Decarbonization requires more access to and consensus around energy data

There is a need for more data to better track and quantify progress toward decarbonization, the author writes. 

By Ben Gerber • March 30, 2021

What's the biggest role for hydrogen in a clean energy economy? It depends who you ask

Hydrogen could play multiple roles in the clean energy transition, from decarbonizing heavy industry to expanding energy storage, industry experts agree. But visions diverge around questions of use and distribution.

By Emma Penrod • March 25, 2021

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

LIFT America Act's infrastructure proposals list landfill gas among renewable energy sources

The wide-ranging bill, which calls for numerous energy grid improvements, names municipal solid waste as a renewable energy resource.

By Megan Quinn • March 24, 2021

DC first in Mid-Atlantic to require long-term renewable PPA for standard offer customers

The District of Columbia is requiring Pepco to serve 5% of the city's standard electrical service program from new long-term power purchase agreements.

By Robert Walton • March 24, 2021

FERC open to revisiting MOPR, as grid operators, utilities mull future of wholesale markets

"Although I voted for our MOPR orders, and believe those determinations were supported by the record, I'm not wedded to the policy calls of the past," said Commissioner Neil Chatterjee during a FERC technical conference.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 24, 2021

As early renewables near end-of-life, attention turns to recycling and disposal

The coming need to address renewable energy assets that reach the end of their useful lives is spurring conversations about creating an economy that's circular as well as green.

By Emma Penrod • March 24, 2021

Biden to unveil multi-trillion dollar plan targeting power grids, other infrastructure next week

President Joe Biden will announce his multi-trillion dollar infrastructure package Wednesday in Pittsburgh, the White House announced yesterday.

By Joe Bousquin • Updated March 25, 2021

Reforming capacity markets to meet clean energy goals and support the grid of the future

The goal of reform efforts should be to retool the regional markets so that they facilitate the achievement of state and consumer clean energy goals and meet regional reliability needs in tandem, the author writes.

By Jeff Dennis • March 22, 2021

FERC boosts small solar, reversing PURPA ruling that had upended 40 years of precedent

Regulators voted to allow qualifying facility status to a solar-plus-storage array that met the law's qualifying facility cap of 80 MW in net-capacity, but that has a gross capacity of 160 MW.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 19, 2021

Amid rising rooftop solar battles, emerging net metering alternatives could shake up the sector

As distributed resource penetrations rise, a shift of costs to non-solar owners due to retail rate net energy metering is driving innovations in policy and rate design that can replace it.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 18, 2021

'We're going from cigarettes to crack': Hawaii regulators grill HECO on fossil fuel transition plan

Regulators worry delays to renewable projects, planned to help replace a coal plant on Oahu, could require the state to turn to oil-fired generation next year. 

By Kavya Balaraman • March 17, 2021

Solar makes up majority of new resource additions for 2nd year in a row, reaching record 19.2 GW

With residential installations booming and expected to triple by 2030, Wood Mackenzie reported the largest year on record for utility-scale solar installations in the U.S.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 17, 2021

Taking Charge: Commissioner Clements on FERC's 'make or break' role amid the energy transition

In a comprehensive interview with Utility Dive, Allison Clements laid out her thoughts on FERC's role following the mass outages in Texas, the need for transmission reform and more.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 16, 2021

APS comes out against legislation barring Arizona regulators from mandating decarbonization

The utility says ambiguities about the Arizona Corporation Commission's authority to regulate carbon emissions should be argued in the courts, not decided through legislation.

By Emma Penrod • March 15, 2021

Dominion, Berkshire Hathaway push better transmission siting as Biden turns focus to infrastructure

Infrastructure is next on the president's agenda, and there's ample political will to increase spending on it, according to Christina Hayes, vice president of federal regulatory affairs at Berkshire Hathaway Energy.

By Emma Penrod • March 12, 2021

Senate Democrats plan to reintroduce energy tax reform bill, focus on long-term incentives

The Clean Energy for America Act will be the "cornerstone of the efforts on energy tax this Congress," according to a senior policy adviser to Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee.

By Robert Walton • March 11, 2021

Hawaiian Electric defends renewable, storage project delays as fossil fuel plants near retirement

Project delays are not solely attributable to Hawaiian Electric, and depend also on developers and their consultants, the utility said in a filing. 

By Kavya Balaraman • March 10, 2021

New tax credits are best option to spur clean hydrogen, Resources for the Future analysis finds

The potential for hydrogen to become cost competitive exists, panelists concluded during a Tuesday webinar, but the U.S. must increase investment to ensure opportunities don't move overseas.

By Emma Penrod • March 10, 2021

Offshore wind permitting bottleneck expected to ease as Interior completes review of first US large project

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has completed analysis on the proposed Vineyard Wind 1 project off the coast of Massachusetts.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • March 9, 2021

7 key trends from renewable energy's 2020 prices and some initial takeaways from Texas 2021

While detailed analysis of the Texas event crisis is still ongoing, the authors note, they examine some of the notable takeaways and trends in renewable energy markets from last year's performance.

By Adam Reeve • March 8, 2021

'A total mindshift': Utilities replace gas peakers, 'old school' demand response with flexible DERs

Utility-customer cooperation can balance renewables' variability with flexibility without using "blunt" demand response or natural gas.

By Herman K. Trabish • March 8, 2021

Increasingly complex solar projects require a mixture of partnership and technical know-how

By focusing on packaging, logistics, shipping and staging the site, companies can develop an innovative solution that provides short and long-term cost benefits for the project.

March 8, 2021

How the National Green Bank can help small businesses build back greener

With 30.7 million small businesses located in the U.S., any efforts toward reducing emissions are going to need to include this market, the author writes.

By Paul Schuster • March 4, 2021

Xcel proposes $1.7B transmission investment in Colorado to unlock nearly 5.5 GW new renewables

The proposal would allow the utility to reduce emissions in its Colorado territory by an estimated 85% below 2005 levels by 2030.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 4, 2021

House Democrats introduce bill with pathway to 100% clean energy by 2035

The bill would include major changes to the Federal Power Act and the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act, and require economy-wide net-zero emissions by 2050.

By Catherine Morehouse • March 3, 2021