New York state climate panel outlines ambitious road map to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

The plan is a “bold, monumental achievement,” New York’s environmental commissioner said, but the head of an industry group said it fails to adequately address reliability.

By Stephen Singer • Dec. 20, 2022

Entergy: Grand Gulf nuclear plant’s viability threatened by FERC move to advance state, city complaint

Entergy may need to give customers refunds related to the Grand Gulf’s capacity expansion and its alleged poor operating performance under a complaint by utility regulators from Arkansas, Louisiana and New Orleans.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 20, 2022

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

Fixing customer experience in EV charging

Electric vehicle (EV) ownership is on the rise in the U.S., but consumer surveys suggest that the EV charging experience needs to improve to assuage the lingering concerns of buyers.

Dec. 19, 2022

FERC Chairman Glick to exit agency by early January, setting up possible tied-vote deadlocks

The energy agency, seen as key to the energy transition, will be shorthanded until Chairman Richard Glick’s seat is filled, which could take months.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 16, 2022

How states and utilities can lower consumer bills and accelerate the clean energy transition

By acting now, state policymakers and utility regulators can put more consumers and communities on a path to long-term energy affordability and mitigate the impact of future energy price spikes.

By Sara Baldwin and Hadley Tallackson • Dec. 15, 2022

The ‘unprecedented’ risks facing our power grid this winter should be a wake-up call for government

It’s imperative the Biden administration nominates a FERC commissioner who can set our power grid up for success by prioritizing its safety, reliability and affordability.

By Todd Snitchler • Dec. 14, 2022

Transmission as a reliability and affordability strategy drives CAISO and SPP regional market ambitions

Benefits of real-time markets are clear, demand for day-ahead markets is growing and advocates foresee full RTOs coming that could cross seams between East and West interconnections

By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 12, 2022

What we are thankful for in 2022

At the end of the year, it’s important to remember the challenges overcome and milestones reached as an industry.

Dec. 12, 2022

California grid operator unveils final proposal for voluntary day-ahead electricity market

On Thursday, PacifiCorp became the first entity to sign on to the new Western day-ahead market.

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 9, 2022

Federal legislation completely changed the energy landscape. How do states take advantage of it?

Implementing recent federal and state legislation will require Illinois and other states to modernize regulation of their energy systems to accommodate the anticipated rapid growth of clean energy.

By Carrie Zalewski, Tetyana Rabczak and Robert Haggart • Dec. 9, 2022

Virginia’s exit from regional emissions trading group advances as air board opens public comment

An administration official said that Gov. Youngkin plans to propose an alternative funding source at an upcoming budget hearing to replace the money the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative allowance auction generates.

By Diana DiGangi • Dec. 8, 2022

Fed seeks public comment on tighter monitoring of climate risk

“Technological innovations in the production, storage and transport of energy could decrease the value of assets dependent on older technologies,” the Fed wrote.

By Gabrielle Saulsbery • Dec. 6, 2022

10 must-read utility sector stories from 2022

Reliability, security and affordability concerns are rising in a U.S. power sector increasingly focused on decarbonization and electrification. Utility Dive has rounded up some of our top stories so far on these and other trends in 2022.

By Larry Pearl • Dec. 5, 2022

California requires permits for large natural gas projects to enable environmental and cost scrutiny

A first-ever order holds investor-owned utility pipelines and other projects to the same standard as big electricity proposals.

By Elizabeth McCarthy • Dec. 5, 2022

From solar installer to home energy solutions provider: why installers need to think beyond panels

As more homeowners look to electrify their homes, solar installers have an opportunity to serve their customers' holistic home energy needs — and differentiate themselves from competitors.

Dec. 5, 2022

PacifiCorp interconnection plan for retiring power plants sparks anti-competitive concerns at FERC

The proposal would “tilt the competitive landscape sharply in PacifiCorp’s favor, allowing it to lock in its dominant position in the generation market,” NewSun Energy said.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 2, 2022

NYISO warns of narrower reliability margins in the next 10 years as gas plants retire, electrification advances

The scheduled addition in 2026 of the 339-mile Champlain Hudson Power Express transmission line from Hydro Quebec to New York City is key to grid reliability, NYISO said.

By Stephen Singer • Dec. 1, 2022

FERC approves PJM’s ‘first-ready, first-served’ interconnection reform plan, steps to clear backlog

FERC Commissioner Allison Clements, who said she reluctantly voted in favor of PJM’s plan, called for additional measures to improve the interconnection process.

By Ethan Howland • Dec. 1, 2022

Senators press DOE’s Granholm to help New England avoid major power disruptions, price spikes this winter

The lawmakers from Connecticut, Maine and Vermont asked DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm to convene stakeholders — including FERC, ISO New England, New England’s governors and utilities — to “mitigate these risks.”

By Stephen Singer • Updated Dec. 1, 2022

Eversource, Avangrid aim to ease soaring Connecticut electricity bills as lawmakers push for hearings

With Eversource’s residential standard offer rate set to double to 24.2 cents/kWh, Connecticut lawmakers called for a multistate hearing into the utility and said its executive compensation should be more closely tied to performance.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 29, 2022

High electricity rates impede crucial but costly technology investments to manage rising DER levels: utilities

Utilities want distribution system technologies for more DER visibility and control. But advocates want a new national stakeholder dialogue about the timing of spending for DER integration.

By Herman K. Trabish • Nov. 29, 2022

NYISO warns of high electricity prices as it forecasts sufficient supply to meet peak demand this winter

The grid operator’s extreme winter weather scenario shows that peak demand could increase to as much as 26,086 MW, higher than its previous all-time winter peak.

By Stephen Singer • Updated Nov. 28, 2022

EV charger deployments must overcome electrician shortage

The industry will have to find innovative ways to minimize the labor required by electricians and optimize the use of their time.

Nov. 28, 2022

MISO power prices could remain high, go higher for years: Chatterjee, other Voltus panelists

“This isn't a short-term thing that's just going to last into next year or the year after,” said Neil Chatterjee, former Federal Energy Regulatory Commission chairman and a senior advisor at Hogan Lovells.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 23, 2022

Western day-ahead market could save $1.2B a year, boost renewables output 1,800+ GWh: CAISO report

A Western day-ahead market would bring economic, reliability and environmental benefits, according to the California grid operator. CAISO plans to issue a final market proposal next month.

By Ethan Howland • Nov. 23, 2022