Utilities, schools see growing value in electric buses for virtual power plants

By participating in programs that ease grid congestion, school districts can recoup thousands of dollars from the price of electric school buses.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 16, 2026

‘Second-life’ battery project is B2U’s second in ERCOT, with more on the way

A strategic supply agreement with Waymo and rising EV adoption rates will expand the company’s access to older batteries still fit for use in stationary storage, CEO Freeman Hall told Utility Dive.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 15, 2026

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

Google bankrolls PG&E virtual power plant

The SHARE program is a proof of concept for privately-funded distributed energy capacity and could eventually expand to include commercial, industrial and utility-scale resources, Pacific Gas & Electric said.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 10, 2026

Front-of-meter solar, storage could serve 32% of California’s 2032 peak load: study

An analysis commissioned by the Coalition for Community Solar Access found untapped opportunity for 3,100 distribution-connected projects in the state’s three investor-owned utility territories.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 9, 2026

Google backs solar-storage project at former West Virginia coal mine

The project MN8 is developing will include 100 MWh of long-duration Eos Energy Enterprises zinc-based storage alongside lithium-ion batteries.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 8, 2026

EnerNex: large loads, new rules

AI mega-campuses are reshaping grid planning and exposing limits of traditional studies.

By Dave Mueller, VP of Energy System Studies at EnerNex • Sept. 8, 2026

Trump grid order likely to cause energy storage delays, cancellations: BloombergNEF

The Aug. 26 executive order, previous executive actions and the Treasury Department’s foreign entity of concern guidance are likely to hit battery and inverter supply chains particularly hard, an industry analyst told Utility Dive.

By Brian Martucci • Sept. 1, 2026

Trump declares emergency, moves to block some foreign-made equipment from grid

Grid equipment manufacturers say more clarity will be needed, particularly around rules for software and digital products where the country of origin may be difficult to determine.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 27, 2026

New Jersey seeks 150 MW of behind-the-meter storage to support VPP

The comparatively modest maximum annual incentive of $200/kW over 10 years reflects the “private resilience value of residential energy storage systems,” state regulators said.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 25, 2026

PJM eyes option to jumpstart surplus interconnection pathway

The surplus interconnection process has produced limited results while MISO and SPP are studying about 15 GW and 14 GW, respectively — mostly battery storage. PJM's current rules hinder hybrid projects, observers say.

By Ethan Howland • Aug. 21, 2026

Duke’s Carolinas resource plan targets 18.5 GW new solar by 2041

The utility’s North Carolina and South Carolina territory “continues to experience significant growth,” with both states ranked among the fastest-growing, Duke told South Carolina regulators.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 20, 2026

VPP value proposition expands to affordability, reliability and resilience

Robust compensation and metering, along with strong customer protections, are needed to drive participation in utility virtual power plant programs, according to experts.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 19, 2026

Home buyers want more information on energy usage. Utilities can help.

By positioning themselves as trusted experts for both buyers and real estate agents, utilities can speed the adoption of efficient grid technologies, say residential energy experts.

By Nathan Shannon and Scott Rosenberg • Aug. 19, 2026

Northwest council proposes 11 GW of new generation, 5 GW storage by 2032

The Northwest Power and Conservation Council estimates the portfolio for its Ninth Power Plan would have a fixed cost of $2.3 billion in 2032.

By Marlene Wilden • Aug. 18, 2026

Hyundai unifies vehicle V2X capabilities with AllDayEnergy entity

The global service signals a consistent energy management experience across Hyundai, Kia and Genesis EVs, and better use of bidirectional charging functionality. 

By Bengt Halvorson • Aug. 18, 2026

Beyond the home meter: How utilities can eliminate the EV ‘renter’s penalty’

Tying affordability measures to the customer rather than a home meter can ensure that predictable charging costs are available regardless of housing type, write experts at GRID Alternatives.

By Zach Franklin and Linda Khamoushian • Aug. 18, 2026

Colorado has provided the blueprint for integrating community power

The state is “tapping private investment and competitive market forces to deliver new grid capacity years faster and at a lower cost to customers than utility-owned infrastructure alone,” writes Common Charge Executive Director Mary Rafferty. 

By Mary Rafferty • Aug. 17, 2026

2026 Q2 roundup: Utilities emphasize project execution and ratepayer protections

Executives tried to show they can secure the equipment needed to meet rising demand without shifting costs to existing customers as politicians take aim at data centers ahead of the midterm elections.

By Meris Lutz • Aug. 17, 2026

Sunrun pursues direct-sales transition amid industry headwinds

The residential solar-and-storage provider is looking to diversify its revenue while increasing focus on “unlocking value from the customers and assets we already have,” CEO Mary Powell told investors.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 10, 2026

Battery-eligible New Jersey VPP program begins to take shape

Utility-owned storage could help mitigate grid congestion, a utility manager said at a July stakeholder meeting. Another said customer-centric program design is crucial to reducing attrition.

By Brian Martucci • Aug. 4, 2026

$700M microgrid bill has state energy office, electrical manufacturer support

The bill would make microgrids and distributed energy resources eligible for state energy program grants and establish state-run grid resilience programs.

By Robert Walton • Aug. 4, 2026

America’s permitting crisis lives at City Hall

Every month a city spends re-reviewing a battery it has already certified safe is time wasted when that resource could be adding capacity to the grid or lowering a family's bill, writes Base Power COO Justin Lopas.

By Justin Lopas • Aug. 4, 2026

Exelon ‘high probability’ data center load falls 40%

The drop to 11 GW reflects Exelon’s ability to weed out speculative projects through “transmission security agreements,” said CFO Jeanne Jones.

By Ethan Howland • Updated July 31, 2026

30-MW Nebraska microgrid gets a non-lithium battery boost

Lincoln Electric System is energizing a 3-MW/12-MWh zinc-based battery to support the Nebraska state Capitol complex and other critical infrastructure.

By Brian Martucci • July 28, 2026

Renewables, storage can meet one-third of US industrial heat demand: report

The UC Berkeley analysis should be welcome news for a manufacturing industry that is heavily reliant on natural gas, with its volatile prices, said Jose Dominguez, one of the report’s authors.

By Meris Lutz • July 23, 2026