Distributed Energy

Sunrun posts Q2 loss but anticipates storage boost as battery prices fall, blackouts persist

Sunrun has developed a pipeline of deals to provide grid services, such as virtual power plants, in half of the regions it operates, CEO Lynn Jurich said during the company's second quarter earnings call.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Aug. 12, 2020

Sponsored by Oracle

Doubling down on energy efficiency in our fight against climate change

Energy saved today affords more climate value than energy saved later. So why make energy efficiency trade-offs?

By Marisa Uchin, Vice President, Global Regulatory Affairs, Oracle Utilities • Aug. 12, 2020

GM, EVgo to triple fast charging network

The companies announced plans to add more than 2,700 new fast chargers in "highly visible areas" across 40 undisclosed metropolitan areas.

By Chris Teale • Aug. 03, 2020

Column

Taking Charge: How California's first CCA confronts wildfire risk and energy equity amid COVID-19

MCE CEO Dawn Weisz spoke to Utility Dive about the community choice aggregator's efforts to make its service area more resilient.

By Kavya Balaraman • July 29, 2020

DC regulators consider 'light touch' when it comes to microgrid rules

The Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia is considering the development of a regulatory framework for microgrids, hoping to encourage deployment of more renewable energy and storage.

By Robert Walton • July 28, 2020

Construction begins on Pittsburgh International Airport microgrid

The microgrid will completely power PIT by next summer, marking a first-of-its-kind initiative among major U.S. airports.

By Chris Teale • July 24, 2020

2019 was a bumper year for microgrid deployment, but COVID-19 could slow progress: WoodMac

While distributed fossil fuels accounted for a majority of microgrid capacity installed in 2019, WoodMac analyst Isaac Maze-Rothstein expects the share of renewables and storage to increase over the next five years.

By Kavya Balaraman • July 23, 2020

UK-based DER company enters North American market as US sits 'on the cusp' of mass transition

As the costs of battery storage drop in North America, a technology company focused on virtual power plants crosses the Atlantic to launch two new projects.

By Emma Penrod • July 21, 2020

New York investor-owned utilities to fund $701M make-ready EV infrastructure program

State regulators have authorized a cost-sharing program to encourage utilities and charging station developers to install 50,000 Level 2 charging plugs and 1,500 direct current fast charger stations.

By Robert Walton • July 21, 2020

FERC shuts down petition to upend net metering, McNamee signals issue could return

Though all four commissioners voted against the petition, Commissioners James Danly and Bernard McNamee issued separate concurrence statements.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 17, 2020

New York adopts net metering alternative, delays implementation due to COVID-19

New rules and charges will go into effect in 2022, which solar stakeholders say gives the industry time to recover from the effects of the global pandemic.

By Robert Walton • July 17, 2020

Microgrid of the future emerges in Washington as Avista preps transactive DER project

New building control systems and a pair of solar+storage systems in Spokane's University District will test the business case for greater integration of distributed energy resources, according to the utility.

By Robert Walton • July 15, 2020

Deep Dive

Momentum grows for piloting Netflix-like fixed subscription rates, but not everyone's on board

For customers who want predictable bills, pairing automated smart distribution technologies with flat rates can resolve the overuse challenge of traditional fixed bills.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 07, 2020

NERA counters broad opposition to FERC net metering petition, reveals utility-linked member

Attorneys for the New England Ratepayers Association have revealed one of its members — the president and founder of energy consulting firm Brant Energy, whose clients include National Grid, Eversource and DTE Energy.

By Catherine Morehouse • July 02, 2020

FPL proposes $0.30/kWh rate for utility-owned EV stations, rider to address high demand charges

Florida Power & Light proposed a pair of electric vehicle rate mechanisms, including two riders to address the impact of demand charges on low-utilization stations.

By Robert Walton • July 01, 2020

Why clean car advocates expect to prevail in court battle over California emission standards

Last year the Trump administration stopped allowing California and other states to set their own vehicle emission standards. Opponents of that move say Congress decided the issue decades ago, and the courts more recently.

By Robert Walton • June 30, 2020

Deep Dive

COVID-19 propels microgrids in healthcare sector, but regulatory, awareness hurdles remain

"If we think this is the last time we’re going to be dealing with something like this, I think we’re being foolish," said an executive at a Southern Company distributed power subsidiary.

By Kavya Balaraman • June 29, 2020

California approves landmark zero emission truck rule amid push to meet state environmental goals

The California Air Resources Board on Thursday unanimously passed its Advanced Clean Trucks Regulation, requiring every new truck sold in California to be zero emission starting in 2045.

By S.L. Fuller • June 26, 2020

DC to LA: Electrify America completes nation's first cross-country EV fast charging corridor

Meanwhile, a new analysis from The Brattle Group finds the U.S. could need up to $125 billion in investment by 2030 in order to serve growth in the zero-emission transportation sector.

By Robert Walton • June 25, 2020

Nevada moves to adopt stricter vehicle emission standards amid continuing federal-state battle

The Trump administration has rescinded waivers necessary for states to set their own vehicle emission standards, but that hasn't stopped Nevada and others from showing interest.

By Robert Walton • June 24, 2020

Amazon $2B climate pledge draws praise, skepticism as total carbon footprint rises

The venture capital announcement was welcomed by developers in the clean energy space, but Green America said the company's plans are overly vague.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • UPDATED: June 25, 2020 at 8:04 p.m.

LF Energy announces open source substation project to better handle variable renewables, EVs

CoMPAS should enable grid operators to manage the transition to clean energy, handling fluctuations in supply from renewable resources and demand from electric vehicles, according to LF Energy and its partners on the project.

By Guy Burdick • June 24, 2020

Utilities propose West Coast charging stations for electric trucks

Fleet managers are watching what utilities and agencies do and indicated in a survey they will deploy EVs as part of their freight-hauling fleet when they see the infrastructure assemble.

By Jim Stinson • June 22, 2020

EnergyHub partners with Vivint Solar as utility incentives for residential energy storage ramp up

"We're seeing double-digit, month-over-month growth in the volume of customers and batteries participating in utility programs," EnergyHub CEO Seth Frader Thompson told Utility Dive.

By Robert Walton • June 18, 2020

Lyft pledges all-EV fleet by 2030

The ride-hailing company said it would work with drivers to transition their cars to electric vehicles, a move it called a "radical shift in strategy."

By Chris Teale • June 18, 2020