Renewables industry questions whether Duke, Southern SEEM proposal would limit competition

In comments filed with federal regulators, stakeholders said utilities' proposal to create a Southeast Energy Exchange Market has the potential to bring more renewables onto the grid, if implemented correctly.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 17, 2021

SEC official: Companies avoiding ESG disclosures 'risk higher costs of capital'

Disclosing some ESG-related issues may eventually prove as important for companies as reporting asbestos-related risks, a top SEC official said.

By Jim Tyson • March 17, 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

Taking Charge: Commissioner Clements on FERC's 'make or break' role amid the energy transition

In a comprehensive interview with Utility Dive, Allison Clements laid out her thoughts on FERC's role following the mass outages in Texas, the need for transmission reform and more.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 16, 2021

APS comes out against legislation barring Arizona regulators from mandating decarbonization

The utility says ambiguities about the Arizona Corporation Commission's authority to regulate carbon emissions should be argued in the courts, not decided through legislation.

By Emma Penrod • March 15, 2021

CPS Energy sues ERCOT, citing one of the 'largest illegal wealth transfers' in Texas history

The largest municipal gas and electric provider in the U.S. is suing the Texas grid operator for $18 million, alleging gross negligence related to the widespread outages and successive price spikes, among other things.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 15, 2021

California summer reliability rules driving utility fossil fuel plans, groups say in challenging CPUC

The state's Public Utilities Commission issued the decision last month in an attempt to ensure grid reliability during the summer months. 

By Kavya Balaraman • March 15, 2021

Congress should prioritize gas supply risks, NERC says, as senators mull federal role in Texas grid

"Having a great winterized plant with no fuel in front of it isn't very valuable. And that's where our authorities right now stop," the head of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation told a Senate committee.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 12, 2021

Texas Senate passes bill requiring ERCOT to reprice multi-billion dollar market 'error'

Texas' head utility regulator cited new evidence from the independent market monitor that prices had not hit $16 billion, but the entity clarified that charge was still accurate.

By Catherine Morehouse • Updated March 16, 2021

Dominion, Berkshire Hathaway push better transmission siting as Biden turns focus to infrastructure

Infrastructure is next on the president's agenda, and there's ample political will to increase spending on it, according to Christina Hayes, vice president of federal regulatory affairs at Berkshire Hathaway Energy.

By Emma Penrod • March 12, 2021

GAO urges FERC, DOE to develop national resilience strategy as senators focus on obstacles

Senators raised similar concerns across the aisle during an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing yesterday regarding NEPA permitting delays, saying they have slowed down natural gas, wind and transmission projects.

By Emma Penrod • March 11, 2021

Senate Democrats plan to reintroduce energy tax reform bill, focus on long-term incentives

The Clean Energy for America Act will be the "cornerstone of the efforts on energy tax this Congress," according to a senior policy adviser to Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee.

By Robert Walton • March 11, 2021

New tax credits are best option to spur clean hydrogen, Resources for the Future analysis finds

The potential for hydrogen to become cost competitive exists, panelists concluded during a Tuesday webinar, but the U.S. must increase investment to ensure opportunities don't move overseas.

By Emma Penrod • March 10, 2021

DOE will spend billions on electric vehicle R&D in jobs fight with China, Granholm says

The U.S. Department of Energy's loan program is "open for business," said Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. China has largely cornered the global battery market and she said the United States must catch up.

By Robert Walton • March 10, 2021

Offshore wind permitting bottleneck expected to ease as Interior completes review of first US large project

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has completed analysis on the proposed Vineyard Wind 1 project off the coast of Massachusetts.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 9, 2021

Texas PUC loses 2nd commissioner as Lt. Gov. presses ERCOT to correct $16B overcharge

Gov. Greg Abbott, R, also directed the state legislature to address billing errors, declaring it an emergency item.

By Catherine Morehouse • Updated March 10, 2021

California looks to demand-side fixes as 'a layer of insurance' to prevent rolling blackouts

Regulators are contemplating a new emergency load reduction program, tweaking rate plans to encourage customers to save energy, and modifying current demand response programs to increase participation.

By Kavya Balaraman • March 8, 2021

Texas regulators decline to act after market monitor reports $16B of 'inappropriate' ERCOT charges

The two commissioners voted against directing the grid operator to retroactively reprice its real-time prices that were artificially inflated during the generation shortages and subsequent forced outages.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 8, 2021

Buttigieg says infrastructure faces a 'once-in-a-lifetime moment' as power grids, roads get C- grade

Speaking at the unveiling of the American Society of Civil Engineers' infrastructure report card last week, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said now is the time to fix America’s crumbling infrastructure.

By Joe Bousquin • March 8, 2021

'A total mindshift': Utilities replace gas peakers, 'old school' demand response with flexible DERs

Utility-customer cooperation can balance renewables' variability with flexibility without using "blunt" demand response or natural gas.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 8, 2021

Glick commits to avoid repeat of 'disturbing' lack of action in Texas after 2011 outages

“It is pretty clear” what the message was in the 2011 report, the chairman said, “and it's just disturbing that it didn't turn into action."

By Catherine Morehouse • March 5, 2021

How the National Green Bank can help small businesses build back greener

With 30.7 million small businesses located in the U.S., any efforts toward reducing emissions are going to need to include this market, the author writes.

By Paul Schuster • March 4, 2021

An open letter to Energy Secretary Granholm: Policy is too important to be made behind closed doors

During the last four years, we wasted precious time that should’ve been spent working feverishly toward a just, clean energy transition. And the public has been kept in the dark, the author writes.

By Howard Crystal • March 3, 2021

House Democrats introduce bill with pathway to 100% clean energy by 2035

The bill would include major changes to the Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and require economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 3, 2021

Texas must increase ties to the national grid and DER to avoid another power catastrophe, analysts say

Planning for inter-regional transmission and distributed resources could do what ERCOT's competitive, energy-only market didn't – keep the heat and lights on, energy advisors say.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 2, 2021

ERCOT fires CEO, following resignation of head utility regulator, board members

CEO Bill Magness' termination follows continued fallout from the power outages that plagued the state for days last month during extreme cold weather.

By Catherine Morehouse • Updated March 4, 2021