Consistent change: How utility professionals view the evolving power mix

The new resource mix will meet federal regulations and state mandates with wind and solar supported by natural gas and DERs.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 29, 2016

Montana-Dakota Utilities drops demand charge push after deal with solar advocates

Under deals struck with solar advocates and consumer groups, MDU rates would go up about 13% but there will be no solar-specific demand charge.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 29, 2016

Explore the Trendline➔

AI in the Power Sector

Artificial intelligence is uniquely positioned to impact the electricity industry from both ends: as the technology driving large load demand growth and as a tool with the potential to make the power system more efficient. 

By Utility Dive staff

How utilities and their regulators will determine the future of solar

Rate design holds the key to whether there are more than 40 states with solar at grid parity in 2020, or just two, according to a new report.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 25, 2016

Maine utilities, solar advocates back new bill to replace net metering, grow solar

Under the new bill, utilities would act as "standard buyers" for solar of all types, aggregating multiple generation facilities and bidding them into electricity markets. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 25, 2016

Southern Co. seeks to bolster efficiency, DER offerings with $431M PowerSecure deal

The deal for North Carolina-based PowerSecure builds on a trend for Southern and the industry at large as companies look to diversify their energy service offerings and revenue streams. 

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 25, 2016

Compromise in Mississippi partially restores state regulators authority over co-ops

The amended legislation still allows cooperatives to set net metering rates and design efficiency programs.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 25, 2016

Washington state solar incentive bill set for Senate hearing after House passage

The bill would extend the state's solar incentives until 2021 and boost the size of the program.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 24, 2016

German green utility LichtBlick eyes US expansion for DERMS offering

LichtBlick of Germany is expanding its DERMS tools into the residential market, including the United States.

By Peter Maloney • Feb. 24, 2016

Partnering for success: Utilities leverage innovative vendor relationships at the grid edge

From smart meters to distribution automation and residential storage, opportunities abound for utilities bold enough to reach out to innovative third parties. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 23, 2016

Empowerment over protection: How solar and DERs can help the disadvantaged

Policymakers should "seek ways to accelerate adoption of DERs for everyone, including the poor," argue James Tong and Jon Wellinghoff.

By James Tong and Jon Wellinghoff • Feb. 23, 2016

JuiceBox enters residential storage fray with new solar partnerships

The most recent solar+storage partnership combines JuiceBox and Simmitri, a solar designer and installer, following a similar deal inked in January. 

By Peter Maloney • Feb. 23, 2016

U.S. solar industry built a record 7.3 GW of new capacity in 2015

Residential solar grew 66% and the utility-scale sector notched its largest build ever as solar added more new capacity than natural gas. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 22, 2016

SolarCity moves away from its MyPower solar loan product

The company says it has a new, less complicated way for homeowners to finance solar ownership.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 19, 2016

Arizona rural utility proposes demand charge, more fees on rooftop solar users

UniSource Energy Services wants a lower net metering credit and impose a mandatory demand charge on solar customer customers to help recover fixed costs. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 19, 2016

Is a national high voltage transmission system the cheapest way to cut emissions?

NOAA researchers say a national plan to efficiently connect clean energy resources to demand centers can cut power sector GHGs 80% with no electricity price bump.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 19, 2016

Beyond net metering: How location can help put a value on DERs

Finding the precise locational value of distributed energy resources is key to ongoing and future value-of-solar proceedings, a report said. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 18, 2016

Mississippi lawmakers push legislation to end PSC oversight of electric cooperatives

Bills in each chamber of the state legislature would put ratemaking and spending in the hands of co-op boards.

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 18, 2016

SolarCity selects Tesla batteries for Kauai solar+storage project

SolarCity, as widely expected, picked Tesla to suppy the batteries for its Kauai solar-plus-storage project, which it says will be the first fully-dispatchable solar PV project in the nation.

By Peter Maloney • Feb. 18, 2016

Avista Utilities asks Washington state regulators to approve electric vehicle charger pilot

If it goes well, the pilot program could kick off a utility-backed effort to make more EV charging infrastructure available in Washington. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 17, 2016

How utility executives see the future of the electricity business

Here are some of the key findings from Utility Dive's third annual State of the Electric Utility report.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 16, 2016

SoCal Edison to invest up to $2.5B to integrate DERs over 5-year span

Integrating distributed energy resources into the distribution network is not going to be cheap. Southern California Edison is preparing to spend up to $2.5 billion, including $500 million on new software, to prepare its grid for DERs over a five-year span.

By Peter Maloney • Feb. 12, 2016

Sunverge Energy to roll out solar management system

Sunverge Energy says its next generation solar integration system will be available this summer.

By Peter Maloney • Feb. 11, 2016

DistribuTECH 2016: Increasingly at home with DERs, utilities shift focus to controlling them on the grid

The big question for utilities in 2016 isn’t whether they will be able to integrate DERs — it’s how they will be able to manage them all on the grid.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 11, 2016

Schneider Electric to build microgrid at Massachusetts HQ

Schneider said it is focused on developing a new microgrid business model that does not require any capital investment of its own.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 11, 2016

How Arizona Public Service is preparing for the grid of the future

New offerings point to the need for a unified control systems to manage DERs on the grid.

By Gavin Bade • Feb. 10, 2016