Grid Security & Reliability: Page 18


  • Schneider Electric hit by ransomware attack against its sustainability business division

    The company said the attack directly impacted its EcoStruxure Resource Advisor platform, which is used by more than 2,000 companies worldwide to monitor energy and resource data.

    By David Jones • Jan. 31, 2024
  • FERC headquarters
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    Permission granted by Esme Howland
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    FERC Outlook: Danly exit could boost transmission reform, but smaller commission poses risks

    Other top priorities for FERC this year include continued efforts to improve the interconnection process, consideration of expanded transmission ties between regions and possible power market reforms, according to agency experts.

    By Jan. 29, 2024
  • Silhouette of an electrical worker repairing a power line following Hurricane Beryl. Explore the Trendlineâž”
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    Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    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
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    Courtesy of Georgia Power
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    25 SMR license applications expected by 2029, plus six other takeaways from FERC, NRC joint meeting

    The planned SMR units will likely be up to about 200 MW in size, an NRC official said. In addition, the agency is reviewing 19 applications to extend the operating licenses of existing nuclear plants, with more requests expected.

    By Jan. 26, 2024
  • Solar panels and wind turbines in a field
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    Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    New solutions emerge to better integrate renewables into the grid, Xcel, Eversource and others say

    Requiring the 400+ GW of battery capacity in U.S. interconnection queues to have grid-forming capabilities could enable variable renewables growth “cheaper and faster than adding new transmission,” one expert said.

    By Jan. 25, 2024
  • Electrical Power Transmission Lines at Sunset.
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    Getty Images
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    Opinion

    America’s aging grid threatens national security. Here are some steps to fix it.

    The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission should finalize a strong regional transmission planning and cost allocation rule, which has been under consideration since 2021.

    By Michelle J. Howard • Jan. 24, 2024
  • Panoramic view of a solar farm in the Appalachian Mountains near Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania.
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    Getty Images
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    NERC issues 3-year plan for setting reliability standards for wind, solar, storage

    The plan responds to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission order driven by concerns about inverter-based resources tripping offline. The new reliability standards are scheduled to take effect by the end of the decade.

    By Jan. 23, 2024
  • Southern California brush fire near houses
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    Getty Images
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    Sponsored by American Wire Group

    How distribution circuit coverings protect against wildfires

    Necessary investments to prevent grid-ignited wildfires are not keeping pace with the rising risk.

    Jan. 22, 2024
  • Engineers in front of power plant using digital tablet.
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    Getty Images
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    Sponsored by Electrical Grid Monitoring

    Greater visibility for accurate load management: How real-time monitoring improves grid resiliency

    With wildfires and heatwaves sweeping across the globe over the last year, the need for decarbonization is starker than ever.

    Jan. 22, 2024
  • Pole in a flat desert area.
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    Permission granted by RS Technologies
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    Sponsored by RS Technologies

    Composite poles vs. alternatives in the face of natural disasters

    Composite utility poles have been shown to be highly resilient in ice storms, freezing rain, hurricanes and wildfires.

    Jan. 22, 2024
  • Renewable energy solar panels and wind turbine in the background
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    Permission granted by Octopus Energy Renewables
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    DOE offers $30M to improve cybersecurity for virtual power plants, distributed resources, cloud solutions

    The funds will help ensure “the next-generation clean energy infrastructure is built with cybersecurity in mind,” said Puesh Kumar, head of DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response.

    By Jan. 18, 2024
  • The silhouette of a high voltage power line line towers during sunset.
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    Getty Images
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    Robot worms, lasers, drones and AI: How ARPA-E wants to move the US power grid underground

    The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced $34 million in funding to explore novel approaches to undergrounding to increase resiliency.

    By Jan. 17, 2024
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Texas grid holds firm through frigid temperatures, 3 demand records, 2 conservation calls

    The Texas power grid is more resilient than it was in 2021, when Winter Storm Uri caused widespread blackouts and almost 250 deaths.

    By Jan. 17, 2024
  • Aerial view of wind farm and solar farms on the island of Oahu in Hawaii Islands.
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    Getty Images
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    Pioneering 565-MWh battery storage facility now online in Hawai’i, Plus Power says

    "This is the first time a standalone battery site has provided grid-forming services at this scale," Mike Snyder, senior director, Tesla Megapack, said.

    By Kavya Balaraman • Jan. 16, 2024
  • Lake Mary manufacturing plant for JST Power Equipment
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    Permission granted by JST Power Equipment
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    Sponsored by JST Power Equipment

    Improve your SAIDI and SAIFI scores by as much as 60%

    In a time where utilities are facing increasing risks due to major weather events, utilities now have a tool to greatly improve their overall reliability numbers.

    By Jonathan Wear, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, JST Power Equipment • Jan. 16, 2024
  • Solar panels and wind turbines generating renewable energy for green and sustainable future.
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    Getty Images
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    9 US power sector trends to watch in 2024

    The U.S. march toward a decarbonized electric system will continue in 2024 as policymakers and others work to balance, climate, reliability, affordability and other goals.

    By Robert Walton, Ethan Howland, Diana DiGangi, Larry Pearl, Kavya Balaraman and Emma Penrod • Jan. 10, 2024
  • High-voltage wires and poles are covered with frost on a frosty winter day.
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    Getty Images
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    500K East Coast outages persist after day of storms; grid braces for coming Arctic weather

    “Next week we will see the coldest air of the season push in from Canada over much of the central and eastern U.S.,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert said.

    By Jan. 10, 2024
  • Renewable energy solar panels and wind turbine in the background
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    Permission granted by Octopus Energy Renewables
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    Sponsored by Kraken

    It’s time to get our mojo back

    The energy industry used to symbolize innovation — how to tap into our ingenuity and look forward to 2024.

    By Tyler Rogers, Head of Business Development – North America, Kraken • Jan. 8, 2024
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    Blue Planet Studio via Getty Images
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    DOE $70M grid security and resilience funding targets cybersecurity, wildfires, other risks

    The funding in the All-Hazards Energy Resilience program will focus on innovative and unique solutions that are not “one size fits all,” the Department of Energy said.

    By Jan. 5, 2024
  • Workers building a high-voltage transmission line.
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    Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    As reliability concerns with renewables rise, upgrading inverters is urgent, analysts say

    The variable output of renewable energy resources requires “grid-forming” inverters to protect power system current flows, engineers and others agree.

    By Jan. 2, 2024
  • Clean energy wind turbines and solar panels with a high-voltage transmission line.
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    Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Good policy by grid operators can address reliability concerns with EPA’s power plant rule

    There is an opportunity through the proposed rule to create more certainty around the timeline for the clean energy transition.

    By Michelle Solomon • Dec. 21, 2023
  • Electric-gas coordination, planning vital to grid recovery after blackouts: FERC-NERC report

    The electric and gas sectors should collaborate on a “blackstart system restoration plan” to bring the grid back online in the event of a system collapse, a new report concludes.

    By Dec. 21, 2023
  • A nuclear plant stands behind transmission lines at night.
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    Sean Gallup / Staff via Getty Images
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    Rising peak demand, 83 GW of planned retirements create blackout risks for most of US: NERC

    "Overly rigid" environmental regulations and energy policies can jeopardize “the orderly transition of the resource mix,” the North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s 10-year reliability assessment warns.

    By Dec. 14, 2023
  • Icy Power Pole Falling stock photo
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    istockphoto.com/Bryngelzon

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    Sponsored by Ampacimon

    Achieving grid reliability with communicating fault circuit indicators

    Research shows that overhead line sensors can reduce outage minutes by 20%-37%, saving utilities between $200k and $1m per minute and dramatically improving customer satisfaction.

    By Brian Berry, Chief Product Officer, Ampacimon • Dec. 11, 2023
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    David McNew / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Investor-owned utilities facing physical climate risks should expand cost recovery options: S&P

    Increased insurance levels, securitization and the development of disaster funds are all ways IOUs can mitigate the risks, according to S&P Global Ratings.

    By Dec. 8, 2023
  • Solar panel arrays form a canopy as part of a microgrid at Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., March 12, 2013.
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    U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District. Retrieved from Wikimedia Commons.
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    Hawaii, 3 other states earn B microgrid grades. Most get Ds, per scorecard report.

    With distributed resources flourishing, “there's a huge risk that we're leaving a lot of value on the table” by failing to coordinate them with microgrids, said Cameron Brooks, Think Microgrid executive director.

    By Dec. 6, 2023