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

Battery storage failures highlight reliability challenges of inverter-based resources: report

The analysis is the latest data point in the North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s investigation of IBRs tripping offline or reducing output in response to grid disturbances.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 4, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Distributed Energy Resource Growth

Utilities' traditional reliance on large power plants is shifting to a model that includes distributed energy resources such as rooftop solar, battery storage and even electric vehicles.

By Utility Dive staff

Community solar is hot. Why not community wind?

Perhaps the biggest difference between yesterday’s community wind and today’s community solar markets is in their business models, which reflect their respective market and policy environments. 

By Mark Bolinger and Bentham Paulos • Sept. 27, 2023

Residential DER surges 63% in MISO, pushing distributed resources to 12.5 GW: report

Most utilities expect DER capacity will keep growing, in part driven by corporate clean energy goals, falling costs for distributed resources and access to MISO’s wholesale markets, according to a report released Monday.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 26, 2023

PJM plan for distributed energy aggregations would block virtual power plants: Tesla

Tesla on Friday urged federal regulators to approve measures so residential aggregations in VPPs in PJM can be “achieved at scale and provide transformative reliability value and reduce consumer energy costs.”

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 25, 2023

The future of work in the energy and utilities industry: Embracing automation and digital transformation

In the energy and utilities sector specifically, automation has led to a dual effect – the elimination of certain job roles and the creation of new ones.

Sept. 25, 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

Tripling virtual power plant capacity by 2030 could save $10B, meet 20% peak demand: DOE

With electric vehicles and other distributed resources surging, virtual power plants may be at an inflection point, the Department of Energy said Tuesday.

By Ethan Howland • Sept. 13, 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

NARUC, NASEO issue microgrid policy framework to assist regulators

Microgrids’ ability to provide energy resilience raises policy questions “particularly with regard to cost allocation,” say state regulators and energy officials.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 23, 2023

DOE lab develops new models to address inverter faults, avoid grid disruptions

Electromagnetic transient domain analysis may be key to stopping inverter-based resources from tripping offline or reducing output in response to grid events, according to research from Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 18, 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

US virtual power plants expected to proliferate as reliability needs rise with increasing renewables

Battery storage and smart appliances make virtual power plants a viable option to address the intermittency of renewable energy.

By Patrick Cooley • Aug. 14, 2023

A community solar boom will test Xcel, other utility plans against developer, customer needs: analysts

New state and federal funding and initiatives for community solar can bring equity and system reliability to the emerging energy transition, analysts say.

By Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 10, 2023

Cities can better afford renewable energy, EV and other climate projects with new tax incentives: report

Tax credits made available to cities through the Inflation Reduction Act are so significant “that they may warrant a re-evaluation of some previously assessed investment opportunities,” the Alliance for a Sustainable Future report says.

By Ysabelle Kempe • July 26, 2023

New York completes state’s largest rooftop solar project atop Medline distribution center

Governor Hochul says the 7.2-megawatt community solar project is expected to power over 1,600 homes and reduce energy costs for both Medline and local residents.

By Joe Burns • July 21, 2023

Tesla Q2 storage deployments increase 222% as company navigates ‘fractured regulatory environment’

The company’s solar deployments, however, declined year over year, which Tesla attributed to a high interest rate environment. 

By Kavya Balaraman • July 20, 2023

US utility-scale solar outlook improves on easing supply chain limits: Morgan Stanley

However, residential solar growth may be slowed by rising interest rates and California’s new net metering policy, the investment firm’s analysts said.

By Ethan Howland • July 19, 2023

Solar-powered ‘microgrids’ coming to San Diego public buildings as first of 8 projects breaks ground

Batteries will store the excess solar energy a site generates, with that energy powering the facility in the afternoons and evenings, when electricity prices rise.

By Ysabelle Kempe • July 12, 2023

EV batteries can be repurposed as grid storage to reduce battery supply chain impacts: report

Doing so, however, would require better regulation around accessing battery management systems, as well as flexible liability frameworks for repurposed batteries, according to the report’s author. 

By Kavya Balaraman • July 11, 2023

Training wheels for DERMS

Utilities—on the road to DERMS, start with a conservative approach.

July 3, 2023

Strengthening the power sector’s approach to climate risk

As U.S. braces for hurricane season and a warmer than average summer, resilience of the electric sector is top of mind.

By Morgan Scott, Director of Climate READi, EPRI • July 3, 2023

Dominion Energy, Virginia solar developers clash over small-scale project rules

A coalition of solar groups and developers argues that Dominion Energy’s interconnection rules have led to project delays and cancellations, while the utility says the rules are necessary to protect the grid.

By Diana DiGangi • June 29, 2023

Microgrids not just for resilience: new research from NARUC, NASEO highlights GHG reduction potential

Nuclear energy has not traditionally been seen as a microgrid resource, but microreactors “are likely to be deployed in the near term,” according to the report.

By Robert Walton • June 28, 2023

Local solar and storage are essential to the electrification movement

The key to lowering the cost of electrification is energy management and demand response, starting with local solar and storage.

By Robin Dutta • June 28, 2023