Report: 108M Americans face unhealthy air quality

Air quality breached health limits for more than 100 days in 89 cities in 2018, according to a new analysis of EPA pollution records.

By Jason Plautz • Jan. 29, 2020

New Jersey outlines sweeping plans to achieve 100% clean energy by 2050

Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said the state was not on track to meet its pollution reduction goals, prompting the release of his "Energy Master Plan" to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

By Matthew Bandyk • Jan. 28, 2020

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

Geothermal's surprise: Cheap renewables could keep states from achieving climate goals

Planners must think beyond the levelized cost for renewables to the value that each resource brings to the grid.

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 27, 2020

Forward Clean Energy Markets: A new solution to state-RTO conflicts

The Brattle Group has developed a new concept to competitively procure clean energy commitments in a technology-neutral fashion and complement other wholesale power market products, including capacity.

By Sam Newell, Kathleen Spees and Johannes Pfeifenberger • Jan. 27, 2020

NextEra aims to capitalize on PTC extension, repower wind in 2020

The company missed its Q4 earnings estimate but its developer arm excelled, beating fourth quarter earnings from 2018, and increasing its pipeline of projects to the largest it's ever been.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Jan. 27, 2020

Wisconsin utility plans to retire 345 MW of coal early as controversial natural gas plans remain in flux

Dairyland Power Cooperative is shutting down a coal plant in anticipation of a new natural gas project coming online, but the facility continues to face regulatory hurdles across Minnesota and Wisconsin.

By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 27, 2020

FERC's McNamee not seeking 2nd term as commissioner

Commissioner Bernard McNamee will step down from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Sept. 4, he announced Wednesday.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Updated Aug. 6, 2020

When states pick expensive policies under the guise of 'states' rights,' consumers pay

The inconsistency between state choices and wholesale power markets has reached a boiling point, and it's time someone closed the lid, writes EPSA President and CEO Todd Snitchler.

By Todd A. Snitchler • Jan. 23, 2020

2020 Outlook: New state action on customer empowering rate designs and business models

Regulators, utilities and stakeholders will pilot simple price signals and work toward agreement on a performance-based framework, but California may be in for a surprise.

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 23, 2020

Massachusetts governor, lawmakers aim for net-zero emissions by 2050

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker's announcement precedes anticipated comprehensive legislation that will drive the goal.

By Matthew Bandyk • Jan. 23, 2020

2020 Utility Dive Outlooks: What's in store for coal, gas, renewables, DER and beyond

2020 promises to be another busy year across the U.S. power sector as the energy transition gathers more steam.

By Larry Pearl • Jan. 23, 2020

A path forward for New England to a low-carbon future: Why a capacity market still matters

Significant work remains to integrate state decarbonization policies into the ISO New England and its wholesale markets, the author writes.

By Dan Dolan • Jan. 22, 2020

FERC MOPR order may have 'paradoxically unintended consequences': PJM

FERC's December order "might have made the process more administrative, more uncertain than it needs to be," a PJM official told stakeholders in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.  

By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 22, 2020

California ALJ boosts PG&E costs 70% for failures in program to prevent damage to underground equipment

A previously proposed $65 million settlement for violations of the utility's locate-and-mark practices was “too low for the number, duration and severity," according to ALJ Peter Allen who increased the amount to $110 million.

By Kavya Balaraman • Jan. 22, 2020

Ameren, Xcel, Dominion, Duke among most at-risk from changing climate: Moody's

Extreme heat and flooding, along with water scarcity and more severe hurricanes related to climate change, present long-term risks to utility assets, the credit rating agency found.

By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 22, 2020

Rhode Island governor wants state to be fastest to 100% renewable energy

Democrat Gina Raimondo signed an executive order to have all the state's energy supplied by renewable sources by 2030, but NGOs and industry are concerned about the lack of a multi-sector approach or any legal backing.

By Larry Pearl • Jan. 21, 2020

FERC gets around: PJM super MOPR — an around-market solution for the around-market solutions

FERC's PJM decision is not an attack on clean energy. It is an indictment of a regulatory construct that is crumbling, write the authors.

By Raymond L. Gifford and Matthew S. Larson • Jan. 21, 2020

New York regulators recommend charging infrastructure plan expected to deliver $2.6B in net benefits

The program will cover up to 90% of costs for "make-ready" charging stations to lower cost barriers for developers.

By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 21, 2020

Georgia bill would require companies to treat coal ash like municipal solid waste

The proposed legislation would impose stricter regulations on coal ash cleanup, requiring landfills holding the waste to have bottom liners and leachate collection systems.

By E.A. Crunden • Jan. 17, 2020

California launches rulemaking to manage transition away from natural gas

The California Public Utilities Commission will look into updating current reliability standards, as well as long-term contracting and tariff change rules.

By Kavya Balaraman • Jan. 17, 2020

DOE energy efficiency thresholds will endanger appliance standards, critics say

Trump says he wants to make dishes "beautiful" again, but efficiency advocates warn his administration is gutting regulations that could save billions in energy costs.

By Matthew Bandyk • Jan. 17, 2020

New York says new renewables financing option to reduce developers' financial risk, save $4.6B

In addition to updating how renewable energy projects in the state are funded, the Public Service Commission directed $2 billion in utility energy efficiency and building electrification spending.

By Larry Pearl • Jan. 17, 2020

2020 Outlook: US renewable resources on steady course for increased deployment

"In 2020, there’s sort of a 'come on in, the water's warm' element of excitement and momentum" around renewable energy procurement, one analyst said.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Jan. 16, 2020

Indiana bill would require Trump administration or state regulator blessing to retire coal plants early

The bill would prevent utilities from retiring plants early or otherwise decreasing operations unless explicitly directed by the federal government, not counting the Environmental Protection Agency.

By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 16, 2020

How much — and how fast — will Colorado change its utility business model?

Xcel Energy's Colorado utility cautions that implementing performance-based regulation too quickly could "jeopardize" the state's progress toward clean energy.

By Matthew Bandyk • Jan. 16, 2020