High risk, small reward: Regulators should tread carefully when reviewing utility hydrogen proposals

Hydrogen blending with natural gas would likely raise consumer costs, increase dangerous pollution, and risk public safety, all while minimally reducing emissions, the author writes.

By Hadley Tallackson • April 5, 2022

Duke Energy proposes 1.3 GW solar solicitation in the Carolinas

The third-party solicitations are a way for the state to expand solar competition within the region, according to experts.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • April 4, 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

FERC approves ISO-NE plan to end MOPR in 2025 while accepting some renewables in capacity auctions

The plan “strikes a reasonable balance” among issues like maintaining grid reliability and market certainty, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said Friday.

By Ethan Howland • Updated May 31, 2022

FERC's Office of Public Participation eyes options for intervenor funding

Developing a funding proposal to help underrepresented people and groups engage at FERC is a "priority," OPP Director Elin Katz said Thursday.

By Ethan Howland • April 4, 2022

Constellation NewEnergy agrees to pay $4.7M to settle allegations it violated CAISO's market rules

FERC said the retail energy provider failed to provide power twice when called upon by the California grid operator in 2017.

By Ethan Howland • March 30, 2022

Aligning climate and affordability goals can save states billions

Investing in emissions reductions for communities facing the greatest challenges paying their energy bills can save taxpayers and ratepayers money, the authors write.

By Arjun Makhijani and Boris Lukanov • March 30, 2022

Biden's proposed budget includes nearly $45B for climate and clean energy, a 7% increase for DOE

The proposal, released Monday, calls for spending $502 million to weatherize and retrofit low-income homes, including $100 million for a pilot program to electrify low-income homes.

By Ethan Howland • March 29, 2022

California issued wildfire safety certifications to utilities despite 'serious deficiencies': audit

The Office of Energy Infrastructure Safety approved utility plans despite the utilities' failure to demonstrate that they were "appropriately prioritizing" the work, acting California State Auditor Michael Tilden said in a letter. 

By Kavya Balaraman • March 28, 2022

How technology and improved processes reduce utility O&M costs

Utilities will always have O&M challenges. Whether it's diagnosing safety or operations issues or detecting and updating technology and equipment, the good news is organizations have viable options to save time and labor to overcome those challenges.

March 28, 2022

Need for more clarity prompts FERC to put new natural gas pipeline, LNG review policies on hold, Glick says

The dispute over FERC's gas policies was distracting the agency from work on key issues like cybersecurity, energy markets and transmission planning, Chairman Richard Glick said.

By Ethan Howland • March 25, 2022

'I think we have a wake-up call right now' — FERC's Phillips touts transmission's reliability benefits

In his first public speaking engagement since joining FERC, Commissioner Willie Phillips also called for changes in how grid interconnection queues are managed.

By Larry Pearl • March 25, 2022

House committee investigates shut-off rates for Dominion, DTE, Duke, Exelon, NextEra and Southern

The investigation launched this week comes amid concerns about rising energy prices and consumer debt.

By Ethan Howland • March 24, 2022

Ukraine war could extend bump in US coal use, but utilities remain confident in decarbonization path

When 2021 natural gas demand drove prices up, generators turned to coal. The war in Ukraine seems to be driving a similar pattern.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 24, 2022

FERC lowers PG&E's transmission return on equity to 9.3% in move that could affect national build-out

FERC's action reflects a more consumer-oriented viewpoint at the agency and could influence state ROE decisions during the energy transition, according to experts.

By Ethan Howland • March 23, 2022

SEC proposes 'rules of the road' for climate-risk disclosures

Investors with $130 trillion in assets under management have pushed for consistent, comparable disclosures on climate risk, SEC Chair Gary Gensler said Monday.

By Jim Tyson • March 22, 2022

Senate bill directs FERC to bolster interregional transmission planning, require GHG reporting

The legislation provides direction to FERC as it considers changing its transmission rules, former FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff said.

By Ethan Howland • March 18, 2022

ISO-NE's market rules biased toward gas plants, clean energy groups say in FERC complaint

The alleged bias lowers capacity prices and crowds out renewable energy and storage resources from New England’s markets, according to a complaint filed March 15 at FERC.

By Ethan Howland • March 16, 2022

Florida solidifies its status as the nation's waste-to-energy capital with supportive new law

A bill signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis will establish a unique program to subsidize power purchase agreements and expansion expenses for municipally-owned combustion facilities.

By Cole Rosengren • Updated June 22, 2022

Consumers Energy to exit coal-fired generation in 2025 under agreement with Michigan AG, others

The agreement filed Wednesday with the Michigan PSC sets the utility on a path to being carbon neutral by 2040.

By Ethan Howland • Updated April 21, 2022

FERC failed to adequately review a gas pipeline project's effect on carbon emissions: appeals court

The ruling on Friday came a day after FERC Chairman Richard Glick said he wants to clarify the agency's new policy for reviewing natural gas projects.

By Ethan Howland • March 14, 2022

EPA plans sweeping regulatory strategy for power plants covering air, water and land pollution

The agency aims to give guidance to utilities and investors so they can make informed financial decisions about the future of their power plants, EPA Administrator Regan said Thursday.

By Ethan Howland • March 11, 2022

SEC pushes for tougher cybersecurity disclosure rules

SEC Chair Gary Gensler said investors demand more detailed information about how companies seek to curb the risk and costs of cyberattacks.

By Jim Tyson • March 10, 2022

New York energy policies will raise electricity costs and air pollution, slamming low-income communities

Sometimes well-intentioned state policies can backfire and hurt the very people the state wants to protect, the author writes.

By Arnold R. Wallenstein • March 9, 2022

State regulators, utilities back MISO plan to allocate multi-value transmission costs to subregions

Illinois Industrial Energy Consumers and other industrial groups oppose the grid operator's proposal, however.

By Ethan Howland • March 9, 2022

Accounting for clean-energy capacity value in PJM would lower costs, emissions, RMI study finds

The report released Tuesday comes as the PJM Interconnection is considering options for including clean-energy procurement in its markets.

By Ethan Howland • March 8, 2022