State of the Electric Utility 2020

Renewables and sustainability are top priorities for utilities, but there is room for improvement on cybersecurity, climate resilience and more, Utility Dive's seventh annual report finds.​

By Nami Sumida • Feb. 26, 2020

Dominion's first storage projects to test increased solar integration, fewer distribution upgrades

The utility plans to use the experience learned from operating four lithium-ion battery projects totaling 16 MW to meet new energy storage requirements, which could reach over 2 GW in Virginia by 2035.

By Matthew Bandyk • Feb. 26, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Virtual Power Plants

Virtual power plants and their ability to balance energy supply and demand are increasingly sought by utilities as electricity demand increases, but their lack of standardization remains a barrier.

By Utility Dive staff

Beating China at the lithium game — can the US secure supplies to meet its renewables targets?

To meet its renewables targets, the U.S. needs to secure lithium supplies or find a different way to compete with Beijing’s mining and manufacturing prowess, the author writes.

By Teague Egan • Feb. 18, 2020

'This is going to be a very big deal' — coronavirus poised to disrupt storage, solar sectors

China's battery storage production could drop by 10%, or 26 GWh, from 2020 forecasts due to measures aimed at controlling the outbreak, according to Wood Mackenzie.

By Kavya Balaraman • Feb. 18, 2020

Virginia approves 100% clean energy legislation, pushing state toward 2.4 GW storage, RGGI

Following a Senate push to get the Virginia Clean Economy Act to conference committee, the energy package is headed to the Governor's desk.

By Matthew Bandyk • Updated March 6, 2020

Glick joins grid operators' call for storage hybrid market construct

The FERC commissioner wants to see action on the measure and suggested a technical conference on how to treat storage collocated with energy generation in energy markets.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Feb. 13, 2020

Why is the utility industry less bullish on grid-scale storage?

This year, 27% of participants in the State of the Electric Utility survey said they expect their organization will significantly increase grid-scale battery storage in the next 10 years — compared to 34% last year.

By Kavya Balaraman • Feb. 13, 2020

Sustainability tops utility concerns, as SEU survey sees discrepancies on cybersecurity, stranded assets

Some 50% of utility respondents to Utility Dive's State of the Electric Utility Survey expect their organization to significantly increase the amount of grid-scale solar by 2030, a stronger forecast than for any other resource.

By Larry Pearl • Feb. 12, 2020

DOE's Oak Ridge lab licenses technology to startup Sparkz to reduce cobalt in lithium-ion batteries

Another technology licensed by the lab aims to overcome existing limitations on energy density in order to make electric vehicles charge much more efficiently. 

By Matthew Bandyk • Feb. 11, 2020

FERC's Order 841 'essential' for energy storage to cut emissions, attorneys general argue

FERC's order requiring storage to participate in wholesale markets is undergoing a challenge in federal court, and attorneys general of California, D.C., Massachusetts, Michigan and Rhode Island are siding with federal regulators.

By Matthew Bandyk • Feb. 11, 2020

Utility regulators need to look beyond 'cash flow' when assessing storage: DOE policy chief

In particular, the investor-owned utility model has traditionally been "not about cost. It was about making investments that are right and that will eventually pay themselves out when we do it."

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 10, 2020

How ConEd and National Grid are experimenting with energy storage in New York

Consolidated Edison is in the middle of several major projects to advance the state's distributed grid, while working to add 300 MW of energy storage by 2023.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 3, 2020

Q&A: GE CTO on adapting to the clean energy transition

Utility Dive caught up with GE Grid Solutions' Chief Technology Officer Vera Silva to discuss the shifting technology space in the utility industry, as well as short and long-term solutions for decarbonizing the power grid.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 3, 2020

This is no Hollywood tale: SimpliPhi CEO Catherine Von Burg is taking on storage's 800-pound gorilla

The California company has roots in the movie industry, and wants to use its systems to displace cobalt-based lithium-ion as the top storage solution while helping provide universal access to energy. 

By Larry Pearl • Feb. 3, 2020

At a crossroads: The connected future of EVs, solar, energy storage and software

The need for partnership across industries is increasing as the EV market continues to expand and challenge a static electric grid, driving industry forward to a clean, connected future, the authors write.

By Wes Doane and Lior Handelsman • Jan. 31, 2020

SPP approves $545M in transmission upgrades, eyes storage to help reduce costs

Southwest Power Pool is considering how energy storage could diminish transmission costs, although the pumped storage and batteries on its system are considered only as generation.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 30, 2020

Geothermal's surprise: Cheap renewables could keep states from achieving climate goals

Planners must think beyond the levelized cost for renewables to the value that each resource brings to the grid.

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 27, 2020

NYPA turns to zinc-air storage amid lithium-ion safety concerns

The utility is working with Zinc8 Energy Solutions to install a 100 kW/1 MWh zinc-air system in western New York and intends to scale up the project over time.

By Kavya Balaraman • Jan. 27, 2020

2020 Utility Dive Outlooks: What's in store for coal, gas, renewables, DER and beyond

2020 promises to be another busy year across the U.S. power sector as the energy transition gathers more steam.

By Larry Pearl • Jan. 23, 2020

8minute forms equity partnership with Capital Dynamics for largest US solar + storage project

The facility will deliver 400 MW of solar and 1,200 MWh of energy storage to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power at a fixed solar cost under $0.02 per kilowatt-hour.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Jan. 23, 2020

Mercom: VC funds are increasingly investing in energy storage

Meanwhile, venture capital spending on energy efficiency dipped from $1.5 billion in 2018 to $298 million last year, though the 2018 results were skewed by a single mega deal and funding has been on an overall downward trend.

By Matthew Bandyk • Jan. 21, 2020

Proposed 2.2 GW storage project plans to use Navajo coal station power-lines

If the project receives regulatory approval, it will deliver power to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Phoenix in 10-hour durations.

By Kavya Balaraman • Jan. 21, 2020

2020 Outlook: Renewables, resilience and reliability needs will drive storage

The storage industry will face its fair share of challenges, including increasing safety regulations, regulatory barriers and market uncertainty, experts say.

By Kavya Balaraman • Jan. 21, 2020

The new yardstick: How to optimize operations and economics in a high-renewables grid

In a three-part series, learn how Austin Energy and Doosan GridTech are maximizing the value of integrated storage and DERs through the DOE-funded Austin SHINES program. 

Jan. 21, 2020

2020 Outlook: 10 trends driving the US power sector

From utilities to states to grid operators, the energy transformation is accelerating, but significant challenges remain.

By Larry Pearl • Jan. 13, 2020