How DOE is remaking itself to help utilities modernize the grid

Now's the time for utilities to take advantage of new partnership and research opportunities, the agency says.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 14, 2015

California struggles with gas capacity in summer heat

High temperatures and supply constraints led to CAISO issuing a call for urgent conservation earlier this month. 

By Gavin Bade • July 14, 2015

Explore the Trendline➔

Data Centers and the US Grid

A look at how data centers are affecting the U.S. grid today and how new technologies and rate structures could affect that trajectory in the years to come.

By Utility Dive staff

Iberdrola breaks ground on first large wind farm in Southeast US

The 208 MW wind farm shows how new turbine technology is opeining new and unexpeted areas to wind development. 

By Herman K. Trabish • July 14, 2015

Senate committee expected to consider wind tax credits

Backers of the solar and wind investment tax credit say it wasn't intended to be permanent, but is still needed.

By Robert Walton • July 13, 2015

Clean Energy Collective lands deal for CPS Energy's first community solar

CEC is building the first two community solar projects in Texas.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 13, 2015

TEP asks regulators to expand rooftop solar offerings, add community solar product

New solar programs would be added to the utility’s rate base and paid for through customer bills, if regulators approve.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 13, 2015

Diary of a Grid Defector: How an energy reporter is going off the grid

In the first of a new monthly series, Robert Walton explores what life is like at the edge of the electric system, and how the revolution in distributed energy technologies is changing it.

By Robert Walton • July 10, 2015

CA utilities want distributed generation to count towards renewables mandate

SCE says not including distributed renewables “picks winners and losers,” and will drive up customer costs.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 10, 2015

Inside Minnesota's disputed community solar deal

No one seems completely happy about the deal to limit the size of community solar arrays, but the market is set to expand anyway.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 9, 2015

NV Energy buys utility-scale solar at record low price under 4 cents/kWh

Just last week, Austin Energy reported the cheapest solar buy ever, but that record didn't last long.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 9, 2015

Boulder files with regulators to acquire Xcel assets in bid to form municipal utility

The application, filed with the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, focuses only on serving customers in the city and does not seek to take over any generation assets.

By Robert Walton • July 9, 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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