'Aggressive' federal aid would push US to net zero emissions by 2050: report

America's Pledge released its fourth-annual U.S. climate analysis, finding to its "great surprise" that the pandemic is not slowing climate progress.

By Cailin Crowe • Sept. 14, 2020

FERC reverses 40 years of PURPA precedent in ruling on small solar definition, punts on storage question

The commission upended precedent that found a facility's net solar capacity must be no larger than the 80 MW threshold.

By Catherine Morehouse • Sept. 14, 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

bp boosts its renewable transition with $1.1B US offshore wind investment, Equinor partnership

The companies plan to develop four generation assets off the coast of New York and Massachusetts, with bp buying a 50% interest in two offshore wind farms near Long Island and Nantucket.

By Emma Penrod • Sept. 14, 2020

House to probe US lag on leveraging clean energy for COVID-19 recovery, consider bipartisan energy bill

As the U.S. diverges from other countries in its efforts to marry economic recovery with climate policy, a House subcommittee is planning to hold a hearing on efforts in the EU and elsewhere.

By Catherine Morehouse • Sept. 11, 2020

Adding it all up: Counting the capacity contribution of variable and duration-limited resources

The failure to properly count the quantity of capacity available to meet load during extreme weather events, like wildfires, can lead to inadequate power supplies and rotating blackouts, the authors write.

By Nick Schlag, Zachary Ming and Arne Olson • Sept. 10, 2020

Utility sector wary of new security rules for distributed resources

Federal regulators are considering stricter security rules for smaller grid resources, but the utility sector says ample protections are in place.

By Robert Walton • Sept. 8, 2020

US energy storage posts second-largest quarter, with more growth expected as COVID-19 recedes

Residential installations drove near-record growth in the U.S. energy storage sector despite COVID-19, with additional utility-scale projects expected to come online later this year.

By Emma Penrod • Sept. 8, 2020

Chicago launches $200M RFP to power city facilities by renewable energy

Under the contract, all city-owned buildings, streetlights and facilities would run on renewable energy starting in 2022, supporting the city's climate goals. 

By Katie Pyzyk • Sept. 4, 2020

Massachusetts top court denies NextEra bid to block state's PPAs with Hydro-Québec

The PPAs are critical to the development of the New England Clean Energy Connect transmission project, which has faced challenges from independent power generators trying to protect their older assets in the region.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Sept. 4, 2020

Solar tops 2019 additions, surpasses wind to reach 4th in global capacity at 651 GW: BNEF

BloombergNEF reports solar and wind reached 67% of new power capacity added globally in 2019, while Frost & Sullivan forecasts $3.4 trillion global investments in renewable energy by 2030.

By Guy Burdick • Sept. 3, 2020

FERC summit highlights reliability concerns for renewables + storage, but has California found a solution?

In a day-long FERC conference on renewables+storage hybrids earlier this summer, system operators focused on reliability while advocates described new opportunities.

By Herman K. Trabish • Sept. 3, 2020

Duke IRP includes scenarios to reduce carbon emissions 70% by 2030

One 70% reduction scenario would not add any more natural gas, and another would add 2,650 MW of offshore wind by 2030. But its base case scenarios continue gas buildout into the 2030s.

By Catherine Morehouse • Sept. 2, 2020

Biden presidency could decarbonize US power sector by 2035, Trump win would delay past 2050: Woodmac

Research concludes a Biden presidency is critical to accelerating renewable energy adoption in the U.S., but other industry experts question whether decarbonization hinges on presidential outcomes.

By Emma Penrod • Sept. 2, 2020

Alabama's increase of residential solar charges will slow installations, advocates say

Solar proponents say Alabama Power's monthly charge has stymied rooftop solar development, but commissioners argued for an increase in the fee.

By John Funk • Sept. 2, 2020

Wasatch Group, sonnen plan 24 MW, 60 MWh virtual power plants in California for $130M

The companies are beginning the first of seven retrofit projects in September in a Fresno apartment community, planning to add 3,000 batteries and solar power to homes.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Aug. 27, 2020

Senate Democrats reveal climate plan that could 'almost entirely' define clean energy policy under Biden admin

The report calls on Congress to spend at least 2% of annual U.S. gross domestic product on climate actions and require federal regulators to ensure publicly-traded companies disclose climate risks, among other measures.

By Catherine Morehouse • Aug. 27, 2020

FERC's capacity markets limit clean energy and cost billions; it's time for Congress to act

If successful, pending litigation could lift some of the unwarranted federal burdens on state clean energy programs in PJM and other places, but a legislative fix would do more, the authors write.

By Scott Strauss, Jeffrey Schwarz and Peter Hopkins • Aug. 27, 2020

Delaware transit agency to power electric buses with solar array

The Delaware Transit Corporation will install the 60,000-square-foot array at its facility in Dover, where it will power the facility and charge electric buses.

By Katie Pyzyk • Aug. 27, 2020

Utilities warn New York's $72M 'build-ready' renewables program could cost consumers

Clean energy advocates want to see private developers engaged in the process as early as possible, but concerns have come up about customers being on the hook for costs typically borne by private developers.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 27, 2020

Energy consulting groups value Southeast RTO potential at $384B savings by 2040

A seven-state RTO, including Florida, Tennessee and the Carolinas, would phase out coal generation and add more storage and renewables into the mix, according to analysis from Vibrant Clean Energy.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Aug. 25, 2020

What caused California's recent blackouts?

The causes of the rolling blackouts on August 14 and 15 may be numerous and complex, but few of those reasons have anything to do with California's shift to more renewable generation, writes attorney Seth Hilton.

By Seth Hilton • Aug. 25, 2020

Ensuring DER inclusion in capacity markets may require a rethink of resource adequacy

The growth of customer-owned resources is forcing system operators and aggregators to see their value as reliability tools and rethink the concept of resource adequacy.

By Herman K. Trabish • Aug. 24, 2020

Groups challenge FERC's PURPA rule, accuse commission of 'actively discouraging' small power facilities

The solar industry on Friday filed a petition for review with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, following federal regulators' rejection of the requests for rehearing.

By Catherine Morehouse • Updated Sept. 21, 2020

5 technologies propelling the energy transition

Utility Dive's latest series focused on electric sector innovations that could strengthen the grid, increase reliability and expand clean energy.

By Utility Dive Editors • Aug. 24, 2020

Pacific Northwest looks to avoid California-style blackouts through more regional coordination

Climate change, load growth and the replacement of fossil fuels with renewables are pushing the region to take big steps toward a new model.

By Matthew Bandyk • Aug. 24, 2020