What is missing is a requirement that customers have access to data on their electricity use, writes Joel Hicks at the University of Oregon.

By Joel Hicks • June 1, 2026

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 Stories from Utility Dive

Power demand is rising amid dramatic shifts in federal energy policy, but technology and markets continue to push the grid toward cleaner, more distributed resources. 

By Utility Dive staff

How utilities can add capacity in months, not years

For utilities managing surging electricity demand, a scalable, non-wires approach to expanding grid capacity can be deployed in just a few months.

June 1, 2026

New Mexico has the nation’s best DER interconnection policy: report

The state received high marks for its robust energy storage interconnection framework, frequent public reports on its interconnection queue and incorporating IEEE’s technical standard for DER interconnections.

By Brian Martucci • May 28, 2026

What the streaming wars can teach utilities about the AI data center boom

Utilities can avoid making the same mistakes major studios made in the Netflix era, but only if they view the AI boom as a systemwide modernization challenge rather than an overflowing queue of individual projects, writes Abbey O’Brien at Ulteig.

By Abbey O’Brien • May 27, 2026

Puerto Rico’s power grid is ‘suspended between two realities,’ top utility regulator says

Affordability, reliability and the need to restore public confidence almost a decade after Hurricane Maria are top concerns, writes PREB Chairman Edison Avilés.

By Edison Avilés • May 22, 2026

Q1 saw net loss of 5,900 renewable energy manufacturing jobs: EDF report

The Environmental Defense Fund cited $1.4 billion in canceled renewable energy investments stemming from federal policy shifts around renewable energy, electric vehicles, energy efficiency and tailpipe emissions. 

By Jeffrey Kinney • May 14, 2026

Competitive markets are best for virtual power plants, consumers

If allowed, utilities will prioritize infrastructure they own over rapid expansion of rooftop solar and other decentralized energy resources, writes Shannon Anderson of Solar United Neighbors, who argues for enabling private-sector VPP participation.

By Shannon Anderson • May 7, 2026

America’s load growth moment is a chance to scale distributed energy

The fastest approach to expand the grid is via the distribution system, using front-of-meter storage to precisely target substations and feeders that need relief, writes Jigar Shah of Deploy Action.

By Jigar Shah • May 5, 2026

Minnesota got one thing right on distributed storage — but it missed the bigger opportunity

Xcel Energy’s 200-MW, ratepayer-funded battery pilot is not the right model to encourage broad adoption, writes Coalition for Community Solar Access CEO Jeff Cramer.

By Jeff Cramer • April 21, 2026

FERC tees up June decision on data center interconnection reform

Other open meeting takeaways: Chairman Swett is “perplexed” on PJM backstop auction, the agency rejected a renewable developer’s $44-million waiver request, and zombie dockets die.

By Ethan Howland • April 17, 2026

Maryland regulators weigh investor-owned utilities’ flexible load proposals

Public Service Commission staff characterized the proposals as a good start but said they needed “additional clarity” to ensure reliable, measurable and well-located grid benefits.

By Brian Martucci • April 15, 2026

Distributed batteries get legislative, utility lift in California

SB 913 would designate residential batteries as resource adequacy capacity. Ava Community Energy’s SmartHome Battery program creates incentives for residential battery-sharing.

By Brian Martucci • April 14, 2026

As EV load grows, utilities use managed charging to harness flexibility, lower costs

Active managed charging can delay costly system upgrades while saving individual customers money on their bills, utilities, automakers and aggregators say, but a lack of standardized data-sharing is slowing adoption.

By Herman K. Trabish • Updated April 10, 2026

Energy storage pricing beginning to ‘fracture’ by product type: report

The split seems driven by battery developers supporting larger projects for data center and independent power producer clients, according to Anza Renewables.

By Brian Martucci • April 7, 2026

Nevada PUC approves NV Energy plan to join day-ahead market

The decision comes as markets are expanding in the West, with utilities opting between ones run by the California Independent System Operator and the Southwest Power Pool.

By Ethan Howland • April 6, 2026

Minnesota approves Xcel’s utility-owned battery program

Xcel will own up to 200 MW of energy storage under the second phase of its Capacity*Connect program. Solar industry groups and others called it a missed opportunity to include independent developers. 

By Robert Walton • April 6, 2026

DOE offers $50M for tribal energy projects

The funding opportunity outlines program policy factors that can influence the selection of projects for awards, including “the degree to which the proposed project will support the supply of firm, reliable power.” 

By Diana DiGangi • March 26, 2026

Michigan, New York lawmakers consider virtual power plant bills

The proposals would prohibit utility ownership of participating distributed energy resources and require reasonable access for third-party aggregators.

By Brian Martucci • March 25, 2026

Better grid utilization could save customers $170B: Brattle report

However, the report’s lead author said that “we need regulatory models that reward utilities for pursuing this opportunity.”

By Brian Martucci • March 23, 2026

To strengthen power reliability in extreme weather, diversify grid resources

More expensive, less reliable power need not be our unavoidable fate, writes NextGen Energy CEO Kimberly Johnston.

By Kimberly Johnston • March 18, 2026

Democratic House bill aims to overturn Trump electricity policies

The bill, backed by 122 House members, would reinstate clean energy tax credits and grants while aiming to speed grid interconnection to an expanded transmission system.

By Ethan Howland • March 18, 2026

Sunrun installation volumes fall in Q4 2025 as VPP capacity grows

Executives with the largest provider of residential solar and battery subscriptions in the U.S. said regulatory uncertainty and a business model shift impacted 2025 volumes and its 2026 outlook.

By Brian Martucci • March 2, 2026

Governors are promising lower power bills. Here’s the only credible path to deliver.

If we treat every new megawatt like it must be served with new poles, wires, substations and peakers, we will lock in another decade of rate shock, write Jigar Shah and Arnab Pal from Deploy Action.

By Jigar Shah and Arnab Pal • Feb. 26, 2026

Massachusetts’ least-cost 2050 peak power mix is combustion-free: report

But a top official with a regional independent power producer group said the focus now, amid rising demand, should be on “energy addition, not retirement or replacement.”

By Brian Martucci • Feb. 25, 2026