FERC reverses course, rejects SPP regional transmission cost allocation pathway for wind-heavy zones

After considering arguments from American Electric Power, OGE Energy and Xcel Energy utilities, FERC decided the Southwest Power Pool plan gave too much discretion to its board.

By Ethan Howland • July 14, 2023

The meaning of an ‘optimal’ clean energy investment is changing as prices rise, analysts report

Inflation Reduction Act incentives and supply-demand imbalances have developers and off-takers recalculating the value of clean energy.

By Herman K. Trabish • July 13, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Transmission

Utilities are preparing to spend billions building out transmission at a time when affordability is a major concern.Get a handle on what’s at stake and the solutions being offered in this trendline.

By Utility Dive staff

Alleviating the energy affordability crisis in America

People should not have to choose between paying for necessities or energy. With the right technology, utilities can help their customers lessen this burden.

By Matt O’Keefe, Opower Group Vice President, Oracle Energy and Water • July 11, 2023

Court orders Mountain Valley Pipeline construction to halt in national forest

The pipeline operator said it is considering an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to get a 3-mile section of the project in Virginia moving again.

By Julie Strupp • July 11, 2023

DOE rolls out $200M for grid investments; California will use $67.5M for storage, resilience

Billions must be spent to increase the capacity of the U.S. power grid in order to accommodate building electrification, plug-in vehicles and increasing amounts of renewables, according to Bank of America analysts.

By Robert Walton • July 11, 2023

Innovation with GIS mobility: Unraveling utility process issues

Mobile GIS is one of the technologies that can create positive change and ignite innovation while shredding the paper processes.

By Bill Meehan, Esri • July 10, 2023

ISO New England called energy emergency, turned to operating reserves after transmission failure

The region faced a brief capacity shortage beginning around 6 p.m. Wednesday, and the grid operator utilized its 30-minute reserves to meet demand that was higher than anticipated.

By Robert Walton • July 7, 2023

Roughly $7B federal loan could offer PG&E ‘cheap money’ to upgrade electric grid in California

If approved, the loan would fund projects related to resiliency, building and vehicle electrification and distributed energy resources, according to a utility spokesperson. 

By Kavya Balaraman • July 6, 2023

Training wheels for DERMS

Utilities—on the road to DERMS, start with a conservative approach.

July 3, 2023

As Texas sweats, its electric grid has remained stable, in part due to renewables

The Public Utility Commission of Texas continues to develop a new dispatchable reliability reserve service and approved an 83% pay raise for the board of the state’s grid operator on June 29.

By Robert Walton • June 30, 2023

Most US regions get D+ or below for transmission planning, development: benchmark report

The Southeast received a failing grade while the Mid-Atlantic, New England, Northwest, Southwest and Texas regions got D-range grades in a benchmark report from Americans for a Clean Energy Grid.

By Ethan Howland • June 29, 2023

When it comes to transmission, customers must come first

The key to grid planning is first to acknowledge the central role states play so that transmission is built according to customer need, not arbitrary mandates.

By Tony Clark • June 26, 2023

Arizona Public Service reaches settlement with ACC, will raise rates to recover Four Corners investment

The utility will also be allowed to earn a higher return on equity after a court determined regulators overstepped their authority in lowering the ROE to punish the utility for customer service issues. 

By Robert Walton • June 26, 2023

Gas-fired capacity surges this year, solar poised to boom: FERC report

About 113,700 MW of solar, wind and gas-fired generation is highly likely to start operating by April 2026 but could be offset by about 44,100 MW of power plant retirements, according to the report.

By Ethan Howland • June 23, 2023

Conventional generation outages set a record in 2022: NERC

The performance of wind and solar resources must also improve, NERC said, particularly as they place “increased operational demands on the now smaller fleet of conventional generation.”

By Robert Walton • June 23, 2023

Grassroots buy-in will be vital to transmission buildout, say clean energy experts

Though Congress left transmission reform out of the recent debt ceiling deal, constituent pressure could impact future legislation, says DSD Renewables Head of Policy Pari Kasotia.

By Diana DiGangi • June 22, 2023

Four non-transmission solutions for clean energy with new power lines in the permitting ‘Valley of Death’

Smart technologies, storage, overbuilding and distributed resources can move the energy transition ahead until workable reforms bring new transmission online, stakeholders agreed

By Herman K. Trabish • June 21, 2023

Nevada revamps IRP process, opens path for NV Energy to own more renewables and storage

A new law allows NV Energy to propose a planning scenario to state regulators in which it owns a “significant share” of new renewable energy generation and energy storage.

By Robert Walton • June 21, 2023

NYISO picks $3.3B transmission project to deliver 3,000 MW of offshore wind power from Long Island

The transmission project is a “critical step forward as the state works to meet its ambitious climate mandates,” said Rich Dewey, NYISO’s president and CEO.

By Stephen Singer • June 21, 2023

Northeastern states seek DOE support for transmission collaborative across three regions

“Rather than wait for new regulatory mandates to spur action, we can collectively take steps now to consider expanding ties between our regions,” the states told DOE. 

By Ethan Howland • June 20, 2023

Duke Energy changed security reviews of critical assets following December substation attacks

Information-sharing protocols between the public and private sector need to be improved, a North Carolina safety official told the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.

By Robert Walton • June 20, 2023

ERCOT expects record peak demand Wednesday as Texas regulators continue work on reliability standard

 The grid operator for most of Texas anticipates sufficient resources as it forecasts demand near 83 GW on June 21, but observers note coal and gas plant outages are higher than anticipated.

By Robert Walton • June 16, 2023

How the debt ceiling bill’s permitting deal hurt the outlook for deeper reforms, transmission legislation

With prospects for legislation reduced, the focus on transmission turns to FERC. Acting Chairman Willie Phillips aims to issue final interconnection reforms soon and will push for increased transfer capacity between regions.

By Ethan Howland • June 14, 2023

More regional transfer capacity is key to mitigating grid reliability risks: ACORE panel

Ensuring that electricity markets properly value demand response is also an important approach, experts said at a discussion hosted by the American Council on Renewable Energy.

By Robert Walton • June 14, 2023

California could see far lower costs to prepare grid for electrification than prior estimate, state research finds

Preliminary research from California’s Public Advocates Office estimates the costs at up to $20 billion by 2035, compared with $50 billion projected by Kevala, in part because of different forecasts on EV charging. 

By Kavya Balaraman • June 13, 2023