Transmission & Distribution: Page 3
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Sponsored by RS Technologies
Composite poles vs. alternatives in the face of natural disasters
Composite utility poles have been shown to be highly resilient in ice storms, freezing rain, hurricanes and wildfires.
Jan. 22, 2024 -
Extreme weather shows need for dispatchable resources, new transmission: FERC commissioners
FERC Acting Chairman Willie Phillips expects the agency will issue new transmission planning and cost allocation rules in the “coming months.”
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 19, 2024 -
Trendline
Grid Resiliency
Utilities and grid operators are facing increasing threats from climate change as well as cyber and physical attacks, and are deploying a variety of responses to meet the rising challenges.
By Utility Dive staff -
Robot worms, lasers, drones and AI: How ARPA-E wants to move the US power grid underground
The U.S. Department of Energy on Tuesday announced $34 million in funding to explore novel approaches to undergrounding to increase resiliency.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 17, 2024 -
Texas grid holds firm through frigid temperatures, 3 demand records, 2 conservation calls
The Texas power grid is more resilient than it was in 2021, when Winter Storm Uri caused widespread blackouts and almost 250 deaths.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 17, 2024 -
9 US power sector trends to watch in 2024
The U.S. march toward a decarbonized electric system will continue in 2024 as policymakers and others work to balance, climate, reliability, affordability and other goals.
By Robert Walton, Ethan Howland, Diana DiGangi, Larry Pearl, Kavya Balaraman and Emma Penrod • Jan. 10, 2024 -
500K East Coast outages persist after day of storms; grid braces for coming Arctic weather
“Next week we will see the coldest air of the season push in from Canada over much of the central and eastern U.S.,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alan Reppert said.
By Robert Walton • Jan. 10, 2024 -
Sponsored by IFS
Energizing change: American Electric Power’s evolution with IFS
Discover how American Electric Power revolutionized its operations with IFS MWM, transforming meter reading from traditional to cutting-edge and setting a new standard in the energy sector. Join AEP's journey into a smarter, safer and more sustainable future.
Jan. 8, 2024 -
Pattern Energy secures $11B in financing, starts full construction on SunZia wind, transmission projects
The scale of the SunZia project and its multifaceted financing show the renewable energy space can secure capital at levels previously only seen in traditional generation, Pattern executive Daniel Elkort said.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 3, 2024 -
FERC nixes PG&E’s requested $41.4M annual equity incentive for being a CAISO member
However, the Department of Energy on Tuesday decided to award the utility credits to help it keep the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant running.
By Ethan Howland • Jan. 2, 2024 -
Deep Dive
As reliability concerns with renewables rise, upgrading inverters is urgent, analysts say
The variable output of renewable energy resources requires “grid-forming” inverters to protect power system current flows, engineers and others agree.
By Herman K. Trabish • Jan. 2, 2024 -
FERC approves CAISO’s Western day-ahead market plan with 2026 start date
“Utilities across the West are considering their positioning on markets intensively now, with many signaling an intent to move forward in the next six months,” said Brian Turner, a director at Advanced Energy United.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 22, 2023 -
Electric-gas coordination, planning vital to grid recovery after blackouts: FERC-NERC report
The electric and gas sectors should collaborate on a “blackstart system restoration plan” to bring the grid back online in the event of a system collapse, a new report concludes.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 21, 2023 -
FERC transmission incentives ‘way out of whack,’ drive up consumer costs: Commissioner Christie
The agency’s transmission incentives have been “ridiculously generous to transmission developers while inflicting an ongoing victimization of consumers,” FERC Commissioner Mark Christie said Tuesday.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 20, 2023 -
ERCOT eyes more demand response for 2024, reserve procurements this winter: CEO Vegas
But the use of ERCOT’s new contingency reserve service has resulted in a $12.5 billion overprocurement of ancillary services, according to independent market monitor Potomac Economics.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 20, 2023 -
PJM prepares shift to scenario-based long-term transmission planning
Under the approach set to start next year, PJM will consider three scenarios, including one that factors in state energy policies and another that accounts for expected demand growth from electric vehicles and other developments.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 18, 2023 -
Colorado PUC delays 2.1 GW of Xcel wind and solar, citing cost concerns
While regulators approved the addition of 50% less wind capacity and 18% less solar capacity than Xcel proposed, they approved 58% more energy storage power capacity than the utility’s preferred portfolio.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 18, 2023 -
Sponsored by Sense
New survey highlights reliance on real-time data, suggesting increased momentum for remote energy management in 2024
Users report maintaining or even increasing their use of Sense’s real-time home intelligence, despite changes in their routines.
Dec. 18, 2023 -
House Democratic bill aims to spur interregional, offshore transmission
The sweeping bill includes a 30% transmission tax credit, requires generation interconnection costs to be shared widely and sets a 50 GW by 2035 offshore wind target.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 14, 2023 -
Rising peak demand, 83 GW of planned retirements create blackout risks for most of US: NERC
"Overly rigid" environmental regulations and energy policies can jeopardize “the orderly transition of the resource mix,” the North American Electric Reliability Corp.’s 10-year reliability assessment warns.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 14, 2023 -
As NERC members risk missing weatherization standards deadline, board vows to act on its own
NERC faces a February deadline to revise cold weather standards, but proposed rules failed the most recent stakeholder vote.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 13, 2023 -
US electricity load growth forecast jumps 81% led by data centers, industry: Grid Strategies
Data from FERC Form 714 shows grid planners expect nationwide power demand to grow 4.7% over the next five years compared with a previous estimate of 2.6%.
By Robert Walton • Dec. 13, 2023 -
PJM board approves $5B in transmission projects to be built by Dominion, FirstEnergy, others
The “unprecedented” transmission package has triggered concerns about PJM’s planning process from the Maryland ratepayer advocate and state utility regulators.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 12, 2023 -
Exelon, PG&E, others urge FERC to give transmission owners first dibs on regional projects
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's work to pass a final transmission planning rule could get a boost if Commissioner James Danly leaves the agency when this congressional session ends.
By Ethan Howland • Dec. 11, 2023 -
California transmission permitting not up to the challenge of managing pipeline: report
“Without the needed transmission, it’s going to be a big setback" for the clean energy transition, said Ed Smeloff, a consultant to the Center for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Technologies.
By Kavya Balaraman • Dec. 8, 2023 -
States and federal agencies shouldn’t wait for Congress to act on clean energy infrastructure: report
Clean energy group Evergreen Action released a suite of proposals for speeding up the permitting, siting and approval of transmission projects without an act from Congress.
By Diana DiGangi • Dec. 7, 2023