How the REV initiative is changing the way New York utilities do business

The investor-owned utilities in New York have proposed more than a dozen demonstration projects, but the biggest innovation may be in how they are embracing the need to create alternative revenue streams and change the way they do business.

By Robert Walton • July 9, 2015

How the global fuel mix will transform itself over the next 25 years

The world is moving toward a new kind of power sector with renewables at the backbone of the grid.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 8, 2015

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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

President Obama announces plans to make solar more accessible to middle, low-income customers

A new 300 MW target for federally subsidized housing, a new community solar partnership, and independent solar commitments are all part of the President's announcements.

By Gavin Bade • July 7, 2015

New York solar grew over 300% between 2011 and 2014

Between 2011 and 2014, New York's solar capacity tripled, quadrupled or quintupled in every region of the state other than Long Island, according to officials.

By Robert Walton • July 7, 2015

How California's biggest utilities plan to integrate distributed resources

New plans filed with state regulators show where DERs should go and how much they are worth to utilities.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 7, 2015

Appalachian Power plans to expand renewables, cut coal use in IRP

Within a decade and a half, coal will make up just over half of the utility's generation mix according to its Integrated Resources Plan, filed with Virginia regulators last week.

By Robert Walton • July 7, 2015

Michigan Senate bills would keep electric choice, eliminate renewable & efficiency mandates

A proposal would maintain the state's 10% energy choice law, but with added restrictions to ensure alternative suppliers maintain adequate capacity.

By Robert Walton • July 7, 2015

Dominion questions solar, praises coal, decries carbon rules in IRP filing

Dominion has filed its Integrated Resource Plan with Virginia regulators, but warned that the federal government's Clean Power Plan leaves the company in a state of uncertainty.

By Robert Walton • July 6, 2015

SolarCity adds Tesla battery to its new solar-plus-storage home product

The new offering will provide backup power now and be a grid services tool in the future, company officials say.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 6, 2015

ITC offering transmission rights for Lake Erie Connector line

Line would tranverse Lake Erie to exchange electricity resources between Canada and PJM markets

By Herman K. Trabish • July 6, 2015

Inside the nation's first renewables-plus-storage microgrid

San Diego Gas & Electric constructed a microgrid to serve roughly 2,800 customers in an outage-prone area. Their power may never go out again.

By Robert Walton • July 6, 2015

White House rejects biomass as carbon neutral

In a policy statement opposing House efforts to undermine environmental reforms, the Obama administration said it opposed efforts to declare forest biomass fuels as 'carbon neutral.'

By Robert Walton • July 2, 2015

Hawaiian Electric delays energy storage project

The utility confirmed that a plan to install 200 MW of battery storage will be delayed a year and is likely to come online in 2018.

By Robert Walton • July 2, 2015

HECO files with regulators to cut solar net metering rates in half

HECO also wants to up the minimum monthly bill to cover a cost shift it says costs $53 million per year.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 2, 2015

Austin Energy gets record low solar bids at under 4 cents/kWh

Solar bids are getting cheaper so quickly that the utility is asking its oversight arm to slow down approvals so it can get the best deal possible.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 2, 2015

What happened when NRG Energy disrupted its own business model

The country’s biggest independent power producer is going retail with rooftop solar, EV chargers, and connected consumer products.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 1, 2015

Georgia Power unveils rooftop solar installation offering

The utility will not yet offer leasing or loan financing and the solar arrays "will not be rate based assets," an executive told Utility Dive.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 1, 2015

Maine lawmakers override Gov. LePage's veto of value of solar bill

Huge bipartisan majorities send “Ratepayer Focused Strategy” for solar to state regulators, while LePage looks increasingly weak.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 1, 2015

EIA: Hawaii, Vermont lead nation in aggressive renewable standards

Hawaii is targeting 100% renewable energy by 2045, while Vermont hopes tom reach 75% by 2032.

By Robert Walton • June 30, 2015

Large utilities yawn as Iowa Gov. Branstad signs solar incentive bill

The governor signed a bill last week to expand solar incentives, applies only to systems with a capacity no greater than 1.5 MW, leaving some to question if investor-owned utilities will utilize the incentive.

By Robert Walton • June 30, 2015

DOE-backed floating wind project may lose funding as utilities reject power prices

Utilities they can buy onshore wind at a quarter of the price of WindFloat’s ocean wind electricity.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 30, 2015

Despite declaring energy sales illegal, Duke will connect solar array owned by third party

Energy advocates and the regulated utility are on a collision course over rules restricting the sale of energy by third parties.

By Robert Walton • June 30, 2015

How America's largest power company plans to become a leading renewables developer

As Duke Energy's renewables business grows, it presents unique challenges in balancing the interests of its utilities with those of its unregulated subsidiaries. 

By Gavin Bade • June 30, 2015

GTM: Solar generation could be 50% higher than federal data shows

The rapid growth of rooftop solar has made accounting for the total resource base difficult.

By Robert Walton • June 30, 2015

Minn. PUC approves Xcel-solar industry deal on community shared solar

State regulators limit co-located projects to 5 MW while Xcel promises to speed approvals.

By Herman K. Trabish • June 29, 2015