PJM files competing capacity market reforms at FERC

Stakeholder consternation over the two plans led the grid operator's leadership to punt the decision to federal regulators.

By Gavin Bade • April 10, 2018

Perry: Economics not 'the issue' for FirstEnergy emergency evaluation

A senior DOE official previously said the agency "would never use" an emergency order to "stave off an economic issue."

By Gavin Bade • April 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

Southern Co. to be 'low to no carbon' by 2050, CEO says

While he gave no exact targets, Tom Fanning told Utility Dive that Southern will focus on technologies "that will allow us to take down carbon emissions to zero."

By Gavin Bade • April 9, 2018

What's next for South Carolina's embattled utilities?

The $10 billion planned cost for new nuclear turned into more than $20 billion, and the utilities' nuclear renaissance turned into a nuclear nightmare.

By Herman K. Trabish • April 9, 2018

Updated: California muni shelves gas plant to consider renewable options

The Glendale community becomes the latest on the list of jurisdictions reconsidering gas plant investments. 

By Gavin Bade • April 9, 2018

Trump 'looking at' emergency order to save PJM coal, nuclear plants

The president's off-the-cuff remarks came a day after he dined with a former lobbyist for FirstEnergy, the coal-bound Ohio utility that requested a bailout for the plants. 

By Gavin Bade • April 5, 2018

The two key questions about going to 100% renewables in Los Angeles

The city council wants its municipal utility to reach the clean energy goal, and a new report says it can by 2030 — if the utility can learn new ways.

By Herman K. Trabish • April 5, 2018

Updated: ISO-NE seeks to keep 1,600 MW of gas generation from retirement

The grid operator says the retirement of two units at Exelon's Mystic Generating Station could put power reliability at risk. 

By Gavin Bade • April 4, 2018

Unnecessary complexity? Assessing New York and California's landmark DER proceedings

New York and California have spent years opening opportunities for distributed energy resources with minimal real impact. Could they have done it differently?

By Herman K. Trabish • April 4, 2018

Utilities take note: Hybrid renewables projects are coming

In 2017, combinations of cost-effective renewables plus storage went online, with more due this year. And 2019 looks like a hybrid boom year.

By Herman K. Trabish • April 3, 2018

Energy efficiency, rooftop solar to trim New England power use, draft report says

The ISO New England findings align with a national trend of stagnant, even declining demand due to efficiency measures in particular.  

By Krysti Shallenberger • April 3, 2018

Market-based IRPs: A new paradigm for grid planning?

Instead of forecasts, utilities like Hawaiian Electric and Xcel are beginning to use real-world prices in their integrated resource plans, allowing them to better compare renewables and DERs to traditional grid investments. 

By Gavin Bade • April 2, 2018

FirstEnergy asks DOE for emergency action to save PJM coal, nuke plants

The utility wants to secure cost recovery for all uneconomic PJM plants with a 25-day fuel supply, similar to a DOE proposal unanimously rejected by FERC in January.

By Robert Walton , Gavin Bade • March 29, 2018

Of monopolies and monopolies: Cost of service 'markets' abound

The Restructured Administrative Market Model is having a "tough go," attorneys Ray Gifford and Matt Larson write, noting that central planning is its core tenet, as with traditional monopoly service providers.

By Ray Gifford and Matt Larson • March 28, 2018

Kentucky utilities push back on state-ordered rate reductions

The Kentucky Public Service Commission last week ordered Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities to cut rates in response to the lower corporate tax rate.

By Robert Walton • March 28, 2018

Xcel nuclear cost recovery bill advances in Minnesota despite governor opposing

The company operates three nuclear reactors in the state and will need to invest more than $1.4 billion to maintain them over the next two decades.

By Robert Walton • March 28, 2018

Bomb cyclone showed coal retirements could raise risks for grid, DOE says

DOE's National Energy Technology Laboratory examines the role of fossil fuels during the bomb cyclone and sees risks to grid resilience and reliability from the loss of coal capacity.

By Peter Maloney • March 28, 2018

EPA plan to bar studies without public data could disrupt clean air regulations

The policy change could have significant implications for the Trump administration's efforts to rewrite the Clean Power Plan and air quality standards. 

By Robert Walton • March 27, 2018

Proposed Texas rule highlights storage's challenges in bridging competitive, regulated energy markets

Energy storage’s unique characteristics make it a difficult fit on the regulated side of Texas’ power market.

By Peter Maloney • March 27, 2018

Connecticut legislature poised to act as community solar collides with net metering

Connecticut’s utilities object to a new community solar policy while its advocates say proposed utility changes to net metering are unacceptable.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 27, 2018

Smart transmission: How FERC can spur modernization of the bulk power system

Transmission technology vendors say their products could save electricity consumers billions — if utilities were incentivized to invest.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 26, 2018

Update: Arizona Gov. Ducey signs bill to undermine RPS ballot proposal

The measure will minimize financial penalties for utilities that fail to meet renewable energy targets, muting a ballot proposal pushing 50% renewable energy by 2030. 

By Robert Walton • March 23, 2018

FERC among targets of Iranian hackers charged by DOJ

Nine Iranian nationals stole data from hundreds of universities and dozens of companies across the globe as well as five U.S. government agencies, the Justice Department said in an indictment Friday.

By Gavin Bade • March 23, 2018

Energy groups see $1.3 trillion omnibus as repudiation of Trump priorities

The budget bill, approved by the House and Senate on Thursday, would boost clean energy funding at DOE and increase appropriations for co-ops to expand rural broadband service.

By Gavin Bade • March 23, 2018

On the duck's 10th birthday, here's how to keep it from eating the power system

Before anybody saw how fast solar would grow, researchers described what it would do to the grid and started working on solutions now being implemented.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 22, 2018