Cyberthreats require strengthened standards, increased government collaboration

Illinois Commerce Commission Chairman Brien Sheahan and former FERC Commissioner Robert Powelson wrote about the importance of establishing cybersecurity compliance standards at the distribution level.

By Brien J. Sheahan and Robert F. Powelson • Sept. 4, 2018

Energy storage gets a boost as California legislature extends SGIP

Extension of the Self Generation Incentive Program ​program could help the growth of rooftop solar in California.

By Peter Maloney • Aug. 31, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

Sustainability

Companies are pursuing increasingly ambitous sustainability goals around clean energy, but integrating rising amounts of renewables, minimizing environmental impacts, and achieving carbon reduction targets can be challenging.

By Utility Dive staff

As Kentucky regulators reject smart meter plans, troubling trend continues for AMI

Kentucky Utilities and Louisville Gas & Electric "failed to provide sufficient evidence" that smart meters would benefit customers, regulators ruled last week.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 31, 2018

Get ready for sticker shock on California's last-minute clean energy proposals

The state's well-intentioned ideas aiming to advance renewable energy would unfortunately commit Californians to resource decisions for the next 10 years and limit investment in lower-cost technologies.

By Barry Moline • Aug. 31, 2018

Two roads diverging: Pennsylvania lawmakers rethink their renewables mandate

A new plan for solar is pushing Pennsylvania lawmakers to rethink the state's energy sector and utilities are fighting for their share.

By Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 30, 2018

EPA will open MATS rule for review despite utility objections

Most coal plants have already complied with the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards or shut down, but the agency's review could affect how it crafts regulations in the future.

By Gavin Bade • Aug. 30, 2018

FirstEnergy to retire more than 4 GW of PJM coal plant capacity

The shutdowns would be the end of its Ohio coal fleet, but the generator said retirements could be "reversed or postponed" if the Trump administration moves to bail out the plants. 

By Robert Walton • Aug. 30, 2018

FERC staff authorizes construction on Mountain Valley Pipeline

Democratic commissioners questioned whether staff should decide the stop order revision for the 300-mile pipeline.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Aug. 30, 2018

TVA shifts coal ash strategy in response to spill, Obama-era rule

The utility is moving away from "wet storage" which it says, in part, led to the Kingston plant coal ash spill in 2008. 

By Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 29, 2018

Newly-vacated hydro dam operation license creates quandry for Alabama Power

A U.S. Court of Appeals has vacated Alabama Power's license on seven of its dams, determining federal regulators did not adequately evaluate the environmental impact of the dams. 

By Robert Walton • Aug. 29, 2018

Exclusive: Ohio PUC details utility reform roadmap in PowerForward initiative

The plan, a product of a year-long business model investigation, aims to create a level playing field for innovation on the utility distribution system.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Aug. 29, 2018

California passes landmark 100% clean energy goal

The bill headed to Gov. Jerry Brown's desk would direct state agencies to begin planning to supply 100% of retail electricity sales with carbon-free resources by 2045.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Updated Aug. 30, 2018

Renewables push CAISO prices lower, threaten inflexible generation

A new report finds uneven price distribution in utility-scale solar disproportionately affects baseload generation, such as coal and nuclear. 

By Peter Maloney • Aug. 28, 2018

Colorado approves Xcel plan to retire coal, shift to renewables and storage

The plan will see the utility retire 660 MW of coal power and invest $2.5 billion in renewable energy, part of Xcel's "steel for fuel" strategy.

By Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 28, 2018

FERC says SCE can't treat storage customers differently in service

Southern California Edison sought authority to curtail electricity service to storage customers first during times of peak demand, but FERC said that would be "unduly discriminatory."

By Gavin Bade , Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 28, 2018

California passes bill to coordinate EV charger planning

The bill would grant authority to the California Energy Commission to assess charging infrastructure build-out in an attempt to meet the state's ambitious EV goals.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Aug. 28, 2018

Playing with wildfire: California lawmakers outline utility liabilities in new report

What can state legislators accomplish in the last days of voting regarding the exposure that investor-owned utilities face to wildfire damages?

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Updated Aug. 28, 2018

Face the heat: Should EV incentives be restructured for battery degradation?

A new study advocates scaling electric vehicle incentives based on how quickly batteries wear out, but critics say it misses the bigger picture. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 28, 2018

Vistra Energy to close small waste coal plant in PJM

The 51 MW plant in McAdoo, Pa., is in the heart of coal country but loses money and has a "negative financial outlook," according to Vistra Energy.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 27, 2018

Generators ask FERC to mandate capacity market for CAISO

California's market rules should be thrown out because they do not allow generators to recoup their costs, The Electric Power Supply Association said last week.

By Gavin Bade • Aug. 27, 2018

Pollinator habitats: The bees' knees of rural solar development

Pollinator-friendly solar is a blossoming trend that saves maintenance costs and makes utility-scale solar more appealing to agricultural communities.

By Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 27, 2018

Minnesota regulators unanimously reject Centerpoint's renewable natural gas program

The utility says it remains "committed to the importance of bringing a renewable natural gas option to our customers."

By Catherine Morehouse • Updated July 29, 2019

19 mayors commit to make all buildings net-zero carbon by 2050

The declaration precedes the Global Climate Action Summit, where leaders from around the world will be encouraged to collaborate on strategies for decreasing GHG emissions.

By Kristin Musulin • Aug. 24, 2018

Philadelphia sets path to reduce GHG emissions 80% by 2050

Other steps include initiatives to install rooftop solar and incentives for more efficient building thermal systems.

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 24, 2018

PacifiCorp, Idaho Power agree to make CAISO their reliability coordinator

As the California grid operator draws closer to filing at FERC for approval of its Reliability Coordinator services, two more utilities have signed on following a commitment by the Balancing Authority of Northern California in July.

By Peter Maloney • Aug. 24, 2018