California approves PG&E, SDG&E, SCE microgrid tariffs with eye to upcoming fire season

As battery storage capacity is added in California, developers are preparing to meet the summer peak demand through new projects, including microgrids.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Jan. 19, 2021

Hawaii finalizes utility regulation considered potential template for US power system transformation

Stakeholders agree the state's final performance-based regulation order includes opportunities and safeguards that can lead to a new regulatory paradigm.

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 19, 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

2021 Outlook: Greening natural gas while planning for service reliability

Natural gas remains essential to the U.S. energy grid despite deep decarbonization targets, experts say, as utilities and generators pilot lower emission projects, while also looking to energy storage and other options.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Jan. 15, 2021

California releases final root cause analysis of August rolling blackouts

Renewables and storage advocates said the report shows California should invest more aggressively in long-term energy storage, to ensure power from intermittent resources, such as solar, can be available during peak hours.

By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 15, 2021

Wind, solar to make up 70% of new US generating capacity in 2021 while batteries gain momentum: EIA

The U.S. is on track to set a new record for solar deployment this year, according to a federal report, while increased interest in solar-plus-storage projects will quadruple the nation's storage capacity.

By Emma Penrod • Jan. 13, 2021

2021 Outlook: 10 power sector trends to watch

A new administration under a new party is one of many signs that 2021 will look different for policymakers, regulators, utilities and other stakeholders, but the continuation of some older trends is expected as well.

By Catherine Morehouse • Jan. 13, 2021

Kauai Island Utility Cooperative, AES pursue nation's first solar-powered pumped hydro project

The pairing is unique in the energy sector, according to the utility, and will help it surpass 80% renewables.

By Robert Walton • Jan. 12, 2021

2021 Outlook: The DER boom continues, driving a ‘reimagining’ of the distribution system

The rise of distributed resources will require a renewed distribution system that gives utilities more visibility of what's going on at the customer level to cut costs and protect reliability. 

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 12, 2021

Two barriers to utility and customer savings with flexible loads and how regulators can help

Utilities, regulators and load flexibility authorities say better distribution system control technologies and compensation are needed to increase the use of flexible customer-sited resources.

By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 6, 2021

Top Utility Trends of 2020

Amid significant disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the power sector's transition to a cleaner, more distributed future continues.

By Larry Pearl • Jan. 5, 2021

The search for the next net metering policy takes center stage in California

California’s utilities and solar advocates agree a forward-looking successor tariff must use the state’s nation-leading rooftop solar penetration to address its increasingly dynamic system needs with storage.

By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 23, 2020

APS's plan for closing coal plants could be a gamechanger, analysts say, but who will pay?

The company's current rate case includes $144.45 million for communities impacted by its proposed coal closures, the biggest-ever such U.S. utility commitment, but customers would pay over 80% of the plan.

By Herman K. Trabish • Dec. 18, 2020

LevelTen Energy eyes C&I sector interest in contracting energy storage resources

Following the facilitation of a deal to power 550 Starbucks stores in California through virtual solar and energy storage agreements, the company began offering a new storage contract to reduce risk in larger project investments.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Dec. 17, 2020

Pacific Northwest poised to test 100% renewables as utilities weigh gas vs. storage

The Northwest has perhaps the best starting point of any region in the country to go to 100% renewable energy, but a delicate balance between the costs of storage and the costs of natural gas may determine the feasibility of that goal.

By Matthew Bandyk • Dec. 17, 2020

CAISO adopts summer reliability measures to avoid repeat of 2020 blackouts

The market and operational steps, if approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, will remain in effect until May 31, 2022.

By Kavya Balaraman • Updated April 23, 2021

Regulator of the Year: Neil Chatterjee, FERC

It's hard to imagine an agency that has had more effect on the power sector this year than the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, and it's impossible to divorce that impact from its now-former chairman: Neil Chatterjee.

By Utility Dive Team • Dec. 9, 2020

The Utility Dive Awards for 2020

The winners exemplified leadership in a time of crisis by working toward economic means of transitioning the power sector.

By Utility Dive Team • Dec. 9, 2020

Thousands of California homes to be linked for 550 MW virtual power plant, North America's largest

The planned plant, as well as Southern California Edison's plans to procure an additional 590 MW of battery energy storage, are expected to play important roles in bolstering grid reliability.

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 8, 2020

'Very small silver lining' of COVID-19? An extra 2.5 years to reduce power sector emissions: report

BloombergNEF's New Energy Outlook shows the gas sector will never fully recover from the economic downturn in 2020.  

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Dec. 8, 2020

California's pathway to 100% clean electricity begins to take shape, but reliability concerns persist

Achieving a 100% clean electricity goal by 2045 is technically achievable, a draft report from the state's energy agencies concludes.

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 7, 2020

US storage deployments shatter record in Q3, with 7.5 GW projected by 2025: WoodMac

Deployments are expected to spike next year, with front-of-the-meter installations occupying more than two-thirds of the forecasted market annually through the middle of the decade.

By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 3, 2020

Mississippi Power plans 'smart neighborhood' with Tesla batteries, Solar Roofs

The community of up to 150 homes will also feature automation along with energy-efficient equipment and appliances like smart thermostats and refrigerators.

By Cailin Crowe • Dec. 1, 2020

CAISO approves hybrid storage policies as California preps to add 1.5 GW by 2022

The new policy provides market certainty around how hybrid resources are supposed to operate in the market, according to Jin Noh, policy manager at the California Energy Storage Alliance.

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 24, 2020

Why capital markets are continuing to finance utilities facing rising flood and other climate change impacts

In a sample of 18 utility disclosures on climate risks analyzed by Utility Dive, 13 stated flooding and heavy storms were a short-to-mid term threat.

By Iulia Gheorghiu • Nov. 20, 2020

To batteries and beyond: The storage technologies poised to play a key role in the energy transition

At least 33 U.S. utilities are aiming to become carbon-free or reach net-zero emissions by 2050. These are some of the technologies that could help them get there.

By Kavya Balaraman • Nov. 17, 2020