Geopolitical turmoil has ‘significant ramifications’ for North American electric grid: NERC

Conflicts around the world and a slate of hostile nation-states mean additional efforts must be taken to secure the electric grid, officials said.

By Robert Walton • April 5, 2024

Grid reliability’s core challenge is governance, not a changing resource mix

An outdated and parochial oversight system is the biggest threat to U.S. grid reliability.

By Alexandra Klass, Josh Macey, Shelley Welton and Hannah Wiseman • April 4, 2024

Explore the Trendline➔

Grid Resiliency

The risk from natural disasters like hurricanes, wildfires and heat waves is compounded by rising demand for power that threatens to put additional strain on the grid, as well as cyber and physical attacks on critical infrastructure.

By Utility Dive staff

Monday’s eclipse could cut US solar output by 40 GWh. Here’s how 5 grid operators are preparing.

Grid operators are not expecting any reliability issues during the eclipse but say forecasting energy demand will be complicated. Monday “will not be a typical spring day,” MISO noted.

By Robert Walton • April 4, 2024

CISA issues notice for long-awaited critical infrastructure reporting requirements

The proposed rule under the Cyber Incident Reporting for Critical Infrastructure Act will require covered entities to promptly disclose major cyber incidents and ransomware payments.

By David Jones • April 1, 2024

MISO seeks FERC approval for new capacity accreditation process to bolster grid reliability

“The changing resource mix combined with extreme weather and shifting load profiles have created what the NERC has characterized as a ‘hyper-complex risk environment,’” MISO said.

By Ethan Howland • March 29, 2024

Efficiency, clean energy are options for meeting demand growth before gas generation: Energy Innovation

Texas has met its 2.6% annual demand growth with wind and solar, highlighting how clean energy can handle rising electric use, per the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis.

By Ethan Howland • March 28, 2024

A new era of price-based demand response emerges, but utilities and regulators need proof of its potential

New load flexibility from price-based demand response programs could be invaluable if reliability and cost-effectiveness is confirmed in real-world operating conditions, stakeholders agree.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 27, 2024

ERCOT to survey customers about cost of power outages

Responses will help regulators estimate the value of lost load and ultimately set a reliability standard for the Texas grid.

By Robert Walton • March 27, 2024

ISO/RTO Council urges FERC to nix NERC’s proposed cold weather reliability standard

The proposal includes “glaring exceptions” and “vague requirements,” threatening grid reliability, major grid operators told the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

By Ethan Howland • March 25, 2024

Senators press FERC nominees on climate, natural gas, transmission cost allocation

Republicans on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee focused on the issue of fuel neutrality and whether the nominees would uphold it.

By Diana DiGangi • March 22, 2024

California regulators approve new program to expedite power line undergrounding

The program allows utilities with at least 250,000 customers to submit a 10-year undergrounding plan to the California Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety, which must approve or reject it within nine months.

By Robert Walton • March 11, 2024

Lessons from the UK: Transforming the US Market

The US has a unique opportunity to capitalize on grid-edge flexibility by using distributed energy resources (DERs) to balance the grid. 

By Amaani Hamid — Senior Policy Manager, Kraken • March 11, 2024

Why EPA can cut carbon pollution from power plants without sacrificing grid reliability

Entities that focus on reliability have a toolkit to manage the energy transition, and EPA has incorporated key flexibilities into its GHG pollution-reduction rules to support their efforts.

By Dena Adler and Jennifer Danis • March 7, 2024

DOE awards $45M for grid security research focused on machine learning, artificial intelligence

The Electric Power Research Institute will receive more than $22 million to lead five projects in collaboration with Consolidated Edison, Ameren, Southern Co. and others.

By Robert Walton • March 6, 2024

NERC to file inverter-based resource rule revisions with federal regulators

“System events over the past six years have shown that these resources are impacting the reliability of the bulk power system,” said Howard Gugel, NERC vice president of compliance assurance and registration.

By Robert Walton • March 4, 2024

DOE, NARUC publish cybersecurity ‘baselines’ for utilities, distributed energy resources

The recommendations “provide a common starting point for cyber risk reduction activities,” said NARUC Executive Director Greg White.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 28, 2024

SPP proposes renewable, thermal resource accreditation reforms aimed at bolstering reliability

The Southwest Power Pool’s current accreditation for wind, solar and storage fails to account for their reliability value decreasing as more are added to the grid, according to the grid operator.

By Ethan Howland • Feb. 27, 2024

Is software the untapped hero to unlock the potential of the grid and help us reach net zero?

Discover how innovative software promises to revolutionize grid management, turning DERs from burdens into assets and paving the way for a future of autonomous grids.

Feb. 26, 2024

The industry trends that will define 2024

In many ways, 2023 was momentous for clean energy, from the release of guidelines for the Inflation Reduction Act to billions in funding for EV charging infrastructure throughout the US.

By Marisa Uchin, Chief Strategy & Growth Officer, Franklin Energy • Feb. 26, 2024

PJM, 3 other RTOs propose steps to improve gas-electric sector coordination, boost reliability

Market enhancements, operational improvements and regulatory reforms are needed to improve gas-electric coordination, according to grid operators serving much of the U.S.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 22, 2024

Good things come to those who wait: Massachusetts set to be national example with AMI 2.0

Massachusetts can show us all that with patience and smart policy, it’s possible to deliver on an AMI 2.0 smart meter rollout that not just ticks all the boxes but shows us how to build a better box.

By Colin Gibbs, VP Energy Services, Sense • Feb. 20, 2024

FERC OKs cold weather reliability standards, and 5 other takeaways from Thursday’s open meeting

The agency intends to move forward in the “very near future” on its pending regional transmission planning and cost allocation rule, per Chairman Willie Phillips.

By Ethan Howland • Feb. 16, 2024

Maui wildfire recovery fund increased to $175M, set for March 1 launch: Hawaiian Electric CEO

The utility separately initiated rolling outages on Tuesday due to multiple large generators being unavailable or operating at reduced output.

By Kavya Balaraman • Feb. 15, 2024

Utilities, EV charging companies must collaborate to avoid bulk power system disruptions: NERC

The shift to electric transportation poses reliability risks, according to NERC, but Blink Charging says it can be managed with new technologies and approaches to charging.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 14, 2024

FERC, NERC to analyze power sector performance during January winter storms

The assessment will look at improvements to grid reliability made since Winter Storm Uri in 2021 and Winter Storm Elliott in 2022.

By Robert Walton • Feb. 14, 2024