PG&E taps EVBox to build up to 2.5K charging stations

The California utility announced its first supplier of charging stations, which it will own as part of its CPUC-approved electric vehicle charging program.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • May 9, 2018

Iowa town narrowly rejects break from Alliant

Supporters of breaking away from the utility are already gearing up for a recount.

By Robert Walton • May 9, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 Stories from Utility Dive

Power demand is rising amid dramatic shifts in federal energy policy, but technology and markets continue to push the grid toward cleaner, more distributed resources. 

By Utility Dive staff

Order 1000 should remain a priority for FERC

As grid changes and resilience demands drive transmission construction, FERC should expand Oder 1000 to drive innovative solutions and cost containment, former PUC Texas Chairman Barry Smitherman writes.

By Barry Smitherman • May 9, 2018

Washington utilities need better carbon cost estimates in IRPs, regulator says

Washington utilities file an integrated resource plan every two years. Regulators want to see a more robust assessment of climate change risks in the next one.

By Peter Maloney • May 9, 2018

Gas and renewables groups urge Perry to reject FirstEnergy emergency request

Grid conditions "do not empower the [DOE] to provide the long term out-of-market price support that the coal and nuclear plant owners seek," energy interests wrote to the secretary. 

By Gavin Bade • May 9, 2018

McIntyre links fuel security questions with resilience proceeding

The FERC chairman said it "would sure be convenient" if the commission could identify specific attributes of grid resilience to compensate.

By Gavin Bade • May 8, 2018

New York City moves to streamline energy storage permitting

City agencies and officials are working to remove barriers to energy storage installations, with comprehensive new guidelines on installing outdoor lithium-ion batteries.

By Peter Maloney • May 8, 2018

PJM stakeholders pan capacity market reforms in FERC comments

Commenters uniformly rejected PJM’s proposed two-part capacity auction, but a few said its alternative to extend the minimum offer pricing rule (MOPR) could work with changes. 

By Gavin Bade • May 8, 2018

Tesla's Musk talks 'gigawatt-hour scale' storage project

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is thinking big and bigger, building on the success of the company's 129 MWh South Australia project.

By Peter Maloney • May 8, 2018

8 states challenge EPA science rule that could overhaul clean air standards

The proposed rule would only allow the agency to consider scientific studies in its rulemaking processes that disclose all of their methods and data — a move critics say will exclude a broad swath of public health studies. 

By Gavin Bade • May 8, 2018

Solar has transformed into solar-plus-storage: What will net metering become?

Two prominent policy actions that could drive a more innovative use of solar-plus-storage are time-of-use rates and three-part rates with demand charges.

By Herman K. Trabish • May 7, 2018

As California energy markets modernize, regulators worry about repeating the past

A new report from staff of the California Public Utilities Commission concludes the state could drift back into another power crisis without careful planning as markets and technologies evolve.

By Robert Walton • May 7, 2018

Report: Actors paid to support Entergy gas plant at March hearing

The company said it has nothing to do with paying actors up to $200 to support its gas plant proposal at a March meeting of the New Orleans City Council.

By Gavin Bade • May 7, 2018

Pennsylavania opens 'future of utility rates' proceeding

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission issued a proposed policy statement calling for utilities to explore alternative ratemaking methodologies. 

By Robert Walton • May 7, 2018

ISO-NE cost recovery proposal opens new front in fuel security debate

The grid operator wants cost recovery for 1,700 MW of gas generation because it is afraid an adjacent LNG import facility will close without it. Critics call the request unprecedented and dangerous. 

By Gavin Bade • May 4, 2018

How can US utilities be ready when everything changes?

EY has modeled three critical tipping points for utilities on the way to a new energy system. In Europe and Oceania they're staggered, but in the U.S., they'll arrive in much quicker succession, Dana Hanson writes.

By Dana Hanson • May 4, 2018

Solar at the crossroads: Is utility-scale, distributed or both the way to go?

Sunrun says solar's future is on rooftops, but solar advocates and utilities say an advanced power system with utility-scale and distributed energy resources is a better bet.

By Herman K. Trabish • May 3, 2018

DOE IG report slams agency processes over misallocation of funds

The report found the department misallocated $16 million, with failures in training and communication, along with high levels of staff turnover contributing to the error.

By Peter Maloney • May 3, 2018

FERC approves California reliability-must-run contracts

Calpine's Feather, Yuba and Metcalf gas plants are needed for local reliability, the California ISO determined.

By Robert Walton • May 3, 2018

Iowa town vote on forming muni from Alliant too close to call

Decorah, Iowa, is considering whether to separate from Alliant and form a municipal utility in order to develop more renewable energy. 

By Robert Walton • May 3, 2018

100-Hour storage? DOE launches $30M program to explore new technologies

The program is designed to address the needs of intermittent generation sources, such as wind and solar, by enabling a new set of applications that can provide long lasting backup power.  

By Peter Maloney • May 1, 2018

Iowa legislators approve steep cuts to energy efficiency programs

The bill would allow customers to opt out of efficiency programs and would cap program costs for utilities. It now heads to Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds.

By Robert Walton • May 1, 2018

Michigan lawmakers propose to boost consumer-generated renewables

A bipartisan package of five clean energy bills aims to restore "fair-value pricing" for renewable energy sold back to utility companies, among other changes.

By Robert Walton • May 1, 2018

EPA ozone designations raise concerns of political influence

EPA listed a number of counties as compliant with 2015 ozone standards that it previously recommended for non-attainment, including a Wisconsin county that's the site of a factory touted by President Trump.

By Gavin Bade • May 1, 2018

Lithium-ion domination could block promising storage technologies, MIT finds

Li-ion batteries are good for transportation applications, less so for the grid. But their dominance is making it difficult for producers of alternative storage technologies to survive, much less innovate and scale up.

By Peter Maloney • May 1, 2018