AEP’s SWEPCO gets approval to buy 1 GW of wind, solar from Invenergy for $2.2B

Including tax credits, the projects are expected to save $1.38/MWh compared with business as usual.

By Ethan Howland • June 30, 2023

Dominion Energy, Virginia solar developers clash over small-scale project rules

A coalition of solar groups and developers argues that Dominion Energy’s interconnection rules have led to project delays and cancellations, while the utility says the rules are necessary to protect the grid.

By Diana DiGangi • June 29, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 Stories from Utility Dive

Power demand is rising amid dramatic shifts in federal energy policy, but technology and markets continue to push the grid toward cleaner, more distributed resources. 

By Utility Dive staff

EPA launches $7B program to fund solar development in low-income and disadvantaged communities

“This historic boost in solar investments will advance millions of residential solar projects nationwide, protect people and the planet, deliver environmental justice, save families money, and create good-paying jobs,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said.

By Ethan Howland • June 29, 2023

DOE highlights Georgia’s clean energy economy ahead of Granholm visit

The state is home to more than half of the $5 billion in U.S. solar manufacturing investments that the Department of Energy has tracked since the beginning of the Biden administration.

By Diana DiGangi • June 27, 2023

Agrivoltaics hit ‘watershed moment’ as farmland transitions increase, says farmer-turned-developer

“Solar works when agricultural landowners are at a point of transition,” said BlueWave Solar Director of Sustainable Solar Development Jesse Robertson-Dubois.

By Diana DiGangi • June 26, 2023

A 360-degree approach to industrial sustainability: Parmacotto and Enel X Global Retail

Climate change is not some future state — it’s here today, and the scientific predictions are increasingly dire.

June 26, 2023

Differentiate your installation business by becoming a solar and storage solutions provider

Change usually means opportunity for savvy business owners in every industry — including residential solar.

June 26, 2023

Opponents chip away at clean energy policies

Renewable energy policy in the U.S. has faced threats recently from both sides of the political aisle.

June 26, 2023

IRA implementation heats up as Treasury clarifies rules for billions in clean energy incentives

The Treasury Department has released proposed rules on everything from transferring tax credits to domestic component requirements to qualify for certain IRA incentives, with more rules to come.

By Larry Pearl • June 23, 2023

Cleantech M&A activity expected to grow, driven by ESG investing and federal funding: West Monroe

ESG is an “unstoppable long-term trend,” according to the report released Thursday. “Much of this wall of capital will be sunk into cleantech.”

By Ethan Howland • June 22, 2023

False promises: As states tackle residential solar complaints, how companies can avoid problems

Misrepresentations have spurred the ire of state AGs when solar companies exaggerate their systems’ potential to save consumers money, despite financing that may end up costing the consumer more.

By Clayton S. Friedman, Ryan Strasser, Mackenzie W.J. Jessup and Carson Cox • June 22, 2023

DOE’s Jigar Shah details the operations of the Loan Programs Office handling IRA funding

Deals made by the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office are typically confidential, but Shah discussed details of some recent projects at a Resources for the Future policy leadership event on Tuesday.

By Emma Penrod • June 22, 2023

Hydropower, America’s first renewable industry, could help achieve net zero — if Treasury allows it

Requiring energy producers to source electricity only from newly built clean power would negatively impact the United States’ ability to rapidly scale its clean hydrogen industry.

By Malcolm Woolf • June 21, 2023

Four non-transmission solutions for clean energy with new power lines in the permitting ‘Valley of Death’

Smart technologies, storage, overbuilding and distributed resources can move the energy transition ahead until workable reforms bring new transmission online, stakeholders agreed

By Herman K. Trabish • June 21, 2023

NYISO picks $3.3B transmission project to deliver 3,000 MW of offshore wind power from Long Island

The transmission project is a “critical step forward as the state works to meet its ambitious climate mandates,” said Rich Dewey, NYISO’s president and CEO.

By Stephen Singer • June 21, 2023

Solar installations had a record Q1, but market volatility expected to persist through 2024, SEIA reports

Solar companies posted a record first quarter earlier this year, but slowing sales data could suggest a temporary contraction is on its way, a Wood Mackenzie analyst said.

By Emma Penrod • June 20, 2023

First Solar, 10 other companies urge IRS to adopt hourly time-matching rules for green hydrogen tax credits

As more companies agree that hourly matching would reduce emissions and encourage growth, timing the transition to that standard is now the key area of debate, a legal officer for Electric Hydrogen said.

By Emma Penrod • June 20, 2023

Partnering with consumers in the wake of climate disaster

How utilities can use consumer-focused tech to fight climate change.

By Devrim Celal, CEO of KrakenFlex, part of the Octopus Energy Group • June 20, 2023

Proposed update to public land rules could provide 80% reduction in renewable project fees, says Interior

The Department of the Interior said it hopes to increase the economic certainty of renewables projects sited on public land by reducing costs for developers, and pass along savings to ratepayers.

By Diana DiGangi • June 16, 2023

DOE launches 7th round of solar innovation competition, offering $4M in prizes

The prizes for hardware and software solutions are intended to spur innovations in the solar sector and address challenges to deployment.

By Diana DiGangi • June 15, 2023

IRS guidance on renewable tax credit transferability, direct-pay provisions of IRA, garners mixed reviews

Inflexibility around the Inflation Reduction Act’s domestic content requirements threatens nonprofits’ ability to own and develop renewable energy, Large Public Power Council President John Di Stasio said.

By Emma Penrod • June 15, 2023

How the debt ceiling bill’s permitting deal hurt the outlook for deeper reforms, transmission legislation

With prospects for legislation reduced, the focus on transmission turns to FERC. Acting Chairman Willie Phillips aims to issue final interconnection reforms soon and will push for increased transfer capacity between regions.

By Ethan Howland • June 14, 2023

California’s urban roofs provide more value for community solar+storage than rural areas: report

State and federal incentives could help “ensure that not all of our community solar is getting built in the cheapest areas out in rural locations,” said a solar developer’s Western policy director.

By Ysabelle Kempe • June 13, 2023

Duke Energy sells 3.4-GW commercial renewables business to Brookfield for $2.8B

The utility company said it plans to use the proceeds to strengthen its balance sheet and focus on growing its regulated business.

By Diana DiGangi • Updated Oct. 26, 2023

Regulators are changing the game just as ESG investing gets its bearings: ACORE panel

ESG funds have exploded in popularity in recent years, but their success has attracted backlash from politicians and increased oversight from regulators, finance experts said.

By Emma Penrod • June 9, 2023