House panel discusses grid threats: China, Russia, inverter-based resources, physical attacks

Hackers have never caused a U.S. blackout, but there are nation-states that “possess the capability to disrupt critical infrastructure,” warned the head of the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center.

By Robert Walton • July 20, 2023

NYC could face up to 446 MW power deficit in 2025, due to electrification and peaker retirements: ISO

Completion of the Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line, which will bring power to New York City from Quebec, is expected to improve reliability margins beginning in 2026.

By Robert Walton • July 19, 2023

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

With more big storms ahead, here’s how utilities can help close the resilience gap

Following multiple billion-dollar weather or climate disasters in the U.S. this year, electric utilities are bracing for further impact.

July 17, 2023

How augmented reality will transform the customer experience for utility companies

AR empowers utilities to engage customers on their own terms and optimize operations for enhanced efficiency.

July 10, 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

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

Conventional generation outages set a record in 2022: NERC

The performance of wind and solar resources must also improve, NERC said, particularly as they place “increased operational demands on the now smaller fleet of conventional generation.”

By Robert Walton • June 23, 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

Duke Energy changed security reviews of critical assets following December substation attacks

Information-sharing protocols between the public and private sector need to be improved, a North Carolina safety official told the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.

By Robert Walton • June 20, 2023

DOE among federal agencies hit by possible Russian cyberattack

Vulnerabilities in file-sharing software known as MOVEit Transfer allowed hackers to access data at two Department of Energy entities, according to reports.

By Robert Walton • June 16, 2023

Power plants remain vulnerable to outages in extreme cold, despite warnings, FERC and NERC find

Most power plant outages during Winter Storm Elliott were caused by problems with freezing, fuel supply, and mechanical and electrical issues, echoing challenges from previous cold spells, FERC staff said Thursday.

By Ethan Howland • June 16, 2023

V2Flex: How to unlock the power of vehicle-to-everything

Transforming electric vehicles from grid liabilities into assets.

By Joseph Vellone, Head of North America, ev.energy • June 12, 2023

As states differ on the benefits of Bitcoin, is there a solution to its climate and power-system impacts?

Bitcoin miners’ 24/7 electricity need and financial focus raise red flags for climate activists about increased fossil fuel use, but some miners are starting to see a new solution in clean energy.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 8, 2023

NERC’s role in public-private security collaboration can deter utilities from sharing information: report

Utility lawyers “on occasion advise electricity companies not to share certain information with the ISAC for liability reasons,” according to a report from the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0.

By Robert Walton • June 8, 2023

California energy players fear isolation, reliability impacts as SPP eyes Western market expansion

Experts in California worry that as the Southwest Power Pool's energy market proposals move forward, California could lose access to renewable energy resources that are critical to the state’s grid.  

By Kavya Balaraman • May 30, 2023

Canada’s pipeline hack was a warning. Here’s why we need AI to protect our energy infrastructure.

Artificial intelligence can keep atop of cybersecurity maintenance by providing real-time, autonomous protection against the likes of zero-day threats, which exploit bugs or access in software.

By Dj Das • May 30, 2023

The superhero utilities desperately need: AI-powered cyber-physical security

As technology advances, so do attacks on substations and grid infrastructures. But a solution to outsmart attackers is making headway as more and more utility companies create a united front across their own IT, OT and physical security systems—with a little help from AI.

May 30, 2023

US electrical steel shortage threatens energy transition, recovery from power outages, groups warn Biden

Electric utilities and other stakeholders have asked President Joe Biden to convene an “Electrical Steel Summit” with manufacturers to address the “supply chain crisis.”

By Robert Walton • May 24, 2023

DOE pilots information-sharing effort with private industry to bolster energy sector cybersecurity

Officials from the Department of Health and Human Services, Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy testified how sector agencies are responding to rising threats.

By David Jones • May 22, 2023

Summer blackouts: How electric vehicles can become part of the solution

Meet the utilities transforming EVs into grid assets.

By Joseph Vellone, Head of North America, ev.energy • May 22, 2023

FERC summer reliability assessment finds bright spots: low gas prices, reduced drought, more generation

“There's some good news here,” Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Acting Chairman Willie Phillips said Thursday. “I think we're seeing things trending in the right direction over last year.”

By Ethan Howland • May 19, 2023

RTOs may be ‘sick’ but weren’t designed to manage a huge transition of US generation. Here’s how to help.

RTOs provide great value in operating the electric system every day, but they struggle with their role in the massive undertaking and challenge of managing a wholesale overhaul of that system.

By Matt King and John Chiles • May 19, 2023

NERC urges power plant, transmission owners to prepare for winter in highest-level alert ever issued

The “essential actions” alert issued Monday follows several winters when power plants failed to run in cold weather, hurting grid reliability.

By Ethan Howland • May 16, 2023

PJM proposes incentives for ‘black start’ units with assured fuel supplies to speed outage recovery times

Nearly half of the PJM Interconnection’s black start units lack firm fuel supplies, threatening to extend major power outages, the grid operator told federal regulators Friday.

By Ethan Howland • May 15, 2023