Distributed Energy

Duke net metering agreement with renewables advocates expected to increase North Carolina solar adoption

Clean energy advocates expect the proposed rates, similar to a Duke plan approved in South Carolina, to expand the distributed solar market for homeowners and businesses.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Dec. 1, 2021

At the forefront: The biggest state clean energy legislative trends of 2021

States continue to act as laboratories of innovation, taking unique policy approaches and testing their own solutions to various clean energy policy issues, the author writes.

By Autumn Proudlove • Nov. 24, 2021

Explore the Trendline➔

Decarbonization

Companies and governments are pushing to reduce carbon emissions, prompting questions about the future of gas, transitioning workforces and integrating renewables, among other challenges.

By Utility Dive staff

Can the DOE's community solar target to power 5M homes be met? Not without state-level support

Without putting forth the resources and rewarding effective blueprints to pull off a monumental scaling effort of community solar, the DOE's new targets will not be met, the author writes.

By Mike Gordon • Nov. 24, 2021

Taking Charge: Mary Powell on her new gig at Sunrun and the importance of 'radical collaboration'

The former Green Mountain Power CEO says she's now in a seat "where I can scale solutions to climate change so much faster than even the most progressive, innovative utility in the country."

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 16, 2021

Officials urge flexibility, transmission upgrades to accommodate storage and DER buildout

Transmission is "just critical" to ensuring reliability and value for new resources, says EDF Renewable North America's Jamie Link.

By Jason Plautz • Nov. 5, 2021

Stopping the utility profit grab and saving rooftop solar in California

We can dispense with the utility campaign's "cost shift" myth. It's based on bad math that does not account for the grid-stabilizing investment solar consumers make in their own systems and other factors, the author writes.

By Dave Rosenfeld • Nov. 4, 2021

Unlocking the Transition: As Tesla, Ford and others invest billions in EVs, will the power system be ready?

The new White House zero emission vehicle target of 50% of new car sales by 2030 has a long way to go, a short time to get there, and big challenges along the way.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 3, 2021

Maine explores rate design changes to boost storage, EV deployment

The state must deploy 400 MW of energy storage by 2030, prompting regulators to explore time-of-use rates and other structures that could encourage residential and commercial deployment.

By Jason Plautz • Oct. 28, 2021

10 cleantech startups to watch

The Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator fall 2021 cohort has companies whose efforts range from wildfire prevention to transportation electrification. CEO Matt Petersen discusses challenges startups face in working with the public sector.

By Cailin Crowe • Oct. 25, 2021

For co-ops and munis, how early is too early for next-gen grid investments?

Learn why it may be better to wait to invest in a DERMS and which no-regrets investment you should make instead.

Oct. 25, 2021

Rocky Mountain Power's distributed battery grid management system puts Utah 'years ahead' of California

The program, which currently only supports sonnen batteries, encourages existing Utah solar customers to add energy storage that provides greater grid management capabilities for the utility.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Oct. 14, 2021

Extending Dominion's Millstone nuclear plant a 'critical' part of path to zero carbon, Connecticut finds

Connecticut's new Integrated Resources Plan finds the state's decarbonization goals are achievable.  But it will require the expanded use of energy storage and demand management and continued reliance on nuclear energy.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 11, 2021

As California's solar net metering battle goes to regulators, a focus on reliability may be the best answer

The reliability value of solar plus storage in ensuring resource adequacy might be the key to solar's future, according to Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies Executive Director V. John White.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 1, 2021

How the Resilient Energy Subscription market mechanism will help finance community microgrids

The Clean Coalition is working with a Pacific Northwest utility to implement the approach, which could be followed as a standard for financing community microgrids around the country, the author writes.

By Craig Lewis • Sept. 22, 2021

New York nearly doubles goal for distributed solar installations on success of existing incentives

Building on the success of its NY-Sun program, the state will aim to install at least 10 GW of distributed solar energy by 2030, after previously setting a goal of 6 GW by 2025.

By Emma Penrod • Sept. 21, 2021

Advancing the energy transition requires an honest discussion of costs, outages and land, analysts say

Customers will tolerate the power system transformation's problems and challenges if they understand stakeholders will be "careful about the transition," one analyst said.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 20, 2021

DOE funds $25M consortium to develop grid-scale inverters, standards

Decarbonized energy systems could use large-scale inverters to drive the grid. A new federally-funded consortium aims to develop the technology by 2035.

By Emma Penrod • Sept. 8, 2021

Tesla plan to sell electricity in Texas would cut out the 'middleman'

The company's move to leverage its solar and storage buildout could make it a unique player in Texas' electricity market, one analyst said.

By Jason Plautz • Sept. 1, 2021

Residential electric panels represent a nearly $100B 'roadblock' to full electrification, report finds

Up to 48 million U.S. homes may require electric panel upgrades in order to charge electric vehicles or switch away from appliances now running on natural gas or other fossil fuels, according to research from Pecan Street.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 31, 2021

As PNW utilities contemplate building decarbonization, affordability concerns linger

Decarbonization experts say all-electric new construction is more economic, but Puget Sound Energy sees a continuing need for natural gas in the near term. 

By Kavya Balaraman • Aug. 25, 2021

Electrifying 97% of the federal fleet by 2030 could save billions: report

More than $1 billion in savings would come over the lifetime of light-duty vehicles and buses if the federal government fleet switched to EVs, a new Atlas Public Policy report finds.

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 23, 2021

California brainstorms approaches to a high-DER grid of the future

Multiple groups that commented on a sweeping new rulemaking at the California Public Utilities Commission urged regulators to prioritize affordability.

By Kavya Balaraman • Aug. 20, 2021

The disintermediation red herring: How utilities can learn to embrace and profit from DER

Utilities that understand what tools customers value and make it easier for customers to access them can turn disruption into advantage, the authors write.

By Samir Succar and Val Jensen • Aug. 19, 2021

Energy Department grants Nikola $2M to study autonomous hydrogen refueling

Hydrogen may have better range than batteries, but electric infrastructure is already built in the U.S. — and it's everywhere.

By Jim Stinson • Aug. 18, 2021

DOE planning public-private partnerships to develop new battery chemistries, supply chains for EVs

Battery cost and availability are key bottlenecks for electric vehicle adoption, but the federal government and private sector are confident about the next decade of technology developments.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 13, 2021