Regulation & Policy
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Massachusetts AG Healey stokes grassroots effort for clean energy market rules in ISO-NE
The office, which also acts as the state's ratepayer advocate, endeavors to grow public awareness of the grid operator amid growing tensions between Massachusetts' clean energy goals and market policies.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • Dec. 13, 2019 -
Arizona rejects APS push for 2-year PURPA contracts, approving 18-year terms
Regulators ruled the long-term contracts would provide renewables facilities with the opportunity to build more capital, despite opposition from the Arizona Public Service.
By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 13, 2019 -
National Petroleum Council calls for sharp increase in carbon capture subsidies
A new report ordered by former Energy Secretary Rick Perry concludes widespread deployment of carbon capture technology is "essential" to maintaining a reliable electric grid while also combating climate change.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 13, 2019 -
Squirrels, cyberattacks, age and climate: Obama DOE official reviews top risks to US grid
While there is much attention on cyber threats and other high profile vulnerabilities, the more mundane, day-to-day risks are also very important, John MacWilliams, a former chief risk officer at DOE, said Wednesday.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • Dec. 12, 2019 -
Sponsored5 reasons utilities are switching to high-performance overhead conductors
High-performance conductors offer performance advantages that should no longer be ignored, and policy makers, regulators and project financiers are taking note.
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New York outlines new ways to compensate distributed solar users as it looks beyond net metering
The changes proposed by the staff of the New York Department of Public Service show a potential path forward for residential and small business rooftop solar users.
By Matthew Bandyk • Dec. 11, 2019 -
Deep DiveRoad to 100: How four cities are leading the renewables revolution
Utility Dive visited four U.S. cities powered by 100% renewables, getting local insights on the political will and economic drivers that got them there.
By Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 10, 2019 -
Buttigieg's McKinsey controversy draws attention to candidate's work on energy efficiency
All of the leading Democratic candidates for president have discussed efficiency improvements, but Mayor Pete Buttigieg had his name on a major study a decade ago.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 10, 2019 -
OpinionMinnesota pioneers integration of new interconnection standard expected to propel DERs
Integration of the IEEE standard will mean that distributed energy resources can automatically respond to certain grid conditions, enabling significantly higher penetrations on the grid, the author writes.
By Sara Baldwin • Dec. 09, 2019 -
Dive Awards
Policymaker of the Year: Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor of New Mexico
Prioritizing the state's transition away from fossil fuels triggered pushback, but clean energy and labor groups largely supported the administration's move.
By Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 09, 2019 -
Dive Awards
The Utility Dive Awards for 2019
The annual awards highlight the biggest trends in innovation in the electric utility sector: from penciling out electrification efforts to pioneering new revenue streams for distributed resources.
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FPL's Turkey Point first US nuclear plant to get license out to 80 years
Federal regulators extended the approved lifespan of two of the Florida facility's units until 2052 and 2053.
By Kavya Balaraman • UPDATED: Dec. 6, 2019 at 7:20 a.m. -
Is FERC overstepping its authority and hurting renewables? States, power groups question PURPA plan
Diverse stakeholders said the commission's proposal would leave small facilities in unregulated markets at a disadvantage, while several major utilities backed their trade group in supporting the changes.
By Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 05, 2019 -
OpinionWhat I wish I'd said to California's chief air regulator about clean transportation
Will flexible demand-side resources ever be able to participate in power markets in the same way as supply-side resources? That’s the question before Air Resources Board Chair Mary Nichols — and all of us, the author writes.
By David Farnsworth • Dec. 05, 2019 -
PG&E failed to properly inspect tower that caused Camp Fire: CPUC safety investigators
Gaps in the utility's infrastructure maintenance were "indicative of an overall pattern of inadequate inspection and maintenance of PG&E's transmission facilities," according to a new report.
By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 04, 2019 -
Renewables, legal groups challenge FERC's authority to upend PURPA
Federal regulators are proposing changes to the law for the first time since 2006. Some groups argue the move falls outside the commission's authority and will harm renewables in markets monopolized by utilities.
By Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 04, 2019 -
California proposal rejects wildfire premium in PG&E, other utilities' ROE
Regulators said recent state legislation removed the need for a premium by eliminating wildfire risk exposure for investor-owned utilities.
By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 04, 2019 -
Regulators should 'ask tough questions about carbon capture' before closing coal: Wyoming PSC Chair
Wyoming is in a uniquely precarious position as the country's top coal producer. Its head utility regulator says ratemaking should encourage utilities to profit from carbon capture and utilization outside their rate base.
By Catherine Morehouse • Dec. 03, 2019 -
Deep DiveCan new transmission tech boost capacity and save billions? Two proposals aim to find out
Advocates are pushing a "shared savings" approach to incentivize deployment, but system operators have doubts.
By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 03, 2019 -
FirstEnergy Solutions claims victory on nuke bailout referendum, but proponents push forward
The Ohio Supreme Court dismissed a lawsuit challenging a potential referendum on the state's nuclear subsidies, while a separate proceeding brought by referendum proponents is ongoing.
By Iulia Gheorghiu • Dec. 03, 2019 -
Nevada PUC floats proposal for 1,000 MW storage target by 2030
The proposal comes more than two years after the state legislature passed a bill requiring the commission to look into adopting storage targets.
By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 03, 2019 -
OpinionToo much wind and solar raises power system costs. Deep decarbonization requires nuclear
Once wind and solar provide around 40% of a region's electric power, costs begin to rise substantially, an author of a new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology writes.
By John Reilly • Dec. 02, 2019 -
CAISO says resource adequacy order would cause market uncertainty, asks CPUC to reconsider
The system operator and other stakeholders urged regulators to "re-open the record" on an October decision clarifying the rules.
By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 27, 2019 -
2019 holiday wish list: Power sector edition
With the holiday season upon us, what do industry groups and environmental organizations want to see on the state and federal energy policy front?
By Larry Pearl • Nov. 27, 2019 -
Inside the fight to overhaul PURPA: What three commissioners think of FERC's proposed changes
The 1978 law — largely credited with driving the small renewables market — is facing a potential major shift, and though most regulators agree the rule should be changed, they disagree with some of FERC's mechanisms.
By Catherine Morehouse • Nov. 26, 2019
