Keep it simple, states: Community solar developers say complex regulations stifle growth

Community solar is supposed to be a renewable energy panacea, but developers say extensive rules could constrain deployment in major markets.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 20, 2016

Re-regulation on the horizon? State plant subsidies point to looming 'crisis' in organized power markets

State policymakers are increasingly dissatisfied with the outcomes of deregulation and could turn back to the vertically-integrated utility model, a new report warns. 

By Gavin Bade • Oct. 20, 2016

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

Kansas regulators push Great-Plains-Westar to reveal cost savings from $12.2B deal

Regulators threatened to halt the deal if Great Plains Energy and Westar don't amend their merger application to include more data over cost savings.  

By Robert Walton • Oct. 20, 2016

New Illinois interconnection standards could spur solar power

New interconnection standards in Illinois could spur solar power growth.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 19, 2016

Wikileaks emails show Clinton defended fracking, passed on carbon tax during primary

Sen. Bernie Sanders appears to have pushed the Clinton camp on environmental policy, sparking discussions over carbon taxes, natural gas production and long-term climate goals. 

By Robert Walton, Gavin Bade • Oct. 19, 2016

DOE awards $80M for first large-scale supercritical CO2 pilot plant

The 10 MW power plant will be located in San Antonio and test the use of heated, pressurized CO2 as the working fluid in a plant turbine. 

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 19, 2016

Time & place: How a new locational DER metric helps utilities defer grid investments

Central Hudson is using a simplified valuation scheme to deploy pilots and integrate distributed resources into utility planning.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 18, 2016

Will FERC toughen standards for energy M&A? What's behind the agency's market power review

FERC wants to account for incentives to exert market power, not just companies' ability to do so.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 18, 2016

British Parliament looks to California for demand response cues

A report from the House of Commons' Energy and Climate Change Committee calls for the expanded use of demand response but finds several factors holding back the market.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 18, 2016

West Virginia court orders EPA to track coal job losses from pollution regulations

It's not clear whether the ruling will change policy, but a U.S. District Court says the agency must consider how its regulations affect jobs in the coal and power generation industries. 

By Gavin Bade • Oct. 18, 2016

Familiar cast files against EPA's new source pollution standards at DC Circuit Court

Twenty-three states led by West Virginia filed against the EPA's pollution standards for new power plants, mirroring arguments used against the Clean Power Plan last month.

By Robert Walton • Oct. 18, 2016

California military bases start sipping Arizona solar in largest government renewables deal

The purchase is part of a larger plan under which the Navy and Marines will source 50% of their energy needs from renewables by 2020.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 18, 2016

Duke confirms coal ash spill at North Carolina plant due to Hurricane Matthew flooding

The amount of ash spilled may be small, but environmental groups say it points to larger structural issues with Duke's coal ash storage. 

By Shalina Chatlani • Oct. 17, 2016

6 ways the presidential election will influence the electric utility sector

From FERC appointments to nukes and natural gas, experts outline how Trump or Clinton could shift the trajectory of the power sector. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 17, 2016

Great Plains, Westar strike merger settlement with Missouri PSC staff

Staff at the state regulatory agency agreed not to exert jurisdiction in exchange for a promise that Missouri power prices will not go up due to the merger. 

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 17, 2016

Video: US Civil Rights chair Castro says utilities, EPA need to 'step up' coal ash safety

The head of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights sat down to talk about his 2016 enforcement report, focused on environmental justice and coal ash.

By Shalina Chatlani • Oct. 14, 2016

Xcel to replace 1.4 GW of coal with renewables, gas as Minnesota regulators approve IRP

Environmentalists praised most of the plan, but said new gas generation could be avoided with enhanced demand response and efficiency. 

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 14, 2016

With new control technology, demand response set to become operational tool for utilities

The age of manual demand response is closing as new software allows automatic load management for utilities, Navigant's Brett Feldman argues in this guest post. 

By Brett Feldman • Oct. 13, 2016

Big Sky solar: On the long, hard road to net metering reform in Montana

Years of legislative wrangling have achieved little lasting reform, but recent utility talks behind closed doors could point a way forward.

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 13, 2016

EIA: Carbon emissions from US power sector lowest in 25 years

Coal-to-gas shifting and mild weather across the nation meant U.S. emissions dropped to the lowest level seen since 1991. 

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 13, 2016

Updated: Ohio regulators scale back FirstEnergy subsidy proposal

The decision comes after FERC blocked an earlier plan to cover costs at FirstEnergy's aging coal and nuclear plants. 

By Robert Walton • Oct. 13, 2016

Consumer group asks FERC to block sale of Entergy's Fitzpatrick nuke plant to Exelon

National consumer group Public Citizen says the companies omitted references to New York's $8 billion nuclear subsidy in their filing.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 13, 2016

Amid rancorous solar rate debate, APS first non-California utility to surpass 1 GW of solar capacity

APS says it has invested a total of about $2 billion in solar power.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 12, 2016

Solar split: How a new petition is dividing rooftop and utility-scale installers in SEIA

Rooftop installers want a bigger voice in the trade group, but leaders on both sides stress unity is still the priority. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Oct. 12, 2016

After a banner year, energy storage on track to best 2015's record-setting growth

Navigant Research's third-quarter report sees continued growth for storage and a growing role for residential installations.

By Peter Maloney • Oct. 11, 2016