Demand charges vs. TOU rates: The great Arizona rate design experiment

APS wants to be the first utility with mandatory demand charges for residential customers, but critics say time-of-use pricing provides similar benefits and is easier for consumers to adopt. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 26, 2016

Hawaiian regulators approve time-of-use rate pilot to aid solar integration

In an effort to shift electricity usage to daytime, Hawaii's PUC has approved a time-of-use rate program for HECO.

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 22, 2016

Explore the Trendline➔

Virtual Power Plants

Virtual power plants and their ability to balance energy supply and demand are increasingly sought by utilities as electricity demand increases, but their lack of standardization remains a barrier.

By Utility Dive staff

US, Canada utilities aim to link three microgrids in $12.4M cross-border project

Two Canadian utilities and one in Maine are working to trade power between three microgrid projects in a transactive energy scheme. 

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 22, 2016

How Southern California Edison's new rate case would transform the grid

SCE wants to spend $2.3 billion to ready its grid for distributed resources. Here's what that money would buy.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 21, 2016

First wave-powered energy in U.S. pumped into Hawaii's grid

A U.S. Navy program is testing wave-powered devices off the coast of Oahu.

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 21, 2016

Developers wary as California prepares to open behind-the-meter storage to utilities

Two newly-passed bills seek to boost residential storage, but critics worry they could allow utilities to dominate the market.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 20, 2016

Enphase survey: Batteries don't fit the bill for most residential backup power needs

Customers are interested in backup power, a new residential survey found, but their demands are more suited to generators than solely batteries.

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 20, 2016

SoCal Edison seeks 125 MW of clean energy resources for Orange County

Southern California Edison is running an experiment to see if a range of clean energy resources can power Orange County, California.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 20, 2016

Kansas regulators reject Kansas City Power & Light's bid to ratebase EV charging stations

Regulators questioned the need for 1,000 planned charging stations, along with the projected environmental benefits.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 20, 2016

Oil giant Total joins venture funding for DER software company AutoGrid

Total has been among the most aggressive fossil fuel companies taking interest in renewable and distributed energy.

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 19, 2016

Nevada court overturns fixed charges, lower net metering rates for existing solar customers

The court upheld the new rates and charges for future solar customers, however, accepting NV Energy's assertion of a solar cost shift.

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 15, 2016

Greening demand response: California mulls big changes for DR to meet climate goals

A new proposal at the CPUC would limit fossil fuel resources in demand response, but big questions remain about the utility's role in administering DR programs. 

By Robert Walton • Sept. 14, 2016

DOE, DOI: New US offshore wind strategy could create 86 GW market by 2050

The Departments of Energy and the Interior chose the completion of the first U.S. offshore wind facility to release a new governmental strategy document for the industry.

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 13, 2016

Solar Power Players: SEPA honorees look beyond the rooftop to manage dynamic grids

Distributed solar is just the first challenge coming to the grid edge. These utilities are tackling what's next.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 12, 2016

Newly-released text messages draw scrutiny to APS relationship with AZ consumer advocate

Text messages show a consultant for the Residential Utility Consumer Office collaborating with a utility executive to shape the state's Value of Solar docket, but they say it's all part of the job. 

By Gavin Bade • Sept. 9, 2016

As solar price drops, utility interest spurs growth in non-traditional markets

Solar markets outside the U.S. Southwest are picking up steam thanks to steady price declines across all segments, new reports from LBNL found. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 8, 2016

Sunrun appoints ex-Maryland regulator Hoskins as Chief Policy Officer

Anne Hoskins, a former Maryland Public Service Commissioner, will become Sunrun's policy head following the departure of Bryan Miller. 

By Krysti Shallenberger • Sept. 7, 2016

Uncle Sam's battery bank: ARPA-E spurs commercialization of innovative storage technology

The DOE is touting the success of its ARPA-E program for funding advanced technologies: $1.3 billion funded; $1.2 billion raised from private sources.

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 7, 2016

After tariff changes, storage to play larger role in CAISO demand management

FERC's approval for storage and demand response tariffs highlights California's efforts to integrate more DERs. 

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 6, 2016

Confidence in collaboration: Rhode Island targets a common perspective on DER values

Facing an impasse over DER rate design, Rhode Island regulators have initiated a new proceeding to find common ground on measures and expectations for distributed energy programs.  

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 6, 2016

Southern California Edison proposes $2.1B capex for DER integration

SCE did not provide forecast ranges for total capital expenditures through 2020, saying it has no prior experience with rate cases related to DER integration. 

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 6, 2016

Facing stricter climate goals, California passes 4 bills to boost energy storage

The bills require the state to consider pumped hydro storage, add 500 MW to the state's storage mandate and double California's self-generation program.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 2, 2016

California targets clean transport, urban greening for $900M in cap-and-trade funds

After some lawmakers pushed back on an extension of greenhouse gas goals last month, Gov. Jerry Brown struck a last-minute deal to dole out funds from the state's carbon auctions. 

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 2, 2016

Mutual needs, mutual challenges: How corporate PPAs are remaking the renewables sector

Large companies want renewables and developers are eager to sell. The consequences for utilities could be immense.

By Peter Maloney • Sept. 1, 2016

Location matters: Utilities focus on charger placement to drive electric vehicle adoption

EV pilot programs from Avista and Kansas City Power & Light demonstrate that just building charging stations isn't enough.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 31, 2016