Energy Storage
-
Go Nakamura via Getty Images
OpinionReliability risk isn’t just about capacity anymore
Winter Storm Fern showed that the integration of flexible resources paired with improved weatherization and better market structures can materially reduce risk during extreme weather, writes Tapas Peshin of PCI Energy Solutions.
By Tapas Peshin • March 6, 2026 -
Permission granted by Form Energy
World’s ‘largest’ grid battery part of Google-Xcel Energy agreement
Form Energy will supply iron-air batteries for the 300 MW/30 GWh deployment, which the parties say will bolster Xcel’s Upper Midwest grid with cost-effective multiday energy storage.
By Brian Martucci • March 4, 2026 -
Explore the Trendline➔
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
TrendlineTop 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 -
Getty Images
600+ GWh of US energy storage expected by 2030: Benchmark/SEIA
The U.S. saw record battery deployments in 2025 and likely will again in 2026, propelled by utility-scale installations, according to a report prepared for the Solar Energy Industries Association.
By Brian Martucci • March 3, 2026 -
Getty Images
OpinionThe physics of reliability: Why gas peakers alone can’t save the modern grid
Most outages don’t start as a multihour energy shortage; they start as a frequency crisis. If you only have gas, you’re trying to stop a bullet with a shield that takes 10 minutes to lift, writes Arun Muthukrishnan from Arevon Energy.
By Arun Muthukrishnan • March 3, 2026 -
Mario Tama via Getty Images
Declining solar, storage valuations drive increased M&A: Mercom
“When there is uncertainty, there are good deals to be had,” said Mercom CEO Raj Prabhu. “People are looking for late-stage, low-risk projects that are ready to go, and those are hot commodities.”
By Emma Penrod • March 3, 2026 -
Getty Images
Sunrun installation volumes fall in Q4 2025 as VPP capacity grows
Executives with the largest provider of residential solar and battery subscriptions in the U.S. said regulatory uncertainty and a business model shift impacted 2025 volumes and its 2026 outlook.
By Brian Martucci • March 2, 2026 -
Permission granted by sonnen, Inc.
OpinionGovernors are promising lower power bills. Here’s the only credible path to deliver.
If we treat every new megawatt like it must be served with new poles, wires, substations and peakers, we will lock in another decade of rate shock, write Jigar Shah and Arnab Pal from Deploy Action.
By Jigar Shah and Arnab Pal • Feb. 26, 2026 -
Getty Images
Massachusetts’ least-cost 2050 peak power mix is combustion-free: report
But a top official with a regional independent power producer group said the focus now, amid rising demand, should be on “energy addition, not retirement or replacement.”
By Brian Martucci • Feb. 25, 2026 -
Courtesy of Georgia Power
DOE loans Southern $26.5B for 5 GW of new gas, other grid investments
Calling it the largest loan in the agency’s history, DOE said it aims to deliver over $7 billion in cost savings for Georgia Power and Alabama Power customers.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 25, 2026 -
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Solar and wind PPA prices up 9% in 2025, set to continue rising with energy demand
Meanwhile, energy storage agreements have emerged as a fast-growing new product category.
By Emma Penrod • Feb. 25, 2026 -
Permission granted by Alliance to Save Energy
Deep DiveVPP vs. VPP: Customer-owned DER aggregators challenge Xcel-owned batteries in Minnesota docket
The Minnesota decision could affect how regulators see virtual power plants nationwide.
By Herman K. Trabish • Feb. 19, 2026 -
Retrieved from U.S. Department of Energy.
OpinionMinnesota’s distributed capacity procurement decision could shape the grid far beyond its borders
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission should approve a framework that supports open, competitive participation, writes Coalition for Community Solar Access CEO Jeff Cramer.
By Jeff Cramer • Feb. 12, 2026 -
Getty Images
Data centers can tap batteries, microgrids for faster interconnection: NEMA
Battery systems are “increasingly critical” for data center operators willing to pay a premium for resilience and faster time to power, industry analysts say.
By Brian Martucci • Feb. 10, 2026 -
Getty Images
New Jersey utilities begin to develop virtual power plants
The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities asked for information from utilities on distributed energy resource hosting constraints and how new interconnections can be accelerated.
By Robert Walton • Feb. 9, 2026 -
Courtesy of Corning
OpinionWhy regional manufacturing will power the next clean economy
If regions align around shared climate goals, fragmented progress can become a unified national movement, write Lara Croushore from SecondMuse and Stacey Weismiller of the American Manufacturing Futures Institute.
By Lara Croushore and Stacey Weismiller • Feb. 5, 2026 -
Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.
Tesla sets battery storage deployment record in Q4 as EV sales slump
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said “energy will have very high growth for as far into the future as we can imagine.”
By Brian Martucci • Feb. 3, 2026 -
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
2026 US power sector outlook
Read Utility Dive's road map to the year ahead for FERC, affordability, renewable energy, distributed energy resources and more.
By Meris Lutz • Jan. 30, 2026 -
Getty Images
Deep DiveCustomers, don’t expect electric bill relief in 2026: ‘The cake is baked.’
Energy affordability has long been a problem for the poorest Americans, but now middle-income families are starting to feel the squeeze.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2026 -
Getty Images
NERC forecasts peak demand to rise 24% on new data center loads
“The system is changing faster than the infrastructure needed to support it,” said John Moura, NERC's director of reliability assessments and performance analysis.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2026 -
Andrew Harnik via Getty Images
Sam Altman-backed Exowatt launches arm to power data centers with renewables
The company said ExoRise will provide customers with solar and battery infrastructure that supports “behind-the-meter and off-grid deployment” with a focus on the U.S. Southwest.
By Zoya Mirza • Jan. 28, 2026 -
Getty Images
Trump administration must release EV charger funds, court rules
The Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration “yanked the NEVI Formula Program’s cord out of the outlet,” said U.S. District Judge Tana Lin. “It is simply not how things are lawfully done.”
By Diana DiGangi • Updated Jan. 28, 2026 -
Courtesy of Honda Motor Co.
Honda dissolving its fuel cell system partnership with GM
Honda said it will continue internal development of its hydrogen fuel cell technology and intends to make it a core business segment in the future.
By Eric Walz • Jan. 27, 2026 -
Sean Gallup via Getty Images
Deep DiveIn 2026, virtual power plants must scale or risk being left behind
The AI data center frenzy is shifting utilities’ focus to large-scale generation. But advocates say flexible, distributed energy resources still provide the biggest bang for the buck, according to our 2026 DER outlook.
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 27, 2026 -
Getty Images
OpinionMassachusetts can make ‘bottom-up’ distribution reforms for a better grid
Adopting a distribution system operator, or DSO, structure would make the grid cleaner, more flexible and more affordable, writes Corrin Moss.
By Corrin Moss • Jan. 22, 2026 -
3alexd via Getty Images
Managed EV charging can save utilities and ratepayers money: report
By optimizing electric vehicle charging around peak times, utilities can delay costly distribution grid upgrades while cutting per-vehicle charging costs by 25% or more, Brattle Group said this month.
By Brian Martucci • Jan. 21, 2026
