Wind energy's record 2020 growth to continue this year, but deployment could slow in 2022, DOE finds

Wind industry growth is likely to continue through 2021, according to a Department of Energy report released Monday, but market conditions point to rising prices, and deployment may slow absent policy support, experts say.

By Emma Penrod • Sept. 1, 2021

Duke explores shutting coal-fired plants by 2030 in South Carolina plans

The revised plans come after South Carolina regulators voted in late June to reject the utility's previous proposals and send the company back to the drawing board.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Sept. 1, 2021

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

Transmission tower destroyed by Ida likely to complicate power restoration in New Orleans, experts say

As Entergy scrambles to restore power in the Gulf region, the collapse of a major transmission tower could complicate matters, experts say.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Aug. 31, 2021

Nuclear reactors of the future have a fuel problem

Higher levels of uranium enrichment can unlock value from smaller and simpler reactors, but they come with new hurdles that the nuclear industry says only the federal government can address.

By Matthew Bandyk • Aug. 30, 2021

New Jersey turns to property assessed financing to boost commercial clean energy investments

Lawmakers and environmental advocates say the new law creates a pathway for commercial projects ranging from renewable energy development to energy efficiency upgrades.

By Emma Penrod • Aug. 30, 2021

Campaign to shut down New York City's peaker plants gains congressional ally

The Peak Coalition wants to close 19 gas peaker plants in New York City, and on Thursday Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., took up that cause.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Aug. 27, 2021

EPA urges FERC to use social cost of carbon in gas project reviews

Columbia Gulf Transmission has proposed new facilities in Louisiana that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says would lead to more than $205 million dollars in climate damages annually.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 27, 2021

Historic drought slashes hydropower generation in California, other Western states

The decline in hydropower, and the scramble to replace it with other sources, is putting financial pressure on local utilities in Western states.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Aug. 24, 2021

Making FERC hot can keep the climate cool

Although clean energy subsidies dominate headlines, policymakers are beginning to appreciate the foremost imperative in the clean energy transition: overhauling archaic regulation, the author writes.

By Devin Hartman • Aug. 24, 2021

Solar could be 40% of US generation by 2035, but it needs more investment, White House report finds

Groups such as SEIA and ACORE greeted the recent Biden administration report on the potential growth of the solar industry with enthusiasm, saying they hope additional work on tax reform is in progress.

By Emma Penrod • Aug. 20, 2021

California regulatory judge recommends more aggressive 2030 emissions target for power sector

The ruling also touches on broader reliability issues in the state, including Gov. Gavin Newsom's recent emergency proclamation and the potential for offshore wind development.

By Kavya Balaraman • Aug. 18, 2021

FERC's Chatterjee questions clean energy standard, says carbon pricing could unify US energy policy

U.S. utilities need the stability that could be provided by stronger federal energy policy, but the current political climate could undermine efforts in the works, FERC Commissioner Neil Chatterjee said Tuesday.

By Emma Penrod • Aug. 18, 2021

While bulk power system remains reliable, key metric suggests worrying trend, NERC finds

Operator-initiated load shedding in 2020 reached its highest point in the last five years, driven by extreme weather. NERC officials say that could turn into a trend, as the metric has already worsened this year.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 18, 2021

Hydrogen could fill multiple gaps in the US energy system, but will energy regulations allow it to?

Experts say green hydrogen will require a regulatory framework unlike any other in the energy industry. And developing that regime, they assert, could benefit the entire grid.

By Emma Penrod • Aug. 17, 2021

Utility regulators need to be a lot more proactive on climate resilience. Here's how they can start.

As the country grapples with accelerating consequences from extreme weather events, new regulatory frameworks are needed to guide utility investments for added resilience, the authors write.

By Maria Bocanegra and Mishal Thadani • Aug. 17, 2021

An ideal marriage? The battle to match US clean energy demand with excess Canadian hydropower

It would seem like the perfect match — a surplus of Canadian hydropower with a grid in the United States that is hungry for more renewable power sources. But moving that power is proving to be complicated.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Aug. 16, 2021

Illinois regulators launch probe of ComEd in wake of bribery scandal

The Illinois Commerce Commission is investigating whether ComEd stuck ratepayers with the bill for patronage hires and other money spent in a bribery case involving one of the state's most powerful politicians.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Aug. 16, 2021

Arizona 2050 clean energy mandate could increase utility bills nearly $60/month, study finds

Take the long-range analysis with a "grain of salt," report producer Ascend Analytics said, as it cannot predict future technologies.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 16, 2021

PSEG unloads fossil fuel plants for $1.9B in push toward decarbonization

PSEG is taking another big step towards cleaning up its grid, with the New Jersey utility announcing plans on Thursday to sell a 6,750 MW portfolio of fossil-fuel plants for $1.92 billion.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Aug. 13, 2021

FERC's Chatterjee laments the politicization of grid resilience in wake of ERCOT, CAISO struggles

The commissioner said he worries his rhetoric that focused on potential plans to save ailing coal plants early in his tenure as chair may have fueled a partisan divide that equates resiliency issues with the use of certain fuels.

By Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 12, 2021

California greenlights first-of-its-kind energy code to encourage electrified buildings

Regulators estimate the 2022 Energy Code will generate $1.5 billion in consumer benefits over the next three decades, as well as reduce 10 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions.

By Kavya Balaraman • Aug. 12, 2021

As Senate passes infrastructure bill, Democrats eye opportunity for more energy spending

A $3.5 trillion budget resolution, approved by the Senate early this morning, contains more tax credits and incentives for renewable energy, including a clean electricity payment program.

By Jason Plautz • Aug. 11, 2021

California utilities, clean energy groups urge CPUC to move quickly following Newsom's emergency call

Streamlined interconnection processes, expedited contract approvals, and other measures would help bring projects online quickly over the next few years, stakeholders say. 

By Kavya Balaraman • Aug. 11, 2021

NYPA and Argonne launch hyperlocalized study of climate change impact on power plants

The New York Power Authority wants to focus on the impact climate change could have on individual power plants and infrastructure.

By Scott Van Voorhis • Aug. 10, 2021

California's Aliso Canyon review could offer key lessons on transition from natural gas, analysts say

The state's consideration of whether to wean itself from one of its largest natural gas storage facilities could be a model, regardless of its success.

By Kavya Balaraman • Aug. 10, 2021