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

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

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

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

Training wheels for DERMS

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

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

Cleantech M&A activity expected to grow, driven by ESG investing and federal funding: West Monroe

ESG is an “unstoppable long-term trend,” according to the report released Thursday. “Much of this wall of capital will be sunk into cleantech.”

By Ethan Howland • June 22, 2023

Four non-transmission solutions for clean energy with new power lines in the permitting ‘Valley of Death’

Smart technologies, storage, overbuilding and distributed resources can move the energy transition ahead until workable reforms bring new transmission online, stakeholders agreed

By Herman K. Trabish • June 21, 2023

California’s urban roofs provide more value for community solar+storage than rural areas: report

State and federal incentives could help “ensure that not all of our community solar is getting built in the cheapest areas out in rural locations,” said a solar developer’s Western policy director.

By Ysabelle Kempe • June 13, 2023

Washington regulators conditionally approve Puget Sound Energy’s 63% clean electricity by 2025 target

The interim target is part of Puget Sound Energy’s first-ever clean energy implementation plan, required by state legislation passed in 2019.

By Kavya Balaraman • June 9, 2023

Virtual power plant grid participation can grow with new business models, market rules: Guidehouse

Growth of virtual power plants will require system operators and regulators to develop supportive market frameworks, according to Guidehouse.

By Robert Walton • June 7, 2023

Why HVDC cables are poised to provide valuable alternatives

HVDC technology could be a valuable tool in the U.S. energy transition, but it will need to overcome some constraints.

By Bob Hobson, Associate Technical Consultant, Burns & McDonnell • June 5, 2023

AI, climate change, fuel cells among energy transition ‘disconnects’ for utilities: Morgan Stanley

“Not all incumbent utilities will gain from the energy transition,” analysts said in a report issued Wednesday. Those that could be challenged include Consolidated Edison, Entergy and NextEra.

By Ethan Howland • June 2, 2023

AlphaStruxure partners with Maryland county on first East Coast bus depot to produce green hydrogen

Construction on the depot, which will serve a fleet of 200 hydrogen buses through an electrolyzer, is scheduled to conclude by the end of 2025.

By Patrick Cooley • May 18, 2023

Georgia’s Plant Vogtle is a $35B boondoggle. We need new and better solutions for a carbon-free grid.

Urgent utility business model reforms are needed to create a 21st-century, people-centered grid that delivers affordable fossil-free solutions.

By Patty Durand • May 18, 2023

California could face $50B price tag by 2035 to prepare grid for DERs, study finds

The state could also see system-level peak load increase by 56% from 2025 to 2035, driven largely by transportation electrification, the study by analytics firm Kevala for the California Public Utilities Commission found.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 16, 2023

Hawai’i leads the way on advanced rate design with default time-of-use rates, fixed charge innovations

Hawai’i’s planned granular cost study still must prove to other states that the new TOU rates, fixed charge framework and new way of defining costs will allocate costs accurately, analysts said.

By Herman K. Trabish • May 9, 2023

NGOs suing California PUC, utilities over net metering update could face ‘fairly steep’ challenge: attorney

The lawsuit names the California Public Utilities Commission and the state’s three investor-owned utilities — Pacific Gas and Electric, Southern California Edison and San Diego Gas and Electric — as respondents.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 9, 2023

California regulators approve PG&E, Energy Vault green hydrogen and battery microgrid

The microgrid’s planned use of green hydrogen fuel cells and batteries marks a departure from PG&E’s earlier practice of using diesel generators for backup power during outages.

By Kavya Balaraman • May 1, 2023

Let’s not forget about how renewables will impact the distribution grid

As many more zero-carbon generation sources connect to the grid, the urgency of grid modernization programs will continue to increase. Discover how the rise of renewables will drive the need for upgrades on our distribution systems.

By Luke Ezell, PE, Account Manager, Burns & McDonnell • May 1, 2023